10 Overhyped Comic Books That Were Incredibly Mediocre
5. Fear Itself
The 2011 crossover event follows the machinations of the Serpent, an Asgardian fear god whose schemes to claim the throne of Asgard spelt disaster for Earth. Despite focusing on the diabolical deity and the trio of Thor, Captain America and Iron Man, the event was a muddled tale with a questionable plot structure, lackluster writing and inconsequential nature.
Following the settlement of Asgard on Earth after the Siege storyline, Red Skull's daughter Sin recovers Skadi's Hammer, a relic that transformed her into the Serpent's Herald. This sets off a chain of events that imperils both Earth and Asgard and pushes the heroes of the former to their limits.
Despite featuring fan-pleasing moments such as Captain America wielding Mjolnir, the Serpent destroying Cap's shield, and Iron Man creating Uru-infused weaponry, the main story is poorly paced from the onset. Its buildup was poorly done, meaning that the rest of the story did not flow as instead and this served to work against the far-reaching nature of the story.
That said, the event's tie-ins made for entertaining reads, even if they undercut the impact of the main story in some instances.