As we know, Marvel has been alive and kicking for 70 years now. In the entertainment world, that's a hell of a long time. In those 70 years, Marvel as a company has given us many great character moments and storylines that have made us come back for more, time after time. Of course, they've also done things that have made fanboys swear to never pick up a Marvel branded book again (Brand New Day, anyone?), but luckily, comic book fans are a cowardly lot and almost always eat their words with the next big awe-inspiring event the publisher dishes out.

We're here to celebrate Marvel and their contribution to comics, in regards to the characters themselves, but also - and more importantly - their advancement of the medium we all so graciously adore, Wednesday after Wednesday. Happy 70th Marvel, and though we may not have always been on loving terms, I'll be damned if I don't think of you as family. 

10. Captain America Kicks It

 

Nearly every major superhero has "died" at one time or another, and as convoluted and, for lack of a better term, "comic-booky" their deaths and subsequent returns are, the general public is still endlessly fascinated by the fictional deaths of literary icons. Before the death of Cap, the most hyped death and return story was Superman's in the early 1990's, which wound up being a catalyst for the 90's comic boom.

However, Captain America, who may not be in the same tier of American symbolism as Superman (ironic, considering Superman isn't human), nonetheless proved a superhero death could still be impactful even when readers knew he'd be returning at some time or another. What made it such a success isn't so much in the event itself as it was the lead up. Following Civil War, Cap was essentially made an enemy of the state by his former ally Iron Man, and what followed was pretty much a fall from grace for Steve Rogers in the eyes of the American public.

For such a patriotic old soul who had literally given his body to his country, to be shot while in the custody of his own government for treason, is a tragically ironic end. Of course, thanks to his death, Bucky Barnes got to take center stage for a while and brand new stories got to be told. And don't worry, good ol' boy Steve Rogers is on his way back as you read this.