Marvel's Vanishing Point Explained
Marvel has finally revealed what the heavily teased “Vanishing Point” is, and the truth is [...]
Marvel's Heroic Age
The last time that Marvel Comics attempting to restore its heroes to a more inspiring place was in 2010.
The publishing initiative was called "The Heroic Age," and it following a series of events including Avengers Disassembled, Secret War, Civil War, World War Hulk, and Dark Reign which saw "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" turn against each other or otherwise have their reputations damaged through their own acts or the acts of others.
After years of tension between Marvel's most popular heroes thanks to the events of Civil War and the enactment of the Superhuman Registration Act, the Siege event ended the era by uniting the heroes once again and abolishing the Superhuman Registration Act. As the Heroic Age began, Steve Rogers took over as commander of a new and expansive Avengers roster.
Throughout Secret Empire, Nick Spencer has hit on very similar themes, noting how the exposure of the original Kobik program and the Pleasant Hill prison in the Avengers: Standoff event and the Second Superhero Civil War in Civil War II had again eroded the credibility of Marvel's Heroes and along with their ability to inspire. Each heroes' trip through the Vanishing Point is apparently meant to remind them of the hero they are meant to be.
prevnextDC's Rebirth And One Year Later
In 2016, after five years of stories under the "New 52" banner, DC Comics launched DC Rebirth, a publishing initiative meant to restore the DC Comics heroes to their former glory in a way so similar to how Marvel is promoting Marvel Legacy that some fans have accused Marvel of simply copying DC Comics.
After years of updated takes on classic characters, and years of fans asking for the characters they knew and loved back, DC Rebirth was put in place. The promise of DC Rebirth, much like the promise of Marvel Legacy, was that DC Comics would get back to telling the kinds of stories that made fans fall in love with these characters in the first place. In the case of Superman, this even meant literally bringing back a version of the character from an older, abandoned version of the DC Universe.
And that's not the first time that DC has brought its heroes back to a more heroic status after pushing them to the breaking point. In 2006, the "One Year Later" initiative used a time jump to push the universe past the events of Infinite Crisis, promising fans a take on Superman that would be more inspirational, a take on Batman that would be less paranoid, and a take on Wonder Woman that would be less quick to snap a guy's neck.
Its a cycle superhero fans have seen before, and they will probably see it again.
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