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Many of Marvel’s heroes naturally lend themselves to the gritty and crime-based world that the Noir Universe offers. Some underwent drastic reinventions, becoming practically unrecognizable. Other heroes stayed relatively the same with only minor divergences from their main universe counterparts. These are the stories set in Marvel’s Noir Universe, ranked by their quality.
8) Weapon X Noir
The weakest of the Marvel Noir stories, Weapon X Noir is a one-shot spin-off of X-Men Noir. This story centers on this universe’s version of Nightcrawler, a trapeze artist nicknamed the Demon. After being framed for murder, the Demon teams up with an American spy called the Mimic to clear his name. Like the other X-Men in the Noir Universe, Nightcrawler isn’t a mutant, has no powers, and only rarely wears a blue mask. This complete disconnection from the iconic X-Man’s design and abilities makes it hard for the reader to connect with him. The story itself is also very disjointed and unfocused, with an abrupt ending.
7) X-Men Noir
Instead of a team of mutant superheroes, the X-Men of the Noir Universe is a sociopathic gang of teenage criminals recruited by a cruel Professor X, who takes in juvenile delinquents and encourages their dark impulses. After Jean Grey is found dead, NYPD Homicide Chief Eric Magnus investigates the murder mystery that leads him to the remnants of the X-Men. Despite the interesting concept of a powerless version of the X-Men, the story feels very cluttered as the writers try to cram in a ton of X-Men characters in only four issues. Because of this as well as the excessively slow pacing, confusing plot, and dull art, the X-Men Noir doesn’t live up to its potential.
6) Punisher Noir
Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, is already one of the grittiest and darkest characters in Marvel Comics, so he fits right at home in the Noir Universe. However, in Punisher Noir, it’s his son, Frank Castle Jr., who becomes the vicious vigilante of this post-WWI era. After gangsters murdered his father, Frank Castle Jr. sets out on a quest for vengeance against the criminal underworld. The Punisher fits well into the atmospheric noir setting, and there are several great twists in the story. While the vengeance storyline may sometimes be a bit formulaic, it’s overall a fun read and a great interpretation of Marvel’s most brutal anti-hero.
5) Wolverine Noir
Despite the lukewarm reactions to the other X-Men-related Noir stories, Wolverine Noir is a coherent and riveting mystery thriller. The human detective Jim Logan Howlett is forced to confront his bloody past when a woman named Mariko Yashida asks for his help on a case. Instead of relying on his iconic claws or healing factor, Jim must rely on his knife expertise and overwhelming stubbornness to fight ruthless gangsters. The lack of powers makes the action much more intense as Jim nearly dies several times in the story. Wolverine Noir is a dark tale that uses the tropes of the noir genre to elevate Wolverine’s struggles and to examine his character more fully.
