Marvel in the ’80s became more popular than ever. Uncanny X-Men became the bestselling book in the comic industry, and birthed a whole new universe of mutant characters. The Spider-Man books were full of great talent, like Peter David, J.M. DeMatteis, and Christopher Priest. Avengers was going strong with Roger Stern and John Buscema, and the Epic line was giving creators a place to tell creator-owned story all while pushing the envelope of superhero comics. The ’80s are one of the greatest eras of Marvel, and one of the last times the publishers was putting out comics that could be considered prestigious.
Videos by ComicBook.com
However, that doesn’t mean that everything was perfect. There were some great characters created back then, but there were also lots of very cringe characters, ones who played out of what was popular at the time. While some of these characters grew and changed into something better, that doesn’t how cringe it is to read their old comics. These five Marvel characters are the definition of ’80s cringe.
5) Frenzy
The diversification of the X-Men played a massive role in the success of Marvel in the ’80s. There are lots of excellent mutants from this era, but there are some who didn’t have the best start. Frenzy is a beloved mutant nowadays, but back when she first appeared in X-Factor, she was just a Grace Jones wannabe. She didn’t really have any personality other than mean strong woman. Frenzy was just an ’80s cannon fodder villain, and comparing her to what she is today shows just how cringe she once was.
4) Cloak
Cloak and Dagger are both going to be on this list, but they both need their own entries. They were created during the “drugs are bad” portion of the ’80s (which is hilarious if you know anything about the ’80s), two runaways that were injected with special heroin that made them mutants. Cloak, a young African-American named Tyrone, was given the powers of darkness, a massive billowing cloak that could absorb anything and teleport the duo through the dark dimension. Cloak is such a cliche it isn’t funny; you can tell he was written by good-natured liberals, but there’s just something so cringe about making the black kid into a hero defined by darkness.
3) Dagger
Dagger was given the special heroin and gained a connection to the Lightforce, allowing her to throw light daggers and heal people. Tandy was as much a cliche as Tyrone; a wealthy white girl with bad parents who ran away from home to the city and got taken by the wrong people. She’s the nice one, the sweet one, and was really barely a character at all back then. Where Cloak was dark and brooding, she was the sunshine and everybody liked her. I know that everyone loves Cloak and Dagger, but looking at each of them shows just cringe they really were.
2) Jubilee
Chris Claremont changed the X-Men forever in the ’80s, creating some of the most beloved characters ever. Jubilee was one of the last major characters he created and has become extremely popular. However, she was so cringe back in the day. She was the stereotypical ’80s teen, a girl who just wanted to skate around and bum it at the mall, speaking like a California valley girl. She was so cringe back in those early appearances; I’m someone who loves her very much, but every time I read those old comics and think about the fact that a 39 year old man was writing this teen girl, I cringe a little bit.
2) Dazzler
Dazzler has built a fanbase over the decades, but there’s no doubt she was once super cringe. She was a disco-themed character that came out in 1980, when disco was already dead. The whole thing is extremely cringe, and if you go back and read a lot of her early appearances, you’re going to find yourself grimacing pretty often. Much like Jubilee, she’s a character that has gotten way less cringe over the decades, but those early appearances are a totally different character.
Who are your favorite cringe ’80s Marvel characters? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Monolith Productions, Nightdive Studios, Warner Bros. Games, and Atari -
Courtesy of Disney
