What is the biggest event to happen in the MU?

[mandog]

to an average joe, what is the biggest thing to ever happen in Marvel Universe history?

For me I think it would be the first arrival and defeat of Galactus?

[Effect]

I think it might be the Kree/Skrull war. That was a world wide event on the 616 Earth right and last for a nice bit of time?

[Armless Penguin]

Annihilation seems pretty freakin' huge, speaking of the MU at large.

[Effect]

True but if we are talking about Marvel Earth then no one there knows about it yet. Universe wise then yeah.

[Dustin]

The Civil War isn't the biggest but it is one of them.

[eypcrew]

How bout the Infinity Gauntlet?

[mandog]

Kree/ Skrull is my pick for # 2

As far as Annihilation goes. Like the man said no one knows about it yet.

And the Civil War is big but I dont think it really effects the average joe in the MU much. They may talk about it at lunch but further than that...
The Civil War is to me really only an issue to the supers at this point and thats it.

[Effect]

Yeah I have to agree about Civil War. Outside of the hero vs. hero fights and perhaps people talking about it throughout the day seeing events on the news it really isn't affecting the average person of the Marvel Universe. They can easily go about their lives and I'm sure most people don't even give superheros a second thought unless they themselves are directly affected by something and a hero appears. It's not like any person that I've seen are expecting heros to show up and save the day for them. That's really not the feeling I've gotten from Marvel and that's a good thing.

Now if villians were going crazy and unchecked while heroes were fighting each other then I can see the average person being seriously affected by the event but that's not happening. A shame really, I want to see more heroe vs. villian action. This whole CiviL War even has lost it's luster for me and I'm looking forward for it to end.

[Jeff-E]

I'm going with CW, as long as
1) there is no real mastermind
2) no one is being mind-controlled, this is a common theme in hero vs hero battles. As long as this isn't the case here it will be monumental, 2 warring factions of hero's fighting not because someone makes them, but because they feel they have to.
3) When the dust settles things don't just go back to normal.

[Armless Penguin]

You're limiting average Joe to humans. The average Joe Skrull knows about Annihilation intimately. :D

[mandog]

I'm going with CW, as long as
1) there is no real mastermind
2) no one is being mind-controlled, this is a common theme in hero vs hero battles. As long as this isn't the case here it will be monumental, 2 warring factions of hero's fighting not because someone makes them, but because they feel they have to.
3) When the dust settles things don't just go back to normal.


I just cant see the CW being bigger than the Destroyer of Worlds arriving to end the Earth and just narrowly being stopped

[Mister Mets]

The big events in no real order, and with a few notable exceptions...

The first appearance of the Human Torch.
The Fantastic Four go public (keep in mind that they're the first major superheroes since the Golden Age).
Captain America returns.
The first appearance of mutants.
Galactus.
Magneto transforms New York City into a concentration camp.
Civil War.

[Violently Apathetic]

Got to go with Galactus hovering over Earth for a while... I think Marvels did a great job of showing just how much having Judgement Day looming over your head would mess up your day some...

[90'sCartoonMan]

How bout the Infinity Gauntlet?

Was that the one where Thanos killed, like, a third of the population? Because according to She-Hulk, people still remember that. That's where my vote goes.

[Zero Hunter]

If your going for big events that effect the normal people of the marvel Earth than the Kree Skrull war doesn't even rate. It never got much more than heroes involved and what did take place on Earth was very limited. To most of the people of the Marvel U Galactus is probably just thought of as some giant space man, and not as the devourer of worlds.

Now if you want big events that effect the actual people:

Kang War - This was an all out war fought worldwide.
Genosha Masacre
Xorneto destuction in New York
Stamford destruction/Civil War

Basically anything with a very large body count.

[Kaos]

galactus....definetly

[Jake V]

I hate to even acknowledge it, but Onslaught and Heroes Reborn might have had an impact to at least the average New Yorker. I seem to recall a lot of Sentinels flying around.

Of course, Age of Apocalypse nearly wiped out the human race, but no one remembers it.

