One of the cons of being a comic fan is that you must deal with controversial comic book cliffhangers. Did you know that there is a 23-year-old Daredevil comic with no resolution because issue #2 was never published? How about all of the post-credits scenes from Phases 4 and 5 that have yet to pay off?
Some comic book cliffhangers have a resolution, but most do not. It is something comic book collectors deal with, and now, comic book film fans deal with. Here is a list of eight of the most memorable and controversial comic book cliffhangers. Comic book storylines and film cliffhangers are on the list.
1. What Really Happened to Peter and Mary Jane’s Baby?
One of the most memorable comic book cliffhangers took place back in 1996 in the infamous Spider-Man Clone Saga. First, we must go back to 1975. One of Spider-Man’s villains, The Jackal, creates a clone of Spider-Man. Spider-Man battles his clone to the death. Fast-forward to the 1990s. In 1996, readers learned that the real Peter Parker lost the 1975 clone battle but lived.
Peter would change his name to Ben Reilly and fight crime as the Scarlet Spider. Soon, Ben takes the role of Spider-Man. Peter Parker, now the clone, and Mary Jane were expecting a baby and decided to retire. However, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, would hire a woman, Alison Mongrain, to poison Mary Jane, causing a miscarriage.
Mongrain is later seen on a boat with a crib. Due to fan backlash, Marvel soon reinstated Peter as Spider-Man. Peter and Mary Jane would never mention the pregnancy or miscarriage again in the main 616 Marvel Universe. Mongrain would raise Mayday Parker in an alternate universe, the MC2. Mayday would star in Spider-Girl comics under the MC2 imprint.
There would never be a resolution to the mystery of Peter and Mary Jane’s baby in the 616 universe, because readers saw Mongraine on a boat with a crib after the miscarriage. Mayday Parker became Spider-Girl in an alternate universe.
If you want to read about Spider-Girl, check out Spider-Girl Modern Era Epic Collection: Legacy. This 456-page paperback omnibus collects the first 15 issues of the series and tie-in issues. Buy it now on Amazon for $28.
2. Clea’s Post-Credit Cliffhanger From Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
In Marvel Comics, Clea is from a race of human-looking beings from another dimension. Her uncle is Dormammu, the evil dimensional being from 2016’s Doctor Strange. Clea and Strange would become allies, lovers, and then husband and wife. In 2022’s Multiverse of Madness, Charlize Theron made her MCU debut as Clea in a post-credit scene.
In the scene, Theron’s Clea warns Doctor Strange that an incursion, a collision between alternate worlds, was imminent. Clea opens a portal. Then, Clea and Strange jump through. This memorable comic book cliffhanger has yet to pay off in the MCU. While there are plenty of online rumors, there is currently no official word whether Theron will ever return as Clea.
Want to learn more about Clea Strange? Check out Strange Vol. 1: I Belong To Death. It’s a 129-page paperback that collects the first five issues of the series. In 2022 Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange is dead, and his wife, Clea, becomes the new Sorcerer Supreme. Buy it now on Amazon for $15.99.
3. Do Peter Parker’s Powers Come From a Radioactive Spider or Magic?
In 2001, writer J. Michael Straczynski sought to reimagine the Spider-Man mythos. He created a new character, Ezekiel Sims, who made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #30. (This character made his film debut in 2024’s Madame Webb.) Simms is a wealthy businessman in his 50s. He does not use web slingers, but has identical powers to Spider-Man, although he must be barefoot to stick to walls. He uses his wealth to track down Spider-Man, whom he deduces is Peter Parker.
Sims asks Peter to question whether the radioactive spider truly gave him powers. Perhaps the spider bite gave Peter his powers before the radiation killed the spider? Sims tells Peter about the Spider-Totems, also known as Spider Gods and Great Weavers. Peter, amongst others, were predestined to have their spider powers. Their powers are bequeathed to certain individuals by the Spider Totems.
While some fans liked it, others did not like the agency it took away from Peter. Instead of a chance encounter with a radioactive spider and a choice to be a hero, ancient Spider Gods became his new origin. 25 years later, and this comic book cliffhanger has never had a full resolution either way. The Spider Totem saga was never retconned. So, fans who prefer Peter’s classic origin pretend it never happened.
4. Shang-Chi, The 10 Rings, and the Mysterious Beacon
In one of the post-credit scenes for 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings, Shang-Chi confers with Wong. Wong contacts other Avengers via videoconference. He tells everyone that the 10 Rings Shang-Chi uses are emitting a beacon transmitting on a celestial range. While Simu Liu will return in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, no sequel to Shang-Chi has been confirmed.
No one knows what the mysterious beacon from the 10 rings was, who sent it, or who the intended recipient was. After the firing of Jonathan Majors as Kang and the cancellation of Avengers: Kang Dynasty, it is safe to assume the 10 Rings beacon may never have a resolution. It may serve a story that no longer exists.
5. Who Are the Black Priests?
In Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers runs, he would introduce the Black Priests. The Black Priests are cosmic entities that oversee the stability of the multiverse. Incursions are collisions between alternate universes. However, all of these universes would collide on a parallel Earth. So, the Black Priests would kill people and parallel Earths, since they were connection points for the incursions, to stabilize the multiverse.
There is a greater story connecting these characters to others, but there has been no continuation. The introduction of the Black Priests, New Avengers #2 in 2013, would later hint at greater cosmic mysteries. However, there has never been a full explanation or origin story for the Black Priests, their purpose, or where they came from.
6. The Council of Kangs from Quantumania
2022’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was a polarizing film. Most fans did not like it, even though some say it’s overhated. Jonathan Majors made his MCU debut as a Kang variant in season 2 of Loki. Majors made his full debut as Kang in Quantumania, and the character was a hit with critics. However, Kang died in the film. The Council of Kangs, hundreds of multiverse variants, would appear in the post-credits scene.
After the firing of Jonathan Majors, the Council of Kangs is now one of the most memorable comic book cliffhangers. The visual aesthetic of all the Kangs in the stands was a direct inspiration from a panel in 1988’s Avengers #292. However, now there will never be a resolution or future payoff to that scene.
7. The Last Galactus Story
In 1984, Marvel had an imprint, Epic Illustrated, that told stories outside the main Marvel universe. Artist and writer John Byrne had just finished publishing nine chapters of “The Last Galactus Story.” Millions of years in the future, Galactus, his herald Nova, and a Watcher find themselves the only inhabitants of a dying universe. To this day, Chapter 10 has never been published.
It is perhaps the most controversial and memorable comic book cliffhangers ever. There are old-school modern comic book fans still waiting for Chapter 10.
8. Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target
Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target #1 came out in November 2002 under the Marvel Knights Imprint. Marvel would release the comic again in February 2003 to align with the release of Ben Affleck’s Daredevil. The Target was written by filmmaker and comic book expert Kevin Smith. In the story, Daredevil is preparing for his rematch with Bullseye three years after Bullseye murdered Karen Page.
Meanwhile, Bullseye is training for his next assassination target. There are hints that his target is a major superhero in New York City. Fans could not wait for the next issue. 23 years later, fans are still waiting. Issue #2 never came out. Fans are still wondering who Bullseye’s target was and how Daredevil would get his revenge.
Comic Book Cliffhangers
The aim of this post was not to scare you away from reading comics or enjoying the film. Unfortunately, this is the price of being a fan. Sometimes, your favorite creator, writer, or artist could start a run that hooks you and never finish. We now live in an age where MCU and DCU post-credit scenes may never have a resolution. While there is nothing we can do about post-credit scenes with no payoff, my advice is to read more comics and expand your interests.
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