178-634: Ghost Rider is the name of multiple superheroes or antiheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider . The first supernatural Ghost Rider is stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze , who sold his soul, to save the life of his foster father, agrees to give his soul to " Satan " (later revealed to be an arch-demon named Mephisto ). At night and when around evil, Blaze finds his flesh consumed by hellfire, causing his head to become
356-513: A Mexican-American resident of East Los Angeles named Roberto " Robbie " Reyes , who drives a black classic muscle car reminiscent of a modified 1969 Dodge Charger rather than a motorcycle. Robbie Reyes was created by writer/artist Felipe Smith and designed by Smith and artist Tradd Moore. Michael Badilino , an ex-member of the New York City Police Department , is one-third of an "Organic Medallion of Power";
534-595: A successful franchise which pioneered the Kyodai Hero subgenre where the superheroes would be as big as giant monsters ( kaiju ) that they fought. The kaiju monster Godzilla , originally a villain, began being portrayed as a radioactive superhero in the Godzilla films , starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with
712-599: A Nicaraguan woman named Alejandra Jones becomes Ghost Rider through a ritual performed by a man named Adam. Though she demonstrates many previously unknown powers of the Ghost Rider entity, she is deprived of its full power when Johnny Blaze takes back most of this power in (Vol. 7) #9. She was killed by Carnage during the Absolute Carnage event. In 2014, a new character took on the Ghost Rider mantle:
890-465: A bar where they befriend a biker gang, who ply them with beer. The gang's friendly demeanor is a ruse, as they kill the intoxicated Blaze as part of a Satanic ritual. During the ritual, they barter their souls with Satan in exchange for wealth and power. Satan grants their request, but maintains the upper hand. The deceased Blaze also makes a deal that Satan will get his soul in exchange for the assured safety of Roxanne. For 20 years, Blaze trains to become
1068-705: A book entitled Business Zero to Superhero . In 2014, he received a cease and desist from DC and Marvel who claimed that his use of the term superhero would cause confusion and dilute their brands. He was offered a few thousand dollars in settlement to change the name of his book, but he did not concede. A few days prior to the scheduled hearing at the Intellectual Property Office in London, the companies backed down. A similar scenario occurred when comic book creator Ray Felix attempted to register his comic book series A World Without Superheroes with
1246-451: A certain something in the air right now…we tend to tap into that whether consciously or unconsciously and it effects [sic] all our stories." The storyline's title is a reference to a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt : "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance", as indicated by
1424-471: A cold, emotionless stagnant race devoid of creativity. Mephisto tells Blaze that he must separate Alejandra from Adam, but Alejandra is unwilling to agree to this. The debut of Alpha Flight ' s fourth volume depicts the Canadian superhero team's rescue efforts for victims of a tsunami created by Nerkodd, and their ejection of Nerkodd from Canada. In Fear Itself: Fearsome Four , She-Hulk , Howard
1602-533: A considerably long stint with issue #26, eventually joined by writer Michael Fleisher through issue #58. The series ran through issue #81 (June 1983). Blaze returned as Ghost Rider in a 2001 six-issue miniseries written by Devin Grayson ; a second miniseries written by Garth Ennis in 2005, and an ongoing monthly series that began publication in July 2006. Johnny Blaze was the son of Naomi Blaze and Barton Blaze. Naomi
1780-693: A decorated officer in the United States Air Force who would become a costumed superheroine herself years later. In 1975 Shotaro Ishinomori 's Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted on what is now TV Asahi, it brought the concepts of multi-colored teams and supporting vehicles that debuted in Gatchaman into live-action, and began the Super Sentai franchise (later adapted into the American Power Rangers series in
1958-704: A fiery hoop. In the Spider-Gwen universe (Earth-65), there evidently is a version of Ghost Rider whom that universe's Betty Brant dresses as for Halloween. This version of Ghost Rider, known as the Spirit of Vengeance, debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy , set in an alternate future of the Marvel Universe. He has the ability to traverse space and fire spike projectiles from his forearms. This Ghost Rider
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#17327722067752136-434: A flaming skull. He rides a fiery motorcycle and wields blasts of hellfire from his body, usually from his hands. He eventually learns he has been bonded with the demon Zarathos . Blaze is featured in the series Ghost Rider (vol. 2) from 1972 to 1983. The subsequent Ghost Rider series (1990–1998) features Danny Ketch as a new Ghost Rider. After his sister was injured by ninja gangsters , Ketch comes in contact with
2314-475: A futuristic machine and the front of it could lower to serve as a battering ram. Like the original Ghost Rider's bike, the wheels were composed of mystic hellfire. Unlike the relationship between the previous Ghost Rider and the demon with which he was bonded, Ketch and his demon — who in (vol. 3) #91 (Dec. 1997) is revealed to be Marvel's incarnation of the Angel of Death/Judgment — are cooperative with each other. At
2492-537: A larger one. Another important event was the debut of Mazinger Z by Go Nagai, creating the Super Robot genre. Go Nagai also wrote the manga Cutey Honey in 1973; although the Magical Girl genre already existed, Nagai's manga introduced Transformation sequences that would become a staple of Magical Girl media. The 1970s would see more anti-heroes introduced into Superhero fiction such examples included
2670-438: A lead-in to the 2011 relaunch of that title, rather than an essential setup for "Fear Itself". Calling Brubaker's story and Scot Eaton's art "competent", Nevett characterized it as "a good comic, not great", "an entertaining superhero action comic" and "your pretty standard ‘Red Skull crazy World War 2 scheme’ plot with few surprises." Though he felt that Eaton's art was clear and the action shots energetic, he felt Eaton's line work
2848-449: A letter column of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories , the word superhero was used to define the title character of the comic strip Zarnak , by Max Plaisted. In the 1930s, the trends converged in some of the earliest superpowered costumed heroes, such as Japan's Ōgon Bat (1931) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s), who first appeared in kamishibai (a kind of hybrid media combining pictures with live storytelling), Mandrake
3026-521: A member of the Worthy. Fear Itself: Sin's Past #1 is a reprint book that collects Captain America #355-357 from 1989, which introduced Sin as part of her father's Daughters of Sin. Fear Itself: The Worthy is an anthology origin book in which Sin and each of the Worthy detail the major events of their life in first-person narration , with each vignette concluding with an open-ended look to
3204-543: A motorcycle that contains the essence of a Spirit of Vengeance. Blaze reappears in this 1990s series as a supporting character , and it is later revealed that Danny and his sister were Johnny Blaze's long-lost siblings. In 2000s comics, Blaze succeeds Ketch, becoming Ghost Rider again. In 2014, Robbie Reyes becomes Ghost Rider as part of the Marvel NOW! initiative. In May 2011, Ghost Rider placed 90th on IGN 's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" list. Nicolas Cage starred as
3382-523: A multimedia franchise that used footage from Super Sentai . Internationally, the Japanese comic book character , Sailor Moon , is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes ever created. The first use of the word "super hero" dates back to 1917. At the time, the word was merely used to describe a "public figure of great accomplishments." However, in 1967, Ben Cooper, Inc., an American Halloween costume manufacturer, became
3560-408: A mysterious stranger that also possessed that gift, only to witness the stranger transform into a beast and devour his entire tribe. The stranger allowed the boy to live and names him "Ghost" before telling him to challenge him when he is worthy. The boy was forced to survive on his own, though he does befriend a woolly mammoth. After almost dying in the harsh environment, he is approached by Mephisto in
3738-831: A new character called the Ghost Spider . To make amends with Spider-Man, Ghost Spider transported him, Deadpool, and Hulk back to Earth-616. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Ghost Rider made his debut in Ultimate Comics: Avengers (vol. 2) #2. Ultimate Ghost Rider's origin is explained in Ultimate Comics: Avengers (vol. 2) #4. One day while on a cross-country trip across the United States, twenty-something couple Johnny Blaze and Roxanne Simpson come across
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#17327722067753916-423: A profound effect on Japanese television . 1958 saw the debut of superhero Moonlight Mask on Japanese television. It was the first of numerous televised superhero dramas that would make up the tokusatsu superhero genre. Created by Kōhan Kawauchi , he followed up its success with the tokusatsu superhero shows Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba . It
4094-464: A prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scot Eaton , and numerous tie-in books, including most of the X-Men family of books. "Fear Itself" was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada , Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso at a press conference held at Midtown Comics Times Square on December 21, 2010. The story, whose title is a reference to
