10 Reboots That Changed Comic Books Forever
8. Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights was born from the ashes of the Comics Code of Authority. That Code existed for decades, but tempered the content that could be shown by publishers. When Marvel decided to work outside the code, they did so by creating a new universe where they reimagined some of their most popular "street-level" heroes and villains.
the original imprint launched new versions of Black Panther, Daredevil, The Punisher, and The Inhumans, but would go on to include Elektra, Captain America, and many others.
What made Marvel Knights different from the standard Earth-616 version of Marvel was the abandonment of the code. Sex, drugs, ultra-violence, and everything in-between were on the table and the creators didn't hold back.
Within three years of launching Marvel Knights, the publisher abandoned the Code entirely. That may never have happened were it not for the experiment that was Marvel Knights. It had a lasting impact on Marvel Comics, which translated soon after to DC and every other comic book publisher out there. Even Archie Comics left the code behind in 2011 when it began publishing more "adult" content.