Nick Peron
Welcome to the website of comedian Nick Peron. It is the ground zero of his comedic writing.
Welcome to the website of comedian Nick Peron. It is the ground zero of his comedic writing.
The Marvel Universe operates on what is referred to as a “Sliding Timescale” in which present day events continue to slide forward in time so that characters do not prematurely age and stories stay relatively current. This Timescale applies to every “present day” event that from Fantastic Four #1 onwards. However, there is a passage of time and characters do get old but at a much slower rate. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 the years of publication can be compressed into a ratio of years. They state that it is a 4:1 or 5:1 ratio (four years of publications = one year in universe), some event ascribe a 3:1 ratio, or even state that the first year of few years of Marvel publications happen in real time. At the end of the day, there is no one perfect method of measuring due to writers not adopting this style because the Sliding Timescale hadn’t been implemented yet, or they are taking creative license. Regardless, through my own research of stories, I have found that a 4:1 ratio works best and causes the least amount of problems and as such, my index measures time by this metric.
However, the start of the Modern Age did not begin in a vacuum and there are characters whose births pre-dated the events of Fantastic Four #1. While some characters have come from set time periods (Wolverine, Captain America, Nick Fury) and have extenuating circumstances for their long lives, many of these characters (such as Reed Richards, and Aunt May) do not. Prior to Fantastic Four #1, these were ordinary people who, presumably will all have ordinary human life spans.
The fiction doesn’t address this nebulous period before hand, and I seem to be one of the only resources to seriously consider the broader implications. If the Modern Age exists on a Sliding Timescale, then there must also be a Pre-Modern Age timescale as well accounting for the lives of regular individuals who exist in the Modern Age but were born prior to Fantastic Four #1. This way individual births are not set to a specific date and their past lives pre-Fantastic Four also get bumped forward in time just as the events of the Modern Age.
The best example of this in motion is story in which May Reilly met and married Ben Parker. Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #4 (published in 1984) shows May and Ben meeting in the 1930s. When the story was revisited in Amazing Spider-Man Family #1 (published in 2009) the story is updated to the 1950s. While the basic story remains the same, her past slid forward to a more period appropriate version of events to match the date of publication so that regardless of when the story is recounted, the length of time between the story and the flash back is relatively the same and May’s age is proportionate from the perspective of the story.
All measurements of a characters age, when they were born, and how many years have passed should all be considered approximations to account for any inconsistencies in the fiction. In order to determine a characters age for my index, I use the following methods:
Specific Age Reference
This is used when a character specifically cites their current age either in the current story, or saying they were a certain age when a given event happened.
The best example of this is Civil War #2 (published in 2006), in which Peter Parker reveals his true identity to the world and states that he has been Spider-Man since he was 15 years old. Peter Parker first became Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 (published in 1962). Taking the publication dates and comparing them to my Sliding Timescale chart we can determine that Amazing Fantasy #15 took place during “Year One” of the Modern Age, while Civil War #2 took place during “Year Twelve” of the Modern Age. If Peter Parker was 15 in Amazing Fantasy #15, that would mean he was born about 15 years prior to Fantastic Four #1, and it would make him 27 at the time of Civil War #2.
Specific Dates
Sometimes a characters date of birth is presented with an actual date. Some examples include when a character dies and their date of birth is listed on a tomb stone or when they show a piece of government ID that shows an actual date. These dates are always topical as they are relative to when the comic book first was published, but we can use them to infer how old a character was.
For example, X-Men #138 (published in 1980), the tombstone for Jean Grey states she was born in 1956 and died in the year 1980. While these dates are topical, they provide context as to how old Jean would have been when this story was published. From here, we subtract 1956 from 1980, and based on that figure we can determine that — from the perspective of when this story was published — Jean was about 24 years old. We then take the publication date and match it with the Sliding Timescale. X-Men #138 falls under “Year Five” of the Modern Age. So if Jean was 24 during this period, this means she was born about 19 years before Fantastic Four #1.
Another example comes from Avengers #330 (published in 1991), wherein Rage pulls up his government records. In this story, it states that Rage was born on November 20, 1977. Using the same method describe above, we can determine that — from the perspective of this story — that Rage is about 13 years old (1990 - 1977 = 13). As Avengers #330 was published in 1991, it takes place in “Year Eight” of the Modern Age. 13 - 8 = 5. Rage was born about 5 years prior to Fantastic Four #1.
