Marvel Disassembled Reading Order
Part 12: The Heroic Age
Avengers (2010) #1 Cover
Part 12.1: Welcome to the New Age
Osborn’s dark reign may be over, but that doesn’t mean the superhero community has any time to rest. As the dawn of a new heroic age of the Marvel Universe begins, the newly reborn Steve Rogers takes it upon himself to form not one but three all-new teams of Avengers to tackle different threats. These books deal with the immediate aftermath of both Siege and Second Coming, two events that will continue to chart the Avengers and X-Men on a difficult path that may eventually put them at odds with each other.
Reading Order:
Avengers: Prime #1 – #5
Invincible Iron Man #25
Enter the Heroic Age #1
Deadpool #23 – #26
Iron Man/Thor #1 – #4
Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age #1
New Mutants #15 – #21
X-Factor #207 – #213
Avengers Academy #1 – #2
Thunderbolts #144 – #147
Avengers Academy #3 – #4
Avengers (2010) #1 – #6
Age of Heroes #1 – #2
Spitfire #1
Heralds #1 – #5
Astonishing Thor #1 – #5
Thunderstrike #1 – #5
Invincible Iron Man Annual #1
Invincible Iron Man #26 – #33
FCBD 2010: Iron Man/Thor #1
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #9
Secret Avengers #1 – #5
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #10
Deadpool #27 – #29
Age of Heroes #3 – #4
Klaws of the Panther #1 – #4
Heroic Age: One Month to Live #1 – #5
Avengers Academy #5 – #6
Related Collections:
Chaos War #2 Cover
Part 12.2: Chaos War
Bruce Banner and his gamma-irradiated family barely get a breather after World War Hulks when they’re drawn into another war by Hulk’s friend and rival, Hercules! But didn’t Herc recently die? Well, we all know death is rarely permanent in the Marvel Universe, especially when the ominous Chaos King unleashes the souls of the underworld on the Earth.
Reading Order:
Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 – #4
Incredible Hulks #612 – #617
Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1 – #3
She-Hulks #1 – #4
Ka-Zar (2011) #1 – #5
Hulk #25 – #30
Chaos War #1
Chaos War: Chaos King #1
Chaos War: Ares #1
Chaos War #2 – #3
Chaos War: God Squad #1
Chaos War: Alpha Flight #1
Incredible Hulks #618
Chaos War: Dead Avengers #1
Chaos War #4
Chaos War: Dead X-Men #1 – #2
Chaos War: Dead Avengers #2 – #3
Chaos War: Thor #1 – #2
Incredible Hulks #619 – #620
Chaos War #5
Incredible Hulks #621 – #635
Shadowland #2 Cover
Part 12.3: ShadowLand
For years, Daredevil has fought against the deadly and mysterious Hand organization, but what happens when he becomes their leader? As Matt Murdock takes his role of Hell’s Kitchen’s protector to a new and dangerous level, Marvel’s street-level heroes unite to take down their former friend.
Continuity Note: While the next volume of New Avengers is likely meant to start around the very beginning of the Heroic Age, because the first arc ends with some major changes for Danny Rand and Jericho Drumm which aren’t reflected in Chaos War or Shadowland, I’ve placed it at the end of this section.
Reading Order:
Shadowland #1
Daredevil #508 – #509
Shadowland: Bullseye #1
Shadowland: Moon Knight #1
Shadowland: Elektra #1
Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #1
Shadowland: Power Man #1 – #2
Shadowland #2 – #3
Shadowland: Moon Knight #2 – #3
Shadowland: Spider-Man #1
Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #2 – #3
Daredevil #510
Thunderbolts #148 – #149
Shadowland: Daughters of the Shadow #1 – #3
Shadowland: Ghost Rider #1
Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #4
Shadowland: Power Man #3
Shadowland #4
Daredevil #511
Shadowland #5
Shadowland: Power Man #4
Daredevil #512
Shadowland: After the Fall #1
Thunderbolts #150
I Am An Avenger #1
New Avengers (2010) #1 – #8
Power Man and Iron Fist (2011) #1 – #5
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #513 – #520
Related Collections:
X-Men (2010) #1 Cover
Part 12.4: Vampires and Demons
Still recovering from their war with Bastion and his technological war against mutantkind, the X-Men must grapple with a series new and disturbing threats emerging from the darker corners of the Marvel Universe. First up in Curse of the Mutants, the death of Dracula sparks a scramble for power in the vampire community that puts the X-Men’s home of Utopia in their sights. And afterward, Wolverine’s soul is sent to hell in a sick and twisted game of revenge. But what about his body? Enter: Hellverine!
