Especially thanks to the MCU, Marvel Comics have become more popular in recent years. Since Disney is a big part of the MCU’s rise, it’s somewhat logical for many to relate Marvel with children’s entertainment. However, long-standing comic fans know this industry isn’t just for kids. In fact, Marvel has plenty of mature storylines and at one point the Marvel MAX imprint was dedicated to this fact.
Active since 2001, MAX marked the end of Marvel’s relationship with the Comics Code Authority as the company established its own rating system. Originally its own imprint, MAX is currently Marvel’s ‘mature readers only’ rating. While fans appreciate Marvel giving their adult audience attention, some of the Marvel MAX comics are simply too much.
As an article about adult-oriented comics, this piece discusses mature themes including sexual assault and enslaved people.
10/10 Black Widow: Pale Little Spider Sends Yelena On A Morbid Journey
By writer Greg Rucka, artist Igor Kordey, colorist Christ Chuckry, and letterers Starkings and Comicraft’s Jason.
After learning that her beloved colonel died inside a BDSM club, the new Black Widow, Yelena Belova, investigates what happened. This leads her to an underground brothel where she discovers that the man she saw as her father hid some very dark secrets.
Black Widow: Little Pale Spider feels exploitative, as it lingers on characters in sexual bondage, with Kordey’s hyperrealistic art making it harder to digest. Additionally, this story puts Yelena in the uncomfortable position of seeing herself as a sex object. This is particularly insensitive given her apparent asexuality. Overall, this story left a bad taste in many readers’ mouths.
9/10 Thor: Vikings Is Inarguably One Of Thor’s Most Mature Storylines
By writer Garth Ennis, artist Glenn Fabry, colorist Paul Mounts, and letterer Dave Sharpe
Thor: Vikings pits Thor against one of his darkest antagonists, Lord Harald Jaekelson, a leader Viking from 1000 AD who arrives in New York with his crew of zombies to wreak havoc just like he did in the past. Together with the Avengers, Thor Odinson tries to save New York citizens from this horrific gang.
Thor’s comics aren’t strangers to violence, but Thor: Vikings stand out for how explicit it is, even opening with a close-up of an obvious sexual assault victim. Between Ennis’ knack for morbid topics and Fabry’s raw art, this comic is uncomfortable to even look at.
8/10 Foolkiller: White Angels Mixes Torture & Justice
By writer Gregg Hurwitz, artist Paul Azaceta, colorist Nick Filardi, and letterer Joe Caramagna
In Foolkiller: White Angels, Mike Trace, aka the Foolkiller, investigates a murderous white supremacist group. The second issue of this five-issue series involves his team-up with the similarly violent Punisher.
Foolkiller: White Angels doesn’t pull any punches. Throughout the comic, the villains use slurs and hate symbols and make jokes about them. It’s a very dark story, even without considering the fact that it’s full of creatively gruesome murders. It’s not transgressive without purpose but it’s still too much for many readers.
7/10 Alias Deconstructed The Heroine Stereotype
By writer Brian Michael Bendis, penciler Michael Gaydos, inkers and letterers Richard Starking, Oscar Gongora, Wes Abbott, and Cory Petit, and colorist Matt Hollingsworth
In a 28-issue series, Alias follows Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private investigator. The series focuses on Jones’ casework but its most famous story involves the Purple Man, who subjugated Jones with mind-control for nearly a year.
During his time controlling her, Killgrave forced Jessica to bathe him, cut his food, and beg for his attention. He also turned her into a deadly weapon. It’s a traumatic journey, for Jones and her readers.
6/10 Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather Is Blatantly Homophobic
By writer Ron Zimmerman, artist John Severin, colorist Steve Buccellato, and letterers Richard and Wes from Comicraft.
Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather introduced an unconventional gay hero named Johnny Clay to a fairly traditional cowboy story. Marvel’s editors thought they were being quite innovative at the time.
When Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather first premiered, there was very little LGBTQ+ representation in Marvel comics. However, Slap Leather was full of innuendo and jokes about Clay’s sexuality that defined his character. Worse, it turned out that this was somehow a cover identity, and the series ended with the reveal that the Rawhide Kid was straight, removing what little representation the book offered in exchange for a punchline.
5/10 War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle
By writer Garth Ennis, penciler and inker Howard Chaykin, colorist Brian Reber, and letterer Todd Klein
Phantom Eagle is a Marvel character named Karl Kaufman from the ’60s. 40 years later, Ennis and Chaykin revamped the character for War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle. This five-issue miniseries covers Kaufman’s naivety turning into trauma as he witnesses war’s worst moments.
In the first issue, Kaufman sees a general go into the propeller of his plane immediately before he decapitates an enemy soldier. The series grows darker as Kaufman himself accepts the war and learns to kill without feeling. In the end, the series is a meditation on how easily humanity grows accustomed to violence.
4/10 Punisher: The Slavers Is Bloody Among Marvel’s Bloodiest Series
By writer Garth Ennis, penciler Leandro Fernandez, inker Scott Koblish, colorist Dan Brown, and letterer Randy Gentile
After meeting Viorica, a girl forced into sex work, The Punisher takes it upon himself to punish the perpetrators in a sex slave ring. In order to find them, Frank Castle leaves a bloody trail that attracts the city’s corrupt authorities’ attention.
Punisher’s best comics are hardcore, but Punisher: The Slavers goes extra hard. In only six-issues Ennis manages to touch on taboo topics from sexual assault, infant mortality, government corruption, mutilated corpses, and people who were burned alive. No reader can forget the final fate of the so-called Slavers, whose cruelty was definitely matched by Castle’s.
3/10 Fury MAX Made George Clooney Drop Out Of A Film
By writer Garth Ennis, penciler Darrick Robertson, inker Jimmy Palmiotti, colorists Avalon Studios, and letterers RS, Comicraft, and Wes.
Created by Garth Ennis, the poster child for shock value, Fury MAX follows a retired Nick Fury in a personal war against Rudi Gargarin, a former Hydra agent. This comic depicts Fury committing murder casually, even strangling a man with his own intestines.
Ennis considers this comic one of his personal favorites, but at its time it was quite controversial. Stan Lee even condemned its explicit violence. Additionally, it led George Clooney to refuse to portray Fury in a live-action film, since he thought all Fury stories were as violent as this one.
2/10 The Eternal Is Basically A Sexploitation Sci-Fi Film
By writer Chuck Austen, penciler Rev Walker, inker Simon Coleby, colorist Dan Brown, and letterer Mike Raicht
The Eternal reimagines the Eternals if they were inspired by the Bible. Since the Celestials have killed the female Eternals, the males use Deviants as sexual slaves. When one of them, Jeska, uses a device called the Apple to teach herself to speak, a war ensues. Since the leaders can’t see eye to eye about what to do with intelligent women, things get complicated.
The Eternal features both graphic violence and sex throughout its six issues, often combining them as females have no agency as sexual objects. The series has complex lore but little plot, instead resting on misogynistic ideas and raunchy dialogue. The Eternal‘s violence is already too much, but the way this series mishandles its few female characters makes it irredeemable.
1/10 Punisher: The End Is Peak Nihilism
By writer Garth Ennis, artist Robert Corben, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterers Rich and Jimmy from Comicraft
A one-shot to end them all, The Punisher: The End sees an old Punisher take revenge on the last billionaires and leaders on Earth for dooming humanity with a nuclear holocaust. Although he ends up dying too, Castle travels through the radiation, making sure Earth won’t have to deal with humans ever again.
Frank Castle never believes in humanity. However, The Punisher: The End takes this to its ultimate consequences. Given the chance to spare humanity, Castle chooses to kill everyone, managing to define what “too far” means in the process.
