The the X-Men’s Beast morphing into a blue, furry creature, or Iron Man leveling up with the Extremis armor. These alterations came to define the characters.

Yet, for every good Marvel redesign, there are others that, for a variety of reasons, never took hold. Some of these changes made no sense in light of the character’s history and others were done simply to cash in on the fads and trends of the time. Then, there have been a few changes that were so disturbing, and so bad, that fans can only hope the nostalgia wave es them over, and they are never seen again. Here are ten of the worst.

10 Captain America’s Armor Made Him Look More Like a Killing Machine

Captain America Tried to Come Into the 1990s–But Failed

In the early 1990s, first DC and then Marvel adopted “iconoclastic” takes on their major league heroes. Inspired by DC’s mega-successful Death of Superman, both publishers began giving the likes of Batman, Green Lantern, Spider-Man and even Captain America such treatment. In 1994’s Captain America #425, part one of the “Fighting Chance” storyline, Captain America’s body begins to give out on him, as the Super Soldier Serum finally wears off. Iron Man came to Cap’s rescue, fashioning him a suit of armor that not only kept him alive, but gave him new weapons, such as repulsors, to use.

Shortly after "Fighting Chance" ended, Mark Waid took over writing duties on Captain America.

Make no mistake: Cap’s armored makeover was part of an editorial mandate to “shake up” the character’s status quo–but it never took off with fans. Captain America’s suit of armor made him look more like a killing machine, and not the morally upright hero fans know and love. Marvel also wrapped the story up in the weirdest way possible, by having a dying Steve Rogers “saved” by the Red Skull, who was in the cloned body of Cap at the time.

9 Jubilee’s “Vampire” Phase Tried to Make Her Interesting

Jubilee Was an Odd Choice for a Vampire

Jubilee the character was nearing the 20th anniversary of her first appearance when she was transformed into a vampire during the Curse of the Mutants event. This storyline saw Xarus, Dracula’s son, convert Jubilee into a vampire as a way of luring out the X-Men. As the rest of the X-Men debated whether to kill their former teammate or not, Wolverine stepped in and advocated for his one-time protégé. Over the next several years of stories, Jubilee gradually came to with what she had become, and became a role model for other vampires trying to walk the side of good.

While it was certainly different, something about Jubilee as a vampire never set right with fans, and, like nearly all the changes on this list, was eventually walked back on. In Jubilee’s case, Kid Omega, Quentin Quire and the Phoenix Force helped purge the vampirism from her system. Some good did come out of this phase, as Jubilee was better equipped to handle all the newly turned vampires in the recent Blood Hunt story.

8 Gambit Did Not Make a Name for Himself as One of Apocalypse’s Horsemen

Gambit Became a Horseman With Good Intentions

Gambit is known as a fun-loving member of the X-Men, which makes his transformation into one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen all the more jarring. After the events of House of M and Decimation, Apocalypse returned with a plan to restore the abilities of de-powered mutants. Gambit pledged his allegiance to Apocalypse in a bid to monitor his activities. This backfired spectacularly on Gambit, as Apocalypse broke him in body and soul, turning him into Death, a position once occupied by another member of the X-Men: Archangel. Gambit’s fellow mutants Sunfire and Polaris ed Apocalypse as well.

Gambit served Apocalypse for a short while, before coming to realize the error of his ways. Ironically, it was Mister Sinister, a sometimes ally of Apocalypse and Gambit’s former boss in the Marauders, who came to the rescue, restoring Gambit’s humanity. For a while, Gambit could still access the powers he gained as a Horseman of Apocalypse, even after he was “cured.” However, this ability, as well as Gambit’s entire tenure as a Horseman, is largely ignored today.

7 The Wasp Actually Became a Real Insect At One Point

Thankfully, No One Talks About This Dark Chapter in the Wasp’s Life

The Wasp was one of Marvel’s first women superheroes, and has sported a number of outfits over the years, but it was her transformation into a humanoid insect that ranks as the wildest. During the now-infamous The Crossing story, an evil Tony Stark accidentally blasts the Wasp with a repulsor. Her ex-husband, Hank Pym, tries to save her life, but instead she goes into a cocoon. In Avengers #394, she emerges from this cocoon, completely transformed on a physical level. The Wasp’s metamorphosis into an actual insect left her personality intact, and gave her even more powers.

The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) was played in the MCU by Michelle Pfeiffer.

The Crossing was a less-than-stellar storyline on many levels, the way in which it treated established characters being one of them. In addition to making Iron Man a villain, it turned the Wasp into a weird, insect-like creature. This redesign was so bad and so disturbing that it only lasted 10 months, before the Wasp and the rest of the Avengers fell in battle with Onslaught. When Janet found herself in the world of Heroes Reborn, she was back to being a human, which carried over into Heroes Return.

6 There Have Been Cool Red Hulks, But She-Hulk Was the First to Be Disturbing

She-Hulk’s Red Form Represents Everything She Fears

The 2010s were not kind to She-Hulk: she first assumed a gray form, and when she reverted to green, was left with a rapidly diminishing humanity. She-Hulk was far more stable than her cousin the Hulk, but that was slowly slipping away from her. During Jason Aaron’s tenure on The Avengers, She-Hulk’s mental state continued to crumble, leading to an attack by the Vampire Nation and the Winter Guard, a Russian superhero team. She-Hulk was then taken to the infamous Red Room, where Russia conditions its Black Widows, and transformed into a horrible monster.

An obvious shout-out to the flag of the now-gone Soviet Union, this Red She-Hulk gave every one of Jennifer Walter’s fears literal form. Even before her capture and brainwashing, She-Hulk was fighting a losing battle for control of her mind and faculties. This is something She-Hulk has feared her entire adult life, and now it is happening. Her torture at the hands of the Winter Guard added to the trauma. She-Hulk was able to overcome the Red Room programming, and, thanks to her teammates, was able to return to her normal, green, intelligent form.

5 Wolverine’s “Feral” Form Contained a Head-Scratching Detail

Seriously, How Does Feral Wolverine Smell?

Wolverine’s healing factor works in weird ways, and his “feral” phase in the early to mid-1990s is proof of that. In the landmark X-Men #25, Magneto ripped the adamantium off of Wolverine’s skeleton. Only Logan’s healing factor was able to keep him alive during this crucial time. This same healing factor also kept Wolverine alive after the initial adamantium infusion he received at the Weapon Plus project, as well as keeping the negative, long-term effects at bay as well. Once the adamantium was completely out of his system, Wolverine underwent an odd physical transformation.

Starting in Wolverine #100, Logan began taking on a more “feral” appearance. His hair grew long and his teeth sharper. He also began displaying a more bestial appearance, including seemingly losing his nose. The transformation looked weird, and was not a hit with fans. This change also did not last long, and Wolverine’s nose returned within a year. How Wolverine’s healing factor led him to lose a nose was never adequately explained by Marvel.

4 Marvel Has Never Been Able to Find a Good Role for Ben Reilly, and Chasm is the Proof

The One-Time Spider-Man Replacement Gets Even Less Breaks Than Peter Parker

Ben Reilly grew out of one of the most controversial Spider-Man stories ever: the Clone Saga. Marvel tried to replace Peter Parker with someone new, in this case his clone, who had been introduced in the mid-1970s. The Clone Saga tried to posit that the Peter fans knew was actually the clone, and this newcomer was the real Peter Parker. The story was not well-received, and was significantly retconned by decade’s end. Ben Reilly has drifted across the Marvel Universe since, and even replaced Peter briefly during the recent Beyond story.

Ben Reilly was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru.

Beyond was an attempt to restart Ben Reilly’s career, but instead it just proved that Marvel does not know what to do with him. Ben Reilly was recently made over into Chasm thanks to another clone, Madelyne Pryor. This could have been another fresh start for Reilly, but instead the poorly chosen color scheme of his outfit, plus the gimmick itself, failed to connect with readers, and Chasm has not been seen since.

3 The Maker Was a Disturbing Fate for One of Marvel’s Icons

The Maker Would Become One of Marvel’s Best Villains of Recent Years

The grotesque Maker, the dark final form of the first Ultimate Reed Richards, is one of the best new villains in the Marvel Universe. Distinguished from his Earth-616 counterpart by his big head, the Maker’s intellect never stops expanding. This, coupled with watching the death of his universe, drove him over the edge. The Maker has been a thorn in the side of Venom as well as the Illuminati, and is the prime architect behind the new Ultimate Universe. He is currently imprisoned on that Earth, but is due to return soon.

The Maker is one of Marvel’s darkest villains, and one of the most tragic falls from grace in the publisher’s history. In creating the new Ultimate Universe, he altered the origins of many of the publisher’s heroes, keeping them from gaining their powers. Others, he brought under his thumb, creating a Ruling Council to enforce his will. The Maker has not a shred of empathy in him, making him extremely dangerous. Furthermore, his twisted appearance, including a pulsing, throbbing head, only adds to his disturbing nature.

2 The Invisible Woman’s “Malice” Phase Was Totally Unnecessary

An Attempt to “Sex Up” the Invisible Woman Backfired

The Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman has undergone several changes in her 64-year history, ranging from her codename (she used to be referred to as “the Invisible Girl”) to her outfit. In the mid-1990s, Marvel editorial decided to shake up the Invisible Woman’s life by having her adopt a new, skimpier outfit. The initial in-universe rationale for wearing this outfit was weak, and was not popular with fans, who felt the new duds were out of character for Sue Storm. They were right, and before long, she was back in a more standard Fantastic Four uniform.

Marvel history is littered with puzzling redesigns, but this one for the Invisible Woman remains primary among them. Marvel later attempted to retcon the Invisible Woman’s “sexier” look by revealing that it was a manifestation of her dark side, which came to be called “Malice.” The Malice aspect of her personality was later purged, and this incarnation of Sue Storm has not been seen since.

1 Speedball’s Transformation Into Penance Was the Worst Ever

A Disturbing Makeover For A Fun Character

Speedball was conceived as a “fun” hero, and his solo book as well as his appearances in New Warriors reaffirmed that, but the Civil War event changed everything. After believing he caused an explosion that killed hundreds of people, Speedball adopted a “dark and gritty” look. He traded in his spandex for armor which contained spikes that bore into Speedball’s skin, one for each person he killed. These spikes, and the pain they caused, were supposed to remind Speedball of all the misery he had caused. He then changed his name to “Penance.”

Civil War was a controversial story for a number of reasons, and Speedball’s transformation into the dark and brooding Penance was one of them. The gimmick would not have been out of place in the 1980s, when the trend was to make heroes “dark,” but it just did not fly in the 2000s–and became Marvel’s worst redesign in the process.