Frank Miller's Return to Daredevil: Born Again

With many of their all-time best runs in full swing, the mid-1980s marked a lucrative period for Marvel, both creatively and financially. Following the financial difficulties of the late '70s, which were alleviated by the success of Star Wars, Marvel was poised to revolutionize the comic industry with the launch of 1984's Secret Wars. This series had profound effects on the Marvel universe and the broader industry, setting new trajectories for Marvel's iconic heroes and villains for years to come.

This era also saw the release of other landmark stories such as Frank Miller's Born Again arc in Daredevil, the resurrection of Jean Grey in X-Factor, and Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga in Thor, among others. In this article, we delve into these pivotal narratives and other significant developments from the same timeframe. Join us for Part 8 of our exploration of Marvel's essential issues!

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 period, one cannot overlook Born Again, Frank Miller's return to writing Daredevil, this time with David Mazzuchelli on art. This storyline, spanning Daredevil #227-233, is often cited as the definitive Daredevil tale. It follows Karen Page's descent into addiction and her betrayal of Daredevil's secret identity to the Kingpin, leading to Matt Murdock's life unraveling. Stripped of everything, Matt reaches his lowest point, only to be saved by his mother, a nun named Maggie. His gradual resurgence as Daredevil and the Kingpin's descent into obsession make for a compelling narrative. This story was loosely adapted in Season 3 of Netflix's Daredevil and inspired the title for the Disney+ revival series Daredevil: Born Again.

Walt Simonson's contributions to Thor also deserve mention. Taking over as writer and artist starting with Thor #337 in 1983, Simonson introduced Beta Ray Bill, an alien worthy of Mjolnir, and returned Thor to its mythic roots. His year-long Surtur Saga, spanning #340-353, features the fire demon Surtur's quest to bring about Ragnarok using the Twilight Sword. Thor faces new challenges from Malekith the Accursed, culminating in an epic battle alongside Loki and Odin against Surtur. Elements of this saga influenced the plots of both Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.

Secret Wars Changes Comics Forever

As discussed in Part 4 of this series, the 1973 Avengers/Defenders War foreshadowed the event crossovers that would later become a staple for Marvel and DC. This shift materialized fully with the 1984 release of Secret Wars, a 12-issue miniseries by Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. Conceived as a marketing tie-in with Mattel, Secret Wars pits Marvel heroes and villains against each other on Battleworld, orchestrated by the cosmic entity the Beyonder. While the series is known for its large-scale battles and universe-altering impacts, it's critiqued for its lack of depth and character consistency. The success of Secret Wars led to Secret Wars II and influenced DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, cementing the event model in comic publishing.

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

After the foundational runs by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway, Amazing Spider-Man found a new iconic voice in Roger Stern. Starting with #224, Stern revitalized the series for over two years, introducing the Hobgoblin in #238, who quickly became one of Spider-Man's most formidable adversaries. Stern's departure in #251 left the Hobgoblin's identity unrevealed, a plotline later resolved in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.

Simultaneously, Amazing Spider-Man #252 introduced the black symbiote costume, which debuted on Battleworld in Secret Wars #8. This subplot led to the emergence of one of Spider-Man's most popular villains. The black costume's influence spans numerous adaptations, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 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 dark tale involving Spider-Man's quest for justice against the Sin-Eater and his conflict with Daredevil.

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

The mid-1980s were also pivotal for Marvel's mutants. Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 confirmed Magneto as the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, a backstory that remained until 2015. X-Men #171 saw Rogue's shift from villainy to heroism, becoming a beloved X-Men member. Similarly, X-Men #200 marked Magneto's trial and subsequent role as head of Xavier's School, a storyline adapted in X-Men '97.

The resurrection of Jean Grey, detailed in Avengers #263 and Fantastic Four #286, and the introduction of Apocalypse in X-Factor #5-6, were landmark events. Jean's return led to the formation of X-Factor, while Apocalypse, an ancient mutant enhanced by Celestial technology, emerged as a central antagonist, influencing X-Men media across various platforms.