History EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / MarvelUniverse

* James Rhodes is nowadays best known as buddy of Tony Stark and one of the most iconic members of Iron Man's supporting cast nowadays. He didn't debut before the 70's and was more portrayed as an AngryBlackGuyStereotype than anything else. Also, he actually [[AffirmativeActionLegacy became Iron Man as his first superhero identity]] before finally took on the identity of MilitarySuperhero ComicBook/WarMachine, the superhero persona he is mostly associated with.

** Cap's partner, ComicBook/TheFalcon, started off as a BadassNormal with a green costume and no powers or gadgets outside of a grappling hook. His trademark wing suit and red color scheme weren't introduced until a few years after his creation. Likewise, his past anf origin was frequently [[{{Retcon}} retconned]], so that modern day readers might be surprised to learn that Sam Wilson [[MultochoicePast was either a social worker or a pimp working as]] TheMole for Red Skull when he first met Cap.

** Cap's partner, ComicBook/TheFalcon, started off as a BadassNormal with a green costume and no powers or gadgets outside of a grappling hook. His trademark wing suit and red color scheme weren't introduced until a few years after his creation.

* On the subject of Comicbook/TheAvengers, the team did not have their trademark CoolPlane, the Quinjet, until ''Avengers'' #61, a short while after Comicbook/BlackPanther joined the team. Prior to this, the Avengers used a few less memorable transports, and on at least one occasion left to fight Kang the Conqueror in a chartered jet at J.F.K. International Airport.

* [[ILoveNuclearPower Radiation]] is ubiquitous when it comes to gaining new super powers, treated as a mysterious magical energy when battling the likes of Radioactive Man, with no indication of radiation's adverse effects. The X-Men hint the origin of their mutations are tied to the nuclear bomb tests of the nuclear age, a detail ignored in most modern stories aside from the phrase "Children of the Atom".

* Notably, Bruce Banner originally turned into ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk at night. He was also originally colored grey, but this changed to green, as grey was hard to reproduce consistently in the 1960's.
** Of course, these two traits were notably brought back years later in the 1980's where it was revealed that the Grey Hulk was another personality of Banner's.
*** There are a lot of other weird things that happen before Hulk hits his stride, like him changing via machine, and Hulk's intelligence level going up to near Banner and down to inhuman stupidity. The early issues also make the Hulk quite misanthropic (an '''extremely''' bad thing when coupled with Banner's brains) and Rick Jones was the KidWithTheLeash who kept him from actually ''trying to end the world'' at least once. It takes them awhile before the character is associated with anger, around his first visit with ComicBook/TheInhumans where they establish that his strength increases with his rage. The situation with the Hulk's intelligence was {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in an issue of Creator/MarkWaid's ''Avengers'' run, where the Silver Age Hulk doesn't understand why the present-day Spider-Man keeps trying to use HulkSpeak to communicate with him.
---->'''Hulk''': Why are you talkin' to me like I'm an ''idiot''?\\
'''Spider-Man''': Because in days to come, you will be?
** Like the ''Sub-Mariner: The Depths'' example mentioned above, the later ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' series intentionally went back to the character's roots, with the Hulk depicted as a far more intelligent and overtly malicious figure than most fans were generally used to. The series also revives some of the Hulk's original mechanics, with "the night is his time" being a repeated theme-phrase. The way the "Immortal" part works is that if Bruce Banner is killed, the Hulk will rise as soon as night falls on his corpse.

* After his first appearance in ''Tales of Suspense'' #39, ComicBook/IronMan spent the next few issues traveling back in time to visit Cleopatra, fighting a robot caveman built by aliens, preventing a race of people who lived inside the Earth from invading the surface world, and having several other wacky adventures. It wasn't until ''Tales of Suspense'' #45 (the first appearance of Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Harold "Happy" Hogan, and supervillain Blizzard) that he started to edge more towards superhero territory.
* Notably, Bruce Banner originally turned into the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk at night. He was also originally colored grey, but this changed to green, as grey was hard to reproduce consistently in the 1960's.

** Hulk also had an ever-changing number of toes. When he first appeared, he had five toes. When his book was cancelled and he resurfaced in ''Fantastic Four'', he now had three. When he joined the Avengers, he then had four, but went back to three by the second issue, only for this number to vary wildly in each subsequent appearance before the artists finally settled on five in ''Tales to Astonish''. This was the subject in a MythologyGag in ''ComicBook/UltronForever'', where the Hulk transported from the past still had three toes.

