5 Characters You Had No Idea Were In The Marvel Universe

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5 Characters You Had No Idea Were In The Marvel Universe

When we think of Marvel, we typically think of characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and that mumbly guy with the bow and arrow. But Marvel comics have a long, expansive history, and sometimes featured iconic characters you wouldn't expect, from the Star Wars gang to ALF. While they may not have pitched in during Infinity War, there have been Marvel comics featuring the likes of ...

Godzilla Fought The Avengers, Got Yelled At By J. Jonah Jameson

Godzilla is the iconic Japanese monster who hates tall buildings and legendary basketball players in equal measure. Long before he was battling Ferris Bueller and ... whoever starred in that 2014 remake we already forgot about, Godzilla was similarly repurposed for an American audience in Marvel Comics' Godzilla: King Of The Monsters.

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Marvel Comics
It seems monsters have yet to discover democracy.

This wasn't just a one-off movie adaptation. Godzilla got his own series -- and, insanely, it was actually part of the Marvel Universe's continuity. Nick Fury is in the first issue, complaining about the drudgery of combating giant fire-breathing lizards.

IN THE FLYING HEADQUARTERS OF AMERICA'S SUPER- SPY ORGANIZATON. S.HLE.L.D... WE GOTTA CHECK OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OREGON. NICHOLAS. DUM DUM IF THAT B
Marvel Comics
This was before he lost his hair and pulled a reverse Michael Jackson.

Because Marvel didn't pay Japan's Toho Studios for the rights to other monster characters, the writers were forced to invent new creatures for Godzilla to tussle with. So instead of, say, Mothra, Godzilla squares off against bizarre creatures seemingly birthed from Hunter S. Thompson's nightmares.

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Marvel Comics
Look at his face. Even Godzilla's like, "The hell am I looking at here?"

Or, because coming up with monsters can be a pain in the ass, they often just pitted him against classic Marvel characters, such as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. For instance, here's Thor trying to stop Godzilla from straight-up humping the Empire State Building:

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Marvel Comics
They're cleaning sticky stuff from the 13th floor to this day.

Spider-Man even made an appearance, realizing that he probably should have pitched in to help fight that giant murder-dragon that's been rampaging across town. Hell, J. Jonah Jameson does more than Spidey, leaning out his office window and giving Godzilla a dose of angry old man sass.

AIA. RIAT WELL. SPLAK up GYACD IT GO0ZNTA- IN THE MIDOLE OF TOWN! MAN H I THE WIMOOWP THI 1S THE RIGOST STORY WAT DID OU SEE OP ALL TIMEY WHYARENT OLT
Marvel Comics
Nothing infuriates Godzilla more than bad grammar.

After 24 issues, Toho asked Marvel for a "large license increase," and rather than pay up, Marvel scrapped the series. They then brought back a new "mutated" dinosaur character who decidedly wasn't Godzilla. After all, he looked slightly different and no one referred to him by name.

1741 WL you AT WMAT TS T2 DO YoU LAST toon AT ME 660 SOMMTHING MODE WHEN weoe TALK INTERTINO aN ME IN 72 OUT OVER TH ATER9 IM 30KNC BEN
Marvel Comics
"Look out! It's, uh … Satanzilla?"

Conan The Barbarian Stabbed Captain America And Got De-Handed By Wolverine

Before he was a future governor in a fur diaper, Conan the Barbarian was a Marvel character. Based on the 1930s pulp stories by Robert E. Howard, Conan first graced the pages of Marvel in 1970. He proved so popular that Marvel created a second Conan series, for readers mature enough to handle beheadings and women with upper thigh fetishes.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN SAVAGE STARRING IN MAY TALE S THIS 50 PURLICATION IS RATED E M KA-ZAR FOH YHE MATUIRE READER! KILLS! BEWARE THE COMING THE OF SIST
Marvel Comics
"The Coming of the Man-Thing" alone justifies the "mature readers" warning.

Since Conan's stories are set in a fictional ancient time, having him cross paths with classic Marvel characters proved difficult ... but not impossible. Thanks to Marvel's wacky What If series, writers could throw continuity to the wind and have Conan cross paths with, say, Thor. So basically himself, only blonde and with more clothes.

