Making his debut in the early ’90s, Chris Powell discovers an amulet that transfers his consciousness into the body of Darkhawk – a suit of armour with numerous battle features. In the years that follow, Chris will learn some of the secrets of Darkhawk’s origins and become a reserve member of both the New Warriors and the Avengers.
I’d like to thank the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators, the Marvel Chronology Project, the Marvel Database and the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe for their invaluable assistance!
Must Reads: Story arcs in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a look.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Chronology: Every appearance of Darkhawk from this time period is included in chronological order, laying out the timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the core reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns – just the stories:
- Darkhawk (1991) #1-6
- New Warriors (1990) #14
- Sleepwalker (1991) #7
- Quasar #27
- Darkhawk (1991) #7-8
- Amazing Spider-Man #353-354, 357-358
- Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1 [1/3]
- Darkhawk (1991) #9-15
- New Warriors (1990) #22-25
- Darkhawk #16-20
- Sleepwalker #17
- The Infinity War (1992) #2
- Fantastic Four #367
- The Infinity War (1992) #3
- Wonder Man #13
- Fantastic Four #368
- New Warriors #27
- Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41
- The Infinity War #4
- Fantastic Four #370 (1992)
- Marc Spector: Moon Knight #44
- Darkhawk Annual (1992) #1 [1/5]
- Avengers West Coast Annual #7 [1/5]
- Iron Man Annual #13 [1/5]
- Darkhawk Annual (1992) #1 [2/5]
- Darkhawk Annual (1992) #1 [3/5]
- Darkhawk Annual (1992) #1 [4/5]
- Darkhawk Annual (1992) #1 [5/5]
- Darkhawk #21-25
- Darkhawk Annual #3 [2/4]
- Secret Defenders (1993) #1-3
- New Warriors #33-34
- New Warriors Annual #3 [1/3]
- Avengers West Coast #93-95
- Darkhawk #26 [1/2]
- Darkhawk #27 [1/2]
- Darkhawk #28-29
- Darkhawk #26 [2/2]
- Darkhawk #27 [2/2]
- Darkhawk Annual #2 [1/4]
- The Infinity Crusade #1-2
- Web of Spider-Man #104 [1/2]
- The Infinity Crusade #3
- Darkhawk #30
- Web of Spider-Man #105 [1/2]
- Darkhawk #31
- The Infinity Crusade #4-5
- Web of Spider-Man #106 [1/2]
- The Infinity Crusade #6
- Darkhawk Annual #2 [2/4]
- Darkhawk Annual #2 [3/4]
- Darkhawk Annual #2 [4/4]
- Darkhawk #32-42
- Darkhawk Annual #3 [1/4]
- New Warriors #48
- Nova (1994) #7
- New Warriors #49-50
- New Warriors #51
- Nova (1994) #10, 14
- Darkhawk Annual #3 [3/4] (1994)
- Darkhawk Annual #3 [4/4]
- Darkhawk #43-48
- Amazing Spider-Man: Friends and Enemies (1995) #1-4
- Darkhawk #49-50
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #1-6 (1991) On the same night Chris Powell witnesses his father taking a bribe from mob boss Phillipe Bazin, he also discovers an amulet that switches his body with that of a being called Darkhawk; taking full control of the Darkhawk android, Chris investigates his father’s disappearance; Darkhawk teams up with Spider-Man against the Hobgoblin and battles Savage Steel; Darkhawk clashes with Portal who wears a costume approximating his Darkhawk armour; Darkhawk, Portal, Captain America and Daredevil go up against the U-Foes. 1st appearance: Darkhawk/Chris Powell, Allegra Bazin, Broderick Bazin, Phillipe Bazin, Cheryl Colon, Guardsman/Billy Fredricks, Grace Powell, Jason Powell, Jon Powell, Michael Powell, Steve ‘Headset’ Rubino, Savage Steel/Harry Lennox, St Johnny/John Trane/Mondu, Jimmy Zafar, Darkhawk Amulet, Darkhawk Android New identity: Charles Little Sky as Portal | |
| ✔ | New Warriors #14 (1991) Darkhawk first encounters the New Warriors when he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between Namorita and the treasure-hunting Sea Urchin. 1st appearance: Sea-Urchin/Jeremy Swimming-Bear; | |
