In the past three decades,Marvel Comicshas yet to release a story that’s as depressing as its infamous storyRuins. The publisher has occasionally given fans a darker interpretation of its beloved universe, but none that are as uncompromisingly grim as this perturbing story.
In 1995,Marvel Comics releasedRuins, a 2-issue limited series that was set in a world quite unlike the world fans were familiar with. Instead of a universe filled with heroes born out of scientific achievement,Marvel’s biggest icons werethe victims of botched experiments, fascist politics, or simply bad luck. And 30 years on, Marvel Comics has yet to create a story that’s more disconcerting thanRuins.
The following article discusses sensitive content and features 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
Ruinswas created by Warren Ellis along with Terese and Cliff Nielson, Chris Moeller, and Jonathan Babcock. The story follows everyman Phillip Sheldon, who has recently left his jobat the Daily Bugleto write a book. Haunted by the darkness that’s around every corner of his world, Sheldon sets out to investigate phenomena that have resulted in pain and death to prove that something has caused his world to go terribly wrong.Sheldon sees the deaths of the freedom fighter militia, the Avengers, and later interviews Mar-Vell in a Kree concentration campon an old atomic bomb testing ground.
…this world’s version of Banner is transformed into a twisted collection of tumors.
Sheldon continues his trek around the globe, where he hears more stories of this awful alternate Earth. Sheldon meets with a deranged Nick Fury, who shoots Jean Grey, a sex worker, before killing himself. Sheldon also meets with Rick Jones, who tells the writer about howBruce Banner saved Rick from the gamma bomb, much like his 616 equivalent. However, instead of becoming a powerful Jade Giant, this world’s version of Banner is transformed into a twisted collection of tumors.
Sheldon’s journey takes him to a prison that holds numerous mutants, who have been mutilated to rein in their powers, and later visits a carnival where Johnny Blaze commits suicide in a final stunt by setting his head on fire. The only safe ‘hero’ in this world is Ben Grimm,who chose not to pilot the ship carrying the Fantastic Four, sparring him the grisly fates that befell Reed Richards and his associates. Sheldon’s worldwide investigation comes to an end when he succumbs to a virus passed onto him by Peter Parker after suffering a bite from an irradiated spider.
WhyRuinsHits So Much Harder Than Any Other Alternate Marvel Story
Ruins’Creative Team Took Major Risks in The Story’s Deviations
One may ask why Marvel Comics would make such a daring and, frankly, uncomfortable, re-imagining of its usually bright world.Ruinswas conceived as a parody of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’Marvelsminiseries, which also tells a story about the Marvel Universe from the perspective of an average human (with both stories using the Phillip Sheldon character).Ruinsalso utilized painted artwork like Marvels, essentially serving as a dark mirror to the more positive story. This is even reinforced in the opening pages of both ofRuins’ issues,which posits the idea of the Marvel Universe having a twisted opposite.
Busiek and Ross’Marvelsminiseries was released one year beforeRuinsin 1994.
Now, Marvel Comics is no stranger to darker takes on its iconic world.Punisher Kills the Marvel Universesaw Frank Castle unceremoniously murder every single hero and villain in the world.Earth Xexamined an alternate world where society has fallen apart, and the world is torn apart by a worldwide population of superhumans. AndMarvel Zombiesgave fans a serious scare by presenting a world filled with undead heroes and villains who showed no mercy towards anyone. But unlike these stories,Marvel Comics’Ruinsgave readers something completely devoid of hope and fun.
While some of these other stories were unconventional to the usual Marvel formula, they were usually over-the-top or meant to be examples of black humor. But withRuins, there’s nothing very funny about what happens to the heroes fans know and love. It’s just one grim re-imagining after another and watching suffering for suffering’s sake. It’s uncomfortable and cruel, and ittakes readers to a dark place that Marvel Comics doesn’t go to often, and it’s probably better that the publisher never attempt to go to that kind of place again.
Marvel Will Never Make a Darker Story ThanRuins
And It’s Better the Publisher Never Even Attempt One
In the decades since its publication,Ruinsremains one of the most controversial stories Marvel Comics has ever put out (rivaling books likeMarvilleandTrouble). And while the publisher has since put out a number of stories with darker tones, none have come close to matching the sheer morbidity ofRuins. Given all that happened in the book,from Silver Surfer clawing his chest open to breathe in space to Wolverine dying due to adamantium poisoning, it’s hard to imagine how one could create a more dire story.
Of course, not all art is happy or positive, nor should it be. ButRuinsis just bleakness for the sake of shock value. Its only justification for its horrific universe is that it’s meant to be as awful as Earth-616 is amazing. But in the end, it’s a story that does nothing other than present people in pain and misery with no real substance behind it.Marvel Comics is probably never going to make a darker story thanRuins, but it really doesn’t need to try.
Creatorsshouldexperiment, and theyshouldtry new things with characters that have been around long enough as Marvel’s best. But putting them through the ringer and making them suffer just to wallow in it isn’t going to make for a very engaging story. WhileRuinsmight have its fans for what it tried to do, it more than earned its reputation as the single darkest story thatMarvel Comicshas ever put out and, truth be told, it’s better that no other story even tries to match its incredibly ghastly tone.