TL E HAVE AAT 1 TORNTHIAN JNCKALGT TE NOTHING PLiMMELEO THEE THATOAC OfF NGAINST YOUR TO OUISTI KINOA
Marvel Comics
They then team up to find whoever stole Conan's nipples.

In one What If comic, Wolverine travels back in time to the Hyborian Age and slices Conan's hand off. Surprisingly, the issue was not called "What if Wolverine Cut Conan's Friggin' Hand Off, Holy Crap?!"

CONAN ADAINE AAAN yreM X AC Y ARUOITY DOPDOTOO 5 T TTANT SSAON CROM Y OMOEL Y 7O AA JE ta TT
Marvel Comics
"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I do that all the time in the regular comics and it only leaves scratch marks!"

Bizarrely, Wolverine then stays in the past, hooks up with Red Sonja, and becomes a king, presumably because it was time for whoever wrote this to have dinner.

141- u I WOoM MEevan ONE l v oe y w -E
Marvel Comics
He then becomes obscenely rich thanks to a revolutionary invention called "pants."

Even stranger is an issue called "What If Conan Were Stranded in the 20th Century?" in which Conan is thrown into the future and immediately makes a beeline for the nearest red light district. Things somehow get even goddamn weirder when Conan tries to impress a lady friend by dressing like a pimp ... which isn't as effective a strategy as you might think.

CONANEE IN THE FLEGH. CONAN- WHAT WELL THINGSGOOT TOAICHEENEO IS THAT yO DANETTG CANT NADDNO TO OUT WETH TH PoLIC ATER THEY COME IN ? YOUS HALILD N AI
Marvel Comics
"Who's Conan? Name's C-Money, baby."

Naturally, all of this leads to Conan stabbing Captain America.

ALL RIGH. Ic yOU I'LL BE GLAD TO INSIGT ON PLAVINGTE TEACL ouA LESSON SWASHBLICKLER- VOL WON TSOON FORGER A RUTINTHENAzEOE NATAMAN AAATE--UTA The ALLD
Marvel Comics
"Argh! If only I had something to shield myself with!"

While Marvel lost the rights to the character in 2000, it was recently announced that Conan will be coming back to the publisher, thus paving the way for Spider-Man to hang out with a hulking bodybuilder dressed like Huggy Bear.

The Star Trek Crew Met The X-Men, Fought Dracula

After a bumpy (and surprisingly genocidal) start in comics, Star Trek moved to Marvel, beginning with an adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This meant that subsequent comics only had the rights to stuff from that one movie, not the iconic TV series everyone liked. So instead of battling Khan or wrangling Tribbles, the first original story found Kirk and Spock meeting Count Dracula.

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Marvel Comics
Not even Space Dracula. Just regular Dracula.

The following issues weren't any less wacky, such as the one featuring a planet populated by crossbow-wielding garden gnomes:

DEY... DEY'UO CAOTAIN.. AV STRANGE EEN OVIN OFF. TANK IN RE AL F0S KEOTIN yOU... L REAL NIOEVER WE R. BAL A4 YOU QAIN ANO LINCED AE NO GTE BY THESE NE
Marvel Comics
"Captain, I do believe the acid we took has kicked in."

Or this issue, which as far as we can tell is about the ghost of Spock convincing McCoy to shoot a woman wearing an evening gown in the back (with a cover by Frank Miller!):

SHOOT THE GIRL.. OR THE ENTERPRISE DIES! BONES. NO.
Marvel Comics
"What do you mean she's not a prostitute? Can I pretend she's one while I draw her dying?"

Marvel eventually lost the rights to Star Trek, but reacquired them in 1996. Their first move? Have the Enterprise crew improbably meet the X-Men.

ARVEL SIAR TREK COMICS S
Marvel Comics
Though at the very least, they could compare notes on brawling with Dracula.

