Anyone who’s watched a movie or read a book can probably tell you that sequels are rarely as good as the originals. Oftentimes, sequels come off as cheap cash-ins trying and failing to recapture the magic of their predecessors. The same rule applies to comic stories as well. Both DC and Marvel Comics have made incredible storylines that forever changed the comic book industry. So naturally, they tried and failed to create worthy continuations of these iconic storylines. Whereas the originals have gone down in history as some of the best comics of all time, these sequels have gone down in infamy for how bad they are.
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The best sequels offer believable, compelling story arcs that take what worked in the original and expand on it. Unfortunately, these DC and Marvel sequel storylines didn’t get that memo and instead creates tales that don’t even come close to matching the greatness of their precursors.
5)Zero Hour: Crisis in Time
There are few storylines in DC Comics history more iconic and impactful than 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. With its multiversal stakes, all-powerful villain, and long-lasting impacts, Crisis on Infinite Earths inspired numerous future Crisis events. However, while many of these Crisis events lived up to the original’s legacy, the same can’t be said for the first attempt at a sequel. In 1994, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time was the first Crisis following Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it was created to fix the numerous continuity errors that sprang from the original event. Unfortunately, this sequel storyline only made things more confusing and convoluted. The story involved two corrupted heroes, Extant and Parallax, working together to rewrite reality in their own image. There are certainly worse Crisis stories. Still, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time holds the distinction of not only being the first failed attempt at a sequel to the groundbreaking original, but its mediocrity and convolutedness have led to it falling into obscurity, which a Crisis event never should.
4) “H2SH”
In 2002, the iconic storyline Batman: Hush gave the Dark Knight one of his most menacing villains of the modern era: the titular criminal mastermind, Hush. With such popularity, DC tried to recapture the magic with 2025’s “H2SH,” and failed miserably because of its nonsensical writing. With a plot that reinforced every complaint of modern Batman comics, “H2SH” centered on Hush having Batman find the Joker on death’s door. Because of his unbreakable code, Batman decides to save the Joker’s life, much to the disdain of the rest of the Bat-Family who turn against him. If that wasn’t bad enough, Red Hood has once again regressed into the villain role and teamed up with Hush. The biggest problem with “H2SH” is that it feels like it was written directly after the original storyline, with no consideration for how the characters developed in the over 20 years between the events. This issue unintentionally makes the characters look like idiots. Also, it ends on a cliffhanger which the poor reception of “H2SH” has ensured that it will never be resolved.
3) Secret Wars II
The original 1984 Secret Wars storyline was a groundbreaking event in which the omnipotent Beyonder forced Earth’s greatest heroes and villains to fight each other for his entertainment. The story was a massive crossover with long-lasting effects on the Marvel Universe. The same can’t be said for Secret Wars II, which came out the following year. In a bizarre plotline, the Beyonder returns and takes on a human form to learn more about Earth’s heroes. Naturally, the Beyonder starts to sow chaos wherever he goes despite the best efforts of the Avengers, X-Men, New Mutants, and Spider-Man. Eventually, the Beyonder threatens to destroy the entire multiverse. Unlike the original Secret Wars, the sequel was atrocious because the plot and writing were too goofy and nonsensical to be taken seriously. To this day, Secret Wars II is one of the most hated storylines in Marvel history because it tried so poorly to ride the success of its predecessor.
2) Civil War II
The iconic 2006 Civil War story already has its fair share of detractors, but its 2016 sequel makes it look like a masterpiece by comparison. The original Civil War saw Captain America and Iron Man fighting over the Superhuman Registration Act. Meanwhile, Civil War II involved Iron Man and Captain Marvel fighting over whether they should use the Inhuman Ulysses’ future-vision to stop crimes before they happen. On top of nonsensical plot holes and pointless deaths, the story’s most egregious flaw was ruining Captain Marvel’s reputation. Whereas in the original event strong arguments can be made for supporting either side of the conflict, in Civil War II Captain Marvel is obviously, albeit unintentionally, in the wrong. Despite Marvel’s best efforts to convince the readers otherwise, Captain Marvel comes off as a fascist who strips people’s rights away and gets numerous heroes killed for the sake of her ego. Civil War II was a desperate attempt to build up hype for the MCU’s Captain America: Civil War movie. Instead, all Civil War II accomplished was inadvertently forever tarnished Captain Marvel’s rise to being an A-List hero.
1) The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Frank Miller’s 1986 The Dark Knight Returns is rightfully considered by many a modern masterpiece that forever changed the superhero landscape with its dark, politically charged reimagining of Batman. However, Miller’s 2002 sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again throws everything that made the original good out the window in favor of a plot that reads as pure madness. Set three years after The Dark Knight Returns, the sequel sees the aging Batman declare war against President Lex Luthor and his corrupt regime. Every character in this series is completely horrible. The Batman portrayed in this series is a psychopathic monster who’s willing to let innocent people die. Not only that, but Batman bullies Nightwing to the point that he’s driven insane before being horrifically murdered by his surrogate father. Additionally, Superman and Wonder Woman accidentally kill thousands of people from the earthquakes caused from them hooking up. Add in an atrocious art style and you have a recipe for the textbook example of a bad sequel comic.
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