The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a triumph in modern cinema. It is a complex web of interconnecting movies. Each strings together a number of successful franchises into one climactic movie experience.

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All of this is drawn from a rich, superhero history that has endured for over 80 years. The MCU revived classic heroes like Captain America and brought lesser-known ones like the Guardians of the Galaxy, to the forefront.

Unfortunately, Marvel was not always the success story it is now. There was a time when the medium of comics waned in popularity. Marvel itself was almost bankrupt, and many of the attempts it made to reboot its popularity crashed and burned.

10 The New Universe

Marvel New Universe

The most famous of Marvel's failed franchises involved a host of characters and stories known as the New Universe. It commemorated the 25th anniversary of Marvel and was a whole new world that ran alongside mainstream Marvel continuity. It had contributions from a number of big-name artists and writers.

New Universe titles were ambitious, aiming for a sense of realism unprecedented in comics before. They operated in real-world time and limited the powers of characters. The problem with reality is that inevitably, fans found it boring. The whole New Universe was canceled within three years.

9 2099 Universe

Spiderman 2099

The 2099 universe was initially extremely successful, which made its sudden demise even more miserable. Set in the distant future of the Marvel universe, it took place long after the age of heroes had ended. Here, a new breed of heroes was emerging in a world ran by heartless corporations. The first titles to launch were updated versions of Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, and The Punisher.

When the series began to waver slightly, budget cuts at Marvel meant the titles lost a lot of their creators. A number of heroes were killed off, allowing the line to be streamlined. This eventually led to the demise of the franchise. However, it would be revisited many times later by writers to provide a more fitting end to the fan-favorite characters and storylines.

8 The Nam

The Nam

The Nam could be described as one of the more successful franchises on the list. It ran over a 7 year period, from 1986 to 1993, designed to replicate the exact time period of its subject matter, the Vietnam war.

The main character was Private First Class Edward Marks, and each comic centered on him and his comrades as they took part in actual historical events. Toward the end of its run, as public opinion shied away from the glorification of war, the Punisher was added to boost its flagging readership, somewhat diluting the historical accuracy.

Despite its long run, and its sheer ambitiousness, it has never been fully revisited by Marvel.

7 The Saga of Crystar

saga of crystar

The Saga of Crystar was an attempt by Marvel to create a franchise with the express intent of selling it as a toyline. The toys were a series of action figures with a sword and sorcery theme. They were licensed as a line by Remco and gained their own 11 issue Marvel miniseries.

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Despite a unique premise, the toys failed to grab the imagination of the public. They emerged in 1983, in a saturated marketplace trying hard to replicate the success of the Star Wars line. In addition, they arrived as the clamor for Masters of the Universe toys, a very similar premise, was taking over the world.

6 Patsy Walker

Patsy Walker in classic Marvel romance comics

Patsy Walker and her spin-off comics were very of their time, and it may be a little unfair to say they failed miserably. First appearing in Miss America Magazine in 1944, Patsy was a role model for girls of the forties. She appeared in a number of her own titles such as Patsy Walker, Patsy and Pals, and a Date with Patsy.

As expectations and times changed, Patsy Walker fell out of favor with fans and her titles were shelved. The public no longer needed a squeaky clean, dated concept of womanhood in a comic. Patsy Walker would later get a much-needed update as the fiesty hero Hellcat in the silver age of comics.

5 Heroes Reborn

heroes reborn

Before the success of the Ultimate Universe, Marvel already had one attempt at rebooting its characters for a modern audience. This was Heroes Reborn, a multi-title, one year run in which the Avengers and Fantastic Four vanished while fighting Onslaught.

They were transported to a pocket universe, where their origins and characters were revised. Despite positive sales initially, the series was controversial with fans who did not like the adjustments to their heroes. All the main titles were canceled after 13 issues.

4 Killraven

Killraven

Killraven was Marvel's attempt to begin a post-apocalyptic universe alongside its main continuity. Killraven himself was a futuristic Gladiator from the year 2018, a member of a group of freedom fighters railing against alien oppression.

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Like many of the franchises on the list, Killraven had an acclaimed run, curiously at the end of its life. Yet even this was not enough to save it from poor sales. It was notable as the first comic to feature an interracial kiss between two of its characters. The character has since been revisited in a number of mini-series and one-shots.

3 Rom

rom spaceknight

Rom turns the concept of a failed franchise on its head. Unlike most toy properties that got a Marvel comic, this comic turned out to be a success while the toyline failed. Licensed to Marvel by Parker Brothers, Rom also gained the prestigious accolade of becoming an integral character in mainstream continuity. This may have gone some way towards the success of his book.

As this was a rare instance when Marvel did not own the rights to the franchise, this led to Rom vanishing as quickly as he had arrived. He is now a Hasbro property, with his most recent adventures put out by IDW.

2 Ultraverse

Ultraverse

The Ultraverse was originally the property of Malibu comics. Its creations were books such as Strangers, Prime, and Hardcase, and it was formed in the early nineties in the independent comics boom. However, no boom lasts forever and as sales declined, the company and its properties were sold to Marvel.

Once it was at Marvel, the Ultraverse did not last long. Rumors circulated the company was only purchased to prevent DC from increasing its market share. Despite a few crossovers, the Ultraverse was quickly canned.

1 The Eternals

Eternals

Being created by Jack Kirby, and existing in comics since the seventies, does not automatically make characters a success. In fact, comicdom is littered with unknown entities by great creators. Many have failed to set fan's imaginations on fire, and The Eternals are one of those concepts.

The Eternals are a race of aliens who have existed since the dawn of creation. They have never reached the heights of the Avengers of the Fantastic Four, and have existed as an 'also ran' property in the Marvel Universe. Even when members of their race have become Avengers, they have always been easily forgotten.

With a movie set to appear in 2021, can Marvel pull this property from the ashes? Or could it be the next of Marvel's failed franchises?

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