Frank Miller's Return to Daredevil: Born Again

The mid-1980s marked a golden era for Marvel Comics, both in terms of creativity and business prosperity. After navigating the financial turbulence of the late '70s, which was alleviated by the success of Star Wars, Marvel was poised to revolutionize the comic book industry with the introduction of Secret Wars in 1984. This event had profound effects on the Marvel Universe and the broader comic book landscape, setting the stage for new narrative paths for beloved characters and influencing the industry's direction for years to come.

This period also saw the release of several landmark stories, including Frank Miller's Born Again arc in Daredevil, the resurrection of Jean Grey in X-Factor, and Walt Simonson's epic Surtur Saga in Thor. In this article, we'll delve into these pivotal stories and other significant developments from the same timeframe. Welcome to Part 8 of our series exploring 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 standout narratives from this era, look no further than Born Again, Frank Miller's return to the Daredevil series, with David Mazzuchelli providing the art. This arc, spanning Daredevil #227-233, is often hailed as one of the best Daredevil stories ever. It follows Karen Page, who, in a desperate state of addiction, sells Daredevil's secret identity for heroin. The information reaches Kingpin, who then systematically dismantles Matt Murdock's life, leaving him at his lowest point. Matt's journey back to becoming Daredevil, alongside Kingpin's descent into fanaticism, crafts a compelling narrative. This story was later adapted in Season 3 of Netflix's Daredevil and will inspire the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.

Walt Simonson's tenure on Thor, beginning in 1983 with issue #337, introduced Beta Ray Bill, an alien worthy of wielding Mjolnir. Simonson's work brought a mythic fantasy feel back to the Thor series, with his most celebrated storyline being the year-long Surtur Saga from #340-353. This saga features the fire demon Surtur's quest to bring about Ragnarok using the Twilight Sword, sending Malekith the Accursed to battle Thor. The climax sees Thor, Loki, and Odin united against Surtur. Elements of this saga were later incorporated into the films Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.

Secret Wars Changes Comics Forever

In Part 4 of this series, we explored how the 1973 Avengers/Defenders War foreshadowed the event crossovers that would become a staple for Marvel and DC. This trend fully emerged with the 1984 release of Secret Wars, a 12-issue miniseries crafted by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. Conceived as a marketing tie-in with Mattel for a toy line, the story revolves around the Beyonder, who transports various Marvel heroes and villains to Battleworld to determine the supremacy of good or evil. While the series is known for its large cast and significant impact on the Marvel Universe, it has been critiqued for its lack of depth and character consistency. The success of Secret Wars led to a sequel, Secret Wars II, and alongside DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, it solidified the event-driven model in comic publishing.

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

Following the foundational runs by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway, Roger Stern revitalized Amazing Spider-Man starting with issue #224. His tenure introduced the Hobgoblin in #238, quickly establishing the character as one of Spider-Man's most formidable adversaries. Stern's original Hobgoblin saga was cut short due to editorial interference, but he later returned to resolve the villain's identity in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.

Stern's departure coincided with the debut of Spider-Man's black symbiote costume in Amazing #252, which originated in Secret Wars #8. This costume sparked a long-running subplot leading to the introduction of Venom. The symbiote saga has been adapted across various media, including Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Insomniac's Spider-Man 2. Another significant story from this period is The Death of Jean DeWolff in Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110, a darker tale involving Spider-Man's pursuit of the Sin-Eater and his conflict with Daredevil.

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

The mid-1980s were also a transformative time for the X-Men. Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 confirmed Magneto as the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, a revelation that remained canon for decades. X-Men #171 saw Rogue join the X-Men, cementing her status as a beloved heroine. X-Men #200 featured Magneto's trial and subsequent leadership of Xavier's School, a storyline adapted in X-Men '97.

The most significant mutant developments were Jean Grey's resurrection and the introduction of Apocalypse. Jean returned in a two-part story across Avengers #263 and Fantastic Four #286, leading to the formation of X-Factor with other original X-Men members. X-Factor #5-6 introduced Apocalypse, an ancient mutant merged with Celestial technology, who became a major antagonist in the X-Men universe and a staple in various adaptations, including X-Men: Apocalypse.