10 Marvel Comics Titles That Outlasted Their Welcome | Popgen Tech

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Marvel is the biggest force in pop culture today. Sometimes, it seems like the company can do no wrong. However, for anyone who has followed Marvel’s comic output, they know that’s not the case. Often, a Marvel book can start off really well, wowing fans and critics alike, but it doesn’t last forever. Beloved comics wear out their welcome and eventually die.


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There are various reasons for this. Sometimes, it’s because of a change in the creative team. Other times, fans don’t like developments with the main character or characters if it’s a team book. Sometimes, fans get tired of a concept.

10/10 X-Men (Vol. 6) Is A Shallow Waste Of Time

X-Men Cover featuring Synch, Rogue, Polaris, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine from Marvel Comics

Some Marvel books suffer when a writer leaves, which certainly happened X-Men (Vol. 6). Writer Jonathan Hickman took over X-Men (Vol. 5) after wild successful House Of X/Powers Of X, but behind-the-scenes decisions he began to backtrack until he left the X-Men books with 2021’s Inferno. X-Men was relaunched with writer Gerry Duggan at the helm.

Hickman tells one-off stories that develop plot lines for the future. Duggan writes short action stories that hardly matter in the future. The book is remarkably shallow, to the point that many X-Men fans no longer enjoy it, mostly buying it for art or just to preserve their collection.

9/10 Secret Wars II Turned Off Fans Quickly

The Beyonder looms over Earth as Daredevil, Hercules, Captain America, the Vision confront him in Marvel Comics

1985’s Secret Wars was a smash hit. The 12-issue event book sees Marvel’s greatest heroes battle the most despicable villains at the behest of the One From The Beyond, who offers them a prize beyond their wildest dreams. Event books were pretty much a thing in the mid-’80s, and Secret Wars delivered for the fans.

A sequel was greenlit, and secret war ii, by writer Jim Shooter and artist Al Milgrom, has dropped. The book focuses on the One From Beyond, now called the Beyonder, who takes human form. Fans just didn’t really connect with the book. Secret War II is a failure, killing any hope for a Secret Wars trilogy.

8/10 Secret Empire Turns Off Fans Before It’s Over

Secret Empire Captain America leads Hydra

secret empire, by writer Nick Spencer and artists Steve McNiven, Andrea Sorrentino, and Leinil Yu, already had a strike against it. Many fans were not thrilled about Steve Rogers as a Hydra agent, so this event book should wow fans like no other. Unfortunately, it can’t do that.

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To begin with, the book will be nine issues, starting with issue zero and ending with issue eight. However, that number was changed to eleven double-sized issues, not counting the epilogue issue. That’s a lot of content for a book that fans were skeptical about. Secret Empire is considered by many to be the worst event book of the ’10s, so it hasn’t been able to shake off its tailspin.

7/10 Hulk (Vol. 5) Was A Disappointment With Readers

Ryan Ottley's cover for Marvel Comics' Hulk #1 written by Donny Cates.

The Hulk is the strongest hero, but his latest series doesn’t catch up with him. After the massive success of The Immortal Hulk, writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Ottley are placed on Hulk (Vol. 5). Cates has been very nice to Marvel in recent years, and Ottley shows just how good he is Invincibleso fans are really excited for the book.

However, early on, the book’s lighter tone and the mystery of the new status quo didn’t really strike a chord with readers. Many want more of the same The Immortal Hulk, so when that wasn’t the book, they revolted. Cates took a break from writing, with Ottley wrapping things up as a writer/artist.

6/10 The New Avengers Was Overwhelmed

New Avengers Bendis action shot featuring Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ronin, and Iron Fist

The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but in the mid-’00s their sales didn’t match their reputation. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch were brought in for The Avengers have been disassembledgraduation Avengers, and launch New Avengers. This series saw Captain America and Iron Man join all new Avengers such as Wolverine, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and the Sentry.

It was a smash hit of a book, and it went through several permutations over the years. The final volume of the book starred members of the Illuminati as they tried to stop the Incursions. After this, New Avengers ended and never came back, because there was no need.

5/10 The Last Installment Of The Infinity Trilogy Didn’t Take Off Like Its Predecessors

The goddess is surrounded by Adam Warlock and Thanos

Infinity Gauntlet is a legendary Marvel event. Pitting the universe against Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet, it was a hit and spawned a sequel, Infinity War, which saw the return of Adam Warlock’s evil side, the Magus. Although it is not as well watched as its predecessor, it is better in many ways, full of action, twists and turns.

And then came Infinity Crusade. Written by Jim Starlin with art by Ron Lim, who collaborated on the first two installments, it sees the Marvel Universe captivated by the Goddess, Adam Warlock’s good side. Unfortunately, the premise didn’t catch on with readers, and it was a disappointment compared to its predecessors.

4/10 X-Corp’s Sales Drop Like a Rock

The cover of X-Corp #1 from Marvel Comics featuring Archangel and Penance

The X-Men’s history is full of success, but the recent Krakoa Era showed Marvel just how much readers love mutants. It seems the X-Men office can do no wrong, and new books are announced, all assuming they’ll be smash hits. X-Corp, by writer Tini Howard and artist Alberto Foche Duarte, was meant to show the corporate side of the new country.

Sales of the first issue were pretty good, but quickly declined in the second. Then, more for the third. The book was supposed to continue, but the creative reshuffling of X-Office at the time and the massive sales killed the book, as fans lost interest in the book almost immediately.

3/10 Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier’s Failure Was Predictable

The cover to Marvel Comics' Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldierm featuring Bucky's many faces

The Winter Soldier has become a popular character since the reintroduction of Bucky Barnes. He was made Captain America for a few years, but after he left the mantle, he was swept away for a while. Original Sin culminating in his taking on the role of Man On The Wall, meant to stop threats from outer space and beyond before they reach Earth.

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Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier, by writer Ales Kot and artist Marco Rudy, is meant to follow these adventures. The book never found an audience, but it made a lot of sense. Original Sin was not a beloved event and not the best lead-in for Bucky’s new solo outing. The book didn’t even last a year.

2/10 Uncanny Avengers Slowly Runs Out Of Steam

An image of the Uncanny Avengers standing together

Not all Avengers stories need context, like the first volume of Uncanny Avengers. Written by Rick Remender with artists John Cassaday, Daniel Acuña, Adam Kubert, and Steve McNiven, the book focuses on the Avengers Unity Squad. This version of the team combined the Avengers and the X-Men, something that became more interesting because it started later Avengers vs. X-Men.

The first volume of the book is its height, pitting the team against the Red Skull, the Apocalypse Twins, and Kang. This leads to AXIS, a widely panned event that launched Remender and Acuña’s second volume. This one was less well-loved, and the third volume, written by Gerry Duggan and Jim Zub with multiple artists, failed miserably.

1/10 The Inhumans Line Dies a Quick Death

Marvel Comics' Black Bolt with battle damage

The Inhumans are important to Marvel history, but they’ve never been very successful. The mid ’10s saw Marvel try to make them a thing as a way to overshadow the mutants since 20th Century Fox owns the X-Men movie rights. Several Inhumans books were launched between 2013 and 2015, including Amazing Inhumans, Inhumans, All-New Inhumans, etc.

However, the books failed to catch on with most fans. The Inhumans push quickly failed, eventually retracted in a book, Royalsthat also failed. Black Bolt was critically acclaimed, but not a huge sales success, and was followed by Death of the Inhumansending the line completely.

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