Jack Russell, AKA Werewolf By Night, is joining the MCU in his own self-titled Disney Plus Halloween special, bringing a classic horror monster flair to the franchise. In general, the MCU has been leaning into horror more frequently in Phase 4, which is exciting because there are a ton of great Marvel horror comics on shelves.
Marvel is home to characters like Jack Russell, Ghost-Rider, the entire Venom family, and even Dracula - yes, the Dracula. There are tons of great, scary stories to pick from as we get closer to spooky season, and hopefully, more of them will make their way to the MCU sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, there are comics.
So without further ado, here are the 10 best Marvel horror comics of all time.
10. Spirits of Vengeance: Rise of the Midnight Sons
Who can stop Lilith, Mother of Demons, and all her demon children? The Midnight Sons, of course.
Spirits of Vengeance: Rise of the Midnight Sons is a '90s team-up saga featuring several of Marvel's most iconic characters. Former Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze, new Ghost Rider Dan Ketch, the vampire Morbius, the vampire hunter Blade, Werewolf By Night, Hannibal King, Frank Drake, Mordred the Mystic, and even Doctor Strange join the fight against Lilith and her brood.
Several of these characters will appear in the upcoming Midnight Suns video game, and Marvel is embracing the slight name change with a new comic and new roster to keep the supernatural party going.
9. The Punisher: Franken-Castle
So maybe The Punisher: Franken-Castle seems a little silly, but who says horror can't be fun?
This arc by Rick Remender and Tony Moore explores what happens when vigilante Frank Castle AKA The Punisher dies and is replaced by Franken-Castle, a monstrous version of himself who strives to protect innocent monsters of the world - including Red Hulk. If you're looking for a classic monster story exploring themes of otherness, this may appeal to you.
8. Absolute Carnage
In 2019, the Venom creative team of writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Stegman launched the Absolute Carnage crossover event, which featured the titular character as its main villain and had tie-ins with Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Iron Fist, Deadpool, and Scream.
In Absolute Carnage, Cletus Kasady AKA Carnage targets every person in the Marvel Universe who's ever bonded with a symbiote. That's a lot of victims, including several superheroes - and none of them are willing to let Carnage do that much violence if they can stop him. This crossover event is bloody, creepy, and fast-paced, making it an ideal read for fans of space and cape horror.
7. The Tomb of Dracula
The Tomb of Dracula is iconic for several reasons. First, it's by Marv Wolfman and Gene Conlan, and second, it establishes Dracula as a real foe in the Marvel Universe. Third, it introduces Blade in issue #10, as he and a team of vampire hunters attempt to take down Count Dracula and a wealth of other supernatural villains.
Pulpy vampire stories are always a good time, and The Tomb of Dracula is one of the best.
6. Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies, written by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, is a mid-aughts event that explores an alternate reality where every major hero in the Marvel Universe is a flesh-eating zombie. When their food source - humans - begins to run out, all Hell breaks loose, especially after main-continuity heroes start breaking into this reality and Galactus gets involved.
The Marvel Zombies event is a new, multiversal spin on a classic monster, and the way it plays with form and expectation makes for a truly delightful (if gross) reading experience.
5. Journey Into Mystery
Marvel's Journey Into Mystery is typically remembered as a chronicling of Thor's misadventures, but before he took over the title in issue #83, the anthology series explored the creepiest, crawliest stories of Marvel forerunner Atlas Comics.
The Silver Age Journey Into Mystery features work from Stan Lee, Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, and more. Much like Creepshow (but minus the narrator), each short story is different than the last, but the scare factor is always present - even when the horror gets campy.
4. New Mutants: Demon Bear
Mutant Dani Moonstar's dreams are haunted by a giant Demon Bear, and in New Mutants: Demon Bear, AKA the Demon Bear saga, writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz bring those nightmares to life.
Dani has the mutant ability to make others face their deepest fears, but when the Demon Bear returns to torment her and the other New Mutants, she discovers that she hasn't faced her own. The story gets increasingly frenetic as the heroes struggle to defeat this old, deeply personal evil, and the tension is enough to make anyone's heart race.
3. Damnation
Doctor Strange: Damnation is an actual nightmare: After Secret Empire, Doctor Strange resurrects the fallen city of Las Vegas, only to discover it's been in Hell this whole time. Bringing back Sin City means bringing Mephisto to Earth, which in turn means fighting him and his demon army.
This crossover event is brutal in its intensity and pacing, and it sees beloved characters transformed into otherworldly entities while supernatural warriors attempt to stop the havoc before all of Earth is swallowed by Hell.
2. X-Men: Inferno (1989)
The original X-Men: Inferno crossover event from 1989 put mutantkind at the center of the Marvel Universe and changed everything. The story reveals Cyclops's estranged wife, Madelyne Pryor, is not only Jean Grey's clone but also the evil Goblyn Queen. Demons invade Manhattan and New mutant Illyana Rasputin struggles against her corruption at the hands of the demon Mephisto, all while mutant students try to rescue kidnapped mutant babies before they can be sacrificed.
Inferno is often considered one of the best X-Men stories ever, and for good reason: It's horrifying and wide-reaching, but super character-focused even as it tackles major villains and potentially universe-altering moments.
1. Werewolf By Night
There's a reason the MCU is introducing Werewolf By Night: He's an iconic, classic monster from the Marvel Universe, and the original self-titled series spanning 43 issues from 1972-1977 is the perfect amount of creepy horror paired with campy plot lines and fights.
Werewolf By Night scratches the itch for classic comics horror, making it an easy pick for almost any reader.
Marvel isn't the only publisher with great horror comics. Check out Newsarama's list of the best horror comics of all time.