Reading Order:
X-Men: Legacy #238 – #241
Uncanny X-Men #526 – #534
Generation Hope #1 – #9
Uncanny X-Men Annual #3
Steve Rogers: Super Soldier Annual #1
Namor: The First Mutant Annual #1
Astonishing X-Men #36 – #42
X-Men: To Serve and Protect #1 – #4
Death of Dracula #1
X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Blade #1
X-Men (2010) #1 – #2
X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Smoke & Blood #1
X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - X-Men vs. Vampires #1 – #2
Deadpool #30 – #31
Namor: The First Mutant #1
X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Storm & Gambit #1
X-Men #3 – #4
Namor: The First Mutant #2 – #4
X-Men #5 – #6
Namor: The First Mutant #5
Wolverine and Jubilee #1 – #4
X-Factor #214 – #224
Wolverine: Road to Hell #1
Wolverine (2010) #1
X-23 #1 – #3
X-Men: Legacy #242 – #243
Daken: Dark Wolverine #1 – #3
Wolverine #2 – #9
Namor: The First Mutant #6 – #11
Related Collections:
X-Men: Legacy #245 Cover
Part 12.5: Age of X
As if vampires and demons weren’t enough, the population of mutants on Utopia suddenly find themselves in a strange new world with no memory of their past lives. But what could have caused such a seismic shift in reality? And even if there’s a hope of restoring what once was, will the lives lived in the Age of X change who some mutants are for good?
Reading Order:
X-Men Legacy #244
Age of X: Alpha #1
X-Men Legacy #245
New Mutants #22
X-Men Legacy #246
New Mutants #23
X-Men Legacy #247
New Mutants #24
Age of X: Universe #1 – #2
X-Men Legacy #248 – #249
New Mutants #25 – #28
Related Collections:
Captain America #607 Cover
Part 12.6: Spies and Soldiers
We round out the Heroic Age with a collection of stories focusing on some of the most heroic and secretive heroes operating around the world. From Steve Roger’s team of Secret Avengers to Jimmy Woo’s clandestine Agents of Atlas, these teams operate in the shadows and take out threats before the rest of the world even knows about them. We also check in on Harry Osborn when a new American Patriot causes him to come face-to-face with his father’s past sins, Hawkeye and Mockingbird as they attempt to rekindle a rocky relationship, and a new team of Young Allies made up of some surprising faces. Finally, we witness a major change in the life of Bucky Barnes, the latest Captain America, the ramifications of which will lead directly into Marvel’s new big event…Fear Itself!
Reading Order:
Secret Avengers #6 – #12
Ant-Man & the Wasp (2010) #1 – #3
Taskmaster #1 – #4
Black Widow (2010) #1 – #5
Amazing Spider-Man Presents: American Son #1 – #4
Amazing Spider-Man #642 – #647
Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier #1 – #4
Astonishing X-Men #43
Captain America: Forever Allies #1 – #4
Young Allies #1 – #6
Invaders Now! #1 – #5
Atlas #1 – #5
Gorilla Man #1 – #3
Namora #1
Darkstar and the Winter Guard #1 – #3
Hawkeye & Mockingbid #1 – #6
Black Widow #6 – #8
Widow Maker #1 – #4
Captain America and Batroc #1
Captain America and Crossbones #1
Captain America and Falcon #1
Captain America and the Secret Avengers #1
Captain America #606 – #610
X-23 #4 – #7
Daken: Dark Wolverine #4 – #7
X-23 #8
Daken: Dark Wolverine #8
X-23 #9
Daken: Dark Wolverine #9
Hawkeye: Blindspot #1 – #4
Uncanny X-Force #1 – #4, #5.1, #5 – #9