5 Mature Marvel Stories That Got A Little Too Explicit

The “Ruins” two-part comic, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Terese & Cliff Nielson, Chris Moell, and Jonathan Babcock, is a satirical take on the classic “Marvels” miniseries by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. Like “Marvels,” the 1995 series shows readers the Marvel Universe as seen through the eyes of Daily Bugle reporter Phil Sheldon. However, “Ruins” takes Phil’s story in a significantly darker direction, showcasing a world where pretty much everything goes wrong, often in disgusting ways, for its greatest heroes.

In “Ruins,” heroes and villains alike suffer horrible fates upon gaining their powers. Wolverine’s flesh begins to fall off his body due to his Adamantium bones being toxic. Bruce Banner becomes a disgusting version of the Hulk after being hit with a gamma radiation blast, transforming him into a horrifying monster filled with tumors and masses. Even Peter Parker, who became Marvel’s most famous and beloved superhero after getting bit by a radioactive spider, suffers. Instead of becoming Spider-Man, the bite gives him a virus that turns his body into a giant, infectious, cancerous rash that ultimately infects and kills Phil. There is so much death and destruction in “Ruins,” that not a single character ends up with a happy ending — on the contrary, everyone has a miserable existence.

“Ruins” is one of the grossest, hardest-to-look-at Marvel comics ever published. It’s disgusting, edgy, and horrifying. It takes what readers love about the publisher’s iconic characters and puts their powers and origins through a nightmarish blender. This was, of course, Ellis’ entire intention, and there’s little doubt he succeeded in creating a Marvel Universe where gaining abilities is a curse, not a blessing.

The “Ruins” two-part comic, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Terese & Cliff Nielson, Chris Moell, and Jonathan Babcock, is a satirical take on the classic “Marvels” miniseries by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. Like “Marvels,” the 1995 series shows readers the Marvel Universe as seen through the eyes of Daily Bugle reporter Phil Sheldon. However, “Ruins” takes Phil’s story in a significantly darker direction, showcasing a world where pretty much everything goes wrong, often in disgusting ways, for its greatest heroes.

In “Ruins,” heroes and villains alike suffer horrible fates upon gaining their powers. Wolverine’s flesh begins to fall off his body due to his Adamantium bones being toxic. Bruce Banner becomes a disgusting version of the Hulk after being hit with a gamma radiation blast, transforming him into a horrifying monster filled with tumors and masses. Even Peter Parker, who became Marvel’s most famous and beloved superhero after getting bit by a radioactive spider, suffers. Instead of becoming Spider-Man, the bite gives him a virus that turns his body into a giant, infectious, cancerous rash that ultimately infects and kills Phil. There is so much death and destruction in “Ruins,” that not a single character ends up with a happy ending — on the contrary, everyone has a miserable existence.

“Ruins” is one of the grossest, hardest-to-look-at Marvel comics ever published. It’s disgusting, edgy, and horrifying. It takes what readers love about the publisher’s iconic characters and puts their powers and origins through a nightmarish blender. This was, of course, Ellis’ entire intention, and there’s little doubt he succeeded in creating a Marvel Universe where gaining abilities is a curse, not a blessing.