Marvel: Start Here

Marvel has been publishing since 1939, when it was still called Timely. That's thousands of issues, reboots, and crossovers. The good news: you can ignore almost all of it.

Marvel's trademark is heroes with problems. Spider-Man can't pay rent. The X-Men are hated by the world they protect. Start with the character, not the timeline.

Rules for New Marvel Readers

Follow creators, not events. Big crossover events are the hardest place to start.
Read runs, not issues. A "run" is one writer's time on a series. Most great Marvel runs are complete stories.
Volume 1 is your friend. Collected editions labeled Vol. 1 are designed as starting points.

Six Entry Points

If you love the MCU's heart: Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan's first run is funny, sincere, and about family and identity. It's the best "new reader" Marvel book of the last decade. Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal

If you want style: Hawkeye

Matt Fraction and David Aja's run is a short, perfect street-level comic about a guy who's bad at everything except archery. Hawkeye Vol. 1

If you want a classic: Daredevil: Born Again

The Kingpin learns Daredevil's secret identity and destroys his life, piece by piece. Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, 1986. Still brutal. Daredevil: Born Again

If you want horror: Immortal Hulk

Al Ewing turned the Hulk into a body-horror series, and it works. Bruce Banner dies, and something comes back at night. Immortal Hulk Vol. 1

If you want big ideas: House of X / Powers of X

Jonathan Hickman's 2019 X-Men relaunch runs across multiple timelines, with data pages and a mutant nation. It's dense, and worth it. House of X / Powers of X

If you watched the MCU and want to go deeper

Pick your favorite MCU character and search for their best-known run. Almost every hero has a modern Vol. 1 made for new readers.

Digital Tip

Marvel Unlimited is Marvel's subscription reading app with a huge back catalog. Use it to sample runs before you buy the physical editions you want on your shelf.