4272-505: A promiscuous manner. Through the overdeveloped bodies of the heroes or the seductive mannerisms of the villains, women in comic books are used as subordinates to their male counterparts, regardless of their strength or power. Wonder Woman has been subject to a long history of suppression as a result of her strength and power, including American culture's undoing of the Lynda Carter television series. In 2017's Wonder Woman , she had
4450-577: A publishing agreement with DC Comics that allowed them to introduce a line of comics that included characters of many ethnic minorities. Milestone's initial run lasted four years, during which it introduced Static , a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock . In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the identities and roles of once-Caucasian heroes with new characters from minority backgrounds. The African-American John Stewart appeared in
4628-757: A secondary character of the Green Hornet media franchise series since its inception in the 1930s. ). Kitty Pryde , a member of the X-Men, was an openly Jewish superhero in mainstream American comic books as early as 1978. Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes ; Cage and many of his contemporaries often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with shamanism and wild animals , and Asian Americans were often portrayed as kung fu martial artists . Subsequent minority heroes, such as
4806-497: A shot in on Blaze. Although it was a minor setback Blaze resumed his pursuit of Ketch. Left in the desert Kowalski soon found himself transformed into the new Vengeance, sporting green flames and a hook for his right hand, after Ketch returned the powers of the Spirits of Vengeance to Earth. With a thirst for revenge, Kowalski, as Vengeance, was recruited by Blackout as a member of Zadkiel's Ghost Rider Assassination League. Kowalski
4984-406: A single source." DC and Marvel have continued to expand their commercialization of the "superhero" mark to categories beyond comic books. Now, the two publishers jointly own numerous trademarks for figurines (see Spider-Man, Batman), movies, TV shows, magazines, merchandise, cardboard stand-up figures, playing cards , erasers , pencils , notebooks , cartoons , and many more. For instance,
5162-513: A skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House 's Jungle Comic #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil , a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. In 1940, Maximo
5340-736: A station in the Pacific Ocean. In Uncanny X-Men , the mutant team is in San Francisco in an attempt to ease anti-mutant tensions, when they learn that Kuurth is rampaging through California, and decide to confront him when he reaches the city. In New Mutants , Danielle Moonstar encounters Hela in Las Vegas, and is transported to Hel. When her teammates try to follow her using forbidden magic, they instead end up in Hell, where they encounter Mephisto, who offers transport
5518-406: A suit not unlike the swimsuits in the T.V. show Baywatch . The sexualization of women in comic books can be explained mainly by the fact that the majority of writers are male. Not only are the writers mostly male, but the audience is mostly male as well. Therefore, writers are designing characters to appeal to a mostly male audience. The super hero characters illustrate a sociological idea called
Ghost Rider - Misplaced Pages Continue
5696-507: A supernatural being, but a cybernetic being with a digitized copy of Cochrane's mind. He encounters a futuristic counterpoint to Michael Badilino's Vengeance. The Ghost Rider of 2099 appears to drop out of existence during the consolidation of the 2099 books into a single title called 2099 World of Tomorrow. He subsequently appears in the 2099 "epilogue" book Manifest Destiny , arguing with the AI that empowers him. In Infinity Warps , Ghost Rider
5874-751: A vampire superhero team called the Forgiven, whom Dracula frees from their dungeons in order to combat Hulk/Nul. In Thunderbolts , the eponymous team deals with the escape of convicts from the destroyed Raft, one of whom is Juggernaut, who becomes one of the Worthy and battles the Thunderbolts outside Chicago. Issue #159 is an anthology issue, with different vignettes focusing on the Raft breakout starring Warden John Walker and convict Crossbones . The Thunderbolts later battle aquatic mutants rising out of Lake Michigan . In Fear Itself: Spider-Man ,
6052-491: A woman named Alejandra who grew up in a pyramid temple in Nicaragua among the followers of a man named Adam, becomes a new, female Ghost Rider, and confronts Skadi and her allies. Meanwhile, Mephisto tells Johnny Blaze , who is at peace now that he is free of the curse of Ghost Rider, that Adam (who relieved Blaze of the curse and bestowed it upon Alejandra) intends to take away all of humanity's sins, which will turn it into
6230-453: A wrath against the Ghost Rider. His attention was brought to the hellfire shotgun in possession of Badilino. After purchasing the gun—and discovering to Badilino's surprise that it will work for Kowalski—Kowalski was recruited by agents of Zadkiel and told to wait in the middle of the desert for the Ghost Rider. Johnny Blaze (as Ghost Rider) did arrive in hot pursuit of Danny Ketch (as a new incarnation of Ghost Rider). Kowalski did manage to get
6408-570: Is Nick Fury , who is reinterpreted as African-American both in the Ultimate Marvel as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuities. Fear Itself (comics) " Fear Itself " is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics , consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen , Wade Von Grawbadger , and Laura Martin ,
6586-512: Is "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon , endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime", and the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as
6764-587: Is 7 ft tall and has the strength of Thor. When the Avengers are unsuccessful in stopping the Ghost Rider from killing his next target, the truth behind the Ghost Rider's selection of targets is learned, and the Vice President of the United States, Robert R. Blackthorne is revealed to be the former leader of the motorcycle gang, who sold his soul to become a Ghost Rider, a.k.a. "Vengeance", into which Blackthorne now transforms. During their confrontation,
6942-442: Is a fictional character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero ; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place , or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since
7120-421: Is a motorcycle-riding hero in an insect-like costume, who shouts Henshin (Metamorphosis) to don his costume and gain superhuman powers. The ideas of second-wave feminism , which spread through the 1960s into the 1970s, greatly influenced the way comic book companies would depict as well as market their female characters: Wonder Woman was for a time revamped as a mod-dressing martial artist directly inspired by
7298-663: Is a religious zealot, embittered toward a church (a version of the Universal Church of Truth ) proclaiming it would produce its god in the flesh. That being, the Protege , is destroyed by the Celestial Scathan the Approver . This Ghost Rider refers to himself simply as the Spirit of Vengeance, although his real name is given as Autolycus , from the planet Sarka. After answering a distress call from Firelord ,
Ghost Rider - Misplaced Pages Continue
7476-544: Is a website satirizing the sexualized portrayal of women in comics by recreating the same poses using male superheroes, especially Marvel's Hawkeye . In 1966, Marvel introduced the Black Panther , an African monarch who became the first non- caricatured black superhero. The first African-American superhero, the Falcon , followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage , a self-styled "hero-for-hire" , became
7654-477: Is arguable that the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s brought the biggest assortment of superheroes ever at one time into permanent publication, the likes of Spider-Man (1962), The Hulk , Iron Man , Daredevil , Nick Fury , The Mighty Thor , The Avengers (featuring a rebooted Captain America , Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man , Quicksilver ), and many others were given their own monthly titles. Typically
7832-446: Is fused with Black Panther . Prince of Wakanda T'Challa was an arrogant boy who, because of his conflict with his father, was exiled from his place. He went to America where he found Jericho Simpson (fusion of Brother Voodoo and Crash Simpson) who became his new father figure and gave T'Challa a new name as Johnny Blaze. During a stunt performance, he sensed his father T'Chaka dying and got distracted which resulted in his own death. He
8010-808: Is part of "Battle Scars", a rebranding of the Marvel Universe books most affected by "Fear Itself". In Fear Itself: Book of the Skull , the Red Skull performs a ritual during World War II, on orders of Adolf Hitler , which causes the Hammer of Skadi to fall to Earth where it lands in Antarctica. Traveling to Antarctica, the Red Skull finds the hammer but is unable to lift it. Red Skull has Adolf Hitler's Thule Society seal it away and put it under their guard. Many years later, Red Skull's daughter Sin , with
8188-618: Is possible that they are genuinely immortal, as it is said that God created them and only God can destroy them. Despite being composed of bone and hellfire, the Ghost Riders possess formidable superhuman strength, enough to easily pick up a truck and hurl it across a road. It has been stated that Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider can bench press around 25 tons (50,000 lbs) (or more as seen in World War Hulk ). Each Ghost Rider entity also had abilities specific to him or her. Naomi Kale