* In the Early Timely (Marvel) Comics, In the very first ComicBook/CaptainAmerica story, the [[ComicBook/HumanTorch1939 Human Torch]] is mentioned as being "a hero from the comic books." About a year later, Cap and the Torch met in a crossover story. [[note]] Later works seemed to explain this by having the Marvel Comics company exist ''in-universe'', so superheroes can read their own comics.[[/note]]

** His partner, ComicBook/TheFalcon, started off as a BadassNormal with a green costume and no powers or gadgets outside of a grappling hook. His trademark wing suit and red color scheme weren't introduced until a few years after his creation.

* Speaking of ''ComicBook/TheEternals'', Creator/JackKirby's run on the series was very heavily implied to take place in the "real world" rather than the Marvel Universe. The Eternals were treated as though they were the first superpowered beings to become known to the public, while the Celestials were very clearly supposed to be the first cosmic entities the people of Earth had ever come into contact with. Obviously, this does not make sense in a continuity that already includes superpowered races like [[ComicBook/XMen Mutants]] and [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Inhumans]], or on a planet that has already been visited by ComicBook/{{Galactus}} and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer multiple times. While an android copy of the Hulk did appear in issue #14, the dialogue seemed to suggest that the Hulk was a fictional character in this universe, not a real life superhero. Even more, humanity was revealed not to be the result of evolution, but of the celestials experimenting with the ancient big apes. The characters were incorporated into the Marvel Universe in the ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' series (which, contrary to the title, was not exploring WhatIf scenarios in those stories, but the new canon history). This series revealed that the Titans were former Eternals, that the Kree learned about them and made their own experiments on the first humans (thus creating ComicBook/TheInhumans), and that a long time later the Eternals helped the Inhumans to relocate Attilan in the Himalayas. And the change to the origin of the human race was removed: the experiments of the Celestials created the Eternals and the Deviants, but the apes were then released, and evolved into humans at their own pace. Roy Thomas then used them in his ''Thor'' run as the focus of his "Eternals Saga" storyline, the first one in a major Marvel comic. This may come as a surprise to certain readers, especially given the way the Celestials have been incorporated into the wider Marvel canon since then, with characters such as the X-Men's ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} and the Fantastic Four's Franklin Richards having connections to them.

* ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}''[='=]s 1970 series didn't have Worldmind established as a core concept of the Nova Corps, although the computers of Xandar were mentioned quite a few times. Nova was more of a FlyingBrick - his powers consisted of flight, super strength, and invulnerability, rather than the gravimetric abilities he is portrayed with in modern times.
* In his first appearance, ComicBook/MoonKnight had a different costume and was actually a ''villain'' working for the Secret Empire. After he unexpectedly became popular, later issues retconned this by saying that he had always been a hero, but at the time of his first appearance was [[TheMole infiltrating the Secret Empire]]. He was also more of a standard [[BatmanParody Batman clone]] in these early appearances, lacking the mental illness or connection to the Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god, that would later come to define the character. In fact, prior to the Khonshu retcon, Moon Knight's enhanced strength at night was said to merely be the byproduct of having been bitten by Comicbook/WerewolfByNight.

** Today, the ''Ultimate'' version of ComicBook/NickFury is probably best known for being [[ComicBookFantasyCasting closely modeled after]] actor Creator/SamuelLJackson (with Jackson's permission), with the assumption that Jackson was always destined to play Fury on the big screen. Understandably, it can be a bit jarring to read Ultimate Nick Fury's first appearance in ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'''s 2001 story arc "Return to Weapon X", where [[ArtEvolution he looks nothing like Samuel L. Jackson]]. While [[RaceLift he's still African-American]], Fury is drawn with noticeably lighter skin than Jackson, and he has a fade haircut instead of Jackson's distinctive shaved head. Also, he's initially depicted as a snappy-dressing ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} field agent with an arsenal of elaborate gadgets (not unlike his depiction in the old ''Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' comic book series) rather than as the BaldBlackLeaderGuy of ComicBook/TheUltimates.

* In early issues of Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' series, Commander Arcturus Rann seemed to be a less refined individual. He used slang, mild swear words, and occasionally uttered sexist comments toward Marionette. In this, he was much like Han Solo from ''Franchise/StarWars''. This was toned down immediately after the first three issues, and he started acting like a strait-laced hero.

