Marvel Comics has a long-standing tradition of providing readers with Christmas and holiday-inspired stories. The publisher has done this both through their ongoing series and specials throughout the years, meaning that there are many stories out there, some being more memorable than others, be they traditional stories or not.

RELATED: DC: 10 Best Holiday Stories, Ranked

Throughout the years, the Marvel heroes have found themselves in some strange Christmas stories, ones that are new takes on well-known stories, or some that are completely original. When it comes to stories like these, there is no shortage of holiday cheer from The House of Ideas.

10 Last Christmas - 2008 Digital Marvel Holiday Special (Ryan Penagos & Juan Doe)

Marvel Last Christmas

Last Christmas by Ryan Penagos and Juan Doe is an interesting story that, while dark, is a different take on the holiday theme. The story, which ties into the Secret Invasion event, finds a Skrull trapped on Earth following his homeworld's destruction by the Annihilation Wave. During the holiday season, the Skrull befriends a corporate executive in a bar over drinks. After learning that he is a man of wealth and has a family, he kills the man and assumes his identity using his Skrull abilities.

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The story stands out because it works on both real-world issues and the events unfolding in the Marvel Universe at the time. While the idea of the Skrull killing a man and assuming his life is not a happy ending per se, it does address the concept of loneliness and personal loss that many face during the season.

9 Rhino Plastered - The Incredible Hulk #378 (Peter David & Kurt Busiek)

Rhino Plastered hulk 378

The classic Christmas story “Rhino Plastered” by Incredible Hulk scribe Peter David and Kurt Busiek is a stand-alone story from the Joe FixIt/Grey Hulk era as told by Rick Jones. Down and out on his luck, Rhino takes a job as a mall Santa Claus during the holiday season, causing more than one problem, including a clobberfest with the Grey Hulk.

The fight continues until the two behemoths are confronted by a little girl, who just so happens to be named Virginia, asks Santa why he is beating up the gray man, questioning if her mom lied to her about Santa being real. The story ends with Hulk and Rhino setting aside their differences and joining together to spread Christmas cheer.

8 In The Spirit of the Season - Marvel Holiday Special 1992 (Carl Potts)

In The Spirit of the Season Punisher

Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, seems to be a favorite character of creators to use in holiday stories, most likely to the similarities that both he and Santa Claus have lists of those naughty and nice. Unlike Santa, Punisher has his own methods of dealing with those on the naughty list, opting for a lump of lead rather than coal. The 1992 story, In The Spirit of the Season, by Carl Potts finds Micro, Frank's partner, challenging him to two days before Christmas, to not kill, stab, burn, or blow up anyone for the remainder of the holiday season.

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Frank accepts the challenge, opting to deal with those on his naughty list in a non-lethal manner but still doling out his brand of justice. Not only does he use spiked body armor under a Santa costume, but he proceeds to take down the leader of a gang by coating his Punisher costume with poison that paralyzes the man after he tries to attack him.

7 Losin' the Blues - Marvel Holiday Special 1994 (Greg Wright)

Losin The Blues The Thing

Ben Grimm, The Fantastic Four's The Thing, is one of the Jewish characters in the Marvel Universe who celebrates Hanukkah instead of Christmas this time of year. While many holiday stories are starring The Thing, Losin' The Blues by Greg Wright stands out as the best story addressing this theme and one of the most memorable stories in Marvel's holiday collection.

Ben meets a young Jewish girl whose disillusionment with the season causes him to attempt to prove to her that good still exists. After many attempts, all of which backfire in one way or the other, the simple act of a homeless man giving her his coat restores her faith in humanity and the holiday season.

6 Twas' The Fight Before Christmas - Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #21 (Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone)

Twas the Fight Before Christmas Spidy

Spider-Man's Tangled Web #21, entitled “T’was the Fight Before Xmas,” by the creative team of Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone, combines the classic elements of the Spider-Man mythos with an unforgettable holiday story featuring Spider and his supporting cast. Braving a trip to the mall during the Christmas season to get a present for J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker finds that this simple errand may be more complicated than an encounter with his deadliest foe.

RELATED: Spider-Man: The Best Artists Of The Bronze Age, Ranked

Not only must Spidy contend with mind-controlled last-minute shoppers, but also Flash Thompson dressed as Spider-Man sells Spider-Man action figures robbing stores, The Wasp, Crystal, and Invisible Woman chasing Medusa around, and Jonah getting the news at the Bugle Christmas party about "Spider-Man" then telling the kids that their hero is the criminal he knows him to be, all come together to make a delightful holiday romp.

