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Top 10 Marvel Plot Twists You Didn't See Coming

These Marvel plot twists are part of the reasons the comics are still running strong today and have spawned so many movies.

By WatchMojoPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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We did not see that one coming. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’re counting down the top 10 Marvel comics plot twists.

We’ll be looking at the most shocking and impactful twists and turns Marvel has put onto their pages over the years. We’ll be spoiling the twists, so be forewarned!

In 2004, Marvel debuted Runaways, a new series starring a group of young heroes whose parents are part of a supervillain group called The Pride. Over the course of the book’s run, the team prepares to stop The Pride from destroying the world, leading up to a climactic fight in which team member Alex Wilder reveals himself to have been working with their parents all along. Alex betrayed his friends in a shocking moment that upended all expectations and succeeded in shaking up the story’s status quo.

In this classic story arc from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s original run on Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker finds himself up against a new villain calling himself Master Planner, just as Aunt May is hospitalized due to an unknown illness. It’s an iconic Spider-Man story that sees Peter’s responsibilities as a nephew add up with his responsibilities as Spider-Man and features a surprising reveal that Master Planner is none other than Doctor Otto Octavius. The final issue of the arc features the famous panel showing Spidey lift the support beams and rubble of a collapsed building off of himself in an inspiring showcase of strength; one that was recreated in the recent Spider-Man: Homecoming.

In the aftermath of Marvel’s catastrophic Civil War, Captain America was placed under arrest for his actions against S.H.I.E.L.D concerning the Superhero Registration Act. While in custody, he is shot, first by Crossbones from a building, and then by a brainwashed Sharon Carter, who only remembers the killing shot at the issue’s end. Though his death obviously didn’t last too long, it was a stirring moment that had major ramifications in the Marvel Universe. Seeing Captain America shot point blank by his own girlfriend isn’t an image we’re likely to forget anytime soon.

Upon their debut in the pages of Incredible Hulk, no one suspected that new superhero team The Thunderbolts were anything more than meets the eye. After the deaths of many heroes in the Onslaught event, the Thunderbolts stepped up to take their place, with their leader Baron Zemo planning to first win over the public and then sell information about S.H.I.E.L.D and The Avengers to the highest bidder. The big reveal takes place at the end of the team’s first issue, and was a shock to many readers. Over time, the team would get rid of Zemo and actually lean towards becoming true heroes.

This modern classic Wolverine story tells that tale of an alternate future where the world has gone to hell, with nearly all heroes dead or useless, and supervillains ruling over what’s left. Through flashbacks, it’s revealed that on the night the villains organized and attacked, Mysterio tricked Wolverine into believing his fellow X-Men were villains, and he killed them all. It’s an incredibly dark and gruesome take on the mutant hero, and explains his reluctance to get involved or fight again.

With a cover that promised the death of someone close to Spider-Man, no one expected it to be Gwen. The character’s death remains one of the most tragic moments in comic book history, as Peter Parker fails to save his girlfriend from falling at the hands of Norman Osborn. It was a bold move that was entirely unexpected at the time. Gwen Stacy’s legacy exists in Marvel’s universe as more than just a plot device, but as a remembered tragedy of a girl who died too young, and cemented the Green Goblin as one of the most nefarious villains in the company’s roster.

Ah, the complicated, complicated history of the X-Men. One especially fun nugget of continuity is this character from Grant Morrison’s acclaimed New X-Men run. Xorn is introduced as a new mutant who wears a mask to contain his powerful sun-like brain. If that sounds made up, it’s because it was, and it was just Magneto undercover to infiltrate the X-Men. Since Xorn turned out to be a popular character by both writers and fans, he was brought back as a character who was, in fact, separate from Magneto. This made creator Grant Morrison… not so happy, and the character’s appearances since have not been as warmly received.

At the start of Ed Brubaker’s Captain America run, a powerful new adversary is introduced known only as the Winter Soldier. Though he’s a household name now due to his prominence in the MCU, Bucky Barnes didn’t factor much into Cap’s comics post-World War II other than flashbacks here and there, until the shocking revelation that he survived the war. When the Winter Soldier is revealed to be Cap’s old friend and sidekick, Steve Rogers is deeply conflicted, and the impact resonated to readers as well. It was a fantastic way to bring new flavor to an old character, revitalizing Bucky for a new generation.

The third and final Spider-Man twist on our list, this one also involves good old Norman Osborn. The big reveal that Peter’s arch-nemesis and Harry Osborn’s father were one and the same took place in Amazing Spider-Man issue 39, in a perfectly-titled story called “How Green is my Goblin.” In it, Osborn enacts a successful plan to shut down the webslinger’s Spidey Sense without him realizing it, allowing the Goblin to spy on Peter changing out of his costume and learn his secret identity. Osborn soon attacks Parker by surprise and kidnaps him, bringing him to his secret lair only to reveal his plan and identity, in true supervillain fashion.

In 2008, Marvel debuted this sprawling storyline that began with a major reveal: shapeshifting alien race the Skrulls had infiltrated and replaced many of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Characters such as Spider-Woman, Elektra, Black Bolt and more were replaced by Skrulls at one point or another, and some had been for a long time. It was a major surprise that was only mildly spoiled by the event’s announcement. The series itself was divisive, with some fans loving it and others... not-so-much. With the Skrulls set to make an appearance in the upcoming Captain Marvel film, could the MCU be headed towards a similar fate?

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WatchMojo

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