8366-431: Is priced at $ 3.99 USD , and was projected to be about 45 pages long, according to Brevoort. (The first issue, when published, was 56 pages long. ) Brevoort also indicated that the final issue would also be oversized, as is typical with such event miniseries. (The final issue was 64 pages long, 16 of which were devoted to epilogues that set up subsequent spinoff books. ) To promote Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1, one of
8544-464: Is referred to among the characters as the Serpent's War, the Serpent is revealed to be Cul, Odin's brother, who assumed the throne of Asgard following the death of their father. Born at the dawn of time, Cul was subsequently banished and imprisoned by Odin following Cul's corrupt rule, and a prophecy by Yggdrasil that cost Odin his right eye, and which revealed that Cul's madness could only be cured by
8722-529: Is rich, powerful, and popular where none of his loved ones has died. Peter runs Parker Technologies and his Uncle Ben spurs him to be the best. Upon inventing a portal technology, he unknowingly brought Earth-616's Spider-Man, Deadpool, and Hulk to Earth-11638. During a scuffle with Spider-Man in the Amazing Spider's lair called the Web, Uncle Ben was about to plug Spider-Man into the machine. The Amazing Spider
8900-489: Is the mother of Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and Barbara Ketch. Noble lived in the 18th century and grew up with his abusive father Pastor Kale and his younger brother Dante. Noble fell in love with a black girl named Magdelena. But, because of the color of her skin and his father's strong religious views, the couple kept their love a secret from the world. They were forced to tell Pastor Kale when Magdelena bore Noble's child. Noble and Magdelena were then married. Shortly after
9078-506: Is uncommon, the USPTO will grant joint ownership in a mark. For example, in the case Arrow Trading Co., Inc. v. Victorinox A.G. and Wegner S.A. , Opposition No. 103315 (TTAB June 27, 2003), the TTAB held that when "two entities have a long-standing relationship and rely on each other for quality control, it may be found, in appropriate circumstances, that the parties, as joint owners, do represent
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#17327722067759256-668: The Black Canary , introduced in Flash Comics #86 (Aug. 1947) as a supporting character. The most iconic comic book superheroine, who debuted during the Golden Age, is Wonder Woman . Modeled from the myth of the Amazons of Greek mythology , she was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston , with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Woman's first appearance
9434-535: The Emma Peel character from the British television series The Avengers (no relation to the superhero team of the same name), but later reverted to Marston's original concept after the editors of Ms. magazine publicly disapproved of the character being depowered and without her traditional costume; Supergirl was moved from being a secondary feature on Action Comics to headline Adventure Comics in 1969;
9612-534: The Great Recession and partisan politics . Explains Quesada: "The climate in the world today was certainly the inspiration for this as we started to think about the bigger stories for the Marvel Universe," Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said at a press conference at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. "You will absolutely see the real world inject itself into this story because it's undeniable that there's
9790-818: The Heavy Hitters , the Desert Stars , Action Pack, and the Shadow Initiative, but the team's efforts in Atlanta, Georgia result in Thor Girl being arrested and later becoming a fugitive from justice. The team also confronts Crossbones in New Jersey, and tries unsuccessfully to stop Kuurth in Las Vegas . In Hulk , Red Hulk attempts to stop Angrir's attack upon Avengers Tower , but
9968-527: The Lady Liberators appeared in an issue of The Avengers as a group of mind-controlled superheroines led by Valkyrie (actually a disguised supervillainess ) and were meant to be a caricatured parody of feminist activists; and Jean Grey became the embodiment of a cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force with seemingly unlimited power in the late 1970s, a stark contrast from her depiction as
10146-706: The New York Times and The Colbert Report , and embraced by anti- Islamophobia campaigners in San Francisco who plastered over anti-Muslim bus adverts with Kamala stickers. Other such successor-heroes of color include James "Rhodey" Rhodes as Iron Man and to a lesser extent Riri "Ironheart" Williams , Ryan Choi as the Atom , Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle and Amadeus Cho as Hulk . Certain established characters have had their ethnicity changed when adapted to another continuity or media. A notable example
10324-742: The Prometheus , a fully armed Helicarrier originally intended as Norman Osborn 's H.A.M.M.E.R. flagship, which was stolen from a secret U.S. facility in the Sonoran Desert by a rogue faction of S.T.R.I.K.E. , who intend to use it to deploy a nuclear warhead in the city, after their leader took the appearance of the Worthy as a sign instructing him to do so. Fear Itself: The Deep reveals that Nerkodd conquered New Atlantis, ousted its king, Namor , and installed Tyrak , his sister Aradnea, and Tiger Shark as its occupying generals. Namor and his comrades, Lyra , Loa , Doctor Strange and
10502-589: The Silver Surfer , are attacked by the Undying Ones , demons who break through Earth's dimension as a result of the global panic weakening the barriers between the dimensions and who make a deal with Nerkodd to help them take over Earth. In Herc , Hercules pursues escapees from the Raft, and must also confront a resurrected Kyknos and the amnesiac Hecate , who tries to take over Brooklyn after her memories are restored. In Ghost Rider ,
10680-583: The Thing , and the Absorbing Man find the other hammers, and are transformed into the remaining three Worthy: Mokk: Breaker of Faith; Angrir: Breaker of Souls; and Greithoth: Breaker of Wills, respectively. During their battle in Washington, D.C., Skadi mortally wounds the current Captain America , James "Bucky" Barnes . In Asgard, Odin prepares his people to raze Earth completely in order to destroy
10858-453: The Western comics character who originally used the name, the first superhero Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze , debuted in Marvel Spotlight issue #5 (Aug. 1972), created by Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas , writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog . He received his own series in 1973, with penciller Jim Mooney handling most of the first nine issues. Several different creative teams mixed-and-matched until penciller Don Perlin began
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#173277220677511036-501: The X-Men 's Storm and the Teen Titans ' Cyborg avoided such conventions; they were both part of ensemble teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters drawn from several nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler , Soviet / Russian Colossus , Irish Banshee , and Japanese Sunfire . In 1993, Milestone Comics , an African-American-owned media/publishing company entered into
11214-399: The " male gaze " which is media created from the viewpoint of a normative heterosexual male. The female characters in comic books are used to satisfy male desire for the "ideal" woman (small waist, large breasts, toned, athletic body). These characters have god-like power, but the most easily identifiable feature is their hyper sexualized bodies: they are designed to be sexually pleasing to
11392-442: The "Done and Undone" Award to the crossover, criticizing its "blink or you'll miss it" practice of killing characters in the miniseries and then resurrecting them in the "Point-One" aftermath books, and the sense that no change to the status quo had taken place by the end of the entire series. The overall storyline holds an average score of 7.4 out of 10 at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup. Erik Norris of IGN gave
11570-666: The 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films , film serials, television and video games ), as well as in Japanese media (including kamishibai , tokusatsu , manga , anime and video games). Superheroes come from a wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Some superheroes (such as Spider-Man and Superman ) possess non-human or superhuman biology or use and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel ) while others (for example, Iron Man and Batman ) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use. The Dictionary.com definition of "superhero"
11748-434: The 1970s as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan , and would become a regular member of the Green Lantern Corps from the 1980s onward. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Miles Morales , a youth of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry who was also bitten by a genetically-altered spider, debuted as
11926-458: The 1980s, superhero fiction centered on cultural, ethnic, national, racial and language minority groups (from the perspective of US demographics ) began to be produced. This began with depiction of black superheroes in the 1960s, followed in the 1970s with a number of other ethnic-minority superheroes. In keeping with the political mood of the time, cultural diversity and inclusivism would be an important part of superhero groups starting from
12104-409: The 1980s. In the 1990s, this was further augmented by the first depictions of superheroes as homosexual. In 2017, Sign Gene emerged, the first group of deaf superheroes with superpowers through the use of sign language . Female super heroes—and villains—have been around since the early years of comic books dating back to the 1940s. The representation of women in comic books has been questioned in
