MARVEL UNIVERSE: 1964 READING ORDER - Recommended & Essential Reading

The Marvel Universe reading order continues: Highlighting all the key moments, first appearances, crossovers and events in the ideal reading order. This time around, we truly establish the shared universe with heroes meeting heroes and fighting each other's villains. Especially when the bad guys form teams of their own...

As always, I'd like to thank the guys over at www.chronologyproject.com which I use as a basis and work out my own continuity. Those guys have done all the heavy lifting for me!

MCG note: These pages are subject to change and will be constantly updated and added to. If you feel a story has been missed or want to know where tale would sit in continuity, I'm more than happy to add these for you though they may or may not be recommended by me. This guide is aimed more at fans who need help with continuity rather than those already obsessed with it.

While Captain America (pulled out of stasis from the Golden Age) and Daredevil are the only notable addition to our cast of heroes in 1964. Instead, it's all about the villains. Magneto introduces his own mutant team, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Doctor Doom makes his presence felt with Spider-Man and meets fellow Fantastic Four nemesis Rama-Tut. And the Avengers face the combined might of their separate foes in the form of the Masters of Evil.

As if that wasn't enough, we're introduced to a whole host of new bad guys when we meet Attuma, Beetle, Black Knight, Blob, Diablo, Dormammu, Electro, Enchantress, Executioner, Green Goblin, Grey Gargoyle, Immortus, Kang the Conqueror, Kraven the Hunter, Leader, Lucifer, Mandarin, Mastermind, Mister Hyde, Mysterio, Purple Man, Owl, Scarecrow, Scorpion, Toad, Unicorn and Baron Heinrich Zemo.

And then there are the villains who won't stay villains for long, as the Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man also make their debut!

MCG NOTE - your guide to reading comics:

• Issues in blue are worth reading and often play a part in the great Marvel tapestry.
• Issues in grey are possibly of interest, stories of note that aren't essential or issues added by fan request or once-great tales that are no longer 'required reading'.

Tales of Suspense #49[1/2] (1964) 
Iron Man vs the X-Men's Angel.

Avengers #3 (1964) 
Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner team up against the Avengers.

X-Men #3 (1964) 
First appearance of the Blob.

Journey into Mystery #99[1/3]-100[1/3] (1963-1964) 
First appearance of Mister Hyde.

Amazing Spider-Man #9 (1964) 
First appearance of Electro.

Fantastic Four #23 (1964) 
Doctor Doom's latest scheme against the Fantastic Four fails, leaving him lost in time.

Strange Tales #118[1/2] (1964) 
The Wizard first clashes with the whole Fantastic Four line-up.

X-Men #4-5 (1964) 
First appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (including Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and Toad); the X-Men clash with Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Tales of Suspense #50[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Mandarin.

Tales to Astonish #52[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Black Knight (Nathan Garrett).

Tales of Suspense #51[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Scarecrow.

Avengers #4 (1964) 
First modern appearance of Captain America; first appearance of Baron Heinrich Zemo; Cap is revived in the present and joins the Avengers.

Daredevil #1 (1964) 
First appearance of Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Foggy Nelson and Karen Page; Carl 'Crusher' Creel also makes his first appearance, though he isn't named.

Amazing Spider-Man #11-12 (1964) 
First appearance of Bennett Brant; Doctor Octopus returns and Betty Brant's brother, Bennett, appears to die in the crossfire; Doctor Octopus unmasks Spider-Man, but no one believes Peter Parker could be Spidey.

Fantastic Four #25-26 (1964) The Thing vs the Hulk; the Fantastic Four and the Avengers join forces against the Hulk.

Tales of Suspense #52[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Black Widow; the Crimson Dynamo is manipulated into a battle with Iron Man; Crimson Dynamo is killed.

Strange Tales #120[1/2] (1964) 
Human Torch and Iceman team up against Captain Barracuda.

Amazing Spider-Man #13 (1964) 
Quentin Beck first appears as Mysterio.

Fantastic Four #27 (1964) 
Doctor Strange helps the Fantastic Four rescue the Invisible Girl when she's kidnapped by Namor the Sub-Mariner again.

Amazing Spider-Man #14 (1964) 
First appearance of the Green Goblin; the Goblin's first fight with Spider-Man is interrupted when they accidentally stumble across the Hulk.

Fantastic Four #28 (1964) 
The Fantastic Four clash with the X-Men when both teams are manipulated by the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master.

Avengers #6 (1964) 
First appearance of the Masters of Evil; Baron Zemo leads the Black Knight, Melter and Radioactive Man against the Avengers.

Strange Tales #123[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Beetle.

X-Men #6 (1964) 
The Sub-Mariner is revealed to be a mutant; Magneto tries to recruit the Sub-Mariner into his Brotherhood.

Journey into Mystery #101[1/3]-102[1/3] (1964) 
Thor battles Zarrko the Tomorrow Man in the future (Earth-6297).

Journey into Mystery #103[1/3]-104[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Enchantress and Executioner during THEIR DARKEST HOUR.

Unlimited Access #2-4 (1997-1998) 
Access meets the original X-Men and Avengers during UNLIMITED ACCESS.

Tales to Astonish #57[1/2] (1964) 
Egghead tricks Giant-Man and Wasp into hunting Spider-Man.

Journey into Mystery #105[1/3]-106[1/3] (1964) 
Cobra and Mister Hyde first team-up.

Daredevil #3 (1964) 
First appearance of the Owl.

Tales of Suspense #56[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of Unicorn during THEIR DARKEST HOUR.

Avengers #7 (1964) 
Enchantress and Executioner join the Masters of Evil during THEIR DARKEST HOUR.

Strange Tales #123[3/3] (1964) 
Doctor Strange vs Loki.

Journey into Mystery #107[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of the Grey Gargoyle.

Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964) 
First appearance of Kraven the Hunter and Anna Watson.

Tales to Astonish #59[1/2] (1964) 
Giant-Man and Wasp vs the Hulk.

Fantastic Four #30 (1964) 
First appearance of Diablo.

Tales of Suspense #57[1/2] (1964) 
First appearance of Hawkeye; the Black Widow coerces Hawkeye into attacking Iron Man.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man #17 (1997) 
Spider-Man first meets Hawkeye.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounter #1 (1998) 
Spider-Man first meets Doctor Strange.

Amazing Spider-Man #16 (1964) 
Spider-Man first meets Daredevil. 

Strange Tales #125[1/2] (1964) 
The Thing and Human Torch ruin Mister Fantastic's plan to make peace with the Sub-Mariner.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1[1/3] (1964) 
First appearance of the Sinister Six; Doctor Octopus assembles Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman and Vulture to take down Spider-Man.

Journey into Mystery #109[1/2] (1964) 
Magneto's search for the X-Men brings him into conflict with Thor.

X-Men #7 (1964) 
The Blob joins and leaves the Brotherhood fo Evil Mutants.

Avengers #8 (1964) 
First appearance of Kang the Conqueror.

Tales of Suspense #58[1/2] (1964) 
The Chameleon tricks Iron Man into fighting Captain America.

Amazing Spider-Man #17 (1964) 
Spider-Man flees a fight with the Green Goblin to help Aunt May, leaving the Human Torch to pick up the slack and ruining his reputation.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man #21 (1997) 
Spider-Man's first chronological meeting with the X-Men.

Amazing Spider-Man #18 (1964) 
First appearance of Ned Leeds.

Amazing Spider-Man #19 (1964) 
First appearance of Mac Gargan; Spider-Man redeems himself agains the Sandman and the Enforcers.

Fantastic Four Annual #2[4/4] (1964) 
Doctor Doom is rescued from from the time stream by Rama-Tut; they figure Tut could be a future version of Doom.

Daredevil #4 (1964) 
First appearance of the Purple Man (Zebediah Killgrave).

Tales of Suspense #59[1/2]-60[1/2] (1964)
Iron Man's rematch with the Black Knight leaves him trapped in his armour; Iron Man has a rematch with Hawkeye during THE DEATH OF TONY STARK.

Avengers #9 (1964) 
First appearance and death of Wonder Man during THE DEATH OF TONY STARK.

Fantastic Four #31 (1964) 
First appearance of Franklin Storm (the Invisible Girl and Human Torch's father).

Fantastic Four Annual #2[1/4] (1964) 
First appearance of Latveria; the origin of Doctor Doom establishes him as ruler of Latveria.

Fantastic Four #32 (1964) 
Franklin Storm is killed during a battle between the Fantastic Four and the Super-Skrull.

Amazing Spider-Man #20 (1965) 
J Jonah Jameson payrolls Mac Gargan to become the Scorpion.

Strange Tales #126[2/2]-127[2/2] (1964) 
First appearance of Dormammu and Clea.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man '97 Annual (1997) 
Spider-Man meets a villain called Sundown during IT'S ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN.

Journey into Mystery #112[1/2] (1965) 
Thor tells his version of his recent battle with the Hulk.

Avengers #10 (1964) 
First appearance of Immortus.

Fantastic Four #33 (1964) 
First appearance of Attuma; the Fantastic Four help the Sub-Mariner reclaim the Atlantean throne from Attuma during WHEN ATTUMA STRIKES! 

X-Men #9 (1965) 
First appearance of Lucifer of the alien Quists; the X-Men clash with the Avengers.

Avengers #11 (1964) 
Kang sends a 'Spider-Man' robot to infiltrate the Avengers; the real Spider-Man defeats Kang's robot.

Tales to Astonish #62[2/2] (1964-1965) 
First appearance of the Leader; the Chameleon manipulates the Hulk.

Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos #13 (1964)
Captain America's first meeting with Nick Fury during World War II is recounted.

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