2020 was obviously bleak for a myriad of reasons. Across the spectrum, there have been very few reasons to celebrate over the past year and, unfortunately, the arrival of 2021 forced us to reflect on what has been a wildly difficult and strenuous year. For the comics industry, the past year has been a bit of a mixed bag.
Although a decent collection of comic titles released over the latter nine months of 2020, most artists saw their projects delayed month after month or permanently postponed into the new year. While that was certainly true for some of Marvel's biggest and best names, there was actually a fair amount of incredible stories released over the past year. In a year that deserves little recognition, there are plenty of 2020 Marvel comics that have earned tremendous applause.
10 Doctor Doom
Solo pieces surrounding the Fantastic Four's greatest nemesis, Doctor Victor Von Doom, have never managed to gain much traction. Doom is widely considered one of Marvel's greatest villains with incredible story potential, yet there have been some struggles landing a solid solo Doom title.
That was until Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larroca took over. In the latter stages of 2019, Cantwell and Larroca introduced a new Doom tale that saw the maniacal Doom seeking to do just a shred of good for the world while simultaneously battling his own pompous and villainous ego. Cantwell's story highlights the complexities of Doom's personality and stories up to this point and Larroca's crisp and colorful artwork brings beautiful life to the character himself and the world around him.
9 Avengers
It's been nearly two years since famed Marvel writer Jason Aaron (Thor, War of the Realms, and Star Wars) took over the main Avengers title. He brought classic Avengers heroes like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America together with new teammates like She-Hulk and Ghost Rider for truly massive stories alongside the various artwork from some of the industries' best illustrators.
Aaron's Avengers carried on through 2020, effortlessly continuing to mesh the stories and personalities of so many beloved heroes into one poised against some of their greatest villains. Now 40 issues in, while somehow, simultaneously balancing several other amazing titles, Aaron has cemented his Avengers among the other legendary runs of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
8 Black Panther
Fans knew they were getting something special when famed author Ta-Nehisi Coates took over the Black Panther title back in 2018. Over the past two years, Coates and a slew of wildly talented illustrators have curated one of the best T'Challa stories with the tales of "The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda".
Unfortunately, Coates' Black Panther felt the full weight of 2020. Originally set to wrap his time with T'Challa this past year, allowing him to focus on his ongoing run of Captain America, Coates instead saw his Wakandan epic pushed back into 2021. However, even with just three issues released in 2020, Coates' Black Panther maintained its spot as one of Marvel's best ongoing projects.
7 Marvel's Snapshots
Behind the creative genius of Kurt Busiek came Marvel's Snapshots. These stories, told and illustrated by some of the industries best, were framed from the perspective of ordinary people existing in a universe among some of Marvel's greatest heroes.
With titles for the Avengers, Captain America, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Namor, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Civil War, Marvel's Snapshots gave a sort of behind-the-action look at the untold and otherwise unconsidered stories of the Marvel universe. Featuring cover art from the legendary Alex Ross, these snapshots were one of the best collective efforts across not just Marvel, but all comics in 2020.
6 Empyre
Another one of Marvel's best collaborative efforts from the past year was Al Ewing, Dan Slott, and Valerio Schiti's six-part Empyre storyline. The massive Summer crossover brought together the likes of Marvel's two greatest teams, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, to thwart both Earthly and galactic threats.
Ewing and Slott's story was also monumental in its handling of the longtime Kree and Skrull feud, actively ending a decades-long war that raged across the galaxy. Empyre was certainly an ambitious story that incorporated a great number of moving pieces, but overall it was an explosive crossover that paid tribute to, and in some instances wrapped up, some of Marvel's most well-known and beloved storylines and characters.
5 X-Men
There's been arguably nothing more impressive from Marvel over the past year or two than Jonathan Hickman's reinvention of the X-Men Universe. Through the second half of 2019, Hickman and his team set a new standard for the mutant storyline with House of X and Powers of X.
Hickman's work on the flagship X-Men title picked up right where House of X and Powers of X left off, with incredible, intertwined stories working alongside one another and this new mutant world becoming more and more expansive. Along with a brilliant group of artists by his side, Hickman has created one of the most vibrant and compelling universes comics have seen in quite a while. Although the different comics and the exact reading order of Hickman's X-Men can be a bit confusing at times, it's a puzzle well worth solving and a necessary read for any fan of Marvel's mutant world.
4 Daredevil
Throughout essentially the entirety of both 2019 and 2020, Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Julian Tedesco, and a number of other wildly talented illustrators have done masterful work on Daredevil. Much like the work of the previous runs of legendary names like Frank Miller, Ed Brubaker, and Brian Michael Bendis, Zdarsky's Daredevil beautifully explores the often dark and gritty life of the man without fear.
Zdarsky's run turns to most of the standardized pillars of any good Daredevil comic, from the villains and other characters to the interpersonal battle Matt Murdock fights every day. Incorporating so many other popular heroes and villains, this Daredevil run is just as much an epic dive into the street-level Marvel universe as it is a character exploration of Murdock himself. Just as it was back in 2019, Zdarsky's Daredevil was a hit throughout 2020, quickly becoming another classic take on the Devil of Hells Kitchen.
3 Immortal Hulk
Two years ago, Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and a slew of other creative masterminds introduced the world to Immortal Hulk. Since then, the ongoing series has not just become a fan-favorite, but a consistent hit and evergreen classic to add to Marvel's expansive Hulk catalog.
Ewing's story masterfully dances the line between superhero thriller and gutwrenching horror, exploring the greatest depths of the Jekyll and Hyde relationship of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Although that's the primary arch of any great Hulk story, Immortal Hulk does it in an entirely unique and disturbing way. Bennett's artwork beautifully adds to the horror of Ewing's story, and Alex Ross once again offers up breathtaking cover art. Immortal Hulk is far beyond just one of the best comics of 2020, arguably earning a spot as one of Marvel's best projects of the past decade.
2 Thor
Few comic writers have dominated the past few years like Donny Cates. From his work on Doctor Strange, Venom, and Cosmic Ghost Rider in 2018 to his impeccable 2019 featuring runs on Guardians of the Galaxy and Venom as well as the brilliantly creative Silver Surfer: Black and his unforgettable Absolute Carnage, Cates has been all but unstoppable.
As dreary as 2020 felt at times, there always seemed to be an unbelievably vibrant and fresh Cates comic to get lost in. The year even represented a brand new challenge for him in the form of a new run on Thor. While continuing his work on Venom, Cates and his creative partners Nic Klein and Oliver Coipel—as well as Aaron Kuder for two issues—offered a fresh take on the God of Thunder, one that saw him explore his duties as both the newly-made King of Asgard and a faithful cosmic guardian. Before embarking on Cates' latest project, King in Black, it'll be well worth your time to see the incredible work he did on Thor.
1 X of Swords
Some of the additional stories that have followed Hickman's recreation of the X-Men universe, such as Marauders or Excalibur, have proven to be just as great, if not better, than the flagship series itself.
The greatest proof of that, however, comes in the form of X of Swords. This 22-part epic from Hickman and a number of other fantastic collaborators like Tini Howard, Benjamin Percy, Zeb Wells, Pepe Larraz, and so many more, goes into even greater depth of Hickman's new universe. This explosive crossover is, by far, one of Marvel's greatest additions to an otherwise dreadful 2020 and likely the best branching story that's come from Hickman's time with the X-Men.