Shocking Hero Vs. Hero Moments

Perhaps one of the best known origin cameos was a three-way brawl between the Incredible Hulk, mystical Wendigo and the first of many spots that Wolverine would take up in the Marvel Universe. While the action takes a while to get to, it features the mixing of science vs. good ol' Canadian mysticism that Len Wein crafted and Chris Clairemont later clarified.

Spawning two issues (#181-182) Wolverine, or "Weapon X," is dispatched by the Canadian government to handle Wendigo and The Hulk, who are both battling outside of Quebec. Wolverine teams up for a minute with The Hulk to take down Wendigo, but quickly turns on this team-up with the jolly green gamma giant.   

Wolverine goes toe-to-toe with the Hulk and escapes with just a knock out before the Green Giant gets out of town. It'd be one of the rare three-way brawls to last in the Marvel Universe and introduced us to an iconic character that dominates all of Marvel's current marketing; it was also the basis for the animated Hulk Vs. film.    

Amazing Spider-Man #15 showcased Peter Parker's nerdiness and desperation for cash to help out his Aunt May when he decided to join the newly established Fantastic Four. In the issue, Spidey snuck into the Baxter Building (then just a building) and managed to take on and hold his own against the entire Fantastic Four until Mr. Fantastic demanded an explanation.   

It's the classic story of confused heroes fighting confused heroes until cooler heads prevail, but at the time the FF had the cosmic powers and heavy hitters that Spidey wouldn't get until the late 2000s when he finally got Avenger and Future Foundation status.     

The crossover spanning 26 years and multiple authors is so far up here, not because it didn't deliver, but well, how could it deliver? Krona, who seems to constantly be the source of cosmic trouble, finds his way into the Marvel 616 universe and meets The Grandmaster, who challenges the exiled Guardian to a game rather than simply destroying the universe. The two choose their champions (guess which side chooses which!) and have them race against each other to collect 12 of the most powerful items in each respective universe to summon Shen Long. Oh, wait.   

See if Krona wins, he gets to meet Galactus and destroy the Marvel Universe, if he loses he doesn't. As the League and Avengers drop into each other's prospective realities, they culture clash on how each side works (Superman can't believe something like The Hulk runs around unconfined, Cap thinks Superman is a fascist), but inevitably we run into the old question of who's stronger/faster/better? Quicksilver outraces The Flash because there's no Speed Force in the Marvel Universe, Scarlett Witch can tap into the far greater reserves of magic in DC and Superman of course dual wields Cap's shield and Mjolnir to battle Krona.   

Best of all? Entire thing was canon as Krona turned into a space egg and was sealed at the Watchtower.    

Garth Ennis's best work isn't the ode-to-grimdark that is The Boys or even his Hitman run. Ok, it's Preacher, but let's point this out too: Ennis knows how to write The Punisher. The Marvel Knights reboot to the current Max storyline taking a homeless Frank Castle out from prison and back into the streets has given us some of the best Punisher moments (that includes Born.) This, however, was like frosting on a cake with a hand grenade inside of it.  

In this mid-90s "else" world, Frank Castle's family wasn't killed during a mob war, but by an alien invasion that had the X-Men and Avengers out in full force. Castle's family dies in the cross-fire and not one of the heroes bothers to apologize, instead blaming which side did the kill. When Cyclops gives a half-assed apology, Castle responds by firing blindly and killing him. After his lawyer, Matt Murdoch, recognizes Castle from their childhood he tries to get him off, but Castle is sentenced to prison. Only instead, he's dropped off at one of those fancy mansions where a collection of people injured in various super hero battles want him to take revenge and kill all the heroes for them. Castle agrees and sets out on one of the most fascinating one-shots in Marvel history.