Year: 1986
Major Events:
- Frog Thor!
- Secret Wars II crosses into every Marvel series, and Mutant Massacre hits a whole bunch too
- The New Universe is launched, starting up a half-dozen new titles.
- Weddings: Betty Ross and Bruce Banner; Namor and Marrina; Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters (who is really a skrull).
- Punisher becomes a headlining character
- Major runs begin by Ann Nocenti (Daredevil) and Louise Simonson (X-Factor), and Frank Miller returns briefly to write the best Daredevil story of all time.
- Beast loses his fur.
- Major runs end by John Byrne (Hulk, F4) and Roger Stern (Doctor Strange).
- The Power Pack kids switch powers among themselves
- Series cancellation: Cloak and Dagger, Power Man and Iron Fist, The Defenders, Micronauts, Thing, Howard the Duck, Doctor Strange, Dazzler.
Important Deaths: MODOK, Beyonder (kind of), Death Adder, Scourge, Porcupine, Arnim Zola, Blizzard, Valkyrie, Manslaughter, Moondragon, Gargoyle, and Space Phantom.
Best New Series: Elektra: Assassin (miniseries); Classic X-Men (reprints with original back-up material).
Top 20 New Characters: Not a great year for new characters, but look how many females made my favorites!
- Apocalypse
- Psylocke
- Vindicator (was Heather Hudson)
- Deathstrike (was Yuriko)
- Firestar (joins the 616 Universe)
- Justice Peace and the Time Variance Authority
- Nuke
- Star Brand
- Scarlet Witch and Vision’s twin babies
- Dakota North
- Council of Kangs
- Jubilee
- X-Babies
- The Death Throws gang of jugglers
- Artie Maddicks
- Ms. Marvel II (Sharon Ventura takes the name
- Rusty Collins
- Cameron Hodge
- Kara “Purple Girl” Killgrave
- Yellow Jacket II
Top 10 Stories
- Daredevil #227-233
- Doctor Strange #66
- Thor #364-366
- Daredevil: Love and War (Graphic Novel)
- Punisher: Circle of Blood (miniseries)
- Classic X-Men #4
- Avengers #273-277
- Iron Man #205
- Classic X-Men #1
- Avengers #266
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #125 (1986): Series ends
The death of Iron Fist was only part of what made this issue great.