History ComicBook / Marvels

* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms: In the newsreel and the ending [=WW2=] scene, the Japanese and German soldiers are somehow almost all equipped with classic gangster [[GunsOfFiction/SubmachineGuns Tommy Guns]] instead of the MP-40 or Arisaka rifle. Justified, though, as the Golden Age comics often depicted Mooks using the Thompson M1921/M1928, due to it being the typical "[[GoodGunsBadGuns bad guy gun]]" at the time.

** In the same interview, Phil is utterly dismissive of the notion that ''[[CanadaEh Canada]]'' of all nations would be fielding [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} a vicious covert-ops super-agent]].

** Phil at the end says he's ''through'' with superheroes and never wants to be around one. He tells his assistant to take a picture of him with a nice ''normal'' kid, a newspaper delivery boy by the name of [[Comicbook/GhostRider Danny Ketch]].

** At a press conference, [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen]] can be seen chatting. Clark and Lois also appear in [[http://imgur.com/kKK2v the audience]] when the Torch is unveiled.

* ForWantOfANail: Creator/WarrenEllis's alternate universe ''ComicBook/{{Ruins}}'', where everything that could go wrong ''[[CrapsackWorld did]]''.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Phil never finds out what happens to the little mutant girl Maggie. Technically, neither does the reader, but the issue's cover shows Angel flying her to safety.

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* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Everyone ''loves'' ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, to the point that he never gets slandered the way other heroes do. It's later subverted in ''Eye of the Camera''.
* AiIsACrapshoot: The original Sentinels turn on Bolivar Trask basically the second they're activated, telling their creator that they have no intention of following anyone's orders.

* Phil reaches his own on two different occasions: the first is when he hears people on the street dismissing the Galactus invasion as a hoax (perpetrated by the heroes who risked their own lives to save them), and the second is towards the end of the series, when Phil realizes that the murder of Gwen Stacy barely counts as a footnote in the newspapers as far as general society is concerned.

* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms: In the newsreel and the ending [=WW2=] scene, the Japanese and German soldiers are somehow almost all equipped with classic gangster [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Tommy Guns]] instead of the MP-40 or Arisaka rifle. Justified, though, as the Golden Age comics often depicted Mooks using the Thompson M1921/M1928, due to it being the typical "[[GoodGunsBadGuns bad guy gun]]" at the time.

* XRayVision: In ''Eye Of The Camera'', we find out this is Maggie's actual power, her alien appearance being an unfortunate side effect, and it's implied she has other vision-based powers as well.

* SeenItAll: Phil was there when Dr. Horton first unveiled the Human Torch, and though initially traumatized, by the fourth issue he was StrollingThroughTheChaos during one of Namor's attacks.

** Doris briefly dated [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Willy Lumpkin.]]

* ImStandingRightHere: A young Phil and J. Jonah Jameson have a discussion about Jim Hammond/the Human Torch in a diner, with Jonah rattling off a laundry list of criticisms and insults aimed at Hammond… at which point an enraged Hammond — who had been sitting, disguised, right next to them — stands up and snarls at Jonah to shut up before flaming on and flying out of the diner in a huff.

** Phil hopes to write a book exonerating Spider-Man of George Stacey's death and hopes to use writings that Gwen can provide, but then he sees the Green Goblin emerge from her window. Happens again soon afterwards, as he observes Spider-Man arriving at the bridge and is so certain he can save Gwen.

* DeconReconSwitch: It's a deconstruction in showing how scary it would really be if a bunch of masked men with godlike powers started showing up, but then reconstructs it to show how awesome and heroic it would be too, especially when they save the day. And then it falls back into deconstruction at the end when it explores what happens when [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied these "Marvels" end up failing to save the day]]. Then it finishes by swinging back into reconstruction with ''Eyes Of The Camera'' and the epilogue, as events cause Phil to regain his faith in the Marvels in the twilight of his life.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Phil interviews his old friend J. Jonah Jameson, he brings up both the latter's general slandering of Spider-Man as a threat and his more recent assertions of Spider-Man's "cowardice" due to not intervening during a crime wave. Phil logically asks how it's fair [[MortonsFork to accuse Spider-Man of being a menace when he does go out and fight crime while calling him a coward when he doesn't]].

** [[ItWasHisSled Gwen Stacy dies]]. Phil can't believe people would simply forget about her and go on, eventually realizing that he's inside the story now instead of outside and he can't be objective. So he retires with his wife and daughters.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Alex Ross used models for certain characters, such as Music/FreddieMercury for [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], Creator/TimothyDalton for [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], [[Series/GilligansIsland Russel Johnson]] for [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]], and, most notably, Creator/PatrickStewart for [[ComicBook/ProfessorX Charles Xavier]], [[HilariousInHindsight years before the actor]] [[Film/XMenFilmSeries would be cast for that same character]]. Creator/DonKnotts also appears as Frederick Foswell, a reporter for the Daily Bugle.

* DramaticIrony
** Phil briefly encounters Peter Parker, who he pretty much hates because of the way he profits off of giving Spider-Man pictures to the Daily Bugle, which are then used to slander him.
*** Taken even further in the sequel miniseries, where Phil, already in a bad mood, angrily brushes Peter off while storming out of a Bugle party. Out on the New York streets at night, he gets accosted by muggers, but before they can hurt him, who should swing in and save him but Spider-Man.

** Similarly, when Phil first sees the Human Torch, the reflection off his glasses covers the eye he'll eventually lose.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: This aspect of Namor is heavily deconstructed.

** Also the X-Men and Spider-Man, as per usual. While Phil has his reservations with the X-Men and mutants in general, he truly believes in Spider-Man and is disgusted by how Jameson devotes himself to defaming Spidey.

* LittleNo: Phil when Gwen's neck is snapped.

** Similarly, Gwen Stacy's death, which ends up causing Phil to realize he's become too close to the story to be objective about it.

** Peter Parker looks a lot like Creator/TobeyMaguire. The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' movies came out after the comic, so the possibility for the ''Marvels'' Pete to be based on the movies' Pete is pretty unlikely. But it could be the other way around -- Maguire being a casting choice could be based on this comic alone.
*** Also: Ross based his [[Franchise/XMen Professor X]] on Creator/PatrickStewart, much before the ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' films. (Stewart was a popular fantasy casting choice even when the movie was purely hypothetical.)

* ShamingTheMob
** Only works once, where Phil overcomes his fear of a little mutant girl (although he wasn't part of a mob at the time, he previously was part of one where he threw a brick at Iceman's head. Cyclops keeps Iceman from retaliating by telling him that his attackers "aren't worth it," which doesn't shame the mob but shakes Phil up).
** Arguably when Phil blasts a group of New Yorkers for their constant need to tear down heroes, following him walking into another anti-mutant diatribe.
** He's also upset when people doubt the Galactus incident was real.
* ShoutOut: As with Ross' other painted opus, ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', many, many, many.

* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: Like the original comic it appeared in, the battle between Namor and the Torch is presented as this.

''Marvels'' is a 4-issue mini-series, running from January to April, 1994. An exploration of the history of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse from the perspective of an [[TheEveryman Everyman]], written by Creator/KurtBusiek and beautifully illustrated by Creator/AlexRoss.

** Phil himself is initially caught up in the anti-mutant fervor when it first begins, despite spending his whole life condemning that sort of bigotry (and having seen it's results firsthand in WWII). He is deeply ashamed when he realizes this.