In light of Marvel's recent announcement of The Heroic Age, a new direction for the Marvel Universe in which hope and optimism reign true, I thought it was high time to take a look back on the darkest, most depressing moments in the history of Marvel Comics.
That said, just because something is depressing doesn't mean it's not good; in fact, the opposite. Depressingly rough patches for characters always seem the most prevalent in terms interesting storytelling, and that's the case with a lot of these choices. Of course, some choices are a bit... outside the box.
As always, agree or disagree, let us know!
10. Gertrude Yorkes Dies
As youth-oriented as it is, Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways dealt with a lot of adult themes. Aside from having to deal with the fact that their parents were supervillains, the Runaways teams had to learn how to adjust to life on their own, and for the older members, be a surrogate parent.
Gert's death was the first to hit the team (discounting one of the traitorous original members), and it came at a time that would hit them hardest, particularly her boyfriend Chase. Though her death inspired Chase to step up and be the leader he should be (for a time, anyway), these were characters built from the ground up by Vaughan with his unchallenged knack for building original characters with a solid foundation and depth, and losing one of them was saddening.
Plus, she had a telepathic link to a genetically produced Raptor named Old Lace. If that's not a selling point, I don't know what is.
