Marvel’s Obsession With Regression Will Be Their Undoing

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As a passionate film enthusiast, I must acknowledge that Marvel has truly set the bar high when it comes to superhero narratives. It’s not a question of preferring one over the other, but it’s indisputable that Marvel has held the spotlight in terms of popularity throughout the 21st century. DC has managed to catch up somewhat due to the acclaim garnered by their Absolute line, but let’s be clear: Marvel ruled the roost for nearly two decades.

However, the admiration many fans once had for Marvel seems to have waned over time. One significant factor contributing to this shift is the sense of regression in Marvel’s character development. Some characters have been worse off than others, but when we talk about stagnation at Marvel, Spider-Man often comes to mind, and rightfully so.

In essence, the evolution of Marvel’s characters has slowed down, leaving many fans yearning for more growth and progression in their favorite superheroes.

Let’s discuss another iconic Marvel character who has suffered due to the company’s creative decline – Wolverine. This extraordinary hero reached new heights in the 21st century, but his progress was halted by the storyline “From the Ashes.” Currently, the X-books are revisiting popular elements in preparation for the X-Men’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a dedicated Wolverine fan, I can’t help but notice the most noticeable setback he has experienced, which may restrict his growth potential moving forward.

Everything Great About Wolverine Has Been Undone

The 2000s were an exceptional time for fans of Wolverine, as the character experienced remarkable story arcs written by Greg Rucka, Mark Millar, and Daniel Way. He also joined the Avengers, solidifying his place among the Marvel Universe’s elite. Over the decades, Wolverine evolved from his hot-headed, berserker persona to a wise elder statesman. The 2010s saw him continue to rise, leading X-Force, serving as one of Captain America’s trusted Avengers, and eventually founding his own mutant school. Writer Jason Aaron provided an exceptional run during this time. Wolverine met his end in 2014 but was resurrected in 2019, coinciding with the start of the Krakoa Era. The Krakoa Era capitalized on the character’s development to tell thought-provoking stories that delved into Wolverine’s moral dilemmas and Krakoa’s complexities. However, instead of building upon this, we received the Wolverine series by Saladin Ahmed and Martin Coccolo, which placed him back in the Canadian wilderness, a move that seemed to revert him to his ’90s persona. Since then, we’ve been seeing stories reminiscent of the ’90s version of the character.

The current “Wolverine” comic book appears rather uninspiring at this point. The initial storyline introduced Adamantium, a metal with sentient properties that was used to forge divine weapons, essentially portraying adamantium as a watered-down version of it. This concept was intriguing, but unfortunately, it was executed in the most unengaging manner possible, with the metal taking control of familiar Wolverine adversaries and assaulting him. The subsequent story arc seems to be rehashing elements from “Origin,” the tale that provided Wolverine’s backstory as James Howlett, revealing that his mother, Elizabeth, is still alive. This could potentially be interesting, but the author appears to be mimicking the work of previous writers without fully grasping what made those stories compelling, which is a significant flaw in Marvel’s recent approach. Instead of demonstrating how the character has evolved and reacting to situations accordingly, we’re presented with the most basic interpretation of Wolverine, a version that long-time readers have been following for decades. It’s challenging to accept that the Wolverine featured in “Wolverine” today is the same one who once led the X-Men or earned Captain America’s respect. Essentially, it feels like we’re back in the ’90s with Wolverine, a period that was exciting, but what’s concerning is the lack of fresh developments. In the ’90s, Wolverine faced challenges related to Weapon X, losing his adamantium, and attempting to rebuild himself. Conversely, the current version seems to have discarded the character development he underwent due to dissatisfaction with Krakoa, which doesn’t present an appealing or interesting depiction of the character. This illustrates how regression can negatively impact a character.

Regression Hurts Everything in the Long Run

The main issue with Wolverine and Spider-Man, something they both have been grappling with for a while now, is the repetition of similar storylines. With new readers joining the comic book world constantly, there will always be some degree of retreading old ground in character development. However, Marvel has yet to find a method to effectively manage this issue with characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine. How many times can we witness Spider-Man’s romantic entanglements go sour, watch him squander his fortune, and see him struggle financially? How many times can we observe Wolverine retreating into seclusion only to resurface later?

One topic often overlooked in conversations about comics is that they typically don’t attract a large number of new readers. Instead, many comic book enthusiasts gravitate towards movies and TV shows based on their favorite superheroes. Comics have transformed into a platform for testing stories intended to be adapted later on. Compared to the long-time readers, the influx of new readers is significantly smaller, and that number pales in comparison to the audience of movie/TV superhero fans. The core readership remains relatively unchanged.

Some might argue that rebooting characters like Wolverine or Spider-Man can attract new readers, but the question remains: how many new readers are these changes drawing in? For instance, “Wolverine” (Vol. 8) debuted at the top of sales charts, only to experience a steep decline after Ahmed and Coccolo took over. Can this series expect to gain any significant number of new readers? The same question applies to Spider-Man, whose readership has remained consistent over the past two decades.

Marvel’s decision to reboot characters risks damaging these characters more than it helps. If they continue to alienate long-time fans, there will be no one left to purchase the books—a reality that Brevoort’s X-Men line is beginning to understand. Wolverine has been evolving as a character for years, and stripping away this growth can only result in repeating the same old stories, which may not be as compelling.

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2025-07-28 21:12