10 Insanely Detailed Comic Book Worlds That Blew Fans' Minds

4. The Ten Realms - Marvel

Marvel Comics

If Jack Kirby had a key hand in developing Marvel's New York, then he was instrumental in laying the foundations of the Ten Realms.

Kirby, Larry Lieber and Stan Lee co-created Thor in 1962 and kickstarted one of the most compelling worlds in the entire comic book medium. First there was Asgard, then Jotunheim and Nidavellir, and then countless others. The likes of Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Steve Englehart and Walt Simonson would all leave their mark by adding more realms to Marvel's version of the Norse Aesir, with the comic's ability to marry sci-fi with fantasy a key pillar behind its success.

Thor combines the worlds of science and magic to impart something truly special, that transcends just ordinary myth and legend. Yes, Marvel have Norse mythology to thank for this particular world, but the way it's been realised over the last five decades has been nothing short of spectacular, with each realm retaining its own unique look, flavour and tone.

It scarcely ever looks boring, and with Thor and his supporting characters being as compelling as they are, it's little wonder that Marvel's Old Gods have persisted for as long as they have.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.