Marvel has been around long enough to accumulate a massive wealth of stories, and it’s safe to say that some of those blew fans away. Some tales were full of beloved adventures, while others contained twists that we’re still not over, even years later. It’s the latter we’re here to talk about today, because when a plot twist is done right, nobody sees it coming. It hits like a train and resonates for years. Sometimes, a twist can be a heartbreak, a triumph, or some other event that came out of left field. One thing is certain: it’s not something the fans could have predicted.
Marvel Comics has been around for decades, and during that time, we’ve seen it all – from personal triumphs at the hands of solo heroes to major universe events. Some of these major events include Marvel’s Civil War, House of M, Infinity, Secret Invasion, and many more. And somehow, these twists live at the top of the list. Naturally, this is far from a complete list, as there have been so many shocking twists over the years.
Gertrude Yorkes is one of the founding members of the Runaways – a group of kids who rallied against the evils of the world, predominantly their parents. Gert is smart, clever, and passionate, which explains her dedication to the team. Together, the Runaways went through a lot, and admittedly, they didn’t always win the battles. This brings us to Elder Wilder and his sacrifice. Elder Wilder wanted to sacrifice a pure soul to bring back his dead wife and son, and for a moment there, it looked like the victim would be Chase.
It wasn’t Chase who died in this scene, but Gert. Gert is arguably the gentlest soul in the group, and even dealing with betrayal at Chase’s expense, she willingly sacrificed herself to save his life. Her final moments were focused on trying to help Chase cope with it all. While Gert would later be revived, it took years, giving fans plenty of time to process their shock and grief.
Right now, there’s a lot of talk about the Thunderbolts, and rightly so. However, it’s fun to note that the Thunderbolts in the comics had an equally shocking reveal. At the time of their debut, the Thunderbolts were simply considered yet another new superhero team. Marvel is pretty well known for introducing new teams and seeing how they go, after all. However, fans learned the hard way that there was something very different about the Thunderbolts.
Mainly, they weren’t a true team of superheroes, but rather the Masters of Disguise masquerading as a team of heroes, with Zemo as their lead. Boom. Fans sure didn’t see that one coming!
Okay, this one is probably an obvious inclusion to any list about shocking Marvel events – but that doesn’t diminish the impact it had at the time. Readers are pretty used to the many tragedies of Peter Parker, starting with Uncle Ben’s death and spiraling outward, sometimes looking more like a looping series of events. However, Gwen Stacy’s death in Amazing Spider-Man #121 completely floored fans. It was a shocking turn of events, with the Green Goblin pitching her from a roof, Peter diving in to rescue her, and failing to get there in time. Her death alone would have been one heck of a surprise, but the series of events that led to it made it burn, as readers were forced to watch Peter suffer the guilt and pain of it all.
Truthfully, this is one of those moments that changed Peter Parker forever. Even when Gwen came back (different methods and forms over the years), it never really took away from this first major loss.
If there was one thing the Secret Invasion drilled into readers’ heads, it was to trust nobody. Some heroes took that to heart, and in the case of Nick Fury, may have taken that too far. However, it’s hard to blame him, given all the shocking reveals that happened during this event. Throughout the Secret Invasion event, many heroes we had come to rely on were outed as Skrulls in disguise. It hurt, in some cases more than others. You’d think that after the first twist reveal, fans would have gotten over it, but not. We took hit after hit.
There are several Skrull reveals that stand out in fans’ memories. The time the Avengers discovered Elektra was a Skrull is one. Black Bolt was a surprise, but given the Illuminati nonsense, it felt slightly less shocking, in a way. Then there was the Spider-Woman reveal, with her Skrull being Queen Veranke of the Skrull. That one threw everybody for a loop, especially Iron Man.
It’s safe to say that not every Marvel event is a hit, and Marvel’s Civil War II was contentious at best. It brought up this huge debate about future crimes (Minority Report, right?) with heroes drawing lines in the sand about whether or not they’d ever be willing to arrest their own based on crimes they had yet to commit. Then the unthinkable happened, as a vision revealed that the Hulk was destined to kill every hero. The rabbit hole of ethics is deep in this one, but the result is what surprised fans, as while S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to arrest Banner (for crimes Hulk hadn’t yet committed), Hawkeye shot Banner in the head. There was no warning, three panels, and it was all over.