12282-561: The 1990s). In 1978, Toei adapted Spider-Man into a live-action Japanese television series . In this continuity, Spider-Man had a vehicle called Marveller that could transform into a giant and powerful robot called Leopardon, this idea would be carried over to Toei's Battle Fever J (also co-produced with Marvel) and now multi-colored teams not only had support vehicles but giant robots to fight giant monsters with. In subsequent decades, popular characters like Dazzler , She-Hulk , Elektra , Catwoman , Witchblade , Spider-Girl , Batgirl and
12460-446: The 19th century, while her tribe was being attacked by the U.S. Army, Kushala's parents were killed and, in an act of rage, she prayed to her creator, but instead was possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance. Then she burnt everyone until all that remained were their spirits. After becoming possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Kushala traveled the world seeking out and studying different forms of magic in an attempt to cure herself. Her skills in
12638-417: The Amazing Superman debut in Big Little Book series , by Russell R. Winterbotham (text), Henry E. Vallely and Erwin L. Hess (art). Captain America also appeared for the first time in print in December 1940, a year prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese government, when America was still in isolationism . Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby , the superhero was the physical embodiment of
12816-856: The American spirit during World War II. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine , a rarity for its time: the Black Widow , a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell —debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics . Most of the other female costumed crime fighters during this era lacked superpowers. Notable characters include The Woman in Red , introduced in Standard Comics ' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck , debuting in
12994-454: The Avengers and others dealing with the aftermath of the events of "Fear Itself", is written by Fraction, Cullen Bunn and Chris Yost , and is illustrated by Mark Bagley and Paul Pelletier . Other aftereffects of the crossover are explored in a series of one-shots under the title Shattered Heroes , in a manner similar to how the 2010 " Heroic Age " storyline served as a follow-up to the 2008-2009 " Dark Reign " storyline. Shattered Heroes
13172-534: The Avengers) with her brother, Quicksilver. In 1963, Astro Boy was adapted into a highly influential anime television series. Phantom Agents in 1964 focused on ninjas working for the Japanese government and would be the foundation for Sentai -type series. 1966 saw the debut of the sci-fi/horror series Ultra Q created by Eiji Tsuburaya this would eventually lead to the sequel Ultraman , spawning
13350-582: The Avengers, prepares for a final confrontation with the Serpent and the Worthy. Iron Man returns to Earth, his armor coated with Asgardian uru enchanted by Odin, along with similarly enhanced weapons with which he arms Spider-Man , Black Widow , Iron Fist , Wolverine , Ms. Marvel , Hawkeye , Red She-Hulk and Doctor Strange . They confront the Serpent's forces and are joined by the people of Broxton and Captain America, who wields Thor's hammer against Skadi. The Worthy are vanquished from their hosts when Odin summons their hammers away from them, and Thor kills
13528-581: The Birds of Prey became stars of long-running eponymous titles. Female characters began assuming leadership roles in many ensemble superhero teams; the Uncanny X-Men series and its related spin-off titles in particular have included many female characters in pivotal roles since the 1970s. Volume 4 of the X-Men comic book series featured an all-female team as part of the Marvel NOW! branding initiative in 2013. Superpowered female characters like Buffy
13706-610: The Duck , Frankenstein's Monster and Nighthawk intervene when the empathic Man-Thing goes on a rampage in Mahhattan, due to the fear and chaos he senses on the part of the citizenry, and discover a plot by Psycho-Man to use Man-Thing's volatile empathy to create a weapon. In Fear Itself: Deadpool , which offers a humorous take on the storyline, the Merc with a Mouth hopes to improve his security consultation business by arranging
13884-528: The Ghost Rider assisted the prehistoric Avengers (consisting of Agamotto, Odin, Lady Phoenix, and prehistoric versions of the Black Panther , Iron Fist , and Star Brand ) in fighting an out of control Celestial called the Fallen; which resulted in his woolly mammoth getting killed in action. The Ghost Rider swore revenge and assisted his teammates in defeating the Fallen and sealing it away underground in what would become South Africa. The Ghost Rider later assisted
14062-488: The Ghost Rider drags Vengeance into a church which turns them both back into human form, allowing the Punisher to finish off the whimpering Blackthorne. After pleading his case, Blaze is allowed to leave. He is later seen in a park with Satan watching Roxanne, who was brought back to life with no memory of what happened. Satan agrees to let her live her life if Blaze continues to be his Ghost Rider, to which Blaze agrees. In
14240-462: The Ghost Rider, burning away his Christian baptism, and is sent into the world to get his revenge. He tracks down and kills the members of the motorcycle gang — now rich and in positions of power – individually. In response to these deaths, the White House issues an executive order kill the Ghost Rider. The Avengers are recruited for the mission with no knowledge of the Ghost Rider except that he
14418-401: The Ghost Rider. When he returned to Earth, however, Thanos was already gone and everything on the planet was dead. Roaming endlessly and undying with no one to kill or love, the Ghost Rider spent the next countless years alone. He eventually began to lose his mind when even Mephisto fell silent to his calls. When a badly injured Galactus arrived on Earth seeking help against Thanos, unaware that
14596-532: The Guardians of the Galaxy help a planet in peril, this Ghost Rider eventually helps to destroy the threat. The Spirit of Vengeance joins several other powerful beings including Martinex , Hollywood , Replica , Firelord, Phoenix IX and Mainframe . The heroes, rallied by Martinex, stay together as the new Galactic Guardians. On Earth-11638, this version of Spider-Man is called the Amazing Spider who
14774-647: The Hell-Cycle. They attacked Logan and nearly beat him before they were killed by Hawkeye . Logan later fought some Ghost Riders and killed several of them, as one of them had their arm eaten by Bruce Banner Jr. During the " Devil's Reign " storyline, Doctor Octopus went into the Multiverse and started forming his Superior Four. One of them is a Ghost Rider who has chains for tentacles. He is an alternate version of Doctor Octopus from Earth-1666 whose father Torbert Blaze trained him to have his motorcycle jump through
14952-585: The Johnny Blaze incarnation of the character in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and its 2012 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance . Gabriel Luna and Tom McComas portray the Robbie Reyes and Johnny Blaze incarnations in the fourth season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , with Henry Simmons and Clark Gregg portraying original incarnations Alphonso Mackenzie and Phil Coulson . Following
15130-582: The Magician (1934), Olga Mesmer (1937) and then Superman (1938) and Captain Marvel (1939) at the beginning of the Golden Age of Comic Books , whose span, though disputed, is generally agreed to have started with Superman's launch. Superman has remained one of the most recognizable superheroes, and his success spawned a new archetype of characters with secret identities and superhuman powers. At
15308-593: The Serpent and his Worthy have surpassed his ability to induce fear in people, American Eagle 's attempt to deal with the fear and chaos in Bleachville, the Great Lakes Avengers ' confrontation with the forgotten villain Asbestos Man and the attack upon Amadeus Cho , X-23 , Spider-Girl , Power Man and Thunderstrike by a group of samurai Shark Men after the former group is teleported onto
15486-527: The Serpent at the cost of his life. As Thor and Bucky are mourned by their allies, Odin returns to Asgard with the corpse of his brother Cul, sealing off Asgard from Hermod and a number of other Asgardians , who are left on Earth. The Stark-Asgardian weapons are returned to Asgard to be melted (with the exception of the Red She-Hulk, who retains hers), and Iron Man presents Rogers with his reforged shield, now stronger for its uru-infused enhancements, despite
15664-719: The Serpent summons his Worthy to join him at the portal to Asgard in Broxton, while Iron Man returns to Earth with the Asgardian weapons. In Iron Man 2.0 , War Machine , Prince of Orphans , Iron Fist, and the Immortal Weapons fight Skirn, and witness Absorbing Man as he is transformed into Greithoth: Breaker of Wills. In Avengers , Spider-Woman , Ms. Marvel , and Protector arrive in Brazil to help Red She-Hulk fight Nul. In New Avengers , Skadi sends
15842-441: The Serpent. Iron Man and the dwarves of Svartalfheim present eight newly forged weapons, each designed for a specific Avenger and containing both his repulsor technology and uru (the same metal composing Thor's hammer ). They throw them into a vat of boiling uru – into which Iron Man himself leaps – to receive Odin's enchantments. In Broxton, Captain America raises a militia of armed citizens who wish to remain to fight, and along with
16020-560: The Serpent. Thor opposes this and returns to Earth. After Steve Rogers again assumes the mantle of Captain America, Thor confronts the Serpent, who reveals himself to be Odin's brother and claims to be the rightful bearer of Asgard's throne, before dispatching Thor. Thor then fights Angrir, and Nul (the transformed Thing, and Hulk) simultaneously, killing Angrir (who is revived as the Thing by Franklin Richards) and knocking Nul half way around
16198-461: The Spirit , who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits. Some superheroes use their powers to help fight daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains , who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy or nemesis . Some popular supervillains become recurring characters in their own right. Antecedents of
16376-827: The Sunday- newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado , debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury , debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady , introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); the Black Cat , introduced in Harvey Comics ' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941); and
16554-606: The Thing's teammates Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman also confront the Thing/Angrir and try to free him from the Serpent's influence. In Fear Itself: Black Widow , Black Widow and Peregrine are sent on a mission to free hostages being held in a Marseille cathedral by Rapido . He and a group of mercenaries are trying to exploit the panic over the events in Paris to steal France's nuclear arsenal. The anthology miniseries Fear Itself: The Home Front explores how
16732-539: The Thule Society to the United States where they fight the New Avengers, at one point attacking Avengers Mansion. In Secret Avengers , that team confronts Skadi during her attack upon Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Black Widow confronts the webmasters of a tabloid site for fabricating a story that Bucky Barnes is still alive and his death a hoax. In Avengers Academy , the staff and students of
16910-768: The Tower is destroyed in the process and the Avengers' manservant Edwin Jarvis barely escapes. As their battle continues, Zero/One and MODOK Superior compete to reach Red Hulk, as they each harbor plans for him. In Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula , Hulk/Nul, following his battle with Thor in Fear Itself #5, crashes in the Carpathian Mountains and is confronted by Dracula and his vampire army. The series also explores political relationships between Dracula and other breeds and sects of vampires, and introduces
17088-408: The USPTO. Felix is one of many who argue that the term "superhero" has become generic (see discussion below). Felix's mark is currently abandoned, but he has stated that he intends to fight against DC and Marvel for use of the term. In 2024, Superbabies Limited managed to obtain a default judgement and cancel the "super heroes" trademarks as genericized, except for the animation pictures mark. This
17266-540: The Vampire Slayer and Darna have a tremendous influence on popular culture in their respective countries of origin. With more and more anime , manga and tokusatsu being translated or adapted, Western audiences were beginning to experience the Japanese styles of superhero fiction more than they were able to before. Saban 's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers , an adaptation of Zyuranger , created
17444-529: The West as Astro Boy , was published. The series focused upon a robot boy built by a scientist to replace his deceased son. Being built from an incomplete robot originally intended for military purposes, Astro Boy possessed amazing powers such as flight through thrusters in his feet and the incredible mechanical strength of his limbs. The 1950s saw the Silver Age of Comics . During this era DC introduced
17622-512: The archetype include mythological characters such as Gilgamesh , Hanuman , Perseus , Odysseus , David , and demigods like Heracles , all of whom were blessed with extraordinary abilities, which later inspired the superpowers that became a fundamental aspect of modern-day superheroes. The distinct clothing and costumes of individuals from English folklore , like Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack , also became inspirations. The dark costume of
17800-419: The archetypical hero stock character in 1930s American comics, superheroes are predominantly depicted as White American middle- or upper-class young adult males and females who are typically tall, athletic, educated, physically attractive and in perfect health. Beginning in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States, and increasingly with the rising concern over political correctness in
17978-425: The close of the series with (vol. 3) #93 (Feb. 1998), Ketch apparently died. The following year, however, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #93 (July 1999) revealed Ketch was still alive. Nearly a decade later, Marvel published the long-completed final issue as Ghost Rider Finale (Jan. 2007), which reprints the last issue and the previously unpublished Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #94. During the 2011 storyline " Fear Itself ",
18156-413: The comic-strip characters Patoruzú (1928) and Popeye (1929) and novelist Philip Wylie 's character Hugo Danner (1930). Another early example was Sarutobi Sasuke , a Japanese superhero ninja from children's novels in the 1910s; by 1914, he had a number of superhuman powers and abilities. The French character L'Oiselle , created in 1909, can be classed as a superheroine. In August 1937, in
18334-456: The comics, the characters refer to this conflict as The Serpent's War . Although it is a company-wide crossover, it emphasizes Captain America and Thor, as with past crossovers of the late 2000s. Critics exhibited mixed reaction to the different books of the storyline, praising the art in general, but generally panned the writing, especially in the core miniseries, and reported that the title failed to sell through at shops, though greater praise
18512-534: The companies filed a trademark application as joint owners for the mark "SUPER HEROES" for a series of animated motion pictures in 2009 (Reg. No. 5613972). Both DC and Marvel also individually owned trademarks involving the "super hero" mark. Notably, DC owns the mark " Legion of Super-Heroes " for comic magazines and Marvel owns the mark "Marvel Super Hero Island" for story books, fiction books, and children’s activity books. DC and Marvel have become known for aggressively protecting their registered marks. In 2019,
18690-552: The companies pursued a British law student named Graham Jules who was attempting to publish a self-help book titled Business Zero to Superhero . Much academic debate exists about whether the "super hero" mark has become generic and whether DC and Marvel have created a duopoly over the "super hero" mark. Conversely, DC and Marvel hold that they are merely exercising their right and duty to protect their registered marks. The following trademarks were or are registered jointly with MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS: As mentioned,
18868-551: The death of Odin's son. Brevoort explained that all major characters are featured in the storyline, which involve a number of unconventional alliances, with even Marvel's version of Dracula participating in the event. Another god of fear, the adolescent Phobos , who is a member of the Secret Warriors , also appears in the series. Brevoort further explained that subtle hints of the storyline were planted well in advance, between approximately 15 months and two years prior to
19046-489: The deaths instrumental in helping set forth the Spirit of Vengeance. During the 19th century, an unnamed Ghost Rider was active during the American frontier . He targeted anyone who killed Native American women and children or who cut off their scalps. Deputy Kowalski was a normal cop in a small town until Ghost Rider rode in one day. It was then that Kowalski was kidnapped by a local cannibal who cut off his hand. Events transpired that led to Kowalski escaping and developing
19224-477: The debut of Shotaro Ishinomori 's Skull Man (the basis for his later Kamen Rider ) in 1970, Go Nagai's Devilman in 1972 and Gerry Conway and John Romita's Punisher in 1974. The dark Skull Man manga would later get a television adaptation and underwent drastic changes. The character was redesigned to resemble a grasshopper, becoming the renowned first masked hero of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider
19402-464: The different books of the "Fear Itself" crossover, praising the art in general, but generally panned the writing as "pedestrian, bordering on silly", and reported that the title failed to sell through at shops. Roman Colombo of Weekly Comic Book Review commented, " Fear Itself was a disaster. I don't see many people arguing that point–the most that can be said is that it had some amazing tie-ins", in particular Avengers Academy , Journey into Mystery and
19580-577: The dim-witted villain Walrus to find a bejeweled but otherwise ordinary hammer in order to convince him that he is one of the Worthy, in the hopes of subsequently defeating him publicly in order to bolster his reputation. His plan backfires when the hammer, which belongs to a group of werewolves called the Moon-Born, exhibits special properties under the full moon, which Walrus utilizes while battling Deadpool. Deadpool manages to trick Walrus into entering
19758-401: The end of the decade, in 1939, Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . During the 1940s there were many superheroes: The Flash , Green Lantern and Blue Beetle debuted in this era. This era saw the debut of one of the earliest female superheroes, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks 's character Fantomah , an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into
19936-634: The eponymous school fight convicts attempting to escape the Raft, and are later sent to Washington, D.C. to fight Skadi's forces. In Dubai , the faculty later battle Greithoth and Skirn, who subsequently attack the students at Infinite Avengers Mansion. In Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt , Captain Steve Rogers has Ritchie Gilmore/Prodigy assemble a new incarnation of the Avengers Initiative , in which includes members of The Cavalry ,
20114-428: The events of the storyline affect the ordinary citizens of the Marvel Universe, much as Civil War: Front Line and Siege: Embedded had previously done with the " Civil War " and " Siege " crossover storylines, respectively. The series follows Robbie Baldwin as he escapes an angry Stamford mob, and his confrontations with Kuurth, Nerkodd and a hate group founded by Sin called Sisters of Sin. The series also follows
20292-487: The exception of X-Factor . The Fear Itself prologue book, which was published in March 2011, features Captain America and Namor , and is produced by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scot Eaton . The main Fear Itself miniseries, which debuted the following month, is written by Matt Fraction, and features illustrated interiors by Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger and covers by Steve McNiven . Fear Itself #1
20470-454: The famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt , "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself", depicts the various superheroes of the Marvel Universe contending with the Serpent , an Asgardian fear deity who causes global panic on Earth, and who seeks to reclaim the throne of Asgard he contends was usurped by his brother, Odin , father to Thor , when the latter vanquished him ages ago. Within
20648-568: The first Wendigo . During the fight, the Rider took the bones of the dead that the Wendigo had killed and used them to form a weapon; the earliest version of the Ghost Rider's signature chain. The Rider fought the Wendigo until finally it and the Rider's woolly mammoth tumbled over a cliff. Afterwards, Ghost was approached by Odin and Lady Phoenix to join the prehistoric version of the Avengers. Upon imbuing his hellfire into another woolly mammoth,
20826-515: The first black superhero to star in his own series . In 1989, the Monica Rambeau incarnation of Captain Marvel was the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title in a special one-shot issue. In 1971, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1973, Shang-Chi became the first prominent Asian superhero to star in an American comic book ( Kato had been
21004-454: The first entity to commercialize the phrase "super hero" when it registered the mark in connection with Halloween costumes. In 1972, Mego Corporation , an American toy company, attempted to register the mark "World's Greatest Superheroes" in connection with its line of action figures. Mego Corporation’s attempted registration led Ben Cooper, Inc. to sue Mego Corporation for trademark infringement. Due to its financial struggles, Mego Corporation
21182-522: The first of these beings: Kuurth: Breaker of Stone; Nul: Breaker of Worlds; Skirn: Breaker of Men; and Nerkkod: Breaker of Oceans. Along with Skadi, the Worthy go on a rampage all over the Earth for the Serpent. Among their targets are Washington, D.C. and the New York City superhuman prison known as the Raft, from which a number of imprisoned superhumans escape. In the tie-in books, Grey Gargoyle ,
21360-401: The first time in this story arc by writer Jason Aaron and artist Tan Eng Huat. Daniel Ketch returns with a new mission: to collect the powers of all the Ghost Riders for the angel Zadkiel to prevent the corruption of the powers with their human hosts. Zadkiel has other motives he keeps to himself, for which he needs the powers of the riders to tear down the walls of New Jerusalem and wage war on
21538-446: The form of a snake, who tells him to say its name. Ghost does that and is bonded with a Spirit of Vengeance; after which he imbued his newly acquired hellfire into the mammoth. Other humans had never seen someone ride an animal before and began referring to Ghost as "the Rider". The Rider continued his search and five years later, eventually caught up with the man who devoured his tribe. The man transformed once more, revealing himself to be
21716-576: The future. The Mighty Thor #7 establishes the Serpent's origin story, revealing him to have been the sibling to Odin, Vili and Vi, who assumed the throne of Asgard following the death of their father, Bor, at the dawn of time, and whose rule was marked by madness and corruption. Odin sacrificed his right eye to receive wisdom from Yggdrasil, which prophesied that to heal his brother, Odin would have to sacrifice his son. The Invincible Iron Man follows Iron Man as he travels to Paris to confront Grey Gargoyle who, as Mokk: Breaker of Faith, has turned
21894-500: The heavens. A version of Ghost Rider appeared in the miniseries Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears #1–6 (April–Sept. 2007) by writer Garth Ennis and artist Clayton Crain . Set during the American Civil War , it finds Confederate officer Travis Parham avenging the murders of his friend, an ex-slave named Caleb and Caleb's family. Parham meets a horse-riding Ghost Rider who seeks the same men. Eventually, Parham learns about
22072-632: The help of Baron Zemo , retrieves the Book of the Skull that contains the location of the hammer. While Tony Stark holds a press conference announcing that his company, Stark Resilient , will help rebuild Asgard in Broxton, Oklahoma following the " Siege " storyline, the Sin finds the Hammer of Skadi, and after lifting it becomes Skadi, Herald of the Serpent. She then frees the Serpent from his underwater prison, after which seven celestial objects fall from
22250-479: The hypothetical heteronormative male audience. Villains, such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy , use their sexuality to take advantage of their male victims. In the film versions of these characters, their sexuality and seductive methods are highlighted. Poison Ivy uses seduction through poison to take over the minds of her victims as seen in the 1997 film Batman and Robin . Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad uses her sexuality to her advantage, acting in
22428-470: The idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity . Over the next few decades, masked and costumed pulp fiction characters such as Jimmie Dale/The Grey Seal (1914), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), and Flash Gordon (1934), and comic strip heroes such as the Phantom (1936), began appearing, as did non-costumed characters with super strength , including
22606-466: The introduction of Thor's tentative replacement, Tanarus , as well as the return of Thor himself from the dead. Fear Itself #7.3: Iron Man deals with Tony Stark's despair over the still-petrified population of Paris, his anger at Odin for not preventing it, and Odin's reaction to Stark's challenge, which Stark relates to the imprisoned Grey Gargoyle, who was responsible for the Parisians' fate as
22784-460: The investigation of an abandoned Thule Society headquarters by Jimmy Woo and the Agents of Atlas , Liz Allan 's encounter with bank robbers as she tries to escape New York City with her son, Cardiac 's attempt to help a health care industry CEO whose son has meningitis, Blue Marvel 's discovery of a submarine harboring antimatter samples off the coast of Kadesh , Mister Fear 's realization that
22962-516: The lack of a clear beginning, middle and end to its structure, inconsequential character deaths, and the lack of any change to the status quo. The overall storyline holds an average score of 7.4 out of 10 at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, with the core miniseries holding a 6.5, and the various tie-ins ranging from 4.3 to 7.9. "Fear Itself" began as a proposed Captain America/Thor crossover by Matt Fraction . The storyline
23140-409: The later tie-in issues of Uncanny X-Men . Mike Gold of ComicMix called the crossover "lightweight", criticizing the number of books involved in the crossover, its duration, and the lack of a clear beginning, middle and end to its structure. Gold found it endemic of "endless phony dull event stunts" that he had been criticizing for over a decade. Comic Shop News , in their 2011 Red K Awards, gave
23318-467: The latter, complete with a domino mask and a cape, became influential for the myriad of masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels . The vigilantes of the American Old West also became an influence to the superhero. Several vigilantes during this time period hid their identities using masks. In frontier communities where de jure law was not yet matured, people sometimes took
23496-606: The law into their own hands with makeshift masks made out of sacks . Vigilante mobs and gangs like the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers became infamous throughout that Old West era. Such masked vigilantism later inspired fictional masked crimefighters in American story-telling, beginning with the character Deadwood Dick in 1877. The word superhero dates back to 1899. The 1903 British play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized
23674-478: The likes of Batwoman in 1956, Supergirl , Miss Arrowette , and Bat-Girl ; all female derivatives of established male superheroes. In 1957 Japan, Shintoho produced the first film serial featuring the superhero character Super Giant , signaling a shift in Japanese popular culture towards tokusatsu masked superheroes over kaiju giant monsters. Along with Astro Boy , the Super Giant serials had
23852-764: The magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s." In 1971, Kamen Rider launched the "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the tokusatsu superhero genre in Japan. In 1972, the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime debuted, which built upon the superhero team idea of the live-action Phantom Agents as well as introducing different colors for team members and special vehicles to support them, said vehicles could also combine into
