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Blade Reading Order, Marvel’s Vampire Hunter

Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan in The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973), Blade was at first a supporting character but quickly gained prominence.

Blade’s real name is Eric Cross Brooks. He is an Afro-American vampire hunter who used to sport 1970s-style Afro hair and wield teak-bladed knives. He really became a solid character during the 1990s, first in the team series Nightstalkers, then in his own ongoing series Blade the Vampire Hunter.

At first, he was presented as a human immune to vampire bites, but it was retroactively established that he was a “dhampir” (the son of a vampire and a mortal human) following his adaptation as such in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Blade film series. In the comics, he also became a “Daywalker” after being bitten by Morbius.

It took years to establish the definitive mythology of Blade in the comics because he never really got a long ongoing series, playing a supporting role between miniseries. That didn’t stop him from becoming a member of the Avengers.

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Ironheart (Riri Williams) Reading Order

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Ironheart Riri Williams Reading Order

Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato, Eve Ewing, and Kevin Libranda, Riri Williams is a legacy character who made her first appearance in a cameo in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 #7 during the Civil War II event (see reading order here).

Riri Williams is a 15-year-old certified genius. Born shortly after the death of her father Riri Williams Sr., Riri grew up in Chicago, was raised by her mother Ronnie, her stepfather, and alongside her sister Sharon. Soon enough, Riri was working on her own inventions and given a scholarship at M.I.T. After reverse-engineering technology from the outdated Iron Man Armor Model 41, Riri Williams decided to create her own Iron Man Armor, using stolen material from campus. After learning of her accomplishment, Tony Stark came to visit her and gave her his blessing to pursue her ambitions.

Following the events of Civil War II, Riri decided to carry on Tony Stark’s legacy as a hero. With the help of an A.I duplicate of Stark to guide her at the beginning of her journey, she took the name of Ironheart. She joined the Champions, and worked to become a heroine in her own right.

Riri Williams was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), where she is portrayed by Dominique Thorne. She is set to star in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart, scheduled for release in June 2025.

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Avengers Reading Order (1963-2015)

DC Comics had the Justice League and, in 1963, Marvel was inspired by its success to respond with its own team of superheroes. And thus, The Avengers were created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the pages of The Avengers #1 (September 1963).

The story begins with Loki seeking revenge against Thor. His actions led young Rick Jones to call for help. That’s how Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp, and Iron Man joined Thor and the Hulk in their fight against Loki. The story ended well for the good guys. So well in fact that Ant-Man suggested they form a team – it was the Wasp that came up with the name Avengers.

The rest is history. A long history in fact, with multiple incarnations of the team with the Hulk rapidly leaving the team (in issue #2) and being replaced by Captain America (in issue #4). Former villains, new heroes, honorary members… the roaster changed, but the fight went on against famous foes on Earth, in Space, and everywhere else!

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Carnage Reading Order

Created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley in The Amazing Spider-Man #361 (published in 1992), Carnage is a supervillain, pure and simple. Being an offspring of Venom (see reading order to know more), Carnage is a Symbiote, an extraterrestrial organism who bonds with a host to which he gave superpowers.

In this case, even if it had multiple hosts through the years, Carnage is famously connected to its first, the sadistic serial killer Cletus Kasady. Everything began when, after Venom left behind him its offspring in a prison cell, the new symbiote connected with Eddie Brock’s cellmate, Kasady. Together, they left behind them chaos and deaths.

Envisioned as a darker version of Venom, Carnage is more violent, powerful, and – simply put – deadly. He became an adversary of Spider-Man of course, but also the archenemy of Venom. At times, Carnage was put at the center of multiple storylines, crossovers, and events, spreading fear throughout the Marvel Universe.

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Venom Reading Order

A few decades before becoming the star of his own movie franchise, Venom was just a new, improved, and dark costume used by Spider-Man. Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984), the black costume really became Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988) from David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, the sentient alien symbiote with an amorphous, liquid-like form, that bonds with a host.

Venom became one of Spider-Man’s most prominent villains when he bonded with Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist who, after having wrongly accused a man to be the serial killer known as the Sin-Eater (the truth was exposed by Spider-Man!), became suicidal. That’s when he came into contact with the symbiote. They bond together, and Venom is born.

First a villain, Venom evolved to become an antihero (before reverting to his old ways… for a time). Eddie Brock is not the only host for the symbiote. He bonded with Mac Gargan (Scorpion), Flash Thompson, and more. He spawned several “children” like Carnage, Scream, Lasher, Phage, and more. Recently, the mythology surrounding the Alien symbiotes became massive to the point of menacing the entirety of the Marvel Universe.

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Infinity Wars Reading Order, a 2018 Marvel event (including Infinity Countdown)

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Infinity Wars Reading Order

Marvel’s Infinity Wars is a 2018 crossover event (written by Gerry Duggan with art by Mike Deodato and Frank Martin) about the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe dealing with the outcome of the search for the new Infinity Stones (previously known as the Infinity Gems). This is a follow-up to “Infinity Countdown.”

