Marvel’s Darkest Storyline: Why It Remains Unmatched After 30 Years

Over the past thirty years, Marvel Comics has produced an array of stories, yet none have achieved the profound grimness of its notorious series, Ruins. While the publisher has occasionally explored darker interpretations of its iconic universe, none have reached the level of unrelenting despair found in this unsettling narrative.

First released in 1995, Ruins is a two-issue limited series that presents a world starkly different from the one fans know. Rather than a universe brimming with superheroes who arise from scientific advancements, this story places Marvel’s prominent characters in a bleak context where they suffer from disastrous experiments, authoritarian regimes, and sheer misfortune. Even three decades later, the brand has yet to replicate the unsettling depth of Ruins.

This article addresses mature themes and contains disturbing imagery.

Marvel Comics’ Darkest Story Gave Almost Every Hero the Worst Fate Possible

Marvel Literally Ruined Its Entire Universe in One Seriously Disturbing Story

Crafted by Warren Ellis with the contributions of artists Terese and Cliff Nielson, Chris Moeller, and Jonathan Babcock, Ruins follows the journey of Phillip Sheldon, a typical individual who leaves his Daily Bugle position to author a book. Confronted by an ever-lingering darkness, Sheldon investigates the tragedies and calamities that plague his world, aiming to uncover the root of its suffering. The storyline reveals the demise of heroic factions such as the Avengers, along with haunting encounters, including a dialogue with Mar-Vell in a Kree concentration camp located on an atomic bomb test site.

In this alternate universe, Bruce Banner is not the hero one would expect; he is instead depicted as a grotesque assemblage of tumors.

As Sheldon travels globally, he gathers harrowing stories of this disturbing Earth. His interactions include a crazed Nick Fury, who tragically shoots Jean Grey, a sex worker, before taking his own life. In a twist from the mainstream continuity, Rick Jones recounts how Bruce Banner attempting to save him from a gamma explosion cost him dearly—Banner here is horrifically metamorphosed into a mass of tumors rather than the formidable Hulk.

Sheldon’s exploration leads him to a grim prison where mutants have been horrendously altered to suppress their abilities, and he visits a carnival scene marking Johnny Blaze’s suicide as he sets his head ablaze during a final act. Oddly, the narrative’s ‘safe’ hero is Ben Grimm, who wisely refrains from boarding the craft that takes the Fantastic Four to their doom, allowing him to evade the gruesome fate that befalls Reed Richards and others. Ultimately, Sheldon’s investigation ends when he is infected with a virus from Peter Parker after being bitten by an irradiated spider.

Why Ruins Hits Harder Than Any Other Alternate Marvel Story

Ruins’ Creative Team Took Major Risks in The Story’s Deviations

One may wonder why Marvel would venture into such daring and uncomfortable territory with Ruins. This story was formulated as a parody of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ critically acclaimed Marvels miniseries, which also narrates the Marvel Universe from an everyday individual’s perspective. Both stories feature Phillip Sheldon, and Ruins matches the painted artistry of Marvels, acting as a dark reflection of its more optimistic counterpart. The intent of Ruins is further underscored by its initial pages, which introduce the notion of a twisted counterpart to the Marvel Universe.

Notably, Busiek and Ross’ Marvels miniseries debuted a year prior to Ruins, in 1994.

Marvel Will Never Create a Darker Story Than Ruins

And It’s Better the Publisher Never Even Attempt One

Since its initial release, Ruins has remained one of the most contentious narratives produced by Marvel Comics, rivaling other polarizing titles like Marville and Trouble. While the company has explored several darker storylines over the years, none approach the sheer horror present in Ruins. From the Silver Surfer’s self-inflicted wounds to Wolverine’s demise via adamantium poisoning, envisioning a narrative that tops such despair seems nearly impossible.

Though not all storytelling must be uplifting, Ruins embodies bleakness primarily for shock value. The series justifies its dismal universe as a contrast to the vibrancy of Earth-616. Ultimately, it presents a tale steeped in suffering without any substantial meaning behind it. Marvel Comics is unlikely to craft a story darker than Ruins, and perhaps it shouldn’t even try.

Creators are encouraged to take risks and experiment with beloved characters that have stood the test of time; however, subjecting them to relentless suffering does not inherently lead to engaging storytelling. Although Ruins may have its supporters for its audacious approach, it undeniably retains its title as Marvel Comics’ darkest narrative, and in truth, it is preferable that no other tales endeavor to replicate its profoundly horrific tone.

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