Frank Miller's Return to Daredevil: Born Again

The mid-1980s were a golden era for Marvel, both creatively and financially. Following the challenging times 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 Secret Wars in 1984. This event had profound effects on the Marvel universe and the wider industry, setting new trajectories for beloved heroes and villains alike. The ripple effects of Secret Wars were vast, marking a pivotal moment in comic book history.

During this period, Marvel also saw the emergence of other iconic narratives. Frank Miller's Born Again arc in Daredevil, the resurrection of Jean Grey in X-Factor, and Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga in Thor stand out as some of the most memorable. In this article, we delve into these transformative stories and other significant events from the same era. Join us for Part 8 of our exploration into 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 storylines from this era, look no further than Born Again, Frank Miller's return to writing Daredevil, this time with David Mazzuchelli on art. Spanning Daredevil #227-233, this arc is often hailed as the definitive Daredevil story. It follows Karen Page, who, in a desperate state of addiction, sells Daredevil's secret identity for heroin. The information eventually reaches the Kingpin, who uses it to dismantle Matt Murdock's life, leaving him homeless, jobless, and isolated. Matt hits rock bottom before being rescued by his mother, a nun named Maggie.

Matt's gradual resurgence as Daredevil, coupled with the Kingpin's descent into fanaticism, crafts a compelling narrative. This story was loosely adapted in Season 3 of Netflix’s Daredevil and will inspire the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.

Another iconic saga from this period is Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga in Thor. Taking over as writer and artist starting with Thor #337 in 1983, Simonson introduced Beta Ray Bill, an alien worthy of wielding Mjolnir. His work revitalized Thor's narrative with a mythic fantasy feel, culminating in the year-long Surtur Saga from #340-353. The saga follows the fire demon Surtur's quest to bring about Ragnarok using the Twilight Sword, sending Malekith the Accursed to battle Thor. The climax features Thor, Loki, and Odin united against Surtur. Elements of this saga influenced the plots of 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 dominate Marvel and DC's publishing strategies. This shift fully materialized in 1984 with 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, a cosmic entity who transports a group of Marvel heroes and villains to Battleworld to determine the supremacy of good or evil. The series, while popular for its large cast and universe-altering impact, often lacks depth, with notable inconsistencies in character development. Despite these flaws, Secret Wars paved the way for its sequel, Secret Wars II, and alongside DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, established the event-driven model that would define comic publishing for years to come.

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

After the foundational runs by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway, Amazing Spider-Man found its next iconic writer in Roger Stern. Starting with issue #224, Stern's tenure revitalized the series, introducing the Hobgoblin in #238, who quickly became one of Spider-Man's most formidable adversaries. Stern's original Hobgoblin saga, though cut short by his departure after #251 due to editorial issues, was later concluded by Stern himself in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.

Just as Stern left, Amazing Spider-Man #252 introduced Spider-Man's black symbiote costume, which debuted on Battleworld in Secret Wars #8. This costume sparked a significant subplot leading to the emergence of one of Spider-Man's most iconic villains. 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 pivotal story from this period is The Death of Jean DeWolff in Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110, penned by Peter David and Rich Buckler. This dark narrative sees Spider-Man confronting the Sin-Eater, who killed his ally Jean DeWolff, and clashing with Daredevil over justice.

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

The mid-1980s were also a transformative time for Marvel's mutants. Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 confirmed Magneto as the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, a revelation that held for decades until a 2015 retcon. X-Men #171 saw Rogue switch sides from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to the X-Men, cementing her status as a beloved heroine. X-Men #200 marked Magneto's trial and subsequent leadership of Xavier's School, a storyline adapted in X-Men '97.

The most significant mutant milestones of this period were Jean Grey's resurrection and the introduction of Apocalypse. Following the Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey returned in a two-part story across Avengers #263 and Fantastic Four #286, with the Phoenix Force's role in her revival explained by future writer Kurt Busiek. Jean reunited with the original X-Men to form X-Factor, where in issues #5-6, Apocalypse, created by Louise Simonson and Jackson Guice, made his debut. This ancient Egyptian mutant, enhanced by Celestial technology, became a central antagonist in the X-Men universe, appearing in various adaptations, including the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse.