Originally Timely Comics, Marvel Comics has come a long way since its founding in 1939. What originally began as pulpy, self-contained stories about strange happenings, superpowers, and aliens landing on Earth has become a massive franchise spanning decades, with some of the most recognizable characters in the world.
But just how many comics are there? If you’ve ever sat down and decided to read Marvel comics, you may have asked yourself this question. While the answer is absolutely staggering, no one is expected to read all of them, and few do. Below, we’ll take a look at how many Marvel comics there are, using resources like the Marvel Wiki Database and CMRO reading guide to support our data.
How Many Comics In The Main 616 Universe?
The primary Marvel comic universe begins with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961, and represents the starting point of a 60-year continuity that continues to this day. This is where the majority of Marvel comics take place, and has the highest count in any one group of Marvel comics.
There are currently 35,433 comics set in Earth 616, with more being added all the time. This number is gathered from the Main 616 reading order from the CMRO website that seeks to catalog every comic in the Earth 616 universe, as well as its optimal place in the larger reading order.
How Many Comics In The Ultimate Universe?
While Marvel comics span dozens of realities and universes, its major alternate reality is the Ultimate Marvel series (Earth 1610), which began with Ultimate Spider-Man in 2000. This universe depicts alternate versions of the characters you love, with differences both subtle and major changing what you thought you knew.
The Ultimate Marvel series concluded with the 2015 Secret Wars crossover event, totaling 767 comics.
However, the Ultimate series was rebooted in 2023 with the Ultimate Universe (Earth 6160), starting with Ultimate Invasion #1. So far, there are 46 comics in this series.
How Many Comics In The Golden Age?
Before the Fantastic Four, there were the Golden Age comics. These comics largely centered around Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, and the first version of the Human Torch, but are considered outside of the main Earth 616 canon.
The Golden Age series of comics began with Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, and includes a total of 2,220 comics, ending around the time the Fantastic Four were introduced in 1961.
Other Comics Published By Marvel
Marvel comics are primarily focused on their superheroes and other superpowered individuals, but Marvel has also published comics from other IPs, such as Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Trek, Godzilla, and many more.
How Many Comics Are There In Total?
Using the Expanded Order from CMRO, which includes every single Marvel comic published since 1937, there are nearly 58,000 comics, and this number is only growing. From Spider-Man and the X-Men to the Avengers and Fantastic Four, there are virtually an endless amount of comics to read.
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