| Sleepwalker #7 (1991) Quasar #27 (1991) Darkhawk cameos; Darkhawk is among the heroes trying to get the body of Eon under control after half the population of the universe disappears. 1st appearance: Chain Gang (Master Link, Missing Link, Uplink, Weak Link) | THE INFINITY GAUNTLET | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #7-8 (1991) Phillipe Bazin empowers Andrea Haggard with magnetic abilities and uses her to oppose Darkhawk as Lodestone. 1st appearance: Lodestone/Andrea Haggard | |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #353-354, 357-358 (1991) Darkhawk finds himself allied with Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Night Thrasher, Nova and the Punisher against the threat of the Secret Empire and Moon Knight’s former sidekick, Midnight. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1 [1/3] (2021) Chris Powell has a night out with Allegra Bazin; Darkhawk faces off against Savage Steel, but there’s someone else under the armour, this time. New identity: Mike Powell as Savage Steel |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #9-15 (1991-1992) Darkhawk joins forces with the Punisher against Savage Steel; Grace Powell – Chris’ mother – takes Phillipe Bazin to court; Bazin tries to kill members of the Powell family; Darkhawk battles Tombstone and Savage Steel before getting help from his mentor; Darkhawk’s mission to stop Bazin leads him into a confrontation with Venom; Darkhawk learns some of the limits of his powers. 1st appearance: Predecessor/Ned Dobbs/Byron | |
| ✔ | New Warriors #22-25 (1992) Darkhawk joins the New Warriors as a reserve member when they ask for his help against the Cult of the Dragon’s Breath, the Folding Circle and the Warriors’ own leader, Night Thrasher. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #16-18 (1992) Darkhawk battles the Soviet Psi-Wolf and the Peristrike Force. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #19-20 (1992) Sleepwalker #17 (1992) The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants want Portal’s armour; Sleepwalker wants Portal to help him get back to the Dreamscape and Darkhawk believes Portal can reveal secrets about the Darkhawk armour; Spider-Man becomes entangled in the ensuing fight over Portal. 1st appearance: Evilhawk/Dargin Bokk | PORTALS OF POWER |
| ✔ | The Infinity War #2 (pp.2-34) / Fantastic Four #367 (pp.18-20) (1992) The Infinity War #2 (pp.34-26) (1992) Darkhawk meets Alpha Flight, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and numerous other heroes to join the fight against an as-yet-unknown enemy… | THE INFINITY WAR |
| Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41 (pp.2-11) (1992) Wonder Man #13 (pp.1-2) (1992) Darkhawk cameos; the lives of all the heroes come under threat… | THE INFINITY WAR | |
| ✔ | The Infinity War #2 (pp.38) / Wonder Man #13 (p.3) / Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41 (p.11) / Fantastic Four #367 (p.21) (1992) The Infinity War #3 (pp.3-6) / Wonder Man #13 (p.4) / Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41 (p.12) / Fantastic Four #368 (p.4-6) (1992) A bomb almost kills Darkhawk and the other heroes… | THE INFINITY WAR |
| New Warriors #27 (1992) Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41 (pp.13-15) (1992) The heroes discuss next-steps. | THE INFINITY WAR | |
| ✔ | The Infinity War #3 (pp.33-40) (1992) The Infinity War #4 (pp.1-14) (1992) The heroes face off against an army of Doppelgangers; Darkhawk battles his own Darkhawk Doppelganger. | THE INFINITY WAR |
| Fantastic Four #370 (1992) Marc Spector: Moon Knight #44 (1992) Darkhawk and the others heroes defending Earth are immobilised. | THE INFINITY WAR |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #1 [1/5] (1992) Avengers West Coast Annual #7 [1/5] (1992) Iron Man Annual #13 [1/5] (1992) Darkhawk and the West Coast Avengers join forces when Professor Power starts snapping up suits of armour worn by costumed villains – including Savage Steel – on the black market. 1st appearance: Savage Steel/Arthur Vale | ASSAULT ON ARMOR CITY |
| Darkhawk Annual #1 [2/5] (1992) Chris Powell thinks about the enemies Darkhawk has faced. | ||
| Darkhawk Annual #1 [3/5] (1992) Chris Powell runs into trouble when he goes fishing. | ||
| Darkhawk Annual #1 [4/5] (1992) Chris Powell recalls his origin. | ||
| Darkhawk Annual #1 [5/5] (1992) No Darkhawk appearance; Jimmy Zafar saves Harry Lennox and Arthur Vale from an attempt on their lives orderer by the Cabal. | ||