This wasn't a one-off joke issue; it was the big debut of the new Star Trek line. Marvel actually doubled down on this insane premise, releasing not just a comic but a full-length novel about the X-Men meeting the Next Generation crew, which even highlighted the similarities between Captain Picard and Prof. Xavier two years before Patrick Stewart would play both parts.

Then he turned his gaze the captain, and flicker of on a something like features. amusement crossed his Nor was it difficult for Picard As the had he
Pocket Books
French? Things are turning dangerously slash fiction-y ...

Of course, all of these pale in comparison to the best Star Trek series of all time: a webcomic about the abject crappiness of Chief O'Brien's life.

Spider-Man's Co-Creator Drew A Comic About Chuck Norris ... Like, The Real Chuck Norris

The late Steve Ditko is best remembered as the co-creator of Spider-Man and generally being a Marvel Comics legend. After feuding with Stan Lee, Ditko "abruptly" left Marvel in 1966, and went to work on ... well, a bunch of intensely objectivist comics and some other not-very-Spider-Man-like stuff.

In 1979, the reclusive Ditko returned to Marvel, but wasn't exactly given the best gigs. After working on an adaptation of the Micronauts toy line, Ditko was handed the assignment to draw ... Chuck Norris. Not a character based on Chuck Norris, but a comic series starring the real guy, Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos.

STAR CHUCK NORRIS 75 1 YO KARATE KOMMANDOS. STAR! e MARVEL UINVERSE

To DUFFY WRITER STEVE DITKO PENCILER ART NIChols INKER PHIL FELIX LETTERER GLXNIS OLIVER COLORIST DOn DALEY EDITOR IM SHOOeR EDITOR IN CHEF
Marvel Comics
In the '80s, everyone walked around with logos of their initials on their chest.

The first issue takes place inside a school (ironic, given the flagrant misspelling in the title), which is promptly taken over by gun-wielding ninjas. The class of hostages includes Chuck Norris' young "ward," whose name is "Too Much" -- because that's a thing he often says, and apparently Chuck Norris can't be bothered to learn people's real names.

Chuck Norris eventually shows up looking like a Ken doll going through a midlife crisis. The terrorized children, and even the goddamn ninjas, are completely star-struck.

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Marvel Comics
No, we're pretty sure that's Hall from Hall & Oates with a mustache.

Despite being evil terrorists, the ninjas won't shoot Norris, seemingly because they've read his future memes.

YOU ..WHY DONIT YOU QUIT HAVENT WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD2 HURT ANYONE HIS BACK 1S TURNED! YET... SHOO'T HI. NOW ! I'M NOT SONNA SHOOT HIM. THAT'S CHUCK NORR
Marvel Comics
"Also, aren't we supposed to be ninjas?"

Naturally, Chuck soon kicks ass ...

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... and even uses power of learning to win the day, by literally kicking a book at the gunman.

O RTAL are SCILL ART YOUE 400 PATHETIC. YOU LOOK DOWN AND YOU ICH0O ABANT AN MON I< UNTIGO THINK T WOULD SUCKER PUNCH ME DOC IT REL 1o MELPLES7 FALLLL
Marvel Comics
Really? No "Read THIS" or "School's OUT" or whatever?

Of course, that isn't the most effective tactic, since the gun goes off, though thankfully it only hits the book and not, say, one of the many nearby children. Still, Chuck's "only regret" is that the book was damaged. At this point, Too Much, the little scamp, reveals he hadn't read it, prompting laughter from the class.

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TOAMY DOt IMDOOTANT I THINK I'LL ARL TUFFS SOTTA 6 TO PLAV WOITH Co You.. FIRT! UINTIL TOMNORROW AFTEGNON WHAMAH HA MONA E MARGIE!
Marvel Comics
Keep in mind, there are still ninja corpses littering the classroom.

Anyway, Thanos better hope this dude got snapped.

Marvel Remade 2001: A Space Odyssey Over And Over With A Series Of Wacky Characters

Before the days of home video, Marvel would often adapt movies into comic books for fans too lazy to read an entire novelization. In 1976, Marvel released a comic version of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey for readers who thought Iron Man didn't have enough existential confusion. The book was kind of a big deal, because it was written and drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby. Soon, Marvel enlisted Kirby to create a recurring 2001 series -- not because it was a particularly good idea to turn a ponderous work of cinema into a monthly comic, but because the licensing fee from the adaptation essentially gave Marvel the rights to use the title "2001" for free.

