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5 Deaths That Impacted the Marvel Universe
Posted on: January 17, 2011 by admin. |
Death is something that’s always been…impermanent in comics. Two years ago when CNN announced that Captain America was going to be killed off, most fanboys sniggered; they knew that no matter how much hoopla was made about it, given enough time (and maybe an upcoming movie?), Cap would be back. Not everyone is as lucky as Cap, though, and believe it or not, there are SOME deaths in the Marvel Universe that actually stay permanent and have long lasting consequences. With that in mind, here are 5 Deaths that Impacted the Marvel Universe.
5. The 612 People of Stamford, Connecticut – Civil War Series
After a bungled attempt by the New Warriors to take down a group of super-villains, Nitro, a villain whose power is to create nuclear explosions, self-detonates and kills 612 men, women and children caught in the blast radius. This was the catalyst for the Super hero Registration Act, which forced all heroes to register with the government and reveal their secret identities. Not everyone was happy to do this, however, and the result was the Civil War; A war where heroes fought against each other on either the pro or anti-registration side. With lasting consequences including the “death” of Captain America, Tony Stark becoming the head of SHIELD, and the first nail in to the coffin that was the Retcon of Spiderman, the House of ideas managed to tear the MU apart with repercussions that are still felt today.
4. The Death of Professor X – X-Men # 41
After being accidently killed by his son, Legion, who travelled back in time and intended to kill Magneto instead, a new time-line is created where Xavier never creates the X-Men. As a result of this, years later when Apocalypse comes to the conqueror the Earth, there’s no one to stop him, and what ensues is an incredibly bleak future where the MU gets turned on its head; with heroes becoming villains, and some villains becoming heroes. Yes, it was technically a long What If story, but thanks to the Age of Apocalypse, we come to see just how important Xavier is, and what would happen if the X-men had never been formed.
3. Gwen Stacy – The Amazing Spiderman #121-122
You might not realize it from her lackluster appearance in Spidey 3, but in the early days of Peter Parker’s life, Gwen Stacy played a very important role. Sweet and understanding, she was Pete’s first true love, and for a while it looked like marriage might have been in their future. This made it all the worse, when the Green Goblin, aware of Spiderman’s true identity, kidnapped Gwen in an attempt to goad Spiderman into a fight. The climatic bridge ends with the Goblin throwing Gwen off the bridge to her doom, only to have Peter shoot a web and catch her as she’s falling. The SNAP caption on the panel said it all, and we find that Gwen is dead. Whether she was already dead before the Goblin threw her, or whether it was Peter’s web which snapped her neck doesn’t matter, when Gwen Stacy died, Peter learned just how dangerous being Spiderman can be, not only to himself, but his loved ones as well.
2. Captain Marvel – The Death of Captain Marvel Graphic Novel
Originally a Kree solider sent to observe Earth, Mar-Vell begins to sympathize with humanity, and when forced to choose between his own people and Earth, he chooses the latter. The result was a cosmic super-hero career that consisted of battling super-villains, joining the Avengers, and even coming to wield the Nega-bands. Sadly, after one of his battles with Nitro, Mar-Vell finds out that exposure to Nitro’s radiation has given him cancer. With no cure available, he eventually dies; not because of a super- villain’s plot to take over the world, but because of a disease that anyone can get, showing that even super-heroes were human in the end.
1. Uncle Ben – Amazing Fantasy # 15
Probably the most significant death to take place in the Marvel Universe; after Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider he chooses to use his new powers for selfish reasons. It’s only when his Uncle Ben is murdered by a robber that Peter had earlier allowed to escape, that he sees the consequences of his actions. Thus Spiderman was born, and one of the greatest comic quotes was written, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
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