| ✔ | Darkhawk #21-25 (1992-1993) Chris Powell’s investigation into Darkhawk’s origins leads him to a team-up with Ghost Rider and brings him into conflict with the mutated scientist Harley Stevens; Darkhawk learns St Johnny isn’t the benevolent mentor he thought he was and is drawn into a deadly battle with Evilhawk; Portal’s connection to Kistur is revealed. 1st appearance: Osch, Kistur | |
| Darkhawk Annual #3 [2/4] (1994) Darkhawk and Doctor Strange battle Dormammu. | ||
| Secret Defenders #1-3 (1993) Darkhawk is among the ‘Secret Defenders’ assembled by Doctor Strange to combat a band of mystical villains called the Zusommin. | A NIGHTMARE ON BLEECKER STREET | |
| ✔ | New Warriors #33-34 (1993) New Warriors Annual #3 [1/3] (1993) Henrique Gallante loses control of his Darkforce powers, unleashing them on New York; the influence of the Darkforce brings out the meaner side of some heroes, so Darkhawk, the New Warriors, Spider-Man, Cloak & Dagger and others rise up to stop him. 1st appearance: Darkling/Henrique Gallante, Carlton LaFroyge New identity: Mike Jeffries as Turbo | FORCES OF LIGHT, FORCES OF DARKNESS |
| ✔ | Avengers West Coast #93-95 (1993) Darkhawk assists the west coast branch of the Avengers against Doctor Demonicus and the Pacific Overlords; Darkhawk becomes a reserve member of the team. |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #26 [1/2] (1993) Darkhawk #27 [1/2] (1993) Darkhawk #28-29 (1993) Zarrko the Tomorrow Man sends members of the New Warriors back in time to change the worst parts of their pasts. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #26 [2/2] (1993) Darkhawk #27 [2/2] (1993) No Darkhawk appearance; Jimmy Zafar takes on the Cabal and the former wearers of the Savage Steel armour. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #2 [1/4] (1993) Darkhawk battles Dreamkiller – the psychic projection of Alex Tennyson – when he tries to obtain mystical artefacts owned by Phillipe Bazin. 1st appearance: Dreamkiller/Alex Tennyson | |
| The Infinity Crusade #1 (1993) The Infinity Crusade #2 (pp.1-9) (1993) Darkhawk is passed over as one of the heroes selected by the mysterious cosmic Goddess… 1st appearance: Paradise Omega New identity: Adam Warlock’s ‘good’ side as the Goddess | THE INFINITY CRUSADE | |
| The Infinity Crusade #2 (p.9) / Web of Spider-Man #104 [1/2] (1993) Darkhawk cameo; Darkhawk is among the heroes ready to oppose the Goddess… | THE INFINITY CRUSADE | |
| ✔ | The Infinity Crusade #2 (pp.9-40) (1993) The Infinity Crusade #3(pp.1-26) (1993) Darkhawk #30 (1993) Chris Powell’s relationship with his family reaches boiling point; Darkhawk defends Avengers Mansion from Pureheart. | THE INFINITY CRUSADE |
| Web of Spider-Man #105 [1/2] (1993) Darkhawk cameo; Darkhawk is unaware of the chaos breaking out on Paradise Omega! | THE INFINITY CRUSADE | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #31 (1993) The Infinity Crusade #3 (pp.37-40) (1993) The Infinity Crusade #4 (1993) The Infinity Crusade #5 (pp.1-22) (1993) Night Thrasher’s confrontation with Darkhawk on route to Paradise Omega leads to an all-out brawl among the heroes! | THE INFINITY CRUSADE |
| Web of Spider-Man #106 [1/2] (1993) The heroes confront the Goddess’ forces in space. | THE INFINITY CRUSADE | |
| ✔ | The Infinity Crusade #6 (1993) Darkhawk cameo; the fate of Earth’s heroes is revealed! | THE INFINITY CRUSADE |
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #2 [2/4] (1993) Evilhawk tries to escape the sentient ship Osch. | |
| Darkhawk Annual #2 [3/4] (1993) Chris Powell gets into a fight with some bullies. |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #2 [4/4] (1993) Darkhawk #32 (1993) Jimmy Zafar obtains the Savage Steel armour and uses it to fight for justice, teaming up with Darkhawk. New identity: Jimmy Zafar as Savage Steel | SAVAGE RETURN |
| ✔ | Darkhawk #33-41 (1993-1994) Darkhawk #42 (pp.1-7) (1994) Riverco try to kill one of their own employees when he learns about the levels of pollution they’ve been causing, only for him to be transformed into ‘Cuda and fighting Darkhawk; Broderick Bazin tries to turn Chris Powell’s brother against him; Darkhawk has a rematch with Venom which is interrupted by the Seekers; Darkhawk gets a new look and faces Evilhawk once again. | |
