Over its many decades,Marvel Comicshas endured iits fair share of controversy and scandal. While most of the publisher’s slip-ups have happened on the comic book page, very few remember (or simply wish to forget)the surprising amount of controversial cover art. Whether the covers in questions are outdated, problematic, or simply offensive in hindsight, these shocking decisions prove that sometimes, it actually is okay to judge a book by its cover.
Thebest and brightest of Marvel cover artistsmay not have intended to cement their names in infamy, but art tells its own story, and even iconic artists have been felled by their own prejudice-infected creations. Sometimes it’s a relatively innocuous decision that should have been caught by a second set of eyes, other times readers are left to wonder how Marvel’s leadership could ever approve the comic’s release. Fortunately, most Marvel comic book cover art is purely fun, enticing, and entertaining… butthese shockingly controversial Marvel Comic covers are still hard to look at.
1She-Hulk #6 - Starfox On Trial
While thisteasing look from She-Hulkand the Inhuman Starfox may seem innocently playful at first glance, what lies beyond the comic cover is what lends to the most pause. Among many varied superpowers, Starfox can stimulate the “pleasure centers” of the brains of anyone within his general proximity. The Inhuman has frequentlyused this power to sedate and seduce numerous women,some of whom were never fully willing participants in their sensual affairs. Eventually, the hero’s actions caught back up when he was criminally tried for assault against married women.
Jennifer Walters, aka the She-Hulk, originally took Starfox on as a client until even she became worried she had become a victim of his powers. Given the seriousness of what was at stake, the issue’s cover art is in incredibly poor taste.She-Hulk draping herself over an accused sexual predatorwhile he gives a coy wink and thumbs up completely overshadows the severity of the comic’s story. While the issue itself is more known for the story’s controversy, this cover art shouldn’t have sensationalized the seriousness of Starfox’s alleged crime.
2Mighty Thor #700 - The Stan Lee “DNA Hand Stamp” Variant
Jason Aaron, Walter Simonson, Russell Dauterman, Daniel Acuna, Matthew Wilson, Dave Stewart
This issue’s controversy actually has nothing to do with the cover art, but the actual cover itself. In addition toRise of the Black Panther #1(2018),the first prints of this specialized cover ofThor #700werestamped with Stan Lee’s signatureusing ink containing the prolific comic writer’s blood. While the concept is certainly unique, this publicity move became far more sinister afterthe abuse and manipulation of Lee by those close to himcame to light.
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Only a few months after the comics’ release, various pop-culture news outlets reported that an ex-colleague of Stan Lee, from the writer’s for-profit charity “Hands of Respect,” had been swindling the comic book creator of thousands of dollars. According to the ensuing reports, this same individual hadforged numerous false medical documents to illegally draw Lee’s bloodfor the project. Following the news break, most of the few publicly available comic issues were withdrawn from stores to support the aging icon’s safety and legacy.
3NFL SuperPro #6 - A Marvel Crossover Nightmare
Buzz Dixon, Jose Delbo, Mike DeCarlo, Evelyn Stein, Rob Tokar, Ron Frenz, & Joe Sinnott
TheNFL SuperProseries is one ofMarvel’s most notoriously awful cash-grab opportunities.This limited-run series featured an NFL player-turned-superhero and his generic battle for sports-themed justice. This particular issue featured a storyline where NFL SuperPro faced off against a band of ice-skating criminals that only an American football superstar could defeat. However, these acrobatic bandits were nothing short of an insensitive mockery of the Hopi, a Native American tribe with historical roots in Central America and modern Arizona.
The villains featured in the story each depicted an overly simplified exaggeration of sacred Hopi icons. These ice-skating fiends were considered deeply offensive as theymisrepresented the Hopi people and culture as nonsensically violent.In response to the release of the comic,the Hopi Tribal Council demanded that Marvel immediately recall the issue completely. While Marvel did comply with the tribe’s demands, thousands of issues remained in circulation following the company’s official recall. Frankly, everything about theNFL SuperProseries was a crime to begin with, so it’s not surprising that this half-baked concept turned into a full-blown catastrophe.
4Spider-Woman #1 - The Milo Manara Variant
Dennis Hallum, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D’Armata, Marry Hollowell, Milo Manara
It is a deeply unfortunate truth that men and women do not get equal representation in most comics. The comic book industry has traditionally been a male-dominated field, and because of that, comics have often suffered from the oversaturation of the “male gaze,” frequently placing women in overtly suggestive poses or sexualized poses by default. But thisSpider-Womanvariant cover activated even casual critics, receiving harsh criticism upon its release for havingplaced Jessica Drew in an obviously suggestive posemeant only to accentuate the heroine’s body.
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While this is not the only piece of comic art that places a well-respected female character in a hyper-sexualized pose, it helped kick offa new movement of fan artists who sought to call out these problematic habits.Artists across the internet began redesigning other sexualized comic covers with male heroes to highlight how ridiculous the “male gaze” had become in women’s representation in art and media. While there was a strong push to have this variant cover recalled, Marvel only updated the cover with an added title (seen above) and an apology for the “mixed message” it sent to fans.
5The Sensational She-Hulk #40 - Because “You Demanded It”
John Byrne, Glynis Oliver
Unfortunately, She-Hulk has often been an easy character for artists to play for a sexy laugh. Jennifer Walters is one of Marvel’s more sexually outspoken characters and has long been known to be a frequent flirt. However, there is a scarily thin line between allowing She-Hulk to be her sensually free self, and using the hero to push the lines of feminine discomfort. Dozens ofShe-Hulk’s earlier comicsoften put the fourth-wall-breaking hero into provocative situations whereWalters was left pleading with the artist or readerto allow her to return to her heroics.
