10 Marvel comics with groundbreaking reveals
Marvel has been posting amazing stories for years. There are a lot of factors in a great story. Sometimes it’s something calm, like game-changing character development. Sometimes it’s epic action that fans never forget. One of the best, however, is the big reveal. Those moments, when creative teams kill off a plot development they’ve been planning for months or drop a surprise bomb on readers, can be unforgettable if done right.
These revelations were the epitome of the game-changing term, upsetting the status quo and exciting readers in ways they never thought possible.
ten Spider-Man revealing his identity to the public in Civil War # 2 led to unforeseen places
Civil War # 2 ‘The reveal, from writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, is odd in that it’s something readers have always known, but it falls under the category of game-changing revelations. At Iron Man’s request, Spider-Man revealed his identity to the world to persuade more people to support the Superhero Registration Act. This reveal took Spider-Man to places no one would have thought of and changed the characters forever.
No one would have suspected that this revelation would have led to the dissolution of Peter Parker’s marriage to Mary Jane in order to save Aunt May’s life. Spider-Man revealing his identity has led to a creative renaissance of the character, even though readers have hated the change for years.
9 Hulk # 22 revealed the identity of the Red Hulk
The Red Hulk has been a big deal in Marvel for a while, cutting a strip across the Marvel Universe. Fans were in turmoil about who he was, with speculation rampant. Hulk # 22, by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness, finally revealed the Hulk’s new identity, and Hulk’s nemesis, Thunderbolt Ross, was unmasked as the Red Hulk.
Fans were shocked, as the Red Hulk himself had “killed” Ross. It was just an LMD, however, and Red Hulk’s actions made a lot more sense. Red Hulk remained a hot commodity for years to come and even now makes sporadic returns.
8 Excalibur # 1 revealed the truth behind an epic X-Men moment
One of Grant Morrison’s biggest revelations New X-Men was that Magneto had impersonated Xorn and attacked the school from within. This would lead him to take control of New York, get beaten up by the X-Men, kill Jean Gray, and ultimately be beheaded by Wolverine. Excalibur # 1, by writer Chris Claremont and artist Aaron Lopresti, turned that on his ear.
Following Professor X to Genosha as he attempts to help the mutants stranded there after his destruction, it was revealed that he had an unexpected partner – Magneto. Morrison’s reveal was completely undone, as it was instead revealed that Xorn had been Xorn masquerading as Magneto the entire time.
seven Captain America # 6 revealed the identity of the Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes has changed a lot over the years, and the biggest changes have involved his death, resurrection, and revelation as a Winter Soldier. This latest revelation occurred in Captain America # 6, by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting. The team had built the mysterious new assassin in previous issues, and the reveal that Winter Soldier was Bucky was completely unexpected.
The myth of Captain America was forever changed with this moment. Bucky’s comeback has overturned one of the conventional pieces of Marvel wisdom – Bucky stayed dead – and led to some of the best Captain America stories of all time.
6 Fantastic Four # 286 Revealed The Truth About “The Dark Phoenix Saga”
“The Dark Phoenix Saga†is one of the greatest tales of the X-Men, ending with Jean Gray killing himself in order to prevent the Dark Phoenix from devouring the universe. The fantastic four # 286, by writers John Byrne and Chris Claremont with art from Byrne and Jackson Guice, changed all that. He revealed that Jean Gray had been held in a cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay and had never been the Phoenix.
It brought Jean Gray back to life, giving the X-Men back one of their icons. It also changed the impact of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” forever, for better or for worse. It was a major league reveal that would never work today, as it was reportedly revealed months earlier to spark fan interest.
5 X-Men # 54 revealed Onslaught’s identity
Onslaught was a huge deal in mid-90s Marvel, with the character being teased immediately afterward Age of the apocalypse ended. Onslaught’s threat was racked up in the X-Men books, but fans hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of what he really looked like. This eventually happened in X-Men # 54, by writer Mark Waid and artist Andy Kubert, when the entity contacted Jean Gray.
The two clashed on the astral plane, with Onslaught easily defeating Gray. However, she made a shocking discovery during that battle: Onslaught was Professor X. It would kick-start the whole Onslaught story, and have a massive impact on the next few years of the X-Men books.
4 The Clone Saga kept the reveals coming
The Clone Saga is one of Spider-Man’s most infamous stories and has itself been a game-changer in many ways. One of the keys to this was the number of disclosures. From the return of the Ben Reilly clone, it felt like there was one big reveal every couple of months until it was finally “revealed” that Reilly was the only true Spider-Man.
Of course, that got canceled as it was eventually revealed that Peter was the real deal, and the whole thing was a plan to bring Green Goblin back to life. The latter was the most important and would have a huge effect on Marvel in the years to come.
3 New Avengers # 31 kicked off preparations for a secret invasion
Secret invasion was one of the greatest Marvel stories of the 2000s, one of the crown jewels of writer Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers race. It was all started by New Avengers # 31, written by Bendis with art by Leinil Yu. Fleeing from Iron Man in the post-Superhero Registration Act Marvel Universe, the New Avengers traveled to Japan to pick up their friend Echo, and things got crazy.
Fighting the Hand, the team were in dire straits when Echo came face-to-face with the new Head of the Hand, Elektra Natchios. Echo managed to defeat her, apparently killing the former hero. Upon his death, it was revealed that Elektra was a Skrull. This revelation set things on their inevitable path for Secret invasion.
2 Wolverine # 75 changed Wolverine for years to come
X-Men # 25 saw Magneto remove adamantium from Wolverine, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Wolverine # 75, by writer Larry Hama and artist Adam Kubert, was the next chapter. After struggling to survive his horrific injuries, Wolverine traveled to the X-Mansion’s danger room to prove he could still stay with the team. When he tried to shatter his claws, bone claws tore his skin.
For years everyone thought Wolverine’s claws were pure adamantium, but this problem has proven otherwise. It set Wolverine’s underrated bone-claw era in motion and changed the way readers viewed Wolverine for the remainder of the ’90s.
1 House Of X / Powers Of X Was Full Of Revelations That Changed The X-Men Forever
Marvel had held up the X-Men because Fox had owned the rights to the film for years. When parent company Disney bought Fox, that all changed and House of X / Powers of X, by writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz and RB Silva, changed everything forever. The two books that form one story were built entirely around massive disclosures that changed the overhaul of the X-Men status quo.
From the creation of the nation of Krakoa to Moira MacTaggert’s mutant status to the existence of the Orchis Initiative to the secret of Krakoa’s resurrection to the tragedies of every future for mutants, House of X / Powers of X sent revelation after revelation to the readers.
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