Marvel Comics has been responsible for some of the best-known comic book covers in history. Virtually every fan can picture the iconic image of Spider-Man swinging in his classic pose on the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 or see Bruce Banner transform into The Incredible Hulk on the cover of his first issue. Along with these modern pieces of pop art, however, Marvel managed to slip in a few comic book covers with more… inappropriate content.

Maybe it was the suggestive positioning of the characters. Perhaps it was an unfortunate double-meaning in the wording of the title. Or maybe it was a reference to some questionable content in the story itself. Any way you look at it, plenty of Marvel comic book covers sparked plenty of controversy over the years, like the ones below:

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Captain America #69

This classic Captain America comic book cover shows Cap being tied down by several tiny men (or the “Wee Males” according to the cover copy). While this could be seen as a homage to a classic image from the novel Gulliver’s Travels that showed a sailor being tied down by miniature “Lilliputians,” Cap’s helpless position could also be construed as a form of bondage. To make matters more uncomfortable, the hand reaching out from the cave appears to be aiming at Cap’s crotch.

Giant-Size Man-Thing #2

Comic fans are used to seeing giant monsters grace the covers of their favorite comic books. However, what makes this cover (and all the other covers in this series) inappropriate aren’t the depictions of Marvel’s swamp monster the Man-Thing, but the unfortunate title. During the 1970s, Marvel published “Giant-Size” comics that were double the length of usual issues. When it came time to name the Man-Thing’s comic, however, the double entendre of calling it “Giant-Size Man-Thing” apparently escaped the censors (although not the teenage boys who liked sniggering about it).

The Ultimates #8

Having attractive men and women embrace on comic book covers has been a staple of comic book art since the early romance comics. In this case, however, the “couple” was the Ultimate version of twin siblings Pietro and Wanda Maximoff who appeared to share an incestuous relationship in Ultimate Marvel comics. While such a relationship was never explored so blatantly in the mainstream comics, the Ultimate line sought to stir up controversy – which this cover certainly did.

Spider-Woman #1

Comics have been criticized for objectifying women for years. However, this infamous variant cover – drawn by artist Milo Manara – became wildly criticized when it debuted for showing Spider-Woman in such a blatantly sexual position. Marvel ended up placing the “Spider-Woman” title over the heroine’s bottom to make the artwork seem less offensive, although this did nothing to quell the controversy.

ALF #48

Back in the 1990s, Marvel published a series of comics starring the alien puppet ALF. Aimed at children, the stories were mostly lighthearted fare, but issue #48 showed a hopefully unintentional image of ALF seemingly sexually assaulting a seal while shouting, “So hurry up already!” Apparently meant as a pun on “safety seals,” the cover also included a caption assuring the reader that “no animals were injured during the making of this cover,” although this probably did nothing to stop reader nightmares.

After over 80 years in the business, Marvel Comics has offered everything in its cover art from inspiring images to lurid pictures that encourage double and triple takes. Whether intentional or unintentional, the controversial artwork has given each of these covers a dubiously infamous place in the annals of comic book history.

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