[DMike]

In no particular order: Kang's War (espescially when he nuked DC), Cass Nova slaughtering almost everyone in Genosha, the Ultrons slaughtering everyone in Slovenia, Galactus's arrival, Infinity Gauntlet (Thanos killed half the population of the universe; Earth's casualties alone would have been in the billions), Magneto releasing the worldwide EMP that killed thousands, Inferno (which seemed to be the closest public event to a Biblical apocalypse)

[Will.S]

Top 3:

1) Coming of Galactus
2) Onslaught
3) Kang Dynasty

In 4th I'd probably put Civil War since it's very much grounded, receives tons of media coverage (like Tony and Peter's unveiling and NW at Stamford reality show) and the changing superhero climate going on.

The reason I don't include Kree-Skrull War is because aside from the stuff with Triton coming out of the water and the Mandroids, it largely took place in other places outside of human view such as Attilan, outer space,a jungle setting and so on.

[Golon9977]

I would have to mention the Kang War since Kang has been the only one to actually take over the US and Onslaught because people thought the heroes had died.

But the number one thing that has happened, IMO, is M Day. Mutants are hated in the MU so the near extinction of them would have a tremendous impact

[Will.S]

But the number one thing that has happened, IMO, is M Day. Mutants are hated in the MU so the near extinction of them would have a tremendous impact
That would be a good choice but only a few amount of people actually know what caused M-day and their reduction wasn't a tangible threat to the average joe. The MU is really just left with a degree of paranoia in the air.

[ednemo]

Infinite Gauntlet definitely! Affected the entire Universe as half the population died and came back. All the heroes and some of the villains worked together to defeat Thanos. The Celestials got involved, and best of all I finally got to see Cyclops lose his head. Did I mention that I get irritated by his constant whining. From Adam Warlock to Zeus, everyone got involved.

[Doombot330]

Yeah when galactus tried to eat the freakin planet, that was probably a big one.

[marshal99]

Yeah , when Galactus left a big chunky one in the middle of new york. Man , that left a stink that nearly killed off half the population of new york. ;)

[Zero Hunter]

The thing with Galactus is does the average person on the street in the Marvel earth realize just what Galactus really is and what he does, or just think he was just another giant supervillian? I can't really see the FF or the Avengers telling the news or the papers that "yeah he was a planet eater and almost destroyed the world, but don't worry we stopped him and he left".

Ultron destroying that small country deffinetly should be on the list. I was not sure how many people actully remembered the events of the Infinty Gauntlet since Nebula undid it all when she had took it from Thanos. I thought most people just had a vauge feeling that something happened and didn't really remember exactly what it was. Onslaught probably was major to with the deaths of all the major heroes.

[Verydopey]

i think you gotta think about whether this means big as in the comics it affected... or big as in the amount of people in the marvel U.

i'd say civil war's quite big comic-wise... although not as big as DC's infinite crisis, but that was in-escapable, and really drained me and i've not read a dc book in a while now cause of it.
people-wise... i have no idea. not been reading comics for long enough

[nuclearman]

Inferno would have been pretty big to the average joe... demons coming out of everywhere and anywhere.

[Smarty Jones]

It's a very good question. Of all the events that would have affected how normal humans in the Marvel Universe see their world in regards to their superhuman brethren:

1.) The coming of Galactus
2.) Onslaught
3.) The emergence of mutants
4.) The Kang War
5.) Cassandra Nova's destruction of Genosha

[mr_evilweed]

I can only imagine what average Joe Marvel thought when upon looking up at the sky.....
OMFGWTF??!?! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! WTH IS THAT!??? RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!
But then again Galactus didn't really do any damage to anyone so it was all just fright value.

[Captain Exaggeration]

When Thanos destroyed the Multiverse in "The End"?

[Doombot330]

The thing with Galactus is does the average person on the street in the Marvel earth realize just what Galactus really is and what he does, or just think he was just another giant supervillian?

this is quoted from the Marvels TPB (I don't have the particular FF issue in which the galactus event occurs, its 48 i believe but anyway)

My Journey has ended! this planet shall sustain me until it has been drained of all elemental life, So speaks Galactus!

folowing this a random guy on the street says

He's going to destroy us all!

not to mention that the sky was on fire right before galactus showed up. Also I just reread this issue of Marvels and I definitely get the impression that everyone got what galactus wanted.