Based on the above measurements, I have begun building a Pre-Modern Age timeline to determine how old characters born pre-Fantastic Four #1 are as well as determine how far back the Pre-Modern Age goes. Theoretically, this shouldn’t go back more than 80 to 100 years prior to Fantastic Four #1 to catch every possible person who was born prior to Fantastic Four #1. This is not an exhaustive list of characters and the list is still growing. Measuring this time is done in a similar fashion we measure time between BC and AD. BC counts down to 0 and switches to AD which counts upward from 0. As such, my measurement of events are counting down from the Pre-Modern Age (PMA) and counting up from the Modern Age (MA). This is still a work in progress and not an exhaustive list of characters.
It should also be stressed that this is a general timeline. Years that have more than one event are also not presented in any kind of chronological order as, due to the vague nature of this timescale, that is nearly impossible to determine. Multiple entries for the same year are presented in the order in which I found them during research.
-60 PMA
Aunt May is Born, per Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #2
-59 PMA
Rage’s grandmother, Granny Staples is born, per Avengers #330.
-59 PMA
Roughly the time when US Agent’s father Caleb Walker was born, per Captain America #378.
-49 PMA
George Stacy is born, per Spectacular Spider-Man #149
-47 PMA
The year that the Paul Duval (Grey Gargoyle)’s friend Gary Lesgetti was born. Assuming they were the same age, this could also be his year of birth as well, per Thor (vol. 2) #46.
-46 PMA
Egghead is born, per Avengers #222
Roughly the time when US Agent’s mother Emily Walker was born, per Captain America #378.
-43 PMA
Don Clendenon, aka Cardinal, is born per Thunderbolts #67.
-44 PMA
The Jackal is born, per Spectacular Spider-Man #149.
Ruth Cole, the mother of Kevin “Kasper” Cole (aka the White Tiger) is born, per Black Panther (vol. 3) #56.
-36 PMA
Andreas Zorba, aka Carnivore of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
-38 PMA
Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) is born, per Fantastic Four #605
-34 PMA
Yoshiro Hachiman, aka Decay of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
-33 PMA
Don Clendenon, aka Cardinal, is 10 years old per Thunderbolts #67.
-31 PMA
Reed Richards is 7, per Fantastic Four #273
Hank Pym (Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket et. al) is born per Avengers #227 and Age of Ultron #10.AI
Black Panther ally, Monica Lynn was born +/- one year, per Jungle Action (vol. 2) #19
-28 PMA
Hank Pym is 3, per Age of Ultron #10.AI
Sunset Bain is born, per Iron Man (vol. 3) #19
-26 PMA
Hank Pym is 5, per Age of Ultron #10.AI
- 25 PMA
Obadiah Stane is born per Invincible Iron Man #3.
Don Clendenon, aka Cardinal, is 18 per Thunderbolts #67.
-24 PMA
Hank Pym is 7, per Age of Ultron #10.AI
Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel/Binary/Captain Marvel) is born, per Avengers Annual #10
Daily Bugle reporter Ned Leeds is born, per Spectacular Spider-Man #148
-23 PMA
Tony Stark (Iron Man) is born, per International Iron Man #7
Matt Murdock is born, per Daredevil #168.
-22 PMA
Rachel Leighton, aka Diamondback is born, per Captain America #400.
Nicolette Giroux, aka Tempest of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
-21 PMA
Sue Storm (Invisible Girl/Woman) is born, per Marvel Knights: 4 #1
Janice Cord, former girlfriend of Tony Stark, was born, per Iron Man #23
Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp) is born, per Avengers #43
Martin Prestin (Master Pandemonium) begins his career in Hollywood, per Avengers West Coast (vol. 2) #9
Karla Sofen (Moonstone) is born, per Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #38.
Odin sent back in time after the WorldEngine faked Ragnarok, per Thor #502.
Don Clendenon, aka Cardinal, is 22 years old. His daughter Valerie Burnhardt is conceived per Thunderbolts #67. Don’s daughter Valerie Bernhardt, aka Meteorite is born 9 months later, per Thunderbolts #67.
