Few Marvel Comics stories have generated such negative reception and confusion as the 2000s Trouble miniseries, with the adventures of Aunt May as a youngster unanimously hated by readers. The writer of the comic, Mark Millar, even took a dig at the story he wrote, as Trouble made a surprise cameo in another comic penned by him, where he made fun of his career lowlight.
In Ultimate Avengers (2010) #14 by Mark Millar and Steve Dillon, the alt-universe story featured Nerd Hulk, a clone of Bruce Banner, trying to Earth's Mightiest Heroes in battle. However, after Captain America tells him the world isn't ready to learn about his existence, Nerd Hulk decides to escape from the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound he's being kept to go to a comic book g. After Nerd Hulk is knocked out, it's revealed that the hero was on his way to meet Mark Millar and even carried a copy of Trouble #1 by Marvel Comics to get signed.
Trouble Was A Flop For Marvel Comics For Good Reason
From a storytelling perspective, Trouble was an unneeded and ultimately unwelcome new chapter in the lore of Aunt May and Spider-Man. The Epic Comics story felt immediately dated and genuinely bizarre as it followed the sexual escapades of May. The juvenile storyline ended with the revelation that she was actually the biological mother of Peter Parker, as opposed to his aunt. It's easy to understand why the story was never made canon or continued beyond its initial six-issue run and why Mark Millar even poked fun at Trouble in a different comic series.
When Nerd Hulk is knocked out in the issue of Ultimate Avengers, it's revealed the comic he was looking to get signed by Mark Millar was Trouble. Considering he wrote the joke and Nerd Hulk was on his way to meet the writer in the Ultimate Universe, Millar is clearly poking fun at his critically maligned story, as It's highly likely nobody would ever want a signed copy of Trouble, even if it's technically considered a collector's item due to its infamous storyline.
Millar, who has written some of the most popular comic book stories ever, including Superman: Red Sun, Civil War, and helped co-create the Ultimate Universe, has had enough success in his career to realize that Trouble was one of the time's his writing completely missed the mark. It's great that he could have fun about being responsible for one of the worst Marvel Comics stories ever published, as Trouble's cameo in Ultimate Avengers proves he has a sense of humor about the universally-hated comic.
