Top 10 Marvel Superhero Turning Points

Anyone on Asgard will tell you that only those who are worthy can wield the power of the mighty hammer, Mjolnir. While that privilege has occasionally been shared with other heroes, a 2014 storyline saw Thor unworthy of his title. While investigating a murder his fellow Avengers, Nick Fury whispers something to Thor, which catches him off guard. All of a sudden, Thor found himself unable to lift his hammer, as Mjolnir has now deemed him unworthy. There is still a lot of speculation over what Fury whispered, but in the meantime we have Jane Foster to continue the proud tradition as the new Thor.

Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman has always been one of Marvel’s more iconic ladies men. However, when teenage X-Men are brought from the past to present day, young Bobby Drake is forced to admit a secret he’s been keeping to himself: Iceman is actually gay. With young Jean Grey’s help, the teenage Drake is able to confront his older self about their little secret. Mutants are already subjected to prejudice, so consciously choosing to hide the fact that he was a mutant AND gay is understandable.

One of the biggest game changers for any superhero group is when one of their own goes to the dark side. Unfortunately, that’s the case for Angel of the X-Men. During a massive massacre, Angel’s wings get pinned to a wall to the point where they’re broken and need to be amputated, making the poor mutant fall into a depressive state. The ancient mutant Apocalypse offers to restore his wings… but at a cost: Angel must serve him as one of his Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With his new metallic wings, Warren Worthington III becomes the Horseman of Death: Archangel.

To save his planet from being destroyed by the near unstoppable Galactus, Norrin Radd offers to become Galactus’ herald – The Silver Surfer – and help him find new planets to devour. One fateful surfing session brings him to Earth and Galactus’ next meal. After getting knocked unconscious in a fight with the Fantastic Four, Norrin is taken in by a blind woman named Alicia. Alicia can sense the good inside Silver Surfer and begs him to stop Galactus’ and save the Earth. Touched by her words, the Surfer helps the Fantastic Four send the hungry villain packing.

When Iron Man starts dancing around like a drunken idiot in Iron Man 2, the audience gets a few laughs. In the comics, however, Tony Stark’s intoxication isn’t as funny. Things got pretty stressful for the billionaire playboy in a 1979 storyline where both the reputations of both Iron Man and Tony Stark ended up in the toilet. Stark became an alcoholic, which caused many of his friends to turn their backs on him and even his faithful butler Jarvis walked out. Luckily, with the help of his girlfriend Beth, Tony manages to find the strength to put down the bottle for good.

While the X-Men are returning to Earth in a space shuttle, Jean Grey pilots the shuttle through a radiation storm while the rest of her team are forced to take sanctuary in a less exposed part of the ship. When the ship crash-lands into the bay, Jean emerges with a new green and gold costume and calling herself “The Phoenix”. It turns out that Jean was possessed by a powerful entity called The Phoenix Force – which gave her incredible powers. The Phoenix and it’s connection to Jean Grey and the X-Men became a one of the most important and recurring aspects of their carriers and it’s effect on their lives can never be undone.

Technically this isn’t an origin story, but a revival story of an Avenger literally ahead of his time. In the final days of World War II, the villainous Baron Zemo has filled an experimental rocket with explosives. Naturally, it’s up to Captain America and his partner Bucky Barnes to defuse the bomb and save America. Cap and Bucky disable the rocket, but are seemingly killed when it explodes in flight. Cap is thrown into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic where Decades later, the Cap is unfrozen and must once again save the world as an Avenger.

Scott Summer, AKA Cyclops has always been a vital part of the X-Men, having a close relationship with Professor X, he is the leader of the X-Men and role-model for mutants everywhere. Or at least... was. During the final moments of the 2012 storyline Avengers vs X-Men, Cyclops is corrupted by the Phoenix and loses control, killing Xavier. Even though the Phoenix Force was purged, Scott never recovered from the incident, and found himself struggling to maintain his identity as a hero ever since.

Poor Peter Parker can never seem to catch a break. The hero saving the girl was always a staple of superhero comics, but in 1973’s Amazing Spider-Man #121, readers learned that not everything in a hero’s life is sunshine and rainbows. When The Green Goblin learns Spider-Man’s identity, the villain kidnaps his girlfriend Gwen Stacy and dangles her over the George Washington Bridge. Spider-Man is almost able to save her, but she dies in the act of Spidy’s rescue when whiplash from his webbing snaps her neck. Her death would haunt Spider-Man for his entire carrier, and revealed to the world that his biggest weakness is those he loves.

Before we reveal our number one turning point, here are a few honorable mentions.

Emma Frost Joins the X-Men
Northstar Comes Out
Daredevil and Electra’s Romance
Rogue Steals Ms. Marvel’s Powers

Taking the number one spot is the worst day in mutant history. Wanda Maximoff, aka The Scarlet Witch, both mutant and Avenger, had a mental breakdown, and her unstable powers created an alternate reality. She created a world where mutants are the dominant race, and everyone lives a seemingly happy life. That happiness is short lived however, and Wanda’s brother is killed by their father Magneto. Wanda is traumatized and, losing fath in her own people, whispers the words “No more mutants”. In a flash, reality is restored… but almost all the mutants have been depowered. The mutant race never recovered from this event and have been living on the brink of extinction ever since.

Do you agree with our list? What life changing events do you think impacted the heroes of the Marvel Universe? For more transformative top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.