List of First Trading Card Appearances of Major Marvel Characters

[finfangfan]

I thought it would be cool to compile a list of trading card first appearances of major Marvel Comics characters (i.e . I am not going to track the first appearance of every Marvel character). In fact, I have already established a character list below that knocks out most of the Marvel “biggies.” I'm not looking to add to this list at this point.

Currently, I have only filled out first appearance information for one character – Rocket Raccoon. I honestly have no idea what the first trading card appearances are for any of the other characters, but I thought the Blowout community might have fun helping compile this list. Ultimately, I hope this list helps out character collectors to track down historically significant trading cards of their character.

To avoid confusion, I think some ground rules should be set so this whole thing doesn't become a mess:

1) First trading card appearance will be the lowest numbered card in a card set that a character first appears on. If other cards featuring the same character appear in the same set, I will simply list “yes” in that information box.

2) When submitting first appearance information, please provide the name of the set, card number, publisher, year of release, and whether or not parallels of the card exist within the same set.

3) Provide scans of card front and back if possible.

4) Assume the character we are looking for in the character list is the “classic version” of the character.

5) We are not looking to add “minor” characters to this list (FFF was added though for obvious reasons :) !!!)

6) We are not looking for sketch card first appearances of a character.

7) If you discover a trading card that pre-dates any that we have listed in the master set, please let me know and I will update the list with correct information.

Feel free to submit away, and I will update the master list in post 1, 2, or 3.

Here is what I envision the setup for each entry will look like:

Rocket Raccoon

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Heroes and Villains Card #49
Publisher: Rittenhouse
Year: 2010
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Silver foil parallel of card #49

http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786502.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786529.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786515.jpg

And here is the character list I came up with:

Amazing Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Apocalypse
Captain America
Daredevil
Deadpool
Doctor Doom
Doctor Strange
Domino
Emma Frost
Fin Fang Foom
Galactus
Gamora
Ghost Rider
Green Goblin
Groot
Hulk
Invisible Woman
Iron Fist
Iron Man (Tony Stark)
Jean Grey/Phoenix
Loki
Luke Cage
Magneto
Ms. Marvel
Mystique
Nova
Psylocke
Punisher
Red Skull
Rocket Raccoon
Rogue
Sabretooth
Scarlet Witch
She-Hulk
Silver Surfer