24030-470: The mark in connection with comic books, and were granted the mark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1981. In the years leading up to the assignment of the mark, both DC and Marvel battled to register various trademarks involving the phrase “superhero.” However, DC and Marvel quickly discovered that they could only register marks involving the phrase "superhero" if
24208-463: The marriage, Magdelena discovered Pastor Kale's dark secret; he was a servant of the dark lord Mephisto. To cover up Magdelena's findings, Pastor Kale accused her of witchcraft and had her burned at the stake. Knowing that his son, Noble, would object, he had him drugged, tortured and beaten in the church cellar. Just before Magdelena died, she used a curse to summon demons that avenge wronged women. The demons were called "Furies" and they started killing
24386-407: The miniseries, some of which may only be perceptible in hindsight. Brevoort and Alonso explained that although the story also ties into all of the company's other high-profile titles, and presents stakes as high as an " extinction-level event ", the story could be understood by those who choose to read only the core Fear Itself miniseries. The related titles include the X-Men family of books, with
24564-731: The mystic arts eventually led to her becoming the Sorcerer Supreme of her era. The Ghost Rider is a human who can transform into a skeletal superhuman wreathed in ethereal flame and given supernatural powers. The abnormal motorcycle he rides can travel faster than any conventional vehicle and perform impossible feats such as riding up a vertical surface, across water, and leaping across great distances that normal motorcycles cannot. The Ghost Riders are virtually indestructible and notoriously hard to injure by any conventional means, as bullets and knives usually pass through them without causing pain (knives are shown to melt while in their body). It
24742-432: The new Spider-Man after the apparent death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker . Kamala Khan , a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who is revealed to have Inhuman lineage after her shapeshifting powers manifested, takes on the identity of Ms. Marvel in 2014 after Carol Danvers had become Captain Marvel. Her self-titled comic book series became a cultural phenomenon, with extensive media coverage by CNN ,
24920-669: The other two are Ketch and Blaze (the Medallion itself was never explained in any true detail). He possesses powers more in line with those of the Zarathos version of Ghost Rider, although he also possesses the Penance Stare and his motorcycle seemed to share characteristics with the Noble Kale version. His appearance is distinguished by a deep purple skull, large fangs protruding from his upper jaw, and backswept curved horns on
25098-623: The pages of several popular superhero titles from the late 1950s onward: Hal Jordan 's love interest Carol Ferris was introduced as the Vice-President of Ferris Aircraft and later took over the company from her father; Medusa , who was first introduced in the Fantastic Four series, is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and a prominent statesperson within her people's quasi-feudal society; and Carol Danvers ,
25276-420: The past decade following the rise of comic book characters in the film industry (Marvel/DC movies). Women are presented differently than their male counterparts, typically wearing revealing clothing that showcases their curves and cleavage and showing a lot of skin in some cases. Heroes like Power Girl and Wonder Woman are portrayed wearing little clothing and showing cleavage. Power Girl is portrayed as wearing
25454-406: The phrase referenced their own company or a character associated with their company. As a result, DC and Marvel decided to become joint owners of the "superhero" trademark. Although many consumers likely see DC and Marvel as competitors, the two comic book publishing giants are allies when it comes to protecting the trademark "superhero" and variants thereof. Although joint ownership in a trademark
25632-440: The populace to stone. After Iron Man's rival Detroit Steel meets with the same fate, and Iron Man's armor and energy supply are compromised, Tony Stark uses Odin's Workshops of Svartalfheim to make weapons to fight the Worthy, as pro-Serpent forces conspire against him. In Paris, Rescue comes into conflict with Sasha Hammer and her team of Steelmechs, but both are confronted by Mokk as well. Mokk leaves Paris, however, when
25810-626: The population of Earth had already been killed by him, the Ghost Rider offered the dead planet to him in exchange for the chance of punishing the Mad Titan as his herald, which the Devourer of Worlds accepted. Bestowed with the Power Cosmic, Ghost Rider became Cosmic Ghost Rider. Zero Cochrane , who in the Marvel 2099 alternate timeline is a cybernetic take on the Spirit of Vengeance, is not
25988-419: The power of a god, but was still drawn to a much weaker, mortal male character. This can be explained by the sociological concept "feminine apologetic," which reinforces a woman's femininity to account for her masculine attributes (strength, individualism, toughness, aggressiveness, bravery). Women in comic books are considered to be misrepresented due to being created by men, for men. The Hawkeye Initiative
26166-583: The prehistoric Avengers in fighting the First Host. During the 11th century, a Native American chieftain from the Sioux nation named Hellhawk sported the powers of the Ghost Rider. He was part of Thor's Avengers of 1,000 A.D . During the 17th century, Hellhawk developed a rivalry with Noble Kane. He was later killed by Narcosis to serve as a warning to Mephisto by Belasco to keep his Spirits of Vengeance out of Limbo. Seven riders show their flaming heads for
26344-480: The prologue a "Great" rating of 8 out of 10, saying it set up the crossover storyline effectively. He also praised Brubaker's vibrant depiction of the characters and Scot Eaton 's artwork for effectively capturing character emotions. Chad Nevett, reviewing the Fear Itself: Book of the Skull for Comic Book Resources , opined that it felt like a drawn-out issue of Ed Brubaker 's Captain America , and
26522-520: The public, and policing unauthorized uses. However, misuse by the public alone does not necessarily cause a trademark to become generic if the primary significance of the term is still to indicate a particular source. Some legal experts argue that, like the once-trademarked terms "aspirin" and "yo-yo," the term "superhero" now primarily refers to a general type of character with extraordinary abilities, rather than characters originating from specific publishers. In keeping with their origins as representing
26700-535: The scar it bears. Fear Itself: #7.1: Captain America depicts Captain America dealing with the loss of Bucky, and reveals that Bucky in fact survived Skadi's attack as a result of being injected with the Infinity Formula. With the world believing him dead, Bucky returns to his former identity of Winter Soldier, performing special operations, developments to which only Steve Rogers, Nick Fury , and Black Widow are privy. Fear Itself #7.2: Thor sees
26878-416: The second volume of the series in issue #45, "What If Barbara Ketch Became Ghost Rider", Daniel Ketch 's sister Barbara becomes the Ghost Rider after Danny is killed in the graveyard . In this version, Barbara is more vicious and ruthless as Ghost Rider. Eventually, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man team up to try to stop her with the help of Johnny Blaze . Superhero A superhero or superheroine
27056-414: The sky around the globe. Learning of the Serpent's escape, Odin withdraws his people from Earth against the protests of his son Thor . The seven celestial objects are revealed to be divine hammers that contain the essences of the Serpent's seven generals known as the Worthy. Coming into contact with four of the hammers, the Juggernaut , the Hulk , Titania , and Attuma are respectively transformed into
27234-435: The superhero supergroups featured at least one (and often the only) female member, much like DC's flagship superhero team the Justice League of America (whose initial roster included Wonder Woman as the token female ); examples include the Fantastic Four 's Invisible Girl , the X-Men 's Jean Grey (originally known as Marvel Girl ), the Avengers ' Wasp , and the Brotherhood of Mutants ' Scarlet Witch (who later joined
27412-433: The team to Hel, for a price. In Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force , that team investigates a terrorist bombing, which leads them to a Christian fundamentalist cult named the Purifiers , whose leader, a former neurosurgeon named Jonathan Standish, sees the appearance of the Worthy as a sign that the Devil is on Earth, and blames superhumans for the global chaos. In Fear Itself: Wolverine , Wolverine infiltrates
27590-410: The term "SUPER HERO" trademark is at risk of becoming generic. Courts have noted that determining whether a term has become generic is a highly factual inquiry not suitable for resolution without considering evidence like dictionary definitions, media usage, and consumer surveys. Trademark owners can take steps to prevent genericide , such as using the trademark with the generic product name, educating
27768-511: The tie-in books, writer Brandon Montclare and artists Michael Kaluta and Ryan Bodenheim appeared at Midtown Comics Downtown on June 8, 2011, where they signed copies of the book. Writers Greg Pak , Fred Van Lente and editor Mark Paniccia later held a signing at the same store on June 18 for Alpha Flight #1, which is also part of the storyline. A 12-issue, biweekly spinoff miniseries of "Fear Itself" titled The Fearless , debuted October 19, 2011. The series, which depicts Captain America,
