For over a decade and a half, Brian Michael Bendis has been one of Marvel Comics' biggest architects. He's penned sprawling stories for a number of the publisher's flagship books, including multiple Avengers titles and a contemporary take on the classic X-Men roster. He left huge stamps on iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Iron-Man and Daredevil. And then there are the events Bendis led the charge on, such as Secret Invasion and Civil War II, each of which reshaped Marvel's status quo in one way or another.

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Bendis also helped Marvel take massive strides in terms of character diversity, making him one of modern comics most progressive writers. Characters such as Miles Morales, Riri Williams and Jessica Jones were introduced to the Marvel Universe, bringing with them greater racial and gender representation. With all this said, it's easy understand why his impending switch to DC Comics shocked the comic book industry. Love him or hate him, Bendis is a coup for DC, having made a lasting impact on Marvel since debuting on Ultimate Spider-Man in 2000. It only makes sense, then, that we look back at his biggest hits -- so far.

The Events

Though he'd already made a name for himself on Ultimate Spider-Man, it was 2004's Secret War, drawn by Gabriele Dell'Otto, that perhaps held the first indication Bendis was ready for the big leagues. The black-ops story saw Nick Fury go into hiding after brainwashing the likes of Captain America, Luke Cage and Wolverine into attacking Latveria. Bendis, backed by Dell'Otto's moody art, produced one of comics' most riveting political thrillers, ever. A year later, Bendis would further redefine the Marvel landscape with House of M using artist Olivier Coipel, where the highly-volatile Scarlet Witch created an alternate reality for heroes and villains alike.

house of m

Things, however, came crashing down for her, and with three words -- "No More Mutants" -- Bendis de-powered a large chunk of Marvel's most popular characters. It was a bold story that helped pave the way for other seismic events, including 2008's Secret Invasion with artist Leinil Yu, which brought a long-planned Skrull infiltration of Earth full-circle, and also reunited the then-fragmented trinity of Thor, Iron Man and Captain America (well, in the form of Bucky Barnes that is).

Then came 2010's Siege (with Coipel on art once again) which brought Steve Rogers back into the Avengers fold as Captain America following his "death" in Civil War, and helped to end Norman Osborn's Dark Reign over the Marvel Universe. These stories illustrated that Bendis was never scared of pushing the envelope and served to remind the heroes that they were always stronger together, eventually ushering in The Heroic Age at Marvel.

The Ensembles

Bendis used 2004's Avengers: Disassembled as the catalyst to reshape the Avengers universe for a new century. This event splintered the team by taking the likes of Thor off the table, and killing Hawkeye at the hands of a Kree armada. Bendis used this as a springboard to usher in a new generation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes via The New Avengers, adding Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman and, in a then-shocking move, Wolverine to the Avengers family. These were controversial changes, but they resulted in another hit, revitalizing the Avengers roster.

New Avengers group shot

Bendis extended his magic to books like The Mighty Avengers and their evil counterparts, the Dark Avengers, which evolved when Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. at the end of Secret Invasion. Bendis had a ball subverting the heroes we knew like Tony Stark and Carol Danvers into public enemies, with the likes of Bullseye masquerading as Hawkeye and Daken as Wolverine.

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Bendis also knocked it out the park on All New X-Men, which saw Professor Xavier's First Class of mutant students transported to the present. The highlight of this was the young Bobby Drake aka Iceman controversially coming out as gay, with Bendis using this arc as a message of inclusivity and acceptance. He also delivered on Guardians of the Galaxy, where he had heroes like Iron Man, Angela and Kitty Pryde joining the likes of Star Lord, Gamora and Rocket Raccoon in their space adventures, reiterating that no matter the team, Bendis could do them justice.

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The Spider-Men

Bendis' work with the Spider-Men of Marvel deserves special mention because of its ambitious scope, which started with Ultimate Spider-Man. Alongside artists Mark Bagley, David Lafuente and more, he spent a decade charting a course for the Ultimate Universe's Peter Parker and his teenage adventures in one of the best coming-of-age tales comics has ever seen. Bendis achieved this with a cast that involved Gwen Stacy and new takes on villains like the Goblin family and the Sinister Six.

Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the Ultimate Spider-Men

His stories here broke away from the confines of the Marvel 616 to shape something fresh and original, which would later go on to influence several cartoons, and even Spider-Man: Homecoming. This new take on Parker eventually led to his death, but Bendis made sure this gap was quickly filled with the historic introduction of the hispanic Miles Morales as the new Spider-Man in 2011. Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man would see Bendis team with artists like Sara Pichelli, David Marquez and others to really paint Miles as the Spidey of a new generation.

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Ultimately, Miles would come over to the Marvel 616 and link with the mainstream Peter Parker in Spider-Men, which Bendis is now exploring even further in the currently releasing sequel. Bendis hasn't simply been mashing up two eras, but two universes, and he did so in an organic way that really made Miles feel like he deserved the mantle, fearlessly driving him towards bigger books like Champions and Secret Empire.

The Solo Hits

Few writers have worked with such a diverse assortment of Marvel's solo heroes as Bendis. His Daredevil run is viewed as one of the character's most outstanding and definitive to date, a run that has overtly influenced the character's Netflix series. Bendis knows how to write cinematically; after all, he scripted the Iron Man post-credits in 2008 that saw Sam Jackson's Nick Fury recruit Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark for the Avengers.

This is a big reason why another of his highly successful books, Alias, got Jessica Jones her Netflix show as well. Bendis set the platform for her, creating the character who would move from obscure private eye to an Avenger to of course, Luke Cage's wife. At this point, it was clear his take on street-level heroes, specifically, those based in New York City, hit the sweet spot with readers. The vision he laid down with artists like Alex Maleev, Michael Gaydos and David Mack brought the city to life in a manner that made the stories more than superheroes punching supervillains. Another of Bendis' gritty, realistic success stories came more recently on Moon Knight, with Maleev helping him detail the vigilante's struggle with right, wrong and his multiple personality disorder.

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Bendis also got to play with some of Marvel's more fantastic solo series. His Invincible Iron Man stripped Tony Stark down to nothing more than artificial intelligence, which then allowed Doctor Doom to find redemption in Infamous Iron Man once 2015's Secret Wars had ended. But while Infamous was a surefire hit with fans, his crown jewel could well be his most recent, and perhaps final major Marvel creation: Riri Williams. Co-created with artist ,Mike deodars and brought to life by Stefano Caselli, Riri is a black female teen who wants to be something more than being a genius at M.I.T. Tony passed his mantle down to her in a move that mirrors what Bendis did for so many heroes -- he gave them a chance when no one would -- and in the process once more reiterated that his superhero work isn't just about breaking down doors, but barriers as well.