-20 PMA
Richard Dennison, aka Firebrand, was born. Per Iron Man (vol. 3) #5.
-19 PMA
Tamika Bowden, aka Wildstreak, is born per Thunderstrike #11.
Samantha McGee, aka Inferno of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
-18 PMA
Thor is banished to Earth as Don Blake, attends med school. Thor #415.
T’Challa, aka the Black Panther, is born per Black Panther: Panther’s Prey and Rise of the Black Panther #2.
Storm is born per Storm (vol. 2) #1.
-17 PMA
Reed Richards is 14, per Fantastic Four #273
Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s former girlfriend, was born, as per Amazing Spider-Man #149.
Rumiko Fujikawa is born, per Iron Man (vol. 3) #4.
-16 PMA
Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) is born, per Human Torch (vol. 2) #1
Tony Stark is 7, sent off to private school by his father, per Iron Man #287.
Bridget Malone, aka Conquest of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
Obadiah Stane is 9 years old witnesses his father commit suicide per Iron Man #198 and Invincible Iron Man #3.
-15 PMA
Peter Parker (Spider-Man) is born, per Civil War #2
-14 PMA
Machinesmith is born, per Captain America #368.
-13 PMA
Joe Robertson witnesses Tombstone commit murder, per Spectacular Spider-Man #139.
John Walker is born, per Captain America #380-381.
T’Challa is 5 years old, meets his step-mother Ramonda for the first time, per Rise of the Black Panther #1.
Valerie Burnhardt, aka Meteorite, is 8 years old per Thunderbolts #67.
Kevin “Kasper” Cole, aka the White Tiger, was born per Black Panther (vol. 3) #52.
-12 PMA
Koyami Sazaki, aka Anomaly, would have been born this year if he wasn’t a product of Franklin Richards’ imagination, as per Thunderbolts #74.
-11 PMA
Ginger Beach, one time ally of Wonder Man, was born, per Wonder Man (vol. 2) #5.
Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, was born per Thunderbolts #-1 and Thunderbolts: Breaking Point #1.
Probably year of birth of the man known as Anti-Cap. Based on the presumption that he was 18 when he attempted to enlist in the military. Per Captain America and the Falcon #3.
-10 PMA
Nakia, aka Malice, former Dora Milaje to the Black Panther was born, per Black Panther (vol. 3) #8. Okoye may have been born around this time as well, but that’s presumption on my part.
-9 PMA
Hank Pym goes to university and gets his doctorate in half the time of his peers, per Age of Ultron #10.AI and Avengers #227.
Vasily Karpov, the man who turned Bucky into the Winter Soldier, dies, as per Captain America (vol. 5) #5.
N’Kano, aka Vibraxas, is born per Black Panther (vol. 3) #26.
-8 PMA
Sue Storm is 13, meets Reed Richards for the first time, per Fantastic Four #543
Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) is born, per X-Men #129.
T’Chaka, father of T’Challa, is murdered by Ulysses Klaw. T’Challa is 10 years old per Rise of the Black Panther #1.
Maria de Guadelupe Santiago, aka Silverclaw, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #8. This is based on the assumption that Maria is 18 years old, the average age for a student attending Empire State University.
-7 PMA
Deathcry is born (assuming she ages like a human), per Avengers #385.
Rachel Leighton, aka Diamondback, is 15 years old. Brutally beaten and raped by Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones. Per Captain America #400.
Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye of the Young Avengers, is born per Young Avengers (vol. 2) #14.
Utama Somchart, aka Stonecutter of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
-6 PMA
Alex Power is born, per Power Pack #1
US Agent’s brother is killed serving the military, per Captain America #333.
Matt Murdock gets in the accident that robs him of his vision and enhances all of his other senses. Begins training under Stick, per Daredevil #500. Matt is 17 years old per Daredevil #168.
Ce'Athauna Asira Davin, aka Queen Divine Justice, is born per Black Panther (vol. 3) #21.
Storm is 12 years old. Meets T’Challa for the first time. Per Storm (vol. 2) #1.
-5 PMA
Sue and Johnny Storm are 16 and 11 respectively, encounter the Amulet of Zarathos, per Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms #13.
Tony Stark is 17 per Iron Man #28 and International Iron Man #7
Elvin Holliday (Rage) is born, per Avengers #330.