** ComicBook/TheWasp's trademark "stings" were originally blasts of compressed air fired from a special gadget worn on her right wrist, rather than bioelectric shocks generated from within her own body that could be fired from both hands. She was also written as a rather flighty character who often seemed like she didn't take her duties as a superhero very seriously, in contrast to her later role as one of the longest-serving and most dedicated members of the Avengers. Also, due to the ValuesDissonance of TheSixties, Janet's early relationship with Hank would seem pretty unhealthy to modern readers. She was often depicted as a [[WetBlanketWife nagging girlfriend]] who would get on Hank's nerves by complaining about how often he neglected her in favor of science or superheroics, with Hank usually responding by belittling or outright insulting her.

** When Comicbook/TheInhumans were first introduced, Comicbook/BlackBolt did not use his trademark [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic scream]], with more emphasis placed on his FlyingBrick status and his ability to gather electrons with his antenna. Furthermore, his inability to speak was explained to be due to an injury that had been "accidentally" caused by his brother Maximums, rather than a voluntary vow of silence.

** Furthermore, in Doom's first appearance, he didn't have the grudge with [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]] that has come to define his character - they just happened to be former classmates. His plot was a little less world-shattering as well - kidnapping the Fantastic Four to STEAL BLACKBEARD'S TREASURE. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And he didn't have a cape.]] It was also implied that Ben wasn't familiar with Doom, while later stories would establish that he too had known Doom back in college.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** Early comics had trouble defining what exactly his "spider sense" is and how it works. In one early comic, he was able to use it to "tune in" on the Chameleon's location (clear across New York City in a helicopter) and in another, Doctor Doom was able to use it like a radio signal, transmitting a message directly to Spider-Man using some kind of transmitter hooked up to a spider. (To this day, it's still a bit vaguely defined. The ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' comics showed his daughter, having developed her powers earlier, being able to use her spider sense in a few ways her father can't, such as being able to pinpoint the exact source of the danger in a way that sometimes allows her to find a vulnerability in an enemy.)
** The famous quote "With Great Power ComesGreatResponsibility" is the end-caption of [[ComicBook/AmazingFantasyNumberFifteen Amazing Fantasy #15]] and is voiced by the narrator of the comic rather than Uncle Ben himself. The attribution of the quote to Uncle Ben came decades later thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, and in the early issues of the Stan Lee[=/=]Steve Ditko era, Spider-Man didn't dwell too much on the guilt to moroseness as later versions imply. Peter's characterization was also somewhat aloof and cold, despite him still being a complete MotorMouth when in costume. In fact, many characters noted that Peter, because of his adventures as Spider-Man, came off as having NoSocialSkills (especially apparent in the "If This Be My Destiny" storyline) and a FriendlessBackground. Later retellings of Spider-Man's early days, such as the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'', ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' or even the ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' comics, usually depict Peter as much nicer and more sociable, and give him at least one or two friends in high school.
** Likewise, as originally written, Harry Osborn was a JerkAss snob rather than Peter's best friend. Gwen Stacy was originally a {{Tsundere}} type character for Peter Parker, berating and mocking him for his "lack of manliness" but still feeling some innate attraction to him and their few interactions were tense and stand-offish. Peter, recovering from the end of his early infatuation with Betty Brant, didn't give her the time of day. Her character mellowed out later on, becoming far more emotional and with less of a hard edged personality.