10 Marvel Comics That Perfectly Redefined Iconic Characters

Marvel Comics took the rough clay of the superhero in the Silver Age and shaped into a form that would ignite pop culture. Their heroes were more realistic, and this allowed fans to develop a greater bond to them. This started at the beginning; Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, and the rest created heroes and villains that connected with fans immediately. However, this can be a problem; at times, those who come later can’t really match what came before. This is has sometimes led to creators playing it safe and not rocking the boat. Other times, creators have taken what they were given and transformed it into something new and vital.

These are the creators we all remember, their runs on various characters and teams completely redefining them. Their comics have become legends, with generations of fans handing them down to new readers. These ten Marvel comics perfectly redefined iconic characters, making them into something greater than they were.

10) New Mutants (Vol. 1) #55-97

The New Mutants have become legends, and a big reason for that is Louise Simonson. While Chris Claremont gets a lot of credit for making the X-Men into the juggernaut they became in the ’80s and ’90s, Simonson deserves her share of credit. She worked with him as an editor and her time on New Mutants changed the team in a variety of ways. She helped set them up for their success as X-Force down the road and was a key part of making Rob Liefeld a star (the book was still mostly good while she was there after he took more power). She helped them become who they are today.

9) Thor (Vol. 1) #337-382

Walt Simonson is one of the greatest writer/artists in the history of the comic industry, but there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have been nearly as popular without his run on Thor. The God of Thunder was created to be a perfect melding of sci-fi and mythology, two of Jack Kirby’s favorite things, but Simonson decided to focus more on the myth. His run gave readers the first Ragnarok story, introduced Beta Ray Bill, and changed the course of the character for years to come. His run is required reading for everyone who loves character, helping make Asgard’s champion into Marvel’s greatest warrior.

8) Captain Marvel (Vol. 7) #1-17

Carol Danvers was long an iconic Marvel hero, but as Ms. Marvel. She was a key part of the Avengers in the late ’70s/early ’80s, but she was always a B-list hero. All of that would change in the mid ’10s, though. Marvel was pushing numerous characters they owned the film rights to and Carol was given a chance to become a superstar because of writer Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on Captain Marvel (Vol. 7) #1-17. Making Carol into the new Captain Marvel was a huge step for the character and DeConnick established her brilliantly in the new role. It was a short run, but it remains one of the most important in Carol’s history.

7) Hawkeye (Vol. 4) #1-22

Hawkeye was long one of the most important Avengers, but he got even less solo love than others. He had several miniseries over the years that were good, but none of them were as amazing as Hawkeye (Vol. 4) #1-22. This series was written by Matt Fraction with art by David Aja, and they knocked it out of the park. The book took everything that made the character a star and was able to translate it to a solo comic. It showed that he was more than just the guy who sassed Captain America and told a lot of jokes in battle. It fully realized everything that readers loved about him, showing him in an entirely different light.

6) Daredevil (Vol. 2) #26-81

Daredevil is one of Marvel’s most fabled characters; there are few heroes out there who have had as many best of all time runs as he’s had. One of the most beloved runs on the character came from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, running through Daredevil (Vol. 2) #26-81. Bendis had wrote the book before but Maleev was the missing ingredient. They took an old idea – Daredevil’s secret identity leaking – and built an intricate narrative around it, giving readers a warts and all look at how far Matt Murdock would go to protect his identity and the people around him. It builds on what came before, taking the character in new directions that fans will never forget.

5) New X-Men #114-154

The X-Men entered in the 21st century in a not so hot spot. The ’90s boom had busted, and a lot of fans were tired of the team. It needed a shot in the arm, and Marvel gave it to them in the form of Grant Morrison. X-Men (Vol. 2) was re-christened New X-Men and the Scottish scribe went mad on the team. They did this by taking tried and true concepts from X-history and adding something new to them, taking the team in excellent new directions. New X-Men set the 21st century’s tone for the team, and every run that has come since has used its ideas.

4) Daredevil (Vol. 1) #158-191

Picture Spider-Man as more of a womanizer and that was Daredevil before issue #158 of his solo book. Then Frank Miller showed up. Miller would take the character and dig into the tragedies of his past, changing him from yet another wisecracking vigilante to something darker and more complex. If you like ol’Hornhead at all, it’s almost certainly because of the changes that Miller made to the character. Every run of Daredevil after this one is indebted to it, as it created the modern – and much better – version of the character from the mess of the Silver Age.

3) The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #331-467

Peter David is one of the greatest talents in the comic industry. He’s a writer who could take any character and make them into something special, and that’s exactly what he did with the Hulk. David’s 12-year run on the character began with The Incredible Hulk #331 and ran all the way to issue #467. Over that span, he constantly redefined the character, using the abuse he suffered as a child to create a landscape of different Hulks, all of whom were created to deal with who Bruce Banner was. He took the character in so many new directions and was constantly innovating all the way to the end.

2) The Amazing Spider-Man #111-149

Stan Lee wrote Spider-Man for a 110 issues, setting up the character for stardom. He would hand The Amazing Spider-Man to Gerry Conway with issue #111, kicking off a run that would last until issue #149. Conway had to work with an older version of the hero and had to continue the maturation process, all while keeping his adventures energetic and vital. Conway killed off Gwen Stacy and began the gradual move to Mary Jane, which would change the character in a number of ways. Conway helped shepherd the character into adulthood, and gave readers some Spidey classics.

1) Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #94-279

The X-Men were the least popular of the House of Ideas’ Silver Age outings, with the book becoming a reprint comic with issue #67. 1974 would see Giant-Size X-Men #1 revitalize the team, leading into new writer Chris Claremont taking over with X-Men #94. Claremont wrote the team for the next 17 years, making them into the most popular team in the comic industry. He was constantly redefining the team over his run, taking them in new directions every couple of years. He made them superstars, working with the best artists in the industry to create unforgettable classics. He made everything everyone loves about the team, setting them on the road to superstardom.

What’s your favorite Marvel character-redefining run? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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