The final challenge. These questions go deeper than the deep cuts. You’ll have to know the details of otherwise forgotten Marvel comics from decades past, be able to remember whole lists of names, and more. If and only if you’ve got knowledge of the Marvel Universe to rival the Watcher himself, proceed.
1. Ultron originally debuted with a different alias concealing his robotic nature — what was it?
Answer: The Crimson Cowl.
2. What is Magneto’s birth name, and which comic revealed it?
Answer: Max Eisenhardt, and “Magneto: Testament” by Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico.
3. What was the original line-up of the Masters of Evil, and which comic debuted them?
Answer: Baron Zemo, the Melter, Radioactive Man, and the Black Knight; “The Avengers” #6.
4. Name each member of “The Five,” the mutants responsible for resurrecting others on Krakoa?
Answer: Hope Summers, Proteus, Egg, Elixir, and Tempus.
5. Who was the first X-Man to join the team outside of the original five?
Answer: Mimic.
6. Before Captain America’s revival in “Avengers” #4, Marvel staged a test run to gauge interest in Cap’s return, where a super-villain disguises themselves as Captain America and then battles the Human Torch. Who was the villain, and in what issue?
Answer: Carl Zante/The Acrobat, in “Strange Tales” #114.
7. The 1963 “The Amazing Spider-Man” #1 contains a misprint repeatedly identifying Peter Parker by the wrong name — what incorrect name is given in the issue?
Answer: Peter Palmer.
8. In “Amazing Fantasy” #15, who originally tells Peter Parker, “With great power, there must also come great responsibility?”
Answer: No-one; this famous line is delivered with narration in the closing panel of the issue. Later adaptations have changed it into a piece of wisdom Uncle Ben imparts before his death.
9. Exactly how many mutants died in the destruction of Genosha in “New X-Men” #115?
Answer: 16,521,618.
10. The modern Marvel universe effectively began with this crossover issue that confirmed the company’s superhero titles took place in the same setting. What’s the issue?
Answer: Fantastic Four” #12, which features a guest appearance by the Hulk.
11. Is Doctor Doom a real doctor?
Answer: No, considering he was expelled from university for the dangerous experiment that scarred his face. Victor von Doom never completed his undergraduate studies, let alone doctoral ones.
12. A groundbreaking Marvel comic shattered convention by featuring no written dialogue, inspiring numerous homages and parodies. What is the issue?
Answer: “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” #21, or “Silent Interlude,” by Larry Hama, published in 1984.
13. Which episode of “Malcolm in the Middle” is Wanda Maximoff shown watching in “WandaVision” Episode 8, “Previously On?”
Answer: Malcolm in the Middle” Season 7 Episode 2, “Health Insurance.”
14. What is Cassandra Nova’s origin story?
Answer: Cassandra Nova is not merely an evil twin of Professor X, but an astral parasite called a “mummudrai” that was drawn to his psychic powers and then copied his DNA to make a body of her own. When Cassandra tried to kill Charles in the womb, he struck back and caused his “sister” to be stillborn. But that organic mass endured and pulled itself back together into Cassandra, plotting revenge the whole time.
15. Name every actor who Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch used as a model for the reimagined Avengers in “The Ultimates.”
Answer: Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Brad Pitt (Captain America), Johnny Depp (Iron Man), Matthew McConaughey (Giant Man), Zhang Ziyi (The Wasp), Bruce Willis (Hawkeye), Angelina Jolie (Scarlet Witch), James Haven (Quicksilver), and Steve Buscemi (Bruce Banner).
16. What was famous “Daredevil” writer-artist Frank Miller’s first credit at Marvel Comics?
Answer: Drawing “John Carter: Warlord of Mars” #18 as a guest artist in 1978.
17. Name every editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics after Stan Lee.
Answer: Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, Jim Shooter, Tom DeFalco, Bob Harras, Joe Quesada, Axel Alonso, C.B. Cebulski, and Stephen Wacker.
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