The period of 2017-2018 was a time of intense competition and strategic recalibration in the American comics industry. DC Comics had found significant success with its DC Rebirth initiative in 2016, which was praised for bringing back a sense of optimism and legacy to its universe. Following the major crossover event Dark Nights: Metal, DC launched the “New Age of Heroes” (initially announced as “Dark Matter”) in 2018. This line was heavily promoted as an artist-first initiative, giving prominent artists like Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, and John Romita Jr. the chance to co-create and launch brand-new characters. Simultaneously, Marvel Comics was navigating the aftermath of several years of line-wide events that, while often commercially successful, had left some readers feeling fatigued and alienated. Events like Civil War II resulted in the death of Bruce Banner and the sidelining of Tony Stark, while Secret Empire saw a fascist captain_america take over the United States. In response to this reader sentiment and the competitive landscape, Marvel architected a two-pronged relaunch strategy designed to stabilize their line and then propel it into a new era of creative excellence. This strategy manifested as “Marvel Legacy” in late 2017, followed by the much more comprehensive “Fresh Start” in mid-2018. Together, they represent Marvel's “New Age of Heroes.”
As these are real-world publishing initiatives, they do not have a singular, in-universe origin story. Instead, their “origin” is rooted in the narrative threads left dangling by preceding major events and the creative decisions made to address them.
The narrative groundwork for this era was laid in the final pages of Secret Empire (2017). After the heroic, original Steve Rogers defeated his Hydra counterpart, the Marvel Universe was left in a state of disarray and mistrust. The public's faith in its heroes was shaken, and the heroes themselves were scattered and demoralized. This set the stage for Marvel Legacy #1, a giant-sized one-shot by writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribić. This single issue served as the foundational text for the entire initiative. It acted as a narrative bridge, re-establishing a sense of deep, timeless history and mystery within the Marvel Universe. Its most significant contribution was the introduction of the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC. This prehistoric team—consisting of Odin, Agamotto, the first Phoenix, the first Black Panther, a Star Brand-wielding caveman, a Ghost Rider who rode a flaming mammoth, and an Iron Fist—revealed that the legacy of heroes on Earth was far older and more profound than previously known. Their battle against a fallen Celestial buried deep within the planet created a central engine of conflict and power that would fuel numerous storylines for years to come, most notably in the subsequent Avengers series. Marvel Legacy #1 also touched on the status of numerous other characters, teasing the return of Wolverine (Logan) and the original Jean Grey, setting up the search for the Infinity Stones, and establishing a thematic through-line: the idea that every corner of the Marvel Universe, from its ancient past to its far future, was interconnected by a grand, heroic legacy.
The “Marvel Legacy” and “Fresh Start” initiatives are exclusive to the Earth-616 comic book continuity and have no direct equivalent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU operates on a different production and release schedule, structured around cinematic “Phases” rather than annual publishing imprints. However, one can draw thematic parallels. The period following Avengers: Endgame (2019) in the MCU can be seen as a form of “Fresh Start.” Much like the comics, the universe had just concluded a massive, status-quo-altering event. Endgame saw the departure of foundational characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, creating a vacuum that needed to be filled. The subsequent “Phase Four” of the MCU focused on passing the torch and exploring the concept of legacy. Sam Wilson became the new Captain America, Yelena Belova took on the Black Widow mantle, and new heroes like Shang-Chi and the Eternals were introduced. This thematic focus on “what comes next?” and the exploration of legacy in a post-foundational era mirrors the core goals of Marvel's comic book initiatives from the same period, albeit executed through a different medium and for a different audience.
The two-stage relaunch was a deliberate strategy. “Legacy” was meant to be a stabilizing force, reassuring long-time readers, while “Fresh Start” was the dynamic, forward-looking engine for creative renewal.
The mandate of Marvel Legacy was to honor the rich history of Marvel Comics and restore a “back to basics” feel for its core titles, providing a comforting sense of familiarity after years of upheaval.
