Top 10 Insane Marvel Stories of All Time
For this list, we're looking at the craziest Marvel story-lines to ever grace the page of a comic. These stories are ludicrous, convoluted, or just downright strange, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad. We won't be including the "What If" comics since they are intentionally ridiculous.
#10: “Deadpool Killustrated” (2013)
Top 10 Times Deadpool and Wolverine Teamed Up
The Multiverse allows Marvel to explore absurd tangents without directly affecting the central continuities. "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe" takes place on an Earth where Wade Wilson goes on a rampage and slaughters all the villains and heroes. As the sequel series, "Killustrated" amps up the stakes by adding classical literary figures to the equation. Yearning to destroy the very concept of "heroes," Deadpool travels back in time to eliminate the likes of Moby Dick, Tom Sawyer, and Ebeneezer Scrooge. Somehow, Marvel managed to out-crazy the normal Merc with a Mouth, which probably explains why the next series was called "Deadpool Kills Deadpool."
#9: “Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe” (1995)
Top 10 Brutal Punisher Kills
Deadpool was hardly the first anti-hero to eliminate the Marvel Universe; in fact, Frank Castle beat Wade Wilson to the punch by nearly two decades. Caught in the middle of a rather standard Avengers battle, Frank's family are accidental casualties, prompting the Punisher to go on a revenge-fueled rampage targeting superheroes and villains alike. Along the way, Frank kills the Hulk, nukes the X-Men, and bludgeons Dr. Doom to death with a hammer. As "Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe" is a one-shot comic, Frank eliminates Earth's Mightiest Heroes quickly and barely breaks a sweat.
#8: Wolverine Goes Full Feral
Top 10 Worst Things to Happen to Wolverine
Depending on the comic, Logan might seem more animal than human, but Marvel's character seldom goes full-Wolverine. Seeking to employ the mutant as a Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Genesis catches and subjects Logan to a fresh batch of adamantium experiments, but the group only succeeds in pushing the hero over the edge. Lasting only a handful of issues, a wild Wolverine runs around causing trouble for the X-Men before Elektra comes along to smack some sense back into Logan. Out of nowhere, Wolverine's erratic new look is dropped in favor of the mutant's classic getup. The '90s were a weird time for comics.
#7: “Clone Saga” (1994-96)
Speaking of the '90s, no other event better embodies Marvel's struggles throughout the decade than this convoluted train-wreck of a Spider-Man story. "The Clone Saga" introduces Ben Reilly as Peter Parker's supposed duplicate, although the plan was to eventually reveal Ben as the real Peter Parker. Due to decent sales, Marvel refused to end the event, leading to one indecipherable twist after another. By the end, nobody seemed to know who was the real Spider-Man was or what the hell was going on, so, Marvel just gave up and decided that Norman Osborn was behind everything.
#6: An Iron Man Armor Falls in Love with Tony Stark
Tragic love stories and Marvel do not often go together: Here is why. A battle against Whiplash ends with a lightning bolt sparking Tony's armor to life, and things only get stranger from here. Long story short, the sentient armor falls madly in love with Tony, who obviously rebuffs the machine's proposal to merge. Unfortunately for Tony, the armor responds poorly to rejection and kidnaps the creator for a bit of alone time. A practitioner of tough love, the armor tortures Tony into submission, before sacrificing itself to save the hero from a heart attack.
#5: “Spider-Man: Reign” (2006-07)
Top 10 Most WTF Spider-Man Stories Of All Time
Clearly attempting to act as Spider-Man's answer to Batman's "The Dark Knight Returns," this four-issue comic takes place in a distant future with no superheroes and a bitter retired Peter Parker. With a sadistic police force terrorizing the streets and a supervillain pulling the strings, Spider-Man is called into action for one last time. While ambitious, "Spider-Man: Reigns'" nihilistic tone feels incompatible with Marvel's usually lighthearted superhero, and certain revelations are just puzzling or laughable. Following years of being married to Peter, Mary Jane dies from overexposure to toxic spider-sperm, which is a sentence that should never be uttered.
#4: Punisher Turns African American
Top 10 Greatest Punisher Stories Ever Written
Remember that time the Punisher briefly swapped races and encountered bigotry at the hands of the cops? Well, Marvel might be happier if everyone forgot this ever happened! Lasting only three issues but causing enough second-hand embarrassment to satisfy many lifetimes, a badly disfigured Frank undergoes plastic surgery but reawakens as an African American. Realizing this is the perfect situation for a crossover, Marvel brought in Luke Cage to help show Frank the ropes and, obviously, take out some drug dealers. Eventually, the Punisher fades back to white and, yes, that is the exact phrase Marvel used to describe the process.
#3: “Marville” (2002-03)
A ludicrous comic is not necessarily a terrible one, but some crossover does exist. "Marville" is a tone-deaf satire about the comic industry, only with none of the jokes making a lick of sense. With a meteor set to crash into Earth, Al is sent back in time to save the planet. "Marville's" opening two chapters primarily consist of pathetic superhero gags – including cameos by racist iterations of Iron Man and Batman – but, the story really goes off the rails from the third issue. Along with a couple of scantily dressed women, Al travels to the beginning of time and meets Jack, an obvious stand-in for God, and learns the meaning of life.
#2: Ms. Marvel’s Sudden & Unwanted Pregnancy
Top 10 Stories That Inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Stuck in a timeless reality called Limbo, Marcus hatches a sinister escape plan; the guy kidnaps, brainwashes, and impregnates Ms. Marvel, before sending the hero back to Earth without any memories. In a matter of three days, Carol gives birth to a son, who instantly matures into an adult Marcus. Due to still being under the influence of Marcus' manipulation, Ms. Marvel decides to go back to Limbo with the superheroine's rapist/lover/son, while the Avengers just stand by and wish the couple well.
#1: “The Punisher Meets Archie” (1994)
Top 10 Marvel Comics Storylines That Will NEVER Be in the MCU
If Eminem's one-shot with the Punisher is anything to go by, no comic book crossover is too ridiculous. Published by Marvel and Archie Comics in 1994, Frank Castle pays a visit to Riverdale while tracking down a villain named "Red," who happens to bear a striking resemblance to an iconic All-American teenager. Contrasting the vigilante's ultra-violent style with "Archie's" wholesome aesthetic, "Archie meets the Punisher" is an absolute gem of a comic that lovingly tributes both brands. The most ludicrous thing about Frank's excursion to Riverdale is that the story works so well!