Hallie Takahama was born, per Thunderbolts #19.
King Jamal, future ruler of Dakenia is born per Black Panther (vol. 3) #57.
- 4 PMA
Hank Pym’s first wife, Maria, is killed while she and Hank are on their honeymoon, per Avengers #227.
Julie Power is born, per Power Pack #1
Original Scarlet Scarab dies, per Thor #326
Tony Stark develops “seed-pod” bombs for the military at age 19 per Iron Man (vol. 4) #1.
Jamie Flores is born, per Wonder Man (vol. 2) #12.
Matt Murdock starts attending law school at age 18, per Daredevil #-1.
Cassie Lang is born, per Marvel Premiere #47.
-3 PMA
Tony Stark is 19 years old. Avengers go back in time to recruit young Tony during The Crossing even, creating divergent reality #96020. Avengers: Timeslide #1 (Although that story suggests this was actually -1 PMA, it is in error and has been adjusted according to all other stories about Tony Stark’s PMA past.)
Peter Parker is 12, per Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #33
Matt Murdock begins attending Columbia University, is 19 years old per Daredevil #168.
Obadiah Stane is 22, becomes owner of a munitions manufacturing concern, per Invincible Iron Man #3.
-2 PMA
Jack Power is born, per Power Pack #1
Peter Parker is 13, starts attending Midtown High, per Amazing Fantasy #17
Kristoff Vernard is born, per West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #35
Everett Ross ran away from home per Black Panther (vol. 3) #4.
-1 PMA
Reed Richards begins building his rocket, encounter Gormuu, per Fantastic Four #271
Hank Pym is 32, discovers Pym Particles, per Avengers #227 and Age of Ultron #10.AI
John Walker is 13 years old. Learns his brother was KIA while serving in the military, per Captain America #380-381.
Kevin Masterson, the son of and successor to Thunderstrike, is born per Thunderstrike #11.
Events of Thunderbolts #-1 take place.
Matt attends Harvard Law School and graduates summa cum laude per Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #3-4.
Battlin’ Jack Murdock is murdered, Matt Murdock begins investigating his father’s death per Daredevil #1.
Jarvis begins sponsoring Maria de Guadalupe Santiago through a charity organization, per Avengers (vol. 3) #8.
There are a lot of children who were born in the Modern Age. However, unlike a certain crowd sourced shit-show on the internet, I will not be wasting my time on recording every baby that’s seen in the Marvel Universe. This list will only comprise of notworthy characters that were born during what is called the Modern Age. (Fantastic Four #1 onwards)
Year One MA
Katie Power is born, per Power Pack #1.
Rachel Carpenter, daughter of Julia Carpenter (aka the 2nd Spider-Woman) is born per Avengers West Coast #75.
Year Two MA
Franklin Richards, son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, is born in Fantastic Four Annual #5.
Olisa Kabaki, aka Bedlam of the Exemplars, is born per Avengers (vol. 3) #25.
Year Three MA
According to Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Captain America, Sinthea Schmidt — daughter of the Red Skull, also known as Sin — was born between the events of Astonishing Tales #5 and Captain America #134. Note that this character has had her age artificially increased and decreased by the Red Skull, so her physical age will not match the actual number years she has been alive.
Year Five MA
Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling, is born per Young Avengers #11. This would make Teddy 11 years old in stories currently being published. I think the presumption here is that Skrulls mature faster than humans making him biologically on-par with a human in their late teens/early 20s.
Kevin “Kasper” Cole graduates from high school, per Black Panther (vol. 3) #52.
Year Six MA
Valeria Richards is stillborn in Fantastic Four #267.
Nathan Summers, aka Cable, is born in Uncanny X-Men #201.
Year Seven MA
William and Thomas Maximoff are born in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #12. Which means that their reincarnated forms of Billy Kapland and Tommy Shephard were born in the past, as that would only explanation for them being teenagers when they appear in Young Avengers.
Ahura Boltagon, son of Black Bolt and Medusa of the Inhumans, is born per Marvel Graphic Novel #39. This would make him less than a teenager in modern publications. Given that he is now being depicted as someone in their late teens one could assume that Inhumans, or at least Ahura himself, matures faster than humans do.
Year Eleven MA
Valeria Richards is resurrected and successfully born in Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #54.