To say that Marvel's popularity is at an all-time high would be an understatement. Since Iron Man was released, the cast of Marvel's heroes have all become household names. You know you've made an impact on pop culture when one of your most well-known characters is a talking raccoon with a machine gun.
However, even though a lot of their movies have been based on their most recognized comics, that doesn't mean they haven't released a few duds in the comics. So, for this list, we decided to take a look at ten stories that have featured Marvel's greatest heroes that the company would like you to forget about. (Warnings for possibly upsetting narratives discussed.)
10 The Punisher: Purgatory
Before Garth Ennis began his iconic run on The Punisher, Marvel had released this poor excuse of a mini-series. In it, Frank Castle is turned into an angel of death and goes around killing people.
The whole point of The Punisher is that he's a man on a quest to rid the world of the worst scum in New York City and avenge his wife and children. Making him some sort of gun-blazing Angel completely misses the point of the character.
9 Spider-Man: Sin Past
Gwen Stacy's Death has been one of the most famous deaths in all of comics. While she hasn't been seen in the mainline universe that often, her Death is still haunting Peter to this day.
In a bizarre attempt to give Gwen some more agency, Sin Past reveals that she had an affair with Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin. If that wasn't bad enough, she also gave birth to twins. The series received such a huge backlash that the kids have all but been removed from the Marvel Universe.
8 Ultimates 3
After the success of Ultimates 1 and 2, Marvel decided to give the rains of the Ultimates to Jeph Loeb. While Jeph Loeb had a lot of success writing stories that starred some of DC's biggest heroes, like Superman: For All Seasons and Batman: Hush, his run on Marvel has been hit-or-miss.
One of the lowest points to his misses was Ultimates 3. In it, The Ultimates are attacked by android imposters, after a homing bullet kills Scarlett Witch. The series was not well received for its lackluster artwork and baffling plot twists, such as having Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in an incestuous relationship.
7 Avengers #213
One of the most infamous comics of all time isn't something that Marvel is proud of. In Avengers #213, Earth's Mightiest Heroes began discussing whether to kick Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) off the team due to his short-temper and disobedience in past issues.
The issue sees Hank slapping his wife, Janet after she tries to calm him down. Since then, this moment has come to define Hank Pym, but it's not one of his proudest moments and has become one of the most controversial comics of all time. Definitely one Marvel would like you to forget.
6 Heroes Reborn
During the '90s, Marvel decided to outsource it's most iconic characters to the likes of Jim Lee... And Rob Liefeld. In the series, the team was given full creative control, as the comics did not take place in the mainline series, but rather a pocket dimension.
While the comic sales started strong, the series was universally panned by fans. Everything that made the '90s a hellscape for comics was here in force. Designs were given insane proportions; characters were dark and brooding, and so on. The series only lasted a year, with sales beginning to decline and internal problems.
5 Spider-Man: The Clone Saga
The Clone Saga is often considered one of the worst events in Marvel and Spider-Man history. For two years, Marvel editorial let this series stay well past its expiration date while making fans pay for the comic book version of the spoiled meat. The series followed Peter Parker as he encounters a clone of himself named Ben Riely.
It's later revealed that Ben is the real Spider-Man, and Peter is just a clone, making those who followed years of continuity with Spider-Man feel like they were slapped in the face. It's become well documented of how bad The Clone Saga was. But, to sum it all up, It was a bad idea.
4 Ultimatum
If you want to end the Ultimate imprint, then all you need to do was just cancel the series. You don't need to kill 85% of everyone in that universe before letting it hang around for a few years and combining it with the mainline series.
Ultimatum was nothing more than page after page of fan-favorite Marvel heroes getting killed. From having their skeletons removed to having their heads bitten off, only those who hate the Marvel Universe with a burning passion would get any enjoyment out of this book. It's such a shame that this beloved universe got mistreated near its end.
3 The Punisher #59-#62
Another regrettable moment occurred in The Punisher. Back in the early '90s, The Punisher gets into an accident and undergoes surgery to hide his identity.
However, for some reason, the surgeon decides to make him black, and he even gets pulled over by racist cops. It's not even that the comic is being racially insensitive that makes it awful; it's just so ridiculous, and it's played 100% straight.
2 Spider-Man: One More Day
Hey kids, do you want to bring the dead back to life? Just make a deal with the devil, and your loved one will come back like nothing ever happened to them. All it will cost you is your marriage. It's as simple as that! Honestly, what's left to say about "One More Day."
It's one of the most widely despised comics of all time and a complete evisceration of everything that Peter Parker stands for. Even if Peter and Mary Jane were to get re-married, it would only be a matter of time before history repeats itself.
1 Avengers #200
Avengers #200 has become infamous in the world of comics as the worst thing to feature Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In it, we find Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) becoming pregnant in a matter of hours and gave birth... to the man that impregnated her. A character named Marcus used his reality-warping powers to kidnap Ms. Marvel, mind control her into loving him and then infused himself into her womb as a way to come to earth. He then wiped her memory clean of the event, and she "willingly" went with him to another dimension to lead a happy life. A fact that was not truly acknowledged.
Do we need to say anything else about this? Even the creators admitted that they hated what they had done. This is easily the worst thing to happen in the Avengers that Marvel would like you to forget all about.