After the shock wore off, it became clear that Banner and Hawkeye had some sort of deal, which explains how Hawkeye’s arrows ever stood a chance of actually killing this iconic character. Love or hate this moment (or the event as a whole), it did lead to Immortal Hulk, so we can’t complain too much.
It’s safe to say that not every twist or reveal was met with an immediate but positive response from the fans. Take this dark Captain America twist, which was highly controversial, but it made sales skyrocket. Yes, we’re talking about Captain America: Steve Rogers. This series took the iconic Captain America, the known hero and patriot, and turned him into a secret Hydra agent. Obviously, there are a few reasons and excuses behind it all, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t something fans ever expected to check off their Marvel bingo card.
At best, this twist bewildered fans. For most, it was shocking, though some found the twist refreshing. However, everyone seemed to want to know how it was going to go, so it might have been a smart marketing ploy on Marvel’s part.
Life as a mutant can get complicated, and that often means their stories get more complex with time, rather than the opposite. When it comes to Xorn, this character had two major reveals, though the first one is by far the most shocking. Xorn was a newer addition to the team, and readers were led to believe that his helmet was necessary for his safety. However, it turns out that there was another, darker reason for the helmet, as it disguised his true identity.
During the events of New X-Men #146, Xorn is revealed to be the one and only Magneto, who had supposedly been dead for years. So that was twice the shocks for a single reveal. The twists kept on coming, as Wolverine would later behead Xorn while the helmet was on. That’s an important detail to note, as Magneto later reappeared on the scene, claiming that Xorn was imitating Magneto, not the other way around. What a brain bender.
Wolverine is a classic and iconic hero. Fans love him, and he’s well known for two things: his temper and his adamantium (skeleton and claws). So you can imagine the shock readers felt when Magneto ripped all the adamantium from Wolverine’s body. Had he done this to anybody else, it obviously would have killed them instantly. Instead, Wolverine survived, forever changed. The event itself was shocking, but it also led to later reveals that would further surprise readers. First on the list is Wolverine’s bone claws. Suddenly, this reveal had everyone questioning what Weapon X had done to Wolverine.
In hindsight, maybe we should have seen this one coming, between Magneto’s ability and Wolverine’s core. However, while we might have expected Wolverine to get tossed like a Frisbee more often, it’s safe to say nobody expected him to go through something so shocking or horrific.
The Dark Phoenix Saga changed the name of the game for the X-Men, adding new stakes and terrifying power levels. The entire story culminated with Jean Grey’s death, and that was how it stood for several years. However, a shocking twist brought Jean Grey back to life – sort of. It turns out that she had never been dead, and instead had been safely tucked away in a cocoon at the time of her supposed death.
This was the first time that Jean Grey, or really any major X-Men character, had died and been brought back to life. Thus, the revolving door of death hadn’t started, and her sudden return, while appreciated, was completely unexpected. There was just no way to prepare for this reveal.
Revealing Bucky Barnes’ survival will probably always be Marvel’s biggest plot twist, full stop. This was a long play, with Bucky falling in battle decades before he came back around. However, the situation in which his survival was revealed made the take even more shocking – somehow. It all begins with the appearance of a new villain, an assassin called the Winter Soldier. He and Captain America instantly go head to head, and it doesn’t take long for Steve to get the feeling that something is wrong.
Captain America was right to be concerned, as the man he was battling was his long-lost friend, Bucky Barnes. The reveal was so shocking, as Bucky had long been believed to be one of the few comic heroes to die and stay dead. Even his Marvel Cinematic Universe reveal was a shock, and fans knew it was coming! It’s just one of those moments one can’t easily get over, in a good way.
Marvel has been around long enough to accumulate a massive wealth of stories, and it’s safe to say that some of those blew fans away. Some tales were full of beloved adventures, while others contained twists that we’re still not over, even years later. It’s the latter we’re here to talk about today, because when Read More