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #3 [1/4] (1994) Damek the Earth-Shaker travels back from the year 2099 (Earth-928) to the present day Earth-616, believing the Dreamkiller to be a hero and Darkhawk to be a villain. 1st appearance: Damek the Earth-Shaker (Earth-928) | |
| ✔ | New Warriors #48 (1994) Nova #7 (1994) New Warriors #49-50 (1994) Hindsight Lad and Bandit form a new team of New Warriors when the Sphinx scatters the original team through time; Darkhawk rejoins the Warriors alongside Turbo and new members Power Pax and Cloak & Dagger. 1st appearance: Speedball/Darrion Grobe New identity: Destroyer/Alex Power as Power Pax | TIME AND TIME AGAIN |
| New Warriors #51 (1994) Darkhawk cameo; Darkhawk turns down the chance to become a full-time member of the New Warriors again. | ||
| Nova #10 (1994) Darkhawk cameo; Darkhawk takes the Rhino down on Nova‘s behalf. | ||
| Nova #14 (1995) Darkhawk cameo; Darkhawk assists the New Warriors against the Shadow Consortium. | ||
| ✔ | Darkhawk Annual #3 [3/4] (1994) Darkhawk/Chris Powell struggles to get used to being two entities at the same time. | |
| Darkhawk Annual #3 [4/4] (1994) No Darkhawk appearance; Jimmy Zafar continues to operate as Savage Steel, taking down a street gang. | ||
| ✔ | Darkhawk #42 (pp.8-16) (1994) Darkhawk #43-47 (1994-1995) Darkhawk #48 (pp.1-8) (1995) Portal returns and steps up as a hero, helping Darkhawk against the insane artist called the Shaper; Kistur’s brethren, the Mahari Brothers, come to Earth looking for revenge on Portal… 1st appearance: Shaper/Barton Ford and the Mahari Brothers | |
| Amazing Spider-Man: Friends and Enemies #1-4 (1995) Darkhawk is among the heroes who come to Spider-Man’s aid when he faces Elias Flynn‘s army of superhumans made up of the Seekers, Metahumes and the Hostiles. | ||
| ✔ | Darkhawk #48 (pp.9-22) (1995) Darkhawk #49-50 (1995) The Mahari Brothers transform Kistur into Overhawk; Savage Steel, Damek the Earth-Shaker, Portal, Spider-Man, Nova and Speedball all get in on the final battle with Overhawk and the Mahari Brothers. 1st appearance: Kistur as Overhawk |
Darkhawk’s reading order will continue…
| Title, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| What The–?! #17 [6/6] (1992) What The –?! #19 [1/7] (1992) Earth-9047: Darkgeek meets the Sleepgawker and gets passed over for New Fantastic Four membership. |
| What If…? #61 (1994) Earth-94561: Darkhawk is among the heroes looking to apprehend Spider-Man in connection with the deaths of May Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Darkhawk Classic vol.1 | Darkhawk #1-9 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Round Robin (vol.22) Moon Knight Epic Collection: Scarlet Redemption (vol.6) Mark Spector: Moon Knight Omnibus vol.1 Spider-Man by Michelinie & Bagley Omnibus Spider-Man: Round Robin | Amazing Spider-Man #353-354, 357-358 |
| Avengers: The Death of Mockingbird | Avengers West Coast #93-95 |
| Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Ultron Unbound (vol.7) | Avengers West Coast #93-95 Avengers West Coast Annual #7 Darkhawk Annual #1 Iron Man Annual #13 |
| Darkhawk: Airborne | Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk |
| Infinity Crusade vol.1-2 | Infinity Crusade #1-6 |
| Infinity Crusade Omnibus | Darkhawk #30-31 Infinity Crusade #1-6 |
| Infinity Gauntlet Box Set | Darkhawk #30-31 Infinity Crusade #1-6 Infinity War #2-4 |
| Infinity War | Infinity War #2-4 |
| Iron Man Epic Collection: War Machine (vol.17) | Avengers West Coast Annual #7 Darkhawk Annual #1 Iron Man Annual #13 |
| Marvel Tales: Annihilation | Darkhawk #6 |
| New Warriors Classic vol.3 | New Warriors #14 |
| New Warriors: Darkness and Light | New Warriors #33-34 New Warriors Annual #3 |
| New Warriors Omnibus vol.1 | New Warriors #14, 22-25 |
| New Warriors Omnibus vol.2 | New Warriors #33-34, 48-50 New Warriors Annual #3 Nova #7 |
| New Warriors: Nova and Night Thrasher Omnibus | Amazing Spider-Man #353-354, 357-358 Amazing Spider-Man: Friends and Enemies #1-4 Darkhawk #28-29 |
| Spider-Man vs Venom Omnibus Venom Epic Collection: Symbiosis (vol.1) | Darkhawk #13-14 |
| Venom Epic Collection: The Madness (vol.4) Venomnibus vol.1 | Darkhawk #35-37 |
| War of Kings: Darkhawk | Darkhawk #1-2 |
Reading Order Copyright © 2025 Omniverse Comics Guide
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