The Atlantic

How Marvel Is Rewriting Its World Order

Ahead of <em>Avengers: Infinity War</em>, the extended cinematic universe has been sweeping away its status quo—and questioning the very nature of superheroism.
Source: Disney / Marvel Studios

In 1986, the famed comic-book creator Frank Miller wrote a seven-part story for Daredevil called “Born Again,” a dark tale of betrayal and redemption that helped usher in the gritty modern age of the medium. Though Miller’s recent turn toward more extreme politics in his work has alienated many fans, his influence in the mid-’80s was crucial to the evolution of mainstream comics. Near the end of “Born Again,” Daredevil, the costumed protector of Hell’s Kitchen, fights a villain named Nuke, whose powers are cataclysmic enough that more epic heroes have to get involved: , represented by their best-known members, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

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