If Legacy was about looking back, Fresh Start was about rocketing forward. Under the new leadership of Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, this was a full-scale, line-wide relaunch. It kept the spirit of honoring the past but prioritized giving A-list creative teams the freedom to tell bold, innovative, and highly accessible stories.
The Fresh Start era was defined by its transformative takes on established characters and the major new concepts it introduced into the canon.
First appearing in Marvel Legacy #1, this team became a central pillar of Jason Aaron's Avengers run. Their existence fundamentally re-contextualized the history of Earth-616, establishing that the planet has always been a focal point for cosmic forces and has always had heroes to defend it. The team—Odin, Phoenix, Agamotto, Star Brand, Ghost Rider, Black Panther, and Iron Fist—represented the primal forces and legacies that would eventually give rise to the modern age of heroes. Their conflict with a Celestial named Zgreb the Aspirant was revealed to be the reason for the emergence of super-powered beings on Earth.
Al Ewing's vision for the Hulk was a radical departure. He posited that the Hulk's power was linked to a metaphysical “Green Door,” making him truly immortal. Every time Bruce Banner died, the Hulk would resurrect at night, stronger and more terrifying than ever. The series delved into Banner's fractured psyche, treating his Dissociative Identity Disorder with narrative seriousness. The “Devil Hulk” persona emerged as a cunning, malevolent protector of Banner. This take transformed a classic superhero book into a critically acclaimed horror series, earning Eisner Award nominations and setting a new standard for creative reinvention.
Perhaps the most significant new character to emerge from this era was Knull, created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in their Venom series. Before this, the symbiotes' origin was loosely defined. Cates established a massive, terrifying new cosmology: Knull was a primordial entity of darkness who existed before the universe. When the Celestials brought light, he retaliated by forging the first symbiote, All-Black the Necrosword (a clever retcon of the weapon seen in Jason Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder run). He created the symbiote race as his army to consume all light and life. This elevated Venom from a Spider-Man villain to a key figure in a cosmic war against an elder god, a storyline that culminated in the line-wide event King in Black.
The reception to the two initiatives was markedly different.
The impact of the Fresh Start era is still being felt in the Marvel Universe today.
While born from the same competitive environment, the two publishers' flagship initiatives of 2018 employed fundamentally different strategies to achieve a similar goal: capturing reader attention and generating excitement.
| Strategy Comparison | Marvel's Fresh Start | DC's New Age of Heroes |
|---|---|---|
| Core Philosophy | Re-interpret and revitalize existing, iconic intellectual property (IP) with bold, new creative directions. | Create brand-new, original characters intended to be the next generation of heroes. |
| Talent Focus | Primarily writer-driven. Empowering writers like Al Ewing, Donny Cates, and Jonathan Hickman to execute a singular vision. | Primarily artist-driven. Promoted as a showcase for top artists like Jim Lee, John Romita Jr., and Ivan Reis to co-create characters. |
| Connection to Universe | Deeply integrated. The stories were about changing the status and history of core Marvel characters like Hulk and Thor. | Intentionally disconnected. The new characters operated largely outside the orbit of major heroes like Batman and Superman to give them room to grow. |
| Commercial Success | Massive success. Several titles became perennial best-sellers and award-winners, defining Marvel's line for years. | Limited success. While some titles like The Terrifics were well-received, most of the line struggled to find an audience and were canceled within two years. |
| Long-Term Impact | Profound. Established the Krakoan Age for the X-Men and the cosmic mythology of Knull, both of which dominated Marvel storytelling. | Minimal. Most of the characters have been folded into the background of the DC Universe, with few making a lasting impression. |
In essence, Marvel bet on the power of its established icons, trusting that a brilliant new take on a character readers already loved was a more reliable path to success than building a new hero from scratch. DC's experiment in creating new IP was ambitious, but the marketplace ultimately demonstrated a stronger appetite for the familiar, reinvented.