7 Marvel Events You Should Read Again

Marvel Comics is well-known for its large-scale event storylines. They developed this format by building on crossovers from older DC titles like JLA/JSA and “Crisis,” creating their own limited series events. Over time, these grew to include numerous tie-in comics – something almost unimaginable today when you consider that the first Secret Wars only had one! Marvel has produced some truly iconic event comics, as well as many considered failures (some fans dislike all event comics). Despite mixed opinions, these events often become bestsellers and have significantly shaped the Marvel Universe in recent years.

Reading big comic book events month-by-month can feel like a lot of work, but they’re really rewarding when you revisit them. Often, a second read can even change your opinion of events you previously disliked. Here are seven Marvel events you should experience again – some are just fantastic, and others you’ll appreciate in a new light.

7) Infinity

Jonathan Hickman’s run on Avengers is truly excellent, and its peak comes with the Infinity storyline, featuring art by Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver, and Jim Cheung. Infinity throws the Avengers into a massive cosmic war against the Builders, an ancient race determined to wipe out all life to prevent dimensional collisions called Incursions. Simultaneously, a secret group called the Illuminati on Earth must face the threat of Thanos and his powerful Black Order. This story is a thrilling blend of science fiction, epic warfare, and superhero action that’s sure to impress. The collected edition is highly recommended, as it includes all related Avengers and New Avengers issues, offering a complete and satisfying experience.

6) AXIS

Okay, so everyone talks trash about AXIS by Rick Remender and a bunch of amazing artists, but honestly, I don’t think it’s that bad when you just look at it as a story. The Red Skull becomes this crazy powerful villain, Red Onslaught, and forces the Avengers and X-Men to work together – even the bad guys get involved! Their attempt to win, though, is what really messes things up, because it causes all the heroes and villains to swap personalities, and it’s total chaos. It’s also the story where they revealed Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver weren’t Magneto’s kids, which bummed a lot of people out. But the story itself? It’s actually pretty entertaining. Remender really goes for it here – you can almost feel like he was just having fun and experimenting since he was leaving Marvel. It feels like he didn’t care about holding back, and just threw everything at the wall to see what stuck. It’s a surprisingly good ride, and I’ve grown to enjoy it way more than I expected. Seriously, if you go in without hearing all the negativity, you’ll find a really fun superhero story.

5) Original Sin

The decade of the 2010s was heavily influenced by the Avengers, largely due to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2015 alone, there were three major Avengers comic book events (bringing the total to seven between 2012 and 2015), though not all of them were fan favorites. Two particularly divisive storylines were AXIS and Original Sin, by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato. Original Sin centers around a murder mystery when the Watcher is found dead, and the heroes’ deepest secrets are exposed as they investigate. While the story didn’t quite live up to expectations – I especially disliked the ending and the villain’s reveal, as they negatively impacted a character I enjoy – it remains a compelling superhero mystery that deserves more recognition.

4) Age of Ultron

Many consider Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Hitch, Carlos Pacheco, and Brandon Peterson’s Age of Ultron to be one of the worst Marvel events ever, but I disagree. The story is set in a future where Ultron has won, and the remaining heroes attempt a desperate plan involving time travel to defeat him. However, another pair of heroes tries a different approach, going back in time to kill Hank Pym, which unfortunately creates a disastrous alternate reality. While I didn’t initially enjoy this story, my opinion has changed with each re-read. It’s a rare Bendis event that’s genuinely engaging, and the artwork is excellent. Ultimately, it’s a fun, over-the-top time travel story that’s better than most people recall.

3) Secret War

Let’s discuss Brian Michael Bendis’ Secret War. This five-part series features stunning artwork by Gabrielle dell’Otto and tells the story of supervillains receiving powerful enhancements from an unknown source. They target a team of heroes connected by a forgotten war and betrayed by someone they once trusted. It was Bendis’s first large-scale event comic, and many fans consider it one of his strongest works. While not filled with constant action – typical for a Bendis comic from the 2000s, with limited action panels per issue – it’s a really compelling story. Many people focus on Bendis’s less successful events like House of M and Secret Invasion, but Secret War deserves more recognition.

2) Infinity War

Okay, seriously, Infinity War is amazing and I don’t think enough people talk about it! It’s the follow-up to the Infinity Gauntlet story, and it brings back this really clever villain – an evil future version of Adam Warlock called the Magus. He’s got this whole plan to get ultimate power by using copies of himself to take the place of all his enemies and just causing chaos. The only way to stop him? A team-up between Warlock and Thanos! Honestly, it takes everything that was great about the Infinity Gauntlet and just makes it even better – the story is tighter, it’s way more exciting, and it just moves. It’s a bit older – it came out 34 years ago, so a lot of you probably haven’t even heard of it, but trust me, you absolutely need to check it out!

1) Siege

Brian Michael Bendis’ big event comics in the 2000s were inconsistent – some were excellent, others fell flat – despite a generally positive reputation. A common issue was that he stretched stories out too much, turning what could have been a four-issue arc into eight and losing momentum. That’s what makes Siege, with art by Olivier Coipel, stand out. It’s a concise four-issue story about Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers attacking Asgard and the heroes’ reaction. Because Bendis didn’t have room to pad it out, the story is much more effective. While the action sequences aren’t the most exciting – Bendis wasn’t known for strong action writing even after years of experience – Siege is still a very good comic and arguably the best event series Bendis created at Marvel.

2026-06-14 19:19