The Best Marvel Comic Events of 2021

The year 2021 has been one of rebuilding, adapting, and moving forward, and this is true for Marvel Comics and their characters as much as for everyone else. Every year, the House of Ideas provides its readers with a vast choice of multi-issue, large scale events. While there were plenty of events in 2021 that roped in the entire Marvel Universe and its huge stable of heroes, some of the best events were the smaller-scale stories that focused on fewer characters.

As with most comic book events, some of the ones published by Marvel this year were fun and entertaining reads and some missed the mark. And while it is true that “nothing will ever be the same” is a promise rarely kept in superhero comics, Marvel still put out many interesting storylines to entertain the “true believers,” which are bound to have some form of long-lasting effect. Here is a selection of some of the best.

Elektra Becomes The Woman Without Fear

Daredevil, written by Chip Zdarski and drawn primarily by Marco Cecchetto, was an important book for Marvel in 2021. In its pages, the titular character decided to let himself be arrested after accidentally causing the death of a street thug in a fight, wanting to prove that the so-called heroes are not above the law. This will be a key theme for the event Devil’s Reign that started in December and will see the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, Daredevil’s classic enemy and now mayor of New York, try to outlaw vigilante activities in his city. While Matt Murdock was in prison, fighting his own demons and a conspiracy to use prisoners as test subjects for drugs, he could not leave Hell’s Kitchen unprotected.

The mantle of Daredevil was taken up by Elektra, Matt’s long-time partner and lover, who is one of the deadliest assassins in the world and usually removed from superhero activities and morals. She had to adapt to Matt’s ethics and vow not to kill, in order to protect what is dear to her friend. This was a great spin for the character, as putting Elektra in an unfamiliar context forced her to evolve for the first time in years. Even after Matt’s release from prison, Elektra did not abandon her new role, and she will be a key character in helping the heroes of New York fight Fisk’s plans in Devil’s Reign.

The Hulk Is Not Immortal Anymore

Immortal Hulk will be remembered for a long time as one of the best comic books in recent years. Writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennet managed to create an iconic iteration of one of Marvel’s oldest characters, rejuvenating it and ensuring consistency (something that the Hulk has always lacked) in terms of quality and success over the course of the 50-issue series, which came to an end in October. In fact, this run was so iconic that some readers have already expressed their malcontent for the new direction taken by the character under new writer Donny Cates in the ongoing Hulk book.

However, Immortal Hulk was such a good comic book because it wanted to tell a specific story, from beginning to end, and the finale did not disappoint at all. Ewing and Bennet’s new take on that character involved themes such as the afterlife, the supernatural/horror, and Bruce Banner’s always-present father issues. The series also managed to valorize Hulk’s ever-expanding cast of supporting characters. The result is a captivating and satisfying story that largely exists independent of the rest of the Marvel Universe, making Immortal Hulk a great choice for new readers while remaining appealing for long-time fans of the Jade Giant.

The Return of Donald Blake

Donny Cates and Nic Klein’s second story arc on Thor showed that the new creative team behind the God of Thunder is starting to grow accustomed to the character, a not-so-simple task after Jason Aaron’s seven years run on Thor. While not exactly an “event” in terms of scope and wide-ranging consequences for the Marvel Universe, Prey was a compelling story that showed how much the creative team is committed to using the long history and legacy of Thor in new ways that will drive the character forward. The concept behind the story was also very strong: what happened to Donald Blake, Thor’s “fake” mortal identity, after Odin erased it from existence? It turns out that it was trapped in a fake idyllic town, very reminiscent of suburban horror stories, where the good doctor slowly turned completely insane, becoming yet another of Odin’s sins towards his children.

This version of Blake as a murderous shadow from Thor’s past is also interesting on the meta-level. Stan Lee coined the phrase “the illusion of change,” meaning that a good superhero story should give readers the idea of change and evolution (“nothing will ever be the same!”), even though the status quo always resets to its original state. Now that company-wide crossovers and cosmic-scale events are the norm, this idea holds even more true. In this sense, Donald Blake represents all editorial choices that were discarded and forgotten, but can still hold power over characters.

Ben Reilly is Spider-Man

The original Spider-Man Clone Saga is one of the most controversial chapters of Marvel’s history, being generally despised by Spidey fans. However, the titular clone, Ben Reilly, has grown to be a character beloved by readers, which surely reinforced Marvel’s decision to make him the official Spider-Man in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man while Peter Parker is in a coma, recovering from near-fatal wounds. This is yet another example of the illusion of change being used in a shrew, modern way. Readers knew that Peter would not actually die, and that at some point he would be back as Spider-Man (even though this is happening earlier than expected), but the setup provided the chance for a fresh take on a titular Marvel character, and for an additional twist that could be the tie-in for a larger storyline.

The twist is that the new Spider-Man was recruited and is sponsored by the Beyond Corporation, a mysterious (and obviously evil) mega-corporation that is very likely directed by the extra-dimensional omnipotent beings known as the Beyonders, setting up the stage for a future iteration of Secret Wars. Leaving the future cosmic showdowns aside, this was a great way to explore what it means to be a superhero in the age of viral marketing, social media, and corporate power. What has made the Spider-Man Beyond story such a success has been the lack of reverence for the character, allowing for a looser rendition of Spider-Man, which was feeling a bit stale after two very long single-author runs by Dan Slott and Nick Spencer.

Honorable Mentions

King in Black was THE Marvel event for 2021, but it was a classic take on the “heroes unite to fight a seemingly-unbeatable enemy” trope, enjoyable in itself but with very few consequences going forward (similar to the follow-up Heroes Reborn), with the exception of a new status quo for Venom. Inferno is shaping up to be a great conclusion for Jonathan Hickman’s groundbreaking creative direction over the X-Men comic books, but with only three out of five issues out as of December, it does not properly fit this list. Thanos’ return in the pages of Eternals is also really promising in terms of future developments, considering that the genocidal Titan is now the Eternal Prime, and as such he has at his disposal an entire race of superpowered beings he could soon unleash upon Earth.

These are just a handful of great stories and events that Marvel brought to its readers in 2021. With new exciting sagas such as Devil’s Reign, Reckoning War, and Avengers: Forever on the horizon, 2022 is bound to be another year full of entertainment for Marvel Comics‘ “true believers.”

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