7 Marvel Heroes Who Failed To Save The Earth

by

For decades, Marvel’s heroes have been Earth’s protectors, famously defeating villains like Hitler in their early days. Teams like the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men have consistently saved the planet from enormous threats. But surprisingly, the heroes haven’t always succeeded. Throughout Marvel’s history—including in different versions of reality—Earth has sometimes been destroyed or fallen under enemy control. These failures have led to some of the most compelling stories, letting fans explore the consequences of loss and witness desperate attempts to fix things.

Stories about heroes failing have become increasingly popular because they offer a fresh perspective. We’re accustomed to seeing heroes succeed, so seeing them struggle – and even lose – can be surprisingly compelling. There’s a whole trend of stories exploring what happens when heroes are defeated and forced to cope with a world where they’re powerless. These seven Marvel heroes, unfortunately, weren’t able to save the Earth when it needed them most.

7) Havok

The first volume of Uncanny Avengers delivered some of the most compelling Avengers stories of the 2010s. Led by Havok, the team struggled with friction between its mutant and non-mutant members. This internal conflict was exploited by the Apocalypse Twins, who ultimately shattered the team’s cohesion and brought about Earth’s destruction. Havok, as leader, failed to bridge the divides within the group, contributing to humanity’s near-extinction. Although he later used time travel to resolve the crisis, his initial inability to unite the team remains a significant failure.

6) Reed Richards

Reed Richards is famous for being a world-saving hero, but in alternate realities, things don’t always go as planned. A great example of this comes from an older Captain America story called “Cap Lives.” This story is set on an Earth where Captain America died in World War II, allowing the Nazis to win the war. On this Earth, Reed Richards worked with the OSS during the war and knew Captain America. However, after Steve Rogers’ disappearance, Richards couldn’t prevent the Nazis from taking over. They eventually found Captain America frozen in ice, and while Richards helped him defeat the Red Skull, he couldn’t have done it without Captain America’s help.

5) The Punisher

The Punisher is known for being a vigilante, not a traditional hero, but a comic book storyline revealed he once accidentally caused the extinction of humanity. In The Punisher: The End, Frank Castle roams a post-apocalyptic America after a devastating war. He discovers a bunker containing the people responsible for starting the conflict, believing they are the last survivors. Tragically, he kills them, unaware of the full consequences, and then walks into the radioactive wasteland, effectively ending the human race. So, the Punisher didn’t prevent the war that destroyed the world—he ensured humanity’s complete demise.

4) Thor

Although Havok is often blamed for Earth’s destruction in the Uncanny Avengers story “Ragnarok Now,” Thor shares responsibility. Kang tricked him into magically enhancing the axe Jarnbjorn, making it capable of killing Celestials. This was crucial because the Apocalypse Twins then used Jarnbjorn to kill a Celestial, triggering the planet’s destruction. Instead of targeting Exetar the Executioner, Thor used Jarnbjorn to kill one of the Twins. Had Thor prioritized Exetar, Earth might have been saved, but he made a different choice.

3) The X-Men

The X-Men haven’t always succeeded in their missions, and their failures have sometimes created disastrous alternate realities. A prime example is “Days of Future Past,” where they couldn’t prevent a takeover by anti-mutant extremists and their Sentinels. The “Age of Apocalypse” occurred because Storm, Bishop, Iceman, and Psylocke couldn’t stop Legion from attacking Magneto and Xavier in the past. More recently, “Sins of Sinister” saw Mister Sinister gain control of the team and conquer the world. Many of these alternate timelines share a common theme: the X-Men losing to prejudice, resulting in Earth falling into the hands of terrible individuals.

2) The Avengers

As a huge Avengers fan, I was completely gripped by Jonathan Hickman’s storyline involving the Incursions – seriously, the stakes felt higher than ever! It was fascinating to see the secret machinations of the Illuminati, trying to handle this massive threat behind the scenes. Eventually, the main Avengers team discovered what was happening, and they fought tooth and nail to prevent total annihilation, but they kept hitting dead ends. They did figure out why these Incursions were happening, and bravely confronted the Beyonders, the ones responsible, but even that wasn’t enough. The whole thing culminated in the Final Incursion, where they managed to defeat the forces from another Earth, but tragically, both universes were still wiped out. It was a really powerful, if devastating, arc.

1) The Illuminati

The Illuminati were a fascinating group – a secret team of powerful individuals who attempted to protect the world from the shadows. However, their efforts often backfired, and the Incursions are a prime example of this. They discovered a threat that could destroy the entire multiverse and desperately sought a solution that wouldn’t involve wiping out entire planets colliding with Earth. Their secrecy proved to be their downfall; had they been open about the danger, they might have been able to prevent the Incursions altogether. Instead, their actions ultimately led to near-total destruction, until Doctor Doom managed to save the day.

https://comicbook.com/comics/list/10-marvel-comics-you-need-to-read-in-2026/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-23 21:18