A senior editor for Marvel Comics has officially revealed why COVID-19 never became a part of the official comic continuity. When the COVID-19 pandemic took effect in early 2020, many people and places were affected. Jobs were lost and people were left isolated. However, these experiences soon found their way into the creative arts with projects such as the horror film Host. However, the Marvel continuity remained untouched as heroes went about their normal lives without experiencing the pandemic.

According to Marvel Comics Senior Editor Tom Brevoort on his Substack newsletter, there was actually a reason for omitting COVID-19 from the Marvel Universe. Brevoort says that, given how the virus “was going to last for a long time,” there was no way to reasonably assure “that everything was going to be alright.” Introducing one story about COVID-19 runs the risk of needing to address it “across the entire line.” This would lead to situations where characters are “sheltering in place” and streets are completely abandoned. Just like how the pandemic took hold of the real world, introducing COVID-19 to the Marvel Universe would drastically change how stories worked going forward.

While some stories would address it in one-offs like The Vitals to honor the people working tirelessly to save lives, it was all outside of the main continuity.

Bringing COVID-19 to the Marvel Universe Would Alter Character Motivations

Heroes Could Do More Harm than Good by Fighting During the Pandemic

Another fascinating mention from Tom Brevoort is how including the pandemic into Marvel’s continuity during the outbreak would alter character motivations. He states that no one would want to read the latest Spider-Man comic if “Peter Parker [hesitated] to go after the Scorpion or somebody because he’s afraid that he may catch COVID and infect The Daily Bugle with it.” While this would be completely in character for Spider-Man given his empathy for others, it would drastically alter Marvel’s storytelling.

The same goes for countless other Marvel heroes. While a good number of heroes wear masks as part of the job, it wouldn’t stop them from catching the disease. Rather, it would prevent them from spreading it if they catch it. Plus, the masks need to come off at some point, so they run the risk of spreading the disease more while hiding in plain sight as their secret identity. There are too many “what if’s” in play for how COVID-19 would affect Marvel’s characters, so it makes sense for the writers to forego stories about the pandemic during this time.

Marvel Sympathizes With Its Audience About the Pandemic

The Last Thing People Want to Read is More Stories About COVID-19

The driving force behind this response by Brevoort, though, is the sympathetic reasoning behind avoiding stories about COVID-19 during the pandemic. During this time, the virus was changing everything, including comics, as everyone’s plans were put on hold as everyone sheltered in place. Brevoort states that addressing the virus during the pandemic is “not the sort of storytelling that people likely want to read about if they’re in the midst of living it themselves.” By ignoring real world events, fans found a way to escape the harsh reality of the pandemic for just a bit, to read up on their favorite characters while socially distancing themselves from friends and family.

Of course, COVID-19 would eventually find its way to the Marvel Universe years later once cases began to fall and the pandemic eventually faded. However, it was told in a unique way that made it more artistic and avoided looking back at a dark period of time. It was a brilliant idea for Marvel Comics to steer clear of making COVID-19 canon to its universe, both in preventing a major shakeup in canon and addressing sensitivities readers had to the pandemic.

Source: Tom Brevoort via Substack