[[note]]The introduction of MJ also saw several aspects of her character change -- like her hairstyle and her dance moves -- to better match the more popular MJ. And for those who are only familiar with her most recent incarnations where Gwen is a scientific equal to Spider-Man, in her initial comic appearances -- even up to her death -- she was never depicted as having an interest in science and was only Peter's classmate in one class.[[/note]] This happened almost immediately when John Romita Sr. took over from Ditko. Romita having a Romance Comics background softened Peter's social life and more properly introduced the familiar Spider-Man gang.
** The Green Goblin in the original stories was a mysterious, dangerous and entertaining villain whose schemes involved taking over the underworld of New York for some reason or another. His first appearance was a wacky adventure where he posed as Spider-Man's friend and convinced him to appear in a movie production which turned out to be a trap to kill him. He appeared in fewer issues than other villains but was easily Spider-Man's most popular villain. Much controversy has spread over the years if Ditko intended ComicBook/NormanOsborn to be the Green Goblin, since Ditko left on the issue directly before TheReveal, though Ditko insisted that wasn't the reason for his departure[[note]]Ditko [[AuthorsSavingThrow later attempted to put an end to the issue]] by pointing out various points in his run where he [[EarlyBirdCameo inserted]] Norman Osborn [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent in the background]] so as to {{foreshadow|ing}} TheReveal[[/note]]. But more or less, the original version of Goblin was a Joker-esque madman who launched zany schemes without any of the deeper and byzantine motives and schemes that later writers would provide him.
*** Before his trademark glider, the Green Goblin used a small rocket he called a "Broomstick" as his mode of transportation.
** The ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote changed over time as well. Originally, it was just an alien costume with stronger webbing, changing into a symbiote when the costume proved unpopular. The symbiote driving people insane wearing it wasn't even a thing in the comics - that came from ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''. Venom's design also changed over time, as its first appearance had the only major design change being a mouth and a row of teeth. A few appearances later, the teeth got sharper and a long, dragon-like tongue got added in.
*** For that matter, Eddie Brock as the first Venom was originally much more [[AxCrazy deranged]], spiteful and outright villainous than he would be in later appearances and adaptations. Aside from one or two token lines of expressed regret he generally didn't bat an eye at the loss of innocent life (the first time he fought Spidey he shamelessly killed a cop, and in his first breakout he killed a security guard) and his ability to take criticism and hold himself accountable were downright nonexistent, a far cry from the snarky, self-deprecating PragmaticHero he is nowadays. As a result of his enduring [[BreakoutVillain popularity]], however, Eddie would quickly be written as a NobleDemon and later on AntiHero, with Carnage taking his place as the Marvel Universe's outright insane Symbiote Supervillain. Several explanations have been offered for why Eddie-as-Venom was so different back then, the most common being that since both Eddie and the Symbiote where at the absolute low point in their lives at the time of bonding, they drew out each other's most negative personality traits. To give an idea of how much Eddie changed over time, compare Sony's [[Film/Venom2018 official Venom Movie]] (which draws from his more modern appearances) with [[WebVideo/TruthInJournalism this Fan Film]] and you'll quickly notice how massively different they are.
** The first couple issues of Spidey's first ongoing operated on a TwoShorts format, as opposed to the full-length 20/22-pagers that became standard for Marvel (and DC later on).

