Marvel’s Most Ambitious Series Earned Lots of Criticism, But It Made Me Love With Superheroes

I now have hundreds of Marvel and DC comics, but that was not always the case – at least before the Marvel NOW! initiative made me fall in love with superhero comics in the 2010s. For most of my childhood, my exposure to heroes was through other media inspired by comics, all thanks to my grandpa, who grew up with the Superman radio show, and my mom, who is a die-hard Lynda Carter Wonder Woman fan.

However, it wasn’t until 2008, at 12-years-old, that I became properly obsessed with superheroes thanks to the MCU’s first movie, Iron Man. I wanted to know more about these heroes, but at the time, our local comic shop wasn’t the most welcoming, so I stuck to the films.

By 2014, I was attending college in Portland, Oregon, one of the best cities for comics. Between like-minded individuals and an amazing assortment of shops like Powell’s, Things From Another World, and Floating World Comics, I dipped my toes into the comics world. This was around the time of Marvel NOW!, Marvel’s 2012 soft relaunch. The All-New Marvel NOW! wave of the relaunch, along with Wave Four, made me a lifelong Marvel reader.

Marvel NOW! Delivered More Black Widow and Hawkeye Stories After the MCU Made Me Hooked

Thanks to Phase 1 of the MCU, I Wanted to Read Marvel Comics

While The Avengers movie at large had a hold on me, there were two characters in particular I wanted to know more about, and they happened to be the members who had yet to receive a solo film or series: Black Widow and Hawkeye. Black Widow in particular had an impact on me with her first appearance in Iron Man 2, and Hawkeye was perhaps the most mysterious after a brief appearance in the first Thor film, which was one of my sick day films. Thankfully, Marvel NOW! had me covered with Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye.

Related

I Still Can’t Believe How Much The MCU Wasted Its Hawkeye Debut In The Original Thor Movie

Hawkeye’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance came In 2011’s Thor, and I am still disappointed with how the film wasted his character.

Not only did Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye give me a lot more to love about Clint, but it also introduced me to Kate Bishop, a character I would’ve loved to have had as a kid. I loved her so much that when she got a solo series in 2016 thanks to writer Kelly Thompson, I was on board. But it wasn’t just the characters I loved. Aja’s art was unlike anything I expected from a superhero comic. The restricted color palette instantly caught my eye, and he played with the medium in such a dynamic and inventive way that I needed to see what else Marvel had up its sleeve beyond just this series, which is the best Hawkeye comic to date.

As for Black Widow, she got a solo series by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto during the third wave of Marvel NOW!, right as I began my comic journey. As a straight-forward epionage thriller, this series was far from what I expected from Marvel. While not directly connected to the films, this comic also carries over what I found most interesting about Natasha in The Avengers, which is her desire for atonement. She puts in the work to be a better person and help others. Along with that, Noto’s art is stunning, giving the book a watercolor-like appearance.

Marvel NOW!’s Legacy Heroes Were My Perfect Introduction to Comics

From Captain Marvel to Thor, Marvel’s Legacy Characters Made Me a Lifelong Fan

While it was the characters from the MCU that got me interested in the comics, I soon found myself reading characters who had yet to be introduced to the cinematic universe, or in the case of Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor, who had yet to become superheroes in the MCU. Right when I started my comic journey, I was spoiled as a Thor fan. Those movies were comfort films for me. Not only did I get my favorite Loki storyline – Agent of Asgard by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett – during this era, I also got a new Thor, who was a woman to boot.

The idea of someone taking over the Thor mantle grabbed me. At that time, her civilian identity was still a mystery, and it made the series a more fascinating read. The more I read of Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s Thor, the more I fell in love with whoever this character was – and it turned out that it was Jane Foster, blowing my mind blown. Every issue proved that Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor was worthy of Mjolnir. This comic is a testament to the human spirit, and it is proof that anyone can be a hero.

I was so grateful that the series went beyond its initial eight-issue run with a follow-up series by the same creative team. Like after reading Hawkeye and Black Widow, I became a die-hard Jane Foster fan. So much so, that when her turn as Thor ended, I continued to pick up any title that featured her as a hero, like Aaron, Ewing, and JCAFU’s Valkyrie: Jane Foster and Aaron amd Dauterman’s War of the Realms. With all of these characters, I continued to read their stories beyond my first introductions to their comic counterparts.

The MCU Is Leaning More and More on Marvel NOW! for New Heroes

The MCU Has Already Introduced Several Marvel NOW! Heroes – Like Ms. Marvel

Jane Foster’s Thor is far from the only legacy character who stole the spotlight during Marvel NOW! This era also introduced Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel to the Marvel Universe, and she has become one of Marvel’s most successful new characters since the first issue of her solo series, Ms. Marvel #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. She easily represented the new generation of readers that Marvel wanted to attract with Marvel NOW! No wonder she is expected to be “a big part of the MCU,” according to Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum, especially with how charismatic Iman Vellani is as the character.

Kamala Khan is not the only Marvel NOW! character getting the MCU treatment. Jane Foster’s Thor made her cinematic debut in Thor: Love and Thunder. The Hawkeye TV series pulled a lot from the Fraction and Aja run. The Captain Marvel seen on screen is reminiscent of the Captain Marvel seen during the Marvel NOW! years. Even Sam Wilson became Captain America during the Marvel NOW! initiative. Now, he is Captain America on the big screen after the debut of Captain America: Brave New World.

There is no denying that the characters who took center stage during Marvel NOW! are being folded into the greater MCU. It’s also understandable why that is. These comics were great entry points for new readers, like myself. I will always look back fondly on this era of Marvel because it made me the fan I am today, one who looks forward to the new titles featuring these characters I fell in love with, as well as one who has no qualms going back to some of the early Marvel comics to see what I missed out on before college.

The mentioned comics, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, and more, are available now from Marvel Comics.