On the cover ofThe Sensational She-Hulk #40,Jennifer Walters is left with nothing but the Comics Code Authority’s stamp of approval to cover her naked body. As the Marvel hero struggles to hide behind the piece of paper, writer and artist John Byrne’s hand offers her a jump rope to use because “we’ve got twenty-two pages to fill.” Shockingly enough, the first few following pagesdepicted She-Hulk indeed jump-roping naked as per the demand of the comic’s writer.Issues like these do little more than belittle Jennifer Walters as if she were nothing more than a green sex symbol.
6Heroes for Hire #13 - The Cover We Still Can’t Believe Exists
Another entry that received major backlash for its crude and suggestive tones, this cover art was quickly slammed for its apparent likeness to a particular type of Japanese adult artwork known for featuring sexualized tentacles. Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and Black Cat are depicted with their costumes bursting open, revealing as much of the characters’ cleavage and bodies as Marvel would possibly have allowed. However, it’s the characters’ obvious fear of their predicament thatmakes this Sana Takeda art more than typical comic exploitation.
The heroes are trapped and bound as tentacled alien forces involuntarily remove the women’s clothing. Misty Knight has already been harmed by her extra-terrestrial captor, as all three women recoil in fear of the creature’s touch. In any other context, this may have been fine in the artist’s “private” collection, but it probably should have beenquestioned by Marvelbefore the issue went to print.
7Squadron Supreme TPB (1997)
Written by Mark Guenwald; Cover Art by Alex Ross
This uniquely macabrepiece of Marvel controversyisn’t limited to the cover art, but unsettlingly applies to the entire first printing of theSquadron Supremetrade paperback. When the series’ writer Mark Gruenwald passed away, as part of his dying wishes,Gruenwald requested that his ashes be mixed with the ink for the trade’s first printing.While poetic to think Gruenwald can rest within his life’s work, not every comic reader felt the same way after they first pulled a dead man’s ashes from local comic shops.
Gruenwald is far from the only person to have mixed his DNA with his work, let alone on this list, but that doesn’t mean this practice needs to become a common one. In the trade paperback’s foreword, Gruenwald’s widow left a note joking that her husband “threw himself into his work”and that it was an honor to be able to merge the creator with his most prized creation. Admittedly, the concept is admirable and oddly heartwarming, even if it is absurdly macabre.
8X-Statix #15 - The Princess Diana Cover
Peter Milligan, Mike Allred, J. Bone, Laura Allred
X-Statixwas intended to be a satirical comedy series to playfully mockmost other X-Men comics. Most of the team’s powers were countered by horrific drawbacks which the series often played off for laughs. However, it’s not the acid-barfing and super-sensitive heroes that garnered controversy, but the inclusion of the late Princess Diana. Only six years after the prolific royalty’s tragic death,Princess Diana was officially recognized as a Marvel mutant.
In the original story, Princess Diana had returned to life as a ghost and was to serve alongside X-Statix as a leading member. While the series itself is an intentionally satirical one, not everyone was as pleased when the deceased pop-culture icon appeared posthumously alongside Marvel’s other odd mutant heroes. Controversy soon began, andMarvel quickly replaced Diana with an entirely new character.Fortunately, Marvel has since avoided the use of a deceased person’s likeness without any attempt to seek approval from the family.
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9Marville #1-7 - A Naked Marketing Gimmick
Bill Jemas, Mark Bright, Paul Neary, Rodney Ramos, Greg Horn
Even without this comic’s cover art as evidence,Marvilleis critically noted as one of Marvel’s worst series of all time.In 2002, Marvel Comics’ vice president, Bill Jemas, made a bet with writer Peter David to see who could create the best comic. Bill Jemas’sMarvilleseries was advertised as a satirical play on the comic book industry’s most frequent tropes. However, most of the series’ stories featured low-quality, nonsensical plots, that often intended to garner shock value simply for the sake of being talked about.
To be honest, after reading even a single page of this series, it becomes clear what the real purpose of theMarvilleseries actually was. Every issue’s cover art features a mostly-naked red-headed woman who has nothing to do with the series' plot. Realistically, it’s safe to assume Jemas knew decorating the covers to entice curiosity would be one of its biggest appeals, but at the end of the day,all it becomes is an exploitative gimmick to make up for its writing.
10Amazing Spider-Man #601 - The Immortal Mary Jane Cover
Mark Waid, Mario Alberti, Andres Mossa, J. Scott Campbell
As proof that not every controversial piece of artwork is best forgotten, the cover art depicting Mary Jane ‘left behind’ as Peter Parker swings into action might actually be artist J. Scott Campbell’s most famous, infamous, or in any case, discussed. Embodying almost all previously mentioned aspects of the ‘male gaze,’ Mary Jane’s cleavage, midriff, posture, and expression are far from the most offensive on their own… but together,this image of Mary Jane went on to become one of the most discussed, debated, referenced, and even reimagined.
The cover art forAmazing Spider-Man#601 isn’t going to be forgotten, as it remains one of the most actively referenced, both outside of and among Marvel Comics creatives. Artists have paid tribute to the image withdifferent explanations for Mary Jane’s odd posture, fans have taken it upon themselves to ‘fix’ Watson’s appearance, and J. Scott Campbell evenrecreated the cover with a ‘married life’ spinfor Marvel’s newUltimate Spider-Mancomic series. Further proving that for some controversies, the story has yet to be finished.