* HealingFactor characters ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, Sabretooth and ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} are depicted as sustaining injuries over a length of time in early appearances, compared to later appearances where healing appears near instant. Sabretooth's face was injured in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #116 and still scarred by his next appearance in #119. In an ''ComicBook/XForce'' appearance, Deadpool complains his broken jaw left him hospitalized for a few weeks. One can assume characters had weaker healing factors in the past, but newer stories set in the past still depict a near instant healing factor.

* In the first few issues of ''ComicBook/XMen'', mutants weren't hated and feared, the X-Men were treated as celebrities (the second issue has Angel meet a bunch of fangirls), they had an official government liaison (Fred Duncan), ComicBook/{{Beast|Marvel Comics}} was DumbMuscle, Comicbook/{{Iceman}} was a JerkAss (mission briefing would sometimes lead to him attacking the rest of the team) and Comicbook/JeanGrey's telekinesis was for some reason called teleportation, even in the second issue, in which they fought an actual teleporter. Xavier didn't hesitate to hit people who knew too much with LaserGuidedAmnesia, either. Also, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, in contrast to his contemporary portrayal as a WellIntentionedExtremist, was a straightforward bad guy without any redeeming features. He also had psychic powers that were nearly a match for Charles Xavier's, including AstralProjection.
** Speaking of Beast, after leaving the ''X-Men'', he briefly starred in ''Amazing Adventures'', where he first gained his furry, ape-like form. However, the first issue was significantly DarkerAndEdgier, likely influenced by the popularity of horror comics in the 70s, and had a major subplot about Beast possibly losing his humanity and becoming a feral monster. This would seem quite odd to modern readers, since Beast maintaining [[GeniusBruiser his immense intelligence and friendly personality in spite of his monstrous appearance]] is probably one of his most iconic character traits. He also had a HealingFactor during these stories, something that was dropped by later writers. Additionally, back in the Silver Age, Beast was generally written as more of a stereotypically uptight nerd (save for the ''very'' early issues mentioned above, where Stan Lee wrote him as a dumb brute). Hank's jokier, more affable characterization wasn't introduced until Steve Englehart made the character a member of Comicbook/TheAvengers during TheSeventies, and his sudden personality shift was actually notable enough that other heroes even commented on it in-story. Oh, ''and'' he was gray at first.
** In ''X-Men'' #1, Magneto can manipulate the magnetic field around objects, meaning he can move any object whether or not it contains magnetic metal; in other early stories, he seemed to be able to do ''anything'' as long as he was said to be doing it "magnetically", leading to amusing panels where Magneto seems to be able to control "animal magnetism" or can manipulate people thanks to his "magnetic personality". Professor X introduces a training machine instead of the Danger Room. In ''X-Men'' #2, Professor X is called "Dr. X". In ''X-Men'' #5, The X-Men have now finished their training at Xavier's school. In ''X-Men'' #6, The X-Men's cook is mentioned, and never seen again. Professor X and Magneto both have the ability to project mental images to contact Namor. In ''X-Men'' #7, The X-Men have now graduated from Xavier's school. In ''X-Men'' #8, Cyclops is called Sommers. The Angel is called Bobby. (Mind you, those two things seem like errors; in issue 1-7, both heroes have their familiar names, though in the first, Scott was called "Slim," which is now officially a nickname.) In ''X-Men'' #9, Bavaria and Bulgaria are the same location. In ''X-Men'' #33, The Juggernaut steals Professor X's mental powers. This is not brought up again.
** While modern depictions of Cerebro tend to operate on the idea that only telepaths can operate it (save for special exemptions, such as when ComicBook/KittyPryde was able to modify the computer so that she could use it), that was not originally the case. In fact, Reed Richards once built his own facsimile of Cerebro, and was able to use it to track Karma in her first appearance.
** Like Magneto, Comicbook/EmmaFrost was a straight up villain in her early appearances, rather than the morally gray character she became in TheNineties. Readers familiar with her MamaBear tendencies and her love of children would probably be shocked to see the early ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' storyline where Emma kidnapped Kitty Pryde and tried to forcibly brainwash the young mutant into joining the Hellions. In fact, this would seem especially odd given the later ''X-Force'' issue where Emma told Warpath that she approved of his decision to leave the Hellions, and that she never would've forced any of her students to stay with her against their will.
* Before he was ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s ArchNemesis and one of the X-Men's most iconic baddies, ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} started off as an Comicbook/IronFist villain. He was partnered with Constrictor in his second appearance (in which he was already much less efficient than in his first one), there were no hints at his mysterious backstory or connection to Wolverine, and he didn't have a healing factor either. He was also much less of a threat when he wasn't written by Creator/ChrisClaremont, getting his ass handed to him by characters like ComicBook/BlackCat. It wasn't until the 1986 "Mutant Massacre" crossover (Sabretooth was introduced in 1977) that he began to become the villain we know today. It was the first story to have him fight Wolverine on panel, as well as the first one to reference their mysterious shared past. He was also played up as a much more powerful and intimidating character than he'd been previously, and was finally confirmed to possess a healing factor like Logan's. A possible explanation for the differences in portrayal is that Chris Claremont actually had plans to reveal that all of Sabretooth's early appearances (except for the very first one) were actually [[ActuallyADoombot clones created by Nathaniel Essex]]. [[ArmedWithCanon This would have, coinkydink of coinkydinks, left the only appearances of the "real" Sabretooth to be the ones Claremont wrote.]]

* ComicBook/{{X 23}}, in her early appearances in ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'', was shown as mocking Psylocke's mannerisms, something that went against her usual stoic and loner attitudes.

* ComicBook/{{Cable}}, being a character whose backstory was made up as things went along, has some instances:
** He started out using a lot of strange idioms (''not'' FutureSlang) which suggested that he spoke with a British accent.
** The nature of his cyborg arm changed. Originally, it was very clearly meant to be a normal appendage, albeit with weapons and the like, as Cable is seen fixing and modifying it in his early appearances, and Forge repairs it for him without incident. Later on, it was established to be the techno-organic virus consuming his arm, and his telekinesis was what was holding it back -- it ''naturally'' repairs itself and he cannot actually modify it or anything beyond making tentacles some out of it sometimes.
** Early appearances heavily implied that he was formerly a soldier for the U.S. government, with the government being keenly aware of him and his service record. This doesn't line up with later revelations that he only returned to the past as a 50-something and ran unsanctioned mercenary groups for the most part.

