Frank Miller's Return to Daredevil: Born Again

The mid-1980s marked a prosperous era for Marvel, both creatively and financially, as the company recovered from the challenging times of the late '70s, buoyed by the success of Star Wars. In 1984, Marvel released Secret Wars, a groundbreaking series that significantly altered the comic industry and the Marvel universe. This event had far-reaching effects, steering Marvel's heroes and villains in new directions for years to come.

During this period, Marvel produced several iconic stories, including Frank Miller's Born Again arc in Daredevil, the return of Jean Grey in X-Factor, and Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga in Thor. In this article, we'll delve into these pivotal narratives and other significant stories from the same timeframe. Join us for Part 8 of our exploration into the essential issues of Marvel!

More Essential Marvel

• 1961-1963: The Birth of a Universe
• 1964-1965: The Sentinels Are Born and Cap Dethaws
• 1966-1969: How Galactus Changed Marvel Forever
• 1970-1973: The Night Gwen Stacy Died
• 1974-1976: The Punisher Begins His War on Crime
• 1977-1979: Star Wars Saves Marvel From Bankruptcy
• 1980-1982: Did the Dark Phoenix Saga Usher in the Greatest Decade for Marvel?

Frank Miller's Born Again and Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga

For some of the most acclaimed storylines from this era, look no further than Born Again. Frank Miller returned to writing Daredevil, with David Mazzuchelli on art, for an arc spanning Daredevil #227-233. This story is often considered the definitive Daredevil narrative. In it, a drug-addicted Karen Page sells Daredevil's secret identity for heroin, which ultimately falls into the hands of the Kingpin. He uses this information to systematically destroy Matt Murdock's life, leaving him homeless and without a career or social circle. Matt's journey back to becoming Daredevil, juxtaposed with the Kingpin's descent into fanaticism, creates a compelling narrative. This storyline inspired Season 3 of Netflix’s Daredevil and will influence the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again.

Simultaneously, Walt Simonson took the helm of Thor starting with issue #337 in 1983, introducing Beta Ray Bill, an alien worthy of wielding Mjolnir. Simonson's work revitalized Thor’s mythic fantasy elements, culminating in the year-long Surtur Saga (Thor #340-353). Here, the fire demon Surtur aims to ignite Ragnarok with the Twilight Sword, sending Malekith the Accursed to battle Thor. The saga concludes with an epic confrontation involving Thor, Loki, and Odin against Surtur. Elements of this story influenced both Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.

Secret Wars Changes Comics Forever

As we discussed in Part 4 of this series, the Avengers/Defenders War of 1973 foreshadowed the event crossovers that would become a staple in both Marvel and DC's publishing strategies. The turning point came in 1984 with Secret Wars, a 12-issue miniseries crafted by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. Conceived as part of a marketing strategy with Mattel for a toy line, the story features the Beyonder teleporting various Marvel heroes and villains to Battleworld to battle it out. While the series is known for its large cast and significant impact on the Marvel universe, its narrative focus on action over character development has been a point of contention. Despite this, Secret Wars paved the way for its sequel, Secret Wars II, and alongside DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, established the event-driven model for comics.

Spider-Man’s Symbiote Suit and Other Iconic Spidey Stories

After the foundational runs by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway, Roger Stern took over Amazing Spider-Man with issue #224, bringing the series back to its expected high standards. Stern's notable contributions include the introduction of the Hobgoblin in issue #238, who quickly became one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes. Although Stern's initial Hobgoblin storyline was cut short, he later returned to resolve the villain's identity in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.

Additionally, in Amazing Spider-Man #252, Stern introduced Spider-Man's black symbiote costume, which originated in Secret Wars #8. This costume kickstarted a significant subplot leading to the emergence of Venom, one of Spider-Man's most popular adversaries. The symbiote saga has been adapted numerous times across various media, from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 to Insomniac's Spider-Man 2. Another standout story from this period is The Death of Jean DeWolff in Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110, penned by Peter David and Rich Buckler. This darker narrative follows Spider-Man's pursuit of the Sin-Eater, who killed Jean DeWolff, and his subsequent conflict with Daredevil over justice.

Jean Grey Returns, the Rise of Apocalypse, and Other Mutant Landmarks

The mid-1980s were also significant for the X-Men. In Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4, it was revealed that Magneto was the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, a backstory that remained canon for decades. X-Men #171 saw Rogue's transition from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to the X-Men, cementing her status as a beloved heroine. Similarly, X-Men #200 marked Magneto's turn to heroism, leading to his role at Xavier’s School for the Gifted. This plot was adapted in the second episode of X-Men '97.

The most impactful mutant developments were the resurrection of Jean Grey and the introduction of Apocalypse. Jean Grey's return was detailed in Avengers #263 and Fantastic Four #286, where she was found in an underwater capsule with no memory of her time as the Phoenix. This led to the formation of X-Factor with the original X-Men. In X-Factor #5-6, Apocalypse was introduced, quickly becoming a central antagonist in the X-Men universe and a staple in various media adaptations, including the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse.