For decades, Marvel ComicsOpens in a new tab has become famous for their epic battles and Earth-shattering moments. But some of the most memorable Marvel Comics moments don’t involve throwing a punch, or destroying property. No, they involve characters saying memorably shady remarks, or acting in a shady way. What qualifies as “shade” exactly? Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, shade is “acting in a casual or disrespectful manner towards someone/dissing a friend.” We think the following moments are epic examples of peak Marvel shade from the last few years, some might even call them the shadiest moments in Marvel Comics.
Jean Grey Discovers Cyclops and Emma Frost’s Psychic Affair
New X-Men #139, by Grant Morrison and Phil Jimenez (2003)
Scott Summers, the X-Men’s leader known as Cyclops, and Jean Grey, the mutant telepathic powerhouse, had been a couple since they were teenagers. After many ups and downs, they finally got married in the ‘90s. But after merging with the villain ApocalypseOpens in a new tab, Scott suffered from PTSD once he became himself again. Instead of seeking psychic healing and counseling from his wife, he ran to former villain Emma Frost. The White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She had become an X-Man herself and an instructor at Xavier’s School. Emma had joined after hateful bigots murdered several of her students.
These psychic sessions between Scott and Emma quickly got sexy, resulting in an extramarital affair between the two in everything but the flesh. Then, in New X-Men #139 by Grant Morrison and Phil JimenezOpens in a new tab, Jean Grey psychically caught them in the act, and she unleashed the Phoenix Force on Emma’s mind. Wanting details on the affair, she forced Emma to relive her most painful memories, humiliating her. Jean said to her rival, “Show me what happened between you and Scott, Emma…or I’ll make you relive every single child you allowed to die.” Dang. That’s brutal even for Jean, who once killed a whole planet and ate it. And it’s definitely one of our top favorite shadiest Marvel Comics moments.
Namor Kisses Sue Storm in Front of Reed Richards
Ultimate Fantastic Four #26, by Mark Millar and Greg Land (2006)
Namor the Sub-Mariner, Prince of Atlantis, has been both hero and villain in the Marvel Universe since 1939. But to the members of the Fantastic Four,Opens in a new tab he’s always been an insufferable pain in the ass. The undersea monarch always had a romantic obsession with the FF’s Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. And he’s never cared about the fact that’s she spoken for, and her significant other is Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. The worst version of this story played out in Ultimate Fantastic Four in 2004, by Mark Millar and Greg Land.
While Namor has tried to lure Sue away from Reed for decades in the 616 universe, it was in the Ultimate Marvel Universe where Namor had his shadiest comic moment. After threatening to flood New York City, Namor agreed to stop his attack, but only if Sue agreed to kiss him. But not just kiss him, she had to do so with gusto…and in front of her boyfriend Reed. Susan agrees, to save the city. After she does so, the smirking Atlantean jerk looks at Reed and says “She meant it,” and flies away. Namor has always been a royal jerk, but this moment takes the cake for d-bag behavior.
Black Panther Divorces Storm in Public
Avengers vs. X-Men #9 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert (2012)
King T’Challa of Wakanda and Ororo Monroe of the X-MenOpens in a new tab had an on-again, off-again relationship for many years. They had actually known each other since they were teenagers. As adults, after becoming world-famous superheroes, they reconnected romantically, marrying in a lavish ceremony. Everyone celebrated the nuptials of the Wakandan Avenger and the mutant mistress of the elements. But when the Avengers vs. X-Men conflict happened, and the Phoenix Force returned to Earth, the King and Queen were on opposing sides of the war. Black Panther was with the Avengers, who wished to stop the Phoenix. Meanwhile, Storm remained loyal to her X-Men family, who welcomed the Phoenix to Earth.
During the conflict, a Phoenix-powered Namor flooded WakandaOpens in a new tab, and many of his people died. Furious with his wife siding with the X-Men over her Wakandan subjects, T’Challa informed Storm that the High Priest of the Panther Clan had annulled their marriage. She was no longer Queen. At first, Storm looks puzzled. She said, “Only the High Priest of the Panther Clan has the power to annul a royal marriage.” As her husband stares at her, she quickly realizes that as Black Panther, T’Challa is the High Priest of the Panther Clan. He ended their marriage just by saying it out loud. And in public to boot. Then he shoots her a look and says “Please do not come here again.” Ice cold, T’Challa. And it definetly earns its spot on Marvel Comics shadiest moments list.
Wanda Maximoff Says, “No More Mutants”
House of M #7, by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel (2005)
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, had always had a troubling past. She was manipulated by her father Magneto as a teen, married the android Vision, had twin children with him, then lost them both, and more. She finally snappedOpens in a new tab after years of sustained trauma in the 2004 story Avengers Disassembled, which led to the destruction of the Avengers as an organization. To eventually save herself, she altered reality to create a world where mutants ruled, known as the House of M, led by her daddy Magneto. In this world, everyone she knew had their heart’s desire. But it was all a fabricated reality.
When the illusion of this reality shatters, the Avengers and the X-Men try to take Wanda out. Then, the Scarlet Witch does them in by calmly saying just three words: No more mutants. With that simple turn of phrase, she altered reality and de-powered all but 198 mutants on Earth. This act decimates the entire race, damaging mutants for several years. And she didn’t do it with a loud display of her power, but with a mere sentence of three words uttered with shady disdain and contempt.
Spider-Man Tells Tobey Maguire That He Sucks
Ultimate Spider-Man #54, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley (2004)
The comic book series Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley was a bit of an influence on Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. So Marvel decided to acknowledge the film franchise in a meta way in the pages of the comic. In Ultimate Spider-Man #44 in 2004, Peter Parker learns that a Spider-Man movie is being filmed starring Tobey MaguireOpens in a new tab, just as in the real world. He’s not exactly excited about a fictional version of his adventures going to Hollywood without his permission. So he crashes the set and tells producer Avi Arad and star Tobey Maguire “You suck, and you suck.” He does let director Sam Raimi off the hook, saying, “Ok, Evil Dead 2 was cool. But the rest of you suck.” Well, Evil Dead 2 is cool, so we agree with Peter here. Still, Spider-Man telling Tobey Maguire he sucks is a delightful moment of truly meta-shade. Its MCU and Marvel Comics shade in one, and that’s the so delightfully shady it ranks even among the other shadiest moments on this list.
Magneto Tells Humans “You Have New Gods Now.”
House of X #1, by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz
After years of persecution and near genocide of their race, a new age dawned for mutantkind in 2019’s House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman. In this series, a new Golden Age began for mutants, led by Charles Xavier and his former enemy MagnetoOpens in a new tab. The two founded a new independent mutant nation on the living mutant island of Krakoa. The flora of Krakoa provided cures for many deadly human diseases. So the mutants used that as leverage to get humanity to recognize their sovereignty at last.
When meeting with human politicians in Jerusalem in House of X #1, Magneto tells the humans in attendance that he chose Jerusalem as the meeting location intentionally. Mainly due to the religious symbolism that humanity so adheres to. The final panel sees Magneto look back over his shoulder with one last statement to the gathered human leaders. He turns around and tells them calmly “You have new gods now.” With just one sentence, Magneto throws shade at humanity’s most dominant religion, and floats away into the sunset. Fierce diva behavior if ever there was.
Cyclops and Emma Frost Make Out Over Jean Grey’s Gravesite
New X-Men #154 by Grant Morrison and Marc Silvestri (2004)
We end where we began, with Scott, Jean, and Emma Frost. Scott and Jean’s love had survived life, death, and rebirth. Not to mention Scott Summers’ psychic infidelity. But when Jean Grey died a second timeOpens in a new tab, in New X-Men, Scott was already caught having a psychic affair with the X-Men’s other resident telepath, Emma Frost (see the first entry on this list). After Jean’s second death, she resurrected herself 150 years in the future as the White Phoenix, and learns that a grieving Scott disbanded the X-Men after her death, and the Earth became a dystopian nightmare as a result.
Realizing Scott’s sadness was a disaster for the future, she sent a psychic message back through time, allowing Scott to move on with Emma. Here’s where things get shady, though. Literally standing over his longtime love’s fresh grave, Scott and Emma make out and declare their love. They also declare their plans to keep the X-Men going. Yes, this happened with a psychic push from Jean, but it’s still incredibly shady to do this standing over Jean’s grave before her body was even cold. Scott, you’re officially the worst Marvel husband ever. And that’s saying something, as you live on the same world as Reed Richards.