* ''Franchise/XMen'', Vol. 2, #50, one of the issues leading into ''ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}'' and showing signs of the WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants that was going on, sees one of Onslaught's minions Post kidnap the X-Men, a psychic warning of Onslaught's arrival, and someone attempt to kidnap ComicBook/ProfessorX, implied to be Onslaught himself--the same Onslaught who turned out to be Xavier himself in [[https://uncannyxmen.net/character-related-topics/the-road-to-onslaught-the-darker-side-of-xavier yet another time every bad thought and feeling he's tried to suppress took on a life of its own]].
* ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and the ComicBook/ScarletWitch started their lives out as villains, part of Magneto's "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants". Quicksilver's outfit was green with while lightning bolts on it while the Scarlet Witch's trademark bustier had straps on it and her whipet framed her entire face. As well, Wanda's hair was black at the start. It wouldn't be until the 70s until the two's outfits would shift into its more recognizable designs and colors and Wanda's hair would be a more reddish-brown.

* ''ComicBook/BuckskinAmericasDefenderOfLiberty'' had Early Installment Weirdness in its ''title'', originally being called ''Buckskin '''Blake''': America's Defender of Liberty''.

* In his first appearance, ComicBook/MoonKnight had a different costume and was actually a ''villain'' working for the Secret Empire. After he unexpectedly became popular, later issues retconned this by saying that he had always been a hero, but at the time of his first appearance was [[TheMole infiltrating the Secret Empire]].

** Today, the ''Ultimate'' version of ComicBook/NickFury is probably best known for being [[ComicBookFantasyCasting closely modeled after]] actor Creator/SamuelLJackson (with Jackson's permission), with the assumption that Jackson was always destined to play Fury on the big screen. Understandably, it can be a bit jarring to read Ultimate Nick Fury's first appearance in ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'''s 2001 story arc "Return to Weapon X", where [[ArtEvolution he looks nothing like Samuel L. Jackson]]. While [[RaceLift he's still African-American]], Fury is drawn with noticeably lighter skin than Jackson, and he has a fade haircut instead of Jackson's distinctive [[BaldOfAwesome shaved head]]. Also, he's initially depicted as a snappy-dressing ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} field agent with an arsenal of elaborate gadgets (not unlike his depiction in the old ''Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' comic book series) rather than as the BaldBlackLeaderGuy of ComicBook/TheUltimates.

* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'', Tony Stark's suit requires an incredible source of energyfor its size. Modern stories explain the arc reactor as generating it, while early issues explain the suit's energy as being amplified by the suit's transistors[[note]]Real transistors allow a small amount of current to control the flow of a larger amount of current, but that larger amount still has to ''come'' from somewhere; the transistor doesn't just make it out of nothing[[/note]]. Maybe Stark designed ''super'' transistors.

* Bobbi Morse didn't become ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}} until about 9 years after she was created. When she first appeared, she was actually a scientist who usually showed up in stories featuring characters like Ka-Zar and ComicBook/ManThing. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in the first issue of ''The ComicBook/UnstoppableWasp'', where Bobbi says that nobody ever remembers all the stuff she did before she became a costumed superhero.

* In her earliest appearances, ComicBook/CarolDanvers was not a superhero, but rather an unpowered military officer and ComicBook/CaptainMarVell's love interest. Later, when she became ComicBook/MsMarvel, she could initially only fly thanks to [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman special mechanisms in her Kree uniform]], rather than flight being part of her powerset. Ms. Marvel was also originally Carol's SuperpoweredAlterEgo (á la the Hulk), with neither personality being aware of the other.

** In the '60s, Namor had powers modeled after various sea creatures, such as puffer fish and electric eels. These are almost never brought up anymore, [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain especially the puffer fish powers]]. Which is actually kind of a shame since [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower puffer fish toxin is one of the deadliest poisons in the animal kingdom]].