27946-497: The top of his skull. In his superhuman form, Badilino was called Vengeance , and originally attempted to kill the Ghost Rider, believing him to be Zarathos. Vengeance later became the ally of Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze. Vengeance also took on the role of the Ghost Rider and even semi-seriously referred to himself by that name when confronted by Spider-Man shortly after the apparent death of Ghost Rider in battle with Zarathos and acolytes The Fallen. Vengeance killed himself, along with
28124-416: The townspeople. Fearing death, Pastor Kale struck a deal with Mephisto. In return for his safety, Mephisto got Noble's soul. Mephisto realized that Noble was attached to a piece of the Medallion of Power and he activated the piece to transform Noble into the original "Spirit of Vengeance". When Ghost Rider had destroyed the Furies, Pastor offered him human flesh - Noble's son. Noble, in the guise of Ghost Rider,
28302-421: The two companies also own a variety of other superhero-related marks. For instance, DC owns "Legion of Super-Heroes" and " DC Super Hero Girls " and Marvel owns “Marvel Super Hero Island" and "Marvel Super Hero Adventures." DC and Marvel have garnered a reputation for zealously protecting their superhero marks. As noted above, one of these instances included a man by the name of Graham Jules, who sought to publish
28480-448: The uninfected; he then appears briefly in "Marvel Zombies" at the point in which the zombie heroes of New York are making their assault on the Silver Surfer. He later appears in Marvel Zombies 3 as an infected while chasing Machine Man and is then easily decapitated. During the original " Old Man Logan " story arc that took place on Earth-807128, there is a scavenging biker gang called the Ghost Riders where they ride their versions of
28658-400: The universe, Frank Castle 's early life was seemingly similar to that of the Frank Castle of Earth-616 . However, when Thanos came to Earth, the Punisher was one of the last casualties during the last stand of the heroes and his soul was subsequently sent to Hell. Willing to give anything to punish Thanos for slaughtering his planet, the Punisher signed a demonic deal with Mephisto and became
28836-485: The use of a portion that quote as part of the soundtrack of the trailer presented during the Midtown press conference. The story's antagonist is the Serpent , an Asgardian being who sows doubt and fear among the superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe , as illustrated by early promotional images for the event, which depict Spider-Man , Hulk , Captain America , Cyclops , Thor , and Iron Man coming face to face with their worst nightmares. During this conflict, which
29014-419: The villain Hellgate, by triggering a massive explosion through his Hellfire, the source of the mystical flames that encompass the bones of both Vengeance and Ghost Rider. Vengeance reappears in the last four issues of Ghost Rider (vol. 3), involved in Blackheart 's plans to kill Noble Kale. Vengeance aids the Ghost Rider in the ensuing battle, destroying Blackheart and ruling Hell during Ketch's absences. In
29192-498: The weakest member of her team a decade ago. Both major American publishers began introducing new superheroines with a more distinct feminist theme as part of their origin stories or character development. Examples include Big Barda , Power Girl , and the Huntress by DC comics; and from Marvel, the second Black Widow , Shanna the She-Devil , and The Cat . Female supporting characters who were successful professionals or hold positions of authority in their own right also debuted in
29370-439: The webslinger attempts to deal with the rampant paranoia that grips Manhattan, which includes, in addition to his own hallucinations, attempted suicides, hate crimes, no cell phone service and satellite activity, an attack by Vermin , a foreclosed homeowner holding people hostage in St. Mark's Church , a woman in labor in need of a hospital and an attack by the Thing , who has been turned into Angrir. In Fear Itself: FF ,
29548-418: The windowless basement of a sheriff's office where the hammer becomes powerless, and where Deadpool can take advantage of the sheriff's weapon's cache. Fear Itself: The Fearless pits Sin and Valkyrie against one another as they compete to find the hammers of the Worthy that fell to Earth at the end of the main miniseries. Critics exhibited mixed reaction to the work of the individual creators involved in
29726-429: The world, after which Thor collapses from exhaustion. Iron Man requests from Odin the use of his workshop to make weapons to fight the Worthy. Skadi and the Serpent easily repel resistance by Captain America and the Avengers , breaking Captain America's shield and devastating New York City. As Thor convalesces in Asgard, Odin gives him his own battle armor and the Odinsword, Ragnarok, for a last suicide mission against
29904-403: Was also established as an ancestor of Jennifer Kale . Due to the Celestial Progenitor presence influencing human evolution, in 1,000,000 B.C., certain humans became much more intelligent than others as well as able to speak a new language. However, they had to hide that gift from their brethren for fear of being ostracized. One day, a boy that was gifted with the ability to speak is approached by
30082-421: Was caught between the machine and was placed in a comatose state. While in a coma, the Amazing Spider's soul arrived in Hell where Bruce Banner's Sorcerer Supreme counterpart died fighting the Infernal Hulk. Though Bruce's astral form stayed alive and helped return the Amazing Spider to life with the souls of the repentant damned which gave him a second chance to live. When he awoke, he found himself transformed into
30260-477: Was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada , Vice President Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and Vice President and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso in a December 21, 2010 press conference at Midtown Comics Times Square . Quesada explained that like the 2006 storyline " Civil War ", the storyline of "Fear Itself" was inspired by the real world, in particular the perceived malaise and fear evoked by late 2000s events such as terror alerts, oil spills ,
30438-403: Was given to some of the tie-in books, with one critic summarizing, " Fear Itself was a disaster. I don't see many people arguing that point—the most that can be said is that it had some amazing tie-ins", in particular Avengers Academy , Journey into Mystery and the later tie-in issues of Uncanny X-Men . Criticism was also directed to the number of books involved in the crossover, its duration,
30616-494: Was in All Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941), published by All-American Publications , one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics in 1944. Pérák was an urban legend originating from the city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II . In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as the only Czech superhero in film and comics. In 1952, Osamu Tezuka 's manga Tetsuwan Atom , more popularly known in
30794-400: Was partnered with The Orb and was to stop Blaze and Ketch from reaching a monastery which contained a gateway to Heaven . Kowalski was easily defeated by both Ghost Riders and was left as a pet with the monastery's Mother Superior. Vengeance was later freed by the Shadow Council and joins the ninth incarnation of the Masters of Evil . In an alternate reality where Thanos conquered all
30972-506: Was the previous Ghost Rider. The next Ghost Rider, a young man named Daniel " Danny " Ketch (Johnny Blaze's long-lost younger brother), debuted in Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #1 (May 1990). This Ghost Rider was nearly identical to the previous, although his costume was now a black leather biker jacket with spiked shoulder-pads, grey leather pants, and a mystic chain he wore across his chest, which responded to his mental commands and served as his primary melee weapon. His new motorcycle resembled
31150-426: Was then revived by Zarathos, half-sister of Bast and offered to him powers in exchange of eating the souls of sinners. At first, he was reluctant. When battling his father's killers, he accepted the offer and became Ghost Panther and battled Erik Killraven (fusion of Erik Killmonger and Killraven ) while riding a burning black panther . Ghost Rider is seen in Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1 (May 2007) as one of
31328-404: Was unexpected as Marvel and DC had filed a motion to extend time to answer. There is an ongoing debate among legal scholars and in the courts about whether the term "superhero" has become genericized due to its widespread use in popular culture, similar to terms like "aspirin" or "escalator" which lost their trademark protection and became generic terms for their respective products. Some argue
31506-467: Was unwilling to defend itself against Ben Cooper Inc.'s suit. As a result, in 1977, Mego Corporation jointly assigned its interest in the trademark to DC Comics , Inc. ("DC") and Marvel Comics ("Marvel"). Due to the financial prowess of DC and Marvel, Ben Cooper, Inc. decided to withdraw its trademark opposition and jointly assigned its interest in the "World's Greatest Super Heroes" mark to DC and Marvel. Two years later in 1979, DC and Marvel applied for
31684-451: Was unwilling to eat his own child and he killed himself. When Mephisto later appeared to claim Noble's soul, Mephisto's brother, the archangel Uriel, appeared and demanded that the soul of Noble Kale be spared. No agreement could be reached, and therefore a compromise was made whereby Noble's soul could not be claimed by either realm; but instead, his soul would remain in the void until re-bonded with certain members of his family. Noble Kale
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