The first few issues mirrored the perplexing story arc of the movie, but with new characters. The first story tells of a caveman who symbolically evolves into an astronaut:

NE AGE ACINS WITH THE FIRST THHE RIDOE OR CENTURIES ABARS THIS WOW o 4 SALARS ZNE ONE OUT IN THE VEAE 20of. ASTRONAUT Soow TO AE NNOINN AS Aa OODO OEC
Marvel Comics
HAL would have never dared messing with Dave if his name was "Woodrow Decker."

And because it's Jack Kirby, grotesque tentacle monsters totally show up at one point.

Yet IW Z CRACKS A00 CREASSES OF Ir AISES RON IS TIME-IORN SMELTER PUINE ZHERA ARA TNINGS WMC HAUE AND RBACES OR IS PREY. THEN IT O LIE. AND SURIVED ST
Marvel Comics
"This is based on the part of the movie where I dozed off and dreamed about grotesque tentacle monsters."

In the end, the astronaut gets sucked into the black monolith, where, like Dave from the movie, he lives out an entire lifetime before dying and being reborn as a magic space baby.

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Marvel Comics
Or some type of Buddhist dwarf.

Kirby did this story over and over again, each with a different protagonist. Why? Because Marvel was worried that if he created any fun original characters for 2001: A Space Odyssey, the movie studio might own the rights. So we get the same story repeated with, say, Vira the She-Demon, who goes from prehistoric figure...

VRA TS rE THE MOI IS IT AN ALN SENCE OAN THE ENTAEY O Te STAES/ SHE DEMON! ooRO BECONE JAMCE YOU MUNTIRS CONEN o EEHIN BEGONE
Marvel Comics

... to astronaut, to dead astronaut, to somewhat incredulous Starchild.

BeFORE OEPARTING NITS LIFELONG JOURNEY, THE NEW SEED SUBUECTS ITS IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS TO A FINAL PENETRATING SCRUTINY...
Marvel Comics
Accidentally creating the design for Lil' Voldy in the inevitable Harry Potter Babies spinoff.

It's basically the arthouse equivalent of Groundhog Day. Eventually, Kirby was able to break from that mold, telling a story about the future year of 2040 -- in which, get this, grown men are obsessed with superheroes. Our protagonist, Norton, is playing a futuristic role-playing game where he dresses up like a superhero, but he immediately calls it off when he saves the princess and she's not the model he was expecting.

BUT THANKS TO MO TINOLE WMATIS -H you SAID THA BAT you CAN RE- ITE WNAS MATTER? DONIT LINES AUT YOUIRE STORE FEBBDOM GONG ON SPEAK MV LINES THE PONG A

WHEN THE MANAGER'S IMAGE APPEARS... SURE, I KNOW ABOUT IT! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO THE MODEL WE HIRED USE A SUBSTI TUTE. COULON'T MAKE IT! so-. LET ME OUT
Marvel Comics
Entitled manbabies running fandom? Such far-fetched drivel.

Then he gets sucked into the monolith, which randomly shows up at a beach, presumably with a space towel and space Gillian Flynn novel.

Kirby eventually did create a popular new character in the comic: Mister Machine, a cyborg who ... helps people fix flat tires.

LOOK AT IT WILL ONLY TAKE 4 I-VE SBEN IGNTE MISTTER THOT! ONILY MOMN TO MOUNT LIATFES FLEX THEIR CNW A SUPER-HAERO THIS NEWW TIRE BICEPS REBORE MI! I-
Marvel Comics
Maybe someone should check to see if catching up with this comic is what killed Stanley Kubrick.

While Marvel cancelled 2001, Mister Machine was liked enough to survive, and became part of the Marvel universe, fighting both Hulk and later Iron Man. Though sadly, the Punisher vs. Vira the She-Demon somehow never happened.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter, or check out the podcast Rewatchability.

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