5 Best Event Build-Ups in Marvel History

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Marvel pioneered the large-scale, multi-issue event comic in the early to mid-1980s with titles like Marvel Super Heroes Contest of Champions and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. These events have since become a cornerstone of Marvel’s storytelling. By the 2000s, they became Marvel’s primary focus, proving incredibly popular and heavily influencing the overall narrative of the Marvel Universe. Now, multiple events are released annually, and while some are well-received by fans, others aren’t. They’ve become both the most popular and the most controversial part of the comic book landscape.

Marvel is known for its incredible events, and the most successful ones all share a key trait: excellent build-ups. A strong build-up is crucial for a great story, and it ultimately leads to a more satisfying experience for readers. Here are five Marvel events that perfectly exemplify this, thanks to their flawless preparation.

5) Avengers vs. X-Men

The comic event Avengers vs. X-Men still holds up well, largely because of the strong groundwork laid beforehand. It all began with X-Men Schism, a story where the X-Men fractured after a bitter disagreement between Wolverine and Cyclops about how mutants should handle danger. This split created two opposing groups, filled with resentment towards each other. The long-standing conflict between Cyclops and Wolverine was key to AvX‘s success; without the distrust established in X-Men Schism, Uncanny X-Men, and Wolverine and the X-Men, the Avengers wouldn’t have responded to the Phoenix the way they did. Understanding Hope Summers, a central character, requires reading the Messiah Trilogy (Messiah Complex, Messiah War, and Second Coming), as well as Generation Hope. While the Avengers didn’t have a lot of prior story arcs leading into this event, the X-Men had so much build-up that it really made the story work.

4) A.X.E. Judgment Day

The epic event A.X.E. Judgment Day was carefully planned throughout 2021, with key storylines established in two standout comic series. Immortal X-Men launched a new direction for the X-Men and their nation of Krakoa, focusing on the core mutant characters. At the same time, the Eternals series (issues #1-12) reintroduced these characters to the Marvel Universe and set the stage for a conflict with Krakoa. Both series were written by Judgment Day’s Kieron Gillen, with Lucas Warneck illustrating Immortal X-Men and Esad Ribic working on Eternals. Several Eternals one-shots – Eternals: Thanos Rising, Eternals: Celestia, and Eternals: The Heretic – illustrated by Dustin Weaver, Kei Zama, Ryan Bodenheim, and Edgar Salazar, are also essential to the story. All of these comics were exceptionally well-made and contributed to making the event truly memorable.

3) Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet is a famous Marvel story, but people often overlook how carefully it was set up. In the early 1990s, writer Jim Starlin returned to Marvel with the Silver Surfer series (issues #34-38, #40-48, and #50), reintroducing Thanos. This led to Thanos Quest, a two-part story where Thanos collected the Infinity Gems – the direct prelude to Infinity Gauntlet. These comics add a lot of depth to the overall story, expanding on the ideas presented in Infinity Gauntlet and delivering some truly epic cosmic battles. Importantly, Starlin collaborated with artist Ron Lim on both titles, establishing a partnership that would prove invaluable for the subsequent Infinity Trilogy of event comics. These aren’t just good lead-ins; they represent some of the best cosmic storytelling Marvel has ever produced.

2) Secret Invasion

The story behind Secret Invasion unfolded over about four years of Marvel comics. While hints appeared as early as 2004’s Secret War and the first 37 issues of New Avengers (particularly issues 1-6 and 25-37), events like Civil War and World War Hulk also contributed to the buildup. Comics like New Avengers: The Illuminati (#1-6) and Thunderbolts (#110-121) were key as well. Essentially, many Marvel comics published between 2005 and 2008 gradually introduced elements of the story, creating a lot of anticipation among readers. By the time Secret Invasion began, fans had been following the groundwork for years and were eager to see how everything would play out.

1) Civil War

Many fans have mixed feelings about the Civil War storyline, but Marvel put a lot of effort into promoting it through both the comics themselves and a strong advertising campaign. The foundation for Civil War was laid starting with 2004’s Secret War, and continued in titles like New Avengers (Vol. 1) #1-19 and House of M. Issues #529-532 of The Amazing Spider-Man are particularly important, as they show Tony Stark and Spider-Man becoming friends after Spider-Man joins the New Avengers. To understand the characters leading up to the event, Captain America (Vol. 5) #1-21 – which includes the acclaimed “Winter Soldier” arc – provides key insight into Steve Rogers, while Iron Man (Vol. 4) #1-6 establishes Tony Stark’s evolving position within the Marvel Universe. These comics are considered some of Marvel’s most important and enjoyable, and they expertly set the stage for the legendary Civil War event.

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2026-01-13 02:10