5 Demon - Uncanny X-Men #143 (John Byrne, Chris Claremont & Terry Austin)

Uncanny X-Men 143

"Demon" is a Christmas tale that took place in Uncanny X-Men #143 by written John Byrne and Chris Claremont, with Terry Austin providing the art. The story stars Kitty Pride in a strange mixture of Home Alone, Alien, and a horror film as she finds herself alone in the mansion on Christmas Eve when one of the N'Garai, who was able to escape the dimension where it was captive.

When the rest of the X-Men go their separate ways to celebrate the holiday, a relatively inexperienced Kitty must not only survive but also defeat the invader by herself. While this is not the typical holiday story, it falls into the same category as Die Hard and Gremlins, both of which are non-traditional Christmas movies.

4  A Miracle A Few Blocks Down From 34th Street - Marvel Holiday Special 1991 (Scott Lobdell, Dave Cockrum & Joe Rubinstein)

A Miracle A Few Blocks Down From 34th St

Writer Scott Lobdell and artists Dave Cockrum and Joe Rubinstein find the X-Men throwing down with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as they search for an Omega-level mutant during the Christmas season in "A Miracle A Few Blocks Down From 34th Street." While trimming the tree at the mansion, Cerebro alerts the team that it has detected the most powerful mutant ever at a mall in NYC.

RELATED: X-Men: 10 Times Omega-Level Mutants Needed Help Winning A Battle

When they arrive, they run into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, also there to see if this unknown mutant is a friend or foe. When the two groups bump into each other, a fight ensues. Suddenly the Brotherhood members are turned into action figures, and Santa introduces himself to the X-Men before transporting them to Rockefeller Center where they had planned to meet up with Jean and Scott as seen in X-Men #98.

3 Santa Claus Vs. The Illuminati - Marvel Holiday Special 2009 (Brian Reed & Val Semeiks)

Santa Claus v Illuminati

Santa once possessed and wielded the Infinity Gauntlet thanks to Marvel's Illuminati, the secret group representing the various factions of superheroes of the Marvel Universe following the Kree-Skrull War. Writer Brian Reed and Val Semeiks' two-page story has Santa going to the group after discovering that his reindeer turned out to be Skrulls.

The Illuminati allows Santa to borrow their respective Infinity Gem, which then drives him mad with power. The Illuminati soon realize their mistake as Santa, like others before him, has a negative reaction and must be stopped, which he is thanks to a well-placed snowball thrown by Namor. Christmas is saved thanks in part to Iron Man, who for some reason had robotic reindeers at the ready.

2 Yes, Virginia There Is A Santron - Marvel Holiday Special 2005 (Jeff Parker & Riley Brown)

Yes Virginia there is a Santatron

Jeff Parker and Riley Brown's 2005 vignette, "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santron," found the Avengers robotic foe Ultron, crashing the Holiday party at the Sanctum Sanctorum as Santron. The arrival of Santron is not the only crazy event that happens at the heroes' annual party, as Dr. Strange must contend with the Christmas tree that is a carnivorous monster, while Tony, Logan, and Steve Rogers continually hit on Mary Jane and Jessica Drew.

RELATED: Marvel: Every Version Of Ultron, Ranked

After Santron arrives, deeming the Avengers all naughty, attacking them, only stopping after Spidey gives him a cookie, fulfilling its protocols. The Avengers then learn that Santron was a defeated version of Ultron reprogrammed by a former Stark Employee, Virgie Hanlon, mocked as a child for her belief in Santa. In the end, Santron is defeated, and Captain America assures Virgie that it is okay to believe in Santa.

1 I'll be Doom for Christmas - What The...?! #10 (Scott Lobdell & John Byrne)

I'll be Doom for Christmas

The story by Scott Lobdell and John Byrne finds the least likely person in the Marvel Universe filling in for Jolly Ole' Saint Nick. That's right, Doctor Doom, the scourge of the Fantastic Four, must deliver toys on Christmas to the children of the world after Santa is caught in one of his palace traps. Convincing Doom by offering him his heart's desire, Santa gets Doom to accept and disguise himself using Santa's outfit and a fake beard, transforming himself into Santa Doom.

Santa Doom's Christmas journey puts him in a fight with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers and delivering coal to various villains. After recovering, Santa makes good on his promise, giving Doom a teddy bear. As Santa leaves to return home, Doom forebodingly wishes him farewell, calling him a future foe.

NEXT: 10 Comic Books That Reference “A Christmas Carol”