Marvel’s Horror Revival Makes It the Perfect Time for These 5 Characters to Come Back

Marvel Comics is going through a rough patch and they’ve decided that horror may be the way out. Marvel Midnight is a horror-centric Marvel Universe, with the X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four taking center stage. A lot of people feel like Marvel Midnight is the House of Ideas trying to copy the Absolute Universe, which is hilarious because the Absolute Universe is basically just the DC version of the new Ultimate Universe, which Marvel decided to shutter before fans were ready for it (it also shows how little they understand why we like the Absolute Universe, but that’s another topic). Horror is an important part of superhero comics, allowing creators to take things in twisted directions that hook readers immediately.

Marvel is a old hand when it comes to horror; once upon a time, before Fantastic Four #1, the publisher was all about monster comics and the sci-fi horror of the ’50s. However, even after the superheroes became the focus of the company, horror characters became a major part of the Marvel Universe. A lot of fans were disappointed when Marvel announced they were going in a different direction with Marvel Midnight rather than their horror icons. With Marvel getting back into the horror game, it’s past time for these five characters to make a major comeback, showing that Marvel horror is more than just the X-Men and Spider-Man.

5) Werewolf by Night

Werewolf by Night debuted in the ’70s, when Marvel and DC decided that it had been long enough since they used the Comics Code Authority to kill EC that they could do horror again. DC put out amazing horror anthology books like House of Mystery, House of Secrets, and The Witching Hour. Marvel created characters like Werewolf by Night, horror characters that could do superhero stuff. Jack Russell (naming a canine based character Jack Russell is honestly hilarious) is a werewolf trying to figure out how to live with his curse, battling against the forces of the night. The character had an MCU debut in Werewolf by Night and quickly became a favorite of fans again. Werewolf by Night is one of those characters that you can use in all kinds of ways, from run of the mill superhero stories to more horror-oriented narratives. He’s always been a character with a lot of potential and it’s far past time to give him the spotlight he deserves.

4) Damian Hellstrom

Damian Hellstrom is one of Marvel’s best forgotten characters. Damian is the Son of Satan, a part-demon/part human man who can go in basically any direction you want him to. The fact that he’s the heir of Hell is intriguing, as is the fact that he has fought against his father and the forces of the Infernal Realm many times. He had a series in the ’70s and Marvel tried again with him in early ’90s, but the character just never stuck. At this point in his existence, he’s basically either a background character or will show up in books about magic-users. However, now is the perfect time for the character. Writers have gotten better at using characters like Damian and it would awesome to see a modern version of the conflicted hero, fighting against the demonic side of himself, sometimes failing. He’s honestly a perfect character for a horror comic; he’s both a hero and a monster, so you can use him in basically every kind of horror story you want.

3) Man-Thing

Swamp Thing is one of the most important characters in the history of the comic industry, with Alan Moore changing comics forever with the character. However, there’s a good chance that Swampie is a rip-off of Man-Thing (or vice versa). The two characters were created at the same time by a group of creators who were all friends and hung out together. None of them remembered when they came up with what, but they have said they did talk about what they were creating (I learned this story in volume one of Alan Moore Swamp Thing trades’ introduction). Man-Thing was the Marvel version of Swamp Thing, but he was also very different. The swamp monster is the protection of the Nexus of All Realities and burns anyone who knows fear. Man-Thing shows up every now and again in Marvel stories; his fans cheer every time because we know he’s not going to show up again for a long time. Man-Thing deserves a big comeback; he’s one of the coolest characters in the Marvel Universe. Swamp monster comics go in all kinds of directions in the 21st century and Man-Thing deserves his version of Alan Moore’s run on Swampie.

2) Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider is about to hit the MCU and now is the perfect time for him come to back. It all started with Johnny Blaze, who bonded with the demon Zarathos to save his father (in his original origin, it was Satan, but that got retconned) and became the Spirit of Vengeance. He was created in the ’70s, when motorcycle daredevils were all the rage. making a splash than disappearing. Marvel rebooted the characters in the ’90s, making Danny Ketch the new Spirit of Vengeance. For a short period, Ghost Rider was actually popular again, but it was Marvel in the ’90s; there was no way it was going to end well and it didn’t, the character fading away again. Recent years have seen Robbie Reyes made Ghost Rider, divorced from the Spirit of Vengeance concept, and have some minor success. Ghost Rider is an important part of the Marvel Universe and he needs to be put in the biggest position he can in the years to come. While we had a return of the character a few years ago, the MCU announcement means that he should be getting a bigger place in the comics sooner rather than later.

1) Blade

Speaking of the MCU, it’s time to talk about a character who got screwed over by Marvel Studios – Blade. Blade’s MCU debut has been cancelled, leaving the fan-favorite character in an unfortunate limbo. Eric Brooks’ mom was bit by a vampire as she gave birth, transforming him into a vampire of sorts. He was the Daywalker and he made it his life’s mission to kill every vampire he can. That’s such a simple premise, one that has already birthed two great movies and one blah one. The fact that the MCU failed to make a movie starring the character says a lot about Marvel Studios, but Marvel Comics doesn’t have to make the same mistakes. Fans want more Blade and Marvel can give it to them in the comics. He’s an amazing character and it’s far past time for him to be the superstar that we all know he can be. He’s a Marvel legend and it’s about time that he got more respect.

10 Essential Marvel Horror Comics (That Aren’t Just Marvel Zombies)