Is there a 616 Anymore?

Teague · 09-04-2014, 11:18 AM

I mean this seriously, for those of us who are comics historians....

With all the restarts and reboots and re-imaginings...are there any Marvel books that still take place in the 616? I'm sincerely thinking that we'll look back on this era of comics as the end of continuity, and the loss of the 616 is a big part of that.

ParisDean · 09-04-2014, 12:10 PM

To which books are you referring that you think don't exist in the 616 universe? There are a few limited series here and there that are alternate universe stories (like Frank Cho's Shanna, The She-Devil and Joe Linsner's Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws), but most titles not under the Ultimate banner should be 616 as far as I know.

Marvelito · 09-04-2014, 02:02 PM

The 616 has not really been rebooted, not the way the DC Universe has. It has evolved to the point that some older readers no longer recognize "their" MU, but as of today it's still the same 616 that started back in the 60's. There are rumors that once the "Time Runs Out" storyline concludes in April it will lead to an actual reboot of the MU, but those are just rumors.

Teague · 09-04-2014, 05:04 PM

I was under the impression that all the Marvel NOW books (which is a huge number of them, isn't it?) are outside the 616 continuity. Maybe I'm wrong, but the rumors of the reboot that Marvelito mentions is what got me thinking about it...and sort of thinking that it already happened. Sorta.

Kicksplode · 09-04-2014, 05:06 PM

Marvel NOW wasn't a reboot. It's the same universe. Even the rumors of Marvel rebooting next year are probably overblown. At this point it seems like that's what Marvel wants everyone to think they're doing.

Teague · 09-05-2014, 02:22 PM

Marvel may not call Marvel NOW a reboot, but...it was, wasn't it? I mean, there was a reason that they had to cut a great run of Daredevil short (I didn't read the Mark Waid run, sadly, but it's on my list to pick up in trades, because I heard great things) in order to re-launch DD in the M:NOW imprint.

I guess maybe it's only a reboot in terms of the books (meaning: the original numbering is lost permanently) and not the world...but if the 616 is no more, as it's rumored, I think that sound you'll be hearing is the rustling of a lot of long-time fans closing their wallets.

Marvelito · 09-05-2014, 02:34 PM

Daredevil, picked up right where it left off with Waid still on the book. It's one of Marvel's best books BTW, you should really check it out, and I'm counting both volumes Waid has done.

The thing that Marvel is now doing is they're treating books to some degree like tv seasons. Every time they relaunch a book it's basically a new season. The storyline and creative team may change but that's it, everything before still happened unless it was previously retconned.

Marvel NOW was an in continuity relaunch. I think they called it a soft re-boot, which is why you may be confused. The majority of the titles were given new #1s and launched almost simultaneously, but were all still the same 616 universe. It was kind of a best of both worlds, because it was a great jumping on point for new fans, yet they didn't jettison all the history for the older fans.

And one of the reasons certain titles like DD were restarted with #1s IMO was to raise the price on them to $3.99.

Teague · 09-05-2014, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvelito

Daredevil, picked up right where it left off with Waid still on the book. It's one of Marvel's best books BTW, you should really check it out, and I'm counting both volumes Waid has done.

The thing that Marvel is now doing is they're treating books to some degree like tv seasons. Every time they relaunch a book it's basically a new season. The storyline and creative team may change but that's it, everything before still happened unless it was previously retconned.

Marvel NOW was an in continuity relaunch. I think they called it a soft re-boot, which is why you may be confused. The majority of the titles were given new #1s and launched almost simultaneously, but were all still the same 616 universe. It was kind of a best of both worlds, because it was a great jumping on point for new fans, yet they didn't jettison all the history for the older fans.

And one of the reasons certain titles like DD were restarted with #1s IMO was to raise the price on them to $3.99.

Cool, thanks for the info M! I could have sworn that M:NOW was a universe reboot (in essence, if not in name), but in trying to figure out why I thought that, I can't find any backup for it.

I guess I'm glad to know that at least for now, the 616 continuity is still in-place. I hope that won't be changed!

Kicksplode · 09-05-2014, 05:16 PM

Like Marvelito said, Marvel NOW is really nothing more than a marketing push aimed at relaunching a lot of series and making it easier for new readers to jump in. Not only is the old continuity still there, but books like All-New X-Men hinge heavily on the older Marvel stories.

And they've been doing a version of Marvel NOW every year or so as they kick off a wave of new releases. Early this year it was All-New Marvel NOW, and later this fall they'll have Avengers NOW as they relaunch Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man.

**wktf** · 09-05-2014, 06:40 PM

Marvel NOW is a failed experiment. The FF, Avengers, X-Men and even Hulk are unrecognizable and practically unreadable. I agree about Daredevil being outstanding. It's the only book I'm looking forward to reading and doesn't feel like a complete reimagining or reboot.