[DDM]

Aunt May's dramatic transformation into Golden Oldie, a Herald of Galactus.
Marvel Editor Ralph Macchio helps out a sullen Dazzler & takes her to a comic book convention.
Chris Claremont's death in Giant Size Man-Thing #3.
The creation of Howard the Duck, Doctor Bong, & Hellcow by Steve Gerber


But seriously...


The coming of Galactus & his faithful herald, the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four #48-50.
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's X-Men
Him's transformation into Adam Warlock.
Thanos from Iron Man #55, Captain Marvel #25-33, Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Avengers Annual #7, Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, The Infinity Gauntlet, etc...
The death of Phoenix in Uncanny X-Men #137.
"Days of Future Past" from Uncanny X-Men #141-142 carried over with Rachel Summers in Uncanny X-Men #184...

[Jake V]

Why would the average guy on the street care about Jean Grey dying or 'Him' becoming Adam Warlock?

[Mariah]

I can't believe nobody's said this: Secret Wars II!!!

But seriously, I'm thinking maybe the Kree/Skrull war was a very big one.

Or the first appearance of the Fantastic Four could be another one.

[DDM]

Why would the average guy on the street care about Jean Grey dying or 'Him' becoming Adam Warlock?

Jean Grey is a founding member of the X-Men. However, as Phoenix, she was corrupted by her growing powers & her exposed dark side caused by Mastermind's psychic seduction to transform Grey into the Black Queen just to prove his worth as a member of the Hellfire Club's secret Inner Circle. Phoenix's death changed everything in comics. You have to look at Jean's death in the context that it happened circa Uncanny X-Men #137--not in the context of her resurrection in Fantastic Four #286.

Adam Warlock--under Jim Starlin's direction--became a very sullen, complex character when the Magus, an alternate future version of Adam Warlock himself who founded the Universal Church of Truth. Yet the Magus' defeat was just a stepping stone for Thanos' plan for universal genocide for Death. Warlock was betrayed by Thanos as all of his friends--Pip & Gamora--are killed by Thanos. Thanos even kills Adam Warlock himself, yet Warlock defeats Thanos by turning him to stone. Warlock died so easily because life marred his soul; he was ready to die.

[Mariah]

Adam Warlock--under Jim Starlin's direction--became a very sullen, complex character when the Magus, an alternate future version of Adam Warlock himself who founded the Universal Church of Truth. Yet the Magus' defeat was just a stepping stone for Thanos' plan for universal genocide for Death. Warlock was betrayed by Thanos as all of his friends--Pip & Gamora--are killed by Thanos. Thanos even kills Adam Warlock himself, yet Warlock defeats Thanos by turning him to stone. Warlock died so easily because life marred his soul; he was ready to die.
That still doesn't explain why the average passer by would care one way or the other about Adam Warlock. that's just worthless knowledge.

[Nesteaman]

Onslaught seemed the biggest to me.

Marvel basically shut down after it and restarted so, my vote would go for Onslaught.

[Titan76]

My top three would be in this order:


Onslaught would be number to me since everyone thought the Heroes had died. It draw a lot of attention from all kinds of fans to see what had happen to the heroes.

The Dark Phoenix Saga would be number two because not only is this consider to be the number one X-men story but everyone who knows about the X-men(and there are a lot) knows about the DPS. Plus if you also add in the cartoon they probably really know for sure.

Secret Wars I would be third in my book. Mainly because it was a good old fashion good vs evil, beat the crap out of each other series. Not to mention its were Venom came from.

[Nesteaman]

Regarding Onslaught, everyone is saying "Thought the heros had died" what does that mean, I stopped reading comics after Onslaught... I remember all the previews advertising the new Marvel Heros by Jim Lee, so the Hero's didn't die at the end of O?

[Jake V]

Jean Grey is a founding member of the X-Men. However, as Phoenix, she was corrupted by her growing powers & her exposed dark side caused by Mastermind's psychic seduction to transform Grey into the Black Queen just to prove his worth as a member of the Hellfire Club's secret Inner Circle. Phoenix's death changed everything in comics. You have to look at Jean's death in the context that it happened circa Uncanny X-Men #137--not in the context of her resurrection in Fantastic Four #286.

