Major comic book moments from Marvel and DC Comics that will affect their universes going forward.
There’s no way to keep up with everything that goes on in comic books. There are just way too many comic book titles that come out every week – that’s not to mention the thousands that previously came out. Even if you’re glued to the internet, you may miss a thing or two.
Some moments aren’t that important while others shake their entire universes. We can look at the Superhero Registration Act as an example in the Marvel comic book event Civil War. It caused Spider-Man to reveal his secret identity and even led to the death of Captain America.
August was no different as there were some major moments that are going to have major ramifications going forward. Here are the most notable.
Thor kills Galactus
Comic book: Thor No. 6
You have to start with this moment. Thor turned Galactus into a bomb and used him to kill a being (the Black Winter) so powerful that even Galactus bowed down to him. After killing Galactus, Thor took the dead world eater’s helmet and used it as part of an entrance to the Bifrost Bridge. On top of that, Thor foresaw how he might die. He was shown an image of Thanos with multiple galactic weapons seemingly controlling an army of undead heroes. This shook the God of Thunder to his core.
Why is this important?
The death of Galactus has thrown a galactic wrench into the universe. Entities like him serve a purpose. There will be beings that will use this opportunity to try to rise up. Without Galactus, they won’t be scared to come out of hiding.
Feeling responsible for what happened, Thor will want to put them back in their place. Also, there may be a need for a world eater beyond keeping enemies at bay, so don’t be surprised if Thor has to resurrect Galcatus in order to save the universe some day.
Then there’s the vision. Was it actually a glimpse of the future? Will Thor be felled by a Thanos with more power than we’ve ever seen? Did the Black Winter show him this death as a last jab since Thor killed him? This one issue could have shown us a future Marvel comic book event.
Clownhunter
Comic Book: Batman No. 97
Batman’s world has been shaken worse than ever. Joker knowing his secret identity is bad enough, but what Joker did with that knowledge was, well, impressive. He used it to take all of Bruce Wayne’s money.
With it, he’s funded his final move on Batman, recreating the night Bruce Wayne died and using innocent Gotham Citizens to do it. Without his money, gadgets, and his wife, it’s up to him and Harley to stop Joker and Punchline. On top of all of that, there’s a new vigilante in town and his name is Clownhunter. Guess what he’s all about.
Why is this important?
We all know how Batman feels about killing, even if the people supposedly deserve it. Clownhunter has been protecting people in a place called the Narrows. He’s killing them and Joker is proud of him. He said, “This Beautiful, horrible kid knows that the rule book is thrown out.”
Batman isn’t going to be happy that someone is killing people in Gotham. When this is all over, it’s doubtful that Clownhunter is going to be part of the Bat-Family. We could be looking at a new villain for Batman. Someone who the people of Gotham may agree with. This will make Batman’s job that much harder.
Kitty Pryde is back
Comic Book: Marauders No. 11
In the first issue of Marauders, Kitty Pryde couldn’t get into Krakoa. Considering her powers allow her to get into anything, this was shocking. She would never be allowed into the mutant paradise. Then, something else happened. Kitty Pryde was killed in Marauders No. 6.
But shockingly enough, this shouldn’t have been an issue. The Five (Egg, Elixir, Hope Summers, Proteus, and Tempus) should have been able to bring Kitty back to life. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Thankfully, Emma Frost discovered that Kitty’s powers to phase were working against the pods. As Egg said, “We’ll know if there’s a next time.”
Why is this important?
The resurrection protocols seemed pretty straightforward. Each of the five mutants would use their powers to bring mutants back and Charles Xavier would use Cerebro to return their memories. Boom, no mutants stay dead forever! Kitty Pryde providing this challenge is going to help them going forward. There will be more mutants with powers that will cause them difficulties. Now, they’ll be forced to take a closer look at why they can’t be brought back.
The most important part of this is Sebastian Shaw. He killed her and she remembers it. There are rules against mutants killing humans, but what about other mutants? There is going to be a price for Sebastian Shaw’s actions. For now, Emma and Kitty are keeping this to themselves, but that can’t last forever. Shaw could end up sharing a prison with Sabretooth.
Red Hood kills *his* Joker
Comic Book: Batman: Three Jokers No. 1
Jason Todd may be the only person who hates The Joker more than Batman. Having been tortured then killed by him will do that. After all, Jason even took Joker’s old criminal name Red Hood because, as he said in Batman: Three Jokers comic book, Jason is owning what Joker did to him.
Despite owning what happened to him, Jason has wanted to kill Joker for years. In Batman: Three Jokers, he did just that. Joker baited him by calling Jason his (Joker’s) Robin. Jason heard that, lifted his gun, and shot him in the head.
Why is this important?
There’s a couple of things going on. First, Jason didn’t seem to feel anything after he killed Joker. All he said was, “I hope that was the right one.” A cynical response instead of a cathartic one. This could be something that bothers Jason going forward. He may ask himself if Joker is right about him being his Robin? Will he give up the Red Hood name now that he’s killed the man he’s wanted to slay for years?
Then there’s Batman. Bruce knows that Jason is a killer. Nonetheless, he’s looked the other way on more than a few occasions. Batman may have looked past Jason killing people before, but will he be forced to disown him for good after this?
Hulkling and Wiccan get married
Comic Book: Empyre Nos. 4 & 5
Empyre is Marvel Comics’ big event. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four have been on the front line battling the Kree, Skrulls, and the Cotati. Like most of their crossovers, it’s spanning across the entire Marvel Universe. Luke Cage, Venom, and Spider-Man have all been caught in what’s going on. Even the X-Men have been dragged into it and they’ve been doing what they can to mind their own business.
While the ramifications will affect Marvel as a whole, this isn’t the most important part of what happened in Empyre in August. It was the marriage of superheroes Hulkling and Wiccan.
Why is this important?
People have been waiting for Hulkling and Wiccan to get married since they debuted in 2005. They’ve had their ups and downs, but they’ve always found a way to make it work. With Hulkling going to space to become a king, they thought this may be their only chance to get married. So, with no time to spare, they got their closest friends and got hitched.
This wedding marks one of the handful of LGBTQ marriages in the Marvel Universe. This happening in a major event is a huge deal. Marvel highlighted its support for the LGBTQ community by putting their marriage in a crossover instead of another random comic book. It was cool of them to add this to a storyline they’d be sure many people would see it.
What were some other newsworthy comic book moments from August? Let us know in the comments below.