Here is the official synopsis: The Infinity Stones are back. Individually, they grant their wielders great power. Together, they bestow the power of a god! As each stone’s location is discovered, forces converge for a battle that will send the universe down a dark path…to the end! Featuring the Chitauri, the Raptors, the Nova Corps, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock, and more surprising Stone-wielders! But who, or what, is Requiem? When she warps the Marvel Universe in half, what surprising heroes will assemble to stand against her? And when death comes at last, who will fall?

What to read before Infinity Wars?

As I was saying, Infinity Wars is a follow-up to “Infinity Countdown.” The better way to deal with that is to group them together. But first, let’s rewind a little.

Where is Thanos? After Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity, he made a comeback, getting free during the early events of “Civil War II.” He then got his own book: Thanos Returns, visited the God Quarry, and appeared in The Unworthy Thor before winning at the end of his series, which led us to the “Infinity Wars” storyline.

The road to Infinity Countdown

And then, the Infinity Countdown!

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Dark Reign Reading Order, Norman Osborn takes over the Marvel Universe

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Dark Reign Marvel reading Order

In the aftermath of Secret Invasion (see reading order), Norman Osborn came out as a hero and rise to national power. This led us to Dark Reign, a period in the Marvel Universe where the former Green Goblin was in control. A branding used by Marvel Comics during 2008-2009, Dark Reign is not really what we would call an event, as stated by then-editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. This branding refers more to an era in the Marvel Universe, a troubled one where everyone is affected.

With more than 200 issues, Marvel explored a whole year of Osborn’s rise to power and its ramifications. After defeating the Skrull, Norman becomes the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., which he replaces with H.A.M.M.E.R. Then, he created the Cabal alongside Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Namor, Loki, and the Hood and used H.A.M.M.E.R. to carry out his and the Cabal agenda. However, Osborn’s actions and his reputation influence a number of heroes and villains to attempt to resist Osborn’s rule and remove him from power by force, if necessary.

What to read before?

To know exactly how Norman Osborn became a national hero, you have to read Secret Invasion, as stated above.

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Black Cat Reading Order, Marvel’s Lucky Cat Burglar

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Created in 1979 by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard in The Amazing Spider-Man #194, Black Cat is an antiheroine, sometimes girlfriend, ally or enemy of Spider-Man. She is certainly not just Marvel’s Catwoman.

Felicia Hardy is Black Cat, the daughter of Walter Hardy who was a world-renowned cat burglar. The first time we meet her, she wants to break her father out of prison, but her meeting with Spider-Man complicates everything. Past trauma encouraged her to learn to be a fighter but she needed an edge to survive and prove herself in the world of Spidey. A deal with the Kingpin led her to gain her own super-power: she has the (subconscious) ability to affect probability fields, producing “bad luck” for those who want to hurt her.

Her romantic relationship with Spider-Man was tumultuous – and she didn’t want to hear about Peter Parker. They eventually broke up, but Felicia’s life was now entangled between the heroes and criminals of New York. She had to create her own space, becoming for a time some sort of Robin Hood. She still helps Spider-Man, but occasionally double-crosses him.

As years passed, her relationship with Spider-Man eventually found stable ground… until she met the Superior Spider-Man who led her to become a master criminal. For a time, then she got back on the good side and finally got her own ongoing series! The story continues.

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America Chavez Reading Order (Marvel’s Miss America)

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America Chavez, also known as Miss America, is a fairly new character in the Marvel Universe as she made her first appearance in 2011. Created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta, America Chavez believed for a long time that she was coming from the Utopian Parallel, an out-of-time reality where the Demiurge gave her powers. She left home, traveled across different realities, and ended up becoming a hero called Miss America on Earth-616.

Known as Marvel’s first Latin-American LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series, America Chavez started in the 2011 limited series Vengeance (from Casey and Dragotta), but became popular as part of the Young Avengers, A-Force, the Ultimates, and West Coast Avengers.

Also, America Chavez is extremely powerful. Like a lot of superheroes, she possesses superhuman strength, speed, durability, and the power of flight, but she also has the power to kick open star-shaped holes in reality—the kind of thing that allows her and her teammates to travel through the multiverse and into other realities.

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Secret Wars II Reading Order, the first massive Marvel crossover event

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Following the glowing success of the first Secret Wars, Marvel’s then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter decided to repeat the experience with a bit more ambition. Published from 1985 to 1986, Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series completed with tie-ins.

Historically, this was the first time Marvel published an event crossover following that model, asking the readers to purchase multiple titles in order to read the entire story. It certainly was not the last time.

Here is the official synopsis: Last time Earth’s heroes encountered the Beyonder, they fought for their lives. This time, they fight for all existence! A year after kidnapping the most powerful beings on Earth and pitting them against one another in a “Secret War” on a distant world, the omnipotent Beyonder comes to Earth to continue his study of humanity.

However, a being so powerful and so naïve is a dangerous combination. As the Beyonder’s understanding slowly grows, so too do his own desires – and even the lord of lies, Mephisto, fears what the Beyonder might finally decide he desires. Because if the Beyonder decides he wants to end all that is, even the combined might of the universe’s cosmic powers might not be enough to stop him! 

What to read before Secret Wars II?

The series was a sequel to the original Secret Wars miniseries, you can take a look at it:

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