Adam Warlock--under Jim Starlin's direction--became a very sullen, complex character when the Magus, an alternate future version of Adam Warlock himself who founded the Universal Church of Truth. Yet the Magus' defeat was just a stepping stone for Thanos' plan for universal genocide for Death. Warlock was betrayed by Thanos as all of his friends--Pip & Gamora--are killed by Thanos. Thanos even kills Adam Warlock himself, yet Warlock defeats Thanos by turning him to stone. Warlock died so easily because life marred his soul; he was ready to die.
Maybe you misunderstand the point of the thread.

From the perspective of the average guy on the street in the marvel universe, the odds of even knowing who Jean Grey is or that she died are incredibly low. Her life and death would mean absolutely nothing to an average, non-superhuman person. Same with Adam Warlock.

The point of the thread is to name events in the marvel universe that had the most impact on the average civilian.

[mandog]

I can only imagine what average Joe Marvel thought when upon looking up at the sky.....
OMFGWTF??!?! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! WTH IS THAT!??? RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!
But then again Galactus didn't really do any damage to anyone so it was all just fright value.


I really think Galatus was the first time in the MU that Earth got a taste of something of that magnitude. It seems to me that Galactus is the first time all of the Earth was in serious serious serious danger.

I also have to say good thinking to whoever was first to say the first appearence of mutants. I didnt think of that and damn would that be a big one. perhaps the biggest of them all for the average joe on a day to day level.

[TransformersFan]

what TPB is Galactus' arrival in?

[christoph68]

i didn't read all the posts but i'd have to say the heroes return was a big thing for john q. public.:evilsmile

[DDM]

to an average joe, what is the biggest thing to ever happen in Marvel Universe history?

For me I think it would be the first arrival and defeat of Galactus?

The average joe would write off any big event--from Galactus to Apocalypse to Inferno--as a media stunt. No one average person would believe Galactus exists, although they might see Galactus in person. Galactus would be perceived as a publicity stunt for the Fantastic Four.

Frankie Raye is beside herself when Susan Richards explains to her that Galactus is real in Fantastic Four #243. See, even Johnny Storm's former girlfriend did not believe in Galactus.

Not a single Marvel event would be signifigant to the average person. None.

[Zero Hunter]

Regarding Onslaught, everyone is saying "Thought the heros had died" what does that mean, I stopped reading comics after Onslaught... I remember all the previews advertising the new Marvel Heros by Jim Lee, so the Hero's didn't die at the end of O?

The heroes were alive, but they were not on the Marvel U earth. Everyone thought they had died when the beat Onslaught, but they had all been saved by Franklin Richards who created the pocket universe that all the Heroes Reborn titles took place in. The heroes didn't even realize that something was wrong until the end of the year long event and they all returned to the regular Marvel U.

Them being gone is what gave Baron Zemo the idea to pretend the he and the other Master of Evil were new heroes who had stepped up to fill the role of the Avengers and the FF as the Thunderbolts in his scheme to take over the world.

[JoJangles the Lizard Monster]

I guess the biggest event to have happened in the marvel universe would have been (for the average joe on the street) either almost all of the mutants losing their powers- which would have been a complete surprise to anyone and everyone who didnt remember about the awful House of M thing.... or if you were someone living in the....say the m'kraan galaxy, probably the wave of killer space bugs destroying all of those other worlds and galaxies right now would probably be a very big event.


I know, I obviously dont read Annihilation, but sounds kind of cool enough to just mention.

[Jake V]

The average joe would write off any big event--from Galactus to Apocalypse to Inferno--as a media stunt. No one average person would believe Galactus exists, although they might see Galactus in person. Galactus would be perceived as a publicity stunt for the Fantastic Four.

Frankie Raye is beside herself when Susan Richards explains to her that Galactus is real in Fantastic Four #243. See, even Johnny Storm's former girlfriend did not believe in Galactus.

Not a single Marvel event would be signifigant to the average person. None.
So a guy who got his appartment blown up during Onslaught wouldn't be that concerned?

Someone who's relative died when Magneto released the EMP that killed thoudands of people, especially those on life support, wouldn't find that a significant moment?

You're an odd guy.