* Before he was ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s ArchNemesis and one of the X-Men's most iconic baddies, ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} started off as an [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Iron Fist]] villain. He was partnered with Constrictor in his second appearance (in which he was already much less efficient than in his first one), there were no hints at his mysterious backstory or connection to Wolverine, and he didn't have a healing factor either. He was also much less of a threat when he wasn't written by Creator/ChrisClaremont, getting his ass handed to him by characters like ComicBook/BlackCat. It wasn't until the 1986 "Mutant Massacre" crossover (Sabretooth was introduced in 1977) that he began to become the villain we know today. It was the first story to have him fight Wolverine on panel, as well as the first one to reference their mysterious shared past. He was also played up as a much more powerful and intimidating character than he'd been previously, and was finally confirmed to possess a healing factor like Logan's. A possible explanation for the differences in portrayal is that Chris Claremont actually had plans to reveal that all of Sabretooth's early appearances (except for the very first one) were actually [[ActuallyADoombot clones created by Nathaniel Essex]]. [[ArmedWithCanon This would have, coinkydink of coinkydinks, left the only appearances of the "real" Sabretooth to be the ones Claremont wrote.]]

** The famous quote "With Great Power ComesGreatResponsibility" is the end-caption of Amazing Fantasy #15 and is voiced by the narrator of the comic rather than Uncle Ben himself. The attribution of the quote to Uncle Ben came decades later thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, and in the early issues of the Stan Lee[=/=]Steve Ditko era, Spider-Man didn't dwell too much on the guilt to moroseness as later versions imply. Peter's characterization was also somewhat aloof and cold, despite him still being a complete MotorMouth when in costume. In fact, many characters noted that Peter, because of his adventures as Spider-Man, came off as having NoSocialSkills (especially apparent in the "If This Be My Destiny" storyline) and a FriendlessBackground. Later retellings of Spider-Man's early days, such as the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'', ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' or even the ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' comics, usually depict Peter as much nicer and more sociable, and give him at least one or two friends in high school.

* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'', Tony Stark's suit requires NoConservationOfEnergy. Modern stories explain the arc reactor is generating all the energy, while early issues explain the suit's energy is being amplified because of the suit's transistors[[note]]in real life, transistors allow a small amount of current to control the flow of a larger amount of current, but that larger amount still has to ''come'' from somewhere; the transistor doesn't just make it out of nothing[[[/note]]. Impressive! Maybe Stark designed ''super'' transistors.

* In the first few issues of ''ComicBook/XMen'', mutants weren't hated and feared, the X-Men were treated as celebrities (the second issue has Angel meet a bunch of fangirls), they had an official government liasion (Fred Duncan), ComicBook/{{Beast|Marvel Comics}} was DumbMuscle, Comicbook/{{Iceman}} was a JerkAss (mission briefing would sometimes lead to him attacking the rest of the team) and Comicbook/JeanGrey's telekinesis was for some reason called teleportation, even in the second issue, in which they fought an actual teleporter. Xavier didn't hesitate to hit people who knew too much with LaserGuidedAmnesia, either. Also, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, in contrast to his contemporary portrayal as a WellIntentionedExtremist, was a straightforward bad guy without any redeeming features. He also had psychic powers that were nearly a match for Charles Xavier's, including AstralProjection.

* HealingFactor characters Franchise/{{Wolverine}}, Sabretooth and ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} are depicted as sustaining injuries over a length of time in early appearances, compared to later appearances where healing appears near instant. Sabretooth's face was injured in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #116 and still scarred by his next appearance in #119. In an ''ComicBook/XForce'' appearance, Deadpool complains his broken jaw left him hospitalized for a few weeks. One can assume characters had weaker healing factors in the past, but newer stories set in the past still depict a near instant healing factor.

* Before he was Franchise/{{Wolverine}}'s ArchNemesis and one of the X-Men's most iconic baddies, ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} started off as an [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Iron Fist]] villain. He was partnered with Constrictor in his second appearance (in which he was already much less efficient than in his first one), there were no hints at his mysterious backstory or connection to Wolverine, and he didn't have a healing factor either. He was also much less of a threat when he wasn't written by Creator/ChrisClaremont, getting his ass handed to him by characters like ComicBook/BlackCat. It wasn't until the 1986 "Mutant Massacre" crossover (Sabretooth was introduced in 1977) that he began to become the villain we know today. It was the first story to have him fight Wolverine on panel, as well as the first one to reference their mysterious shared past. He was also played up as a much more powerful and intimidating character than he'd been previously, and was finally confirmed to possess a healing factor like Logan's. A possible explanation for the differences in portrayal is that Chris Claremont actually had plans to reveal that all of Sabretooth's early appearances (except for the very first one) were actually [[ActuallyADoombot clones created by Nathaniel Essex]]. [[ArmedWithCanon This would have, coinkydink of coinkydinks, left the only appearances of the "real" Sabretooth to be the ones Claremont wrote.]]