In the 1980s, American culture entered a time of confusion, despite the efforts of the government. Sexual, scientific, and political revolutions made the 1980s a social scramble, and became more frank about the issues from the preceding decades. Therefore, the 1980s called for a darker approach to the superhero industry. Decades beforehand, the comics of the 1960s and 70s introduced characters with humanly relatable issues, and underground comics skipped the metaphorical value of comics and used real people with satirical problems, emphasizing already ridiculous situations. The comics of the 1980s, however, called for a more psychological approach, with the emergence of authors/artists like Frank Miller, Alex Ross, and John Byrne.
John Byrne used the '80s as a way to get "back to basics". He had a simple formula: recalling what made a series successful, and reworking these characteristics into a modern setting. Using the method, Byrne revived Marvel's Fantasti…