[dopexvii]

original torch is up there and the return of cap
i cant believe nobody's mentioned the Atlantis invasion's
yeah im thinknig most humans think galactus was a hoax just as they believe Doc strange to be a Tv magician
Onslaught defo and the aftermath too
she-hulk issues sugest people remember the infinity gauntlet afair so that too
Xorn and genosha
im pretty sure theres some fantastic four moments in thier too

[DDM]

So a guy who got his appartment blown up during Onslaught wouldn't be that concerned?

Someone who's relative died when Magneto released the EMP that killed thoudands of people, especially those on life support, wouldn't find that a significant moment?

You're an odd guy.

Not really. No.

The average person would not be able to comprehend such things. Again, the average person would write off most of the events & go on with their normal lives.

[twilight]

Not really. No.

The average person would not be able to comprehend such things. Again, the average person would write off most of the events & go on with their normal lives.

Your grasp of reality seems even more warped than usual.

[Chiasm]

It would have to be something that everyone knew about and affected a lot of people. It would have to be of End of the World type significance.

Thus it would have to be something like:

1) Atlantis Attacks (I can't believe I'm the first to mention this)
2) Inferno

Or it would have to be something that while not affecting so many was very memorable:

1) Stamford
2) Onslaught (the seeming death of so many heroes)

[Wind-Breaker]

I think its a tie between the Secret Wars and Onslaught. Those were major crossovers that threatened the world and/or universe. With Onslaught you had involement of damn near the entire Marvel roster, and the death/rebooting of major heroes. With the Secret Wars you had the first memoriable major Marvel cross-over, which although have not had a lasting effect, its likely the most known by causal fans.

[BeastieRunner]

616 as a whole: Annihilation by far.

616 Earth only: Atlantis, Onslaught, or Stamford.

[jcp011c]

I would have to say Onslaught, much as the series sucked as a whole, the effects that the storyline had on public hatred of mutants was really shown, the Thunderbolts rose out of it, Heroes Return was also born out of it.
Realistically speaking it should have the Kang War. Washington destroyed? Major cities encased in organic walls? Mobs of creatures pouring out of the earth and causing carnage world wide and countries to surrenderto Kang? Why the HECK is was this all just swept under the rug?

[RH_Duncan]

I think its a tie between the Secret Wars and Onslaught. Those were major crossovers that threatened the world and/or universe. With Onslaught you had involement of damn near the entire Marvel roster, and the death/rebooting of major heroes. With the Secret Wars you had the first memoriable major Marvel cross-over, which although have not had a lasting effect, its likely the most known by causal fans.

I agree Onslaught and Secret War were the biggest.

[Alan2099]

I still say the coming of Galactus is one of the first major ones. It's the first time the citezens of marvel realy saw anything that huge.

[TransformersFan]

uhm, sorry to ask this again, but can someone tell me if the arrival of Galactus is collected in trade form, and if it is what is it's title. I'd love to read it.

thanks

[ednemo]

The fact that half the people of Earth and the Marvel U died and came back and remembered it. Would probably weigh pretty heavily on people's minds as a major event. So, I still say the Infinity Gauntlet debacle.

[DDM]

Your grasp of reality seems even more warped than usual.

Galactus would be written off as a publicity stunt. Inferno is written off as a mass hallucination. Although X-Factor helped save Manhattan Island from Apocalypse, hatred & fear of mutants would eventually trump anything else.

The average person simply does not have the ability to comprehend these events. It's the truth. Therefore, they write them off.

I suspect many people committed suicide after Galactus arrived the first time. The other people simply questioned their religion & place in the world. But most others simply ignored Galactus after the FF saved the planet.

[Siddon]

I would say the big three

- Formation of the Avengers/Return of Captain America - The establishment of a protection force that unlike the Fantastic Four actually had a tremedous amount of credibility.

- Trial of Magneto - This should be the biggie, one of the worlds biggest bad guys is caught tried and then protected by the X-men.

- Kang Dynasty - I would put this over the destruction of cities because every year some city is destroyed. Having someone take over the world is certainly a big deal. I also really don't think people would care to much about the mystical stuff (Inferno, IG, AOA) in revelance to someone taking over the world.

[cobra_commander]

I would say the forming of "Image" taking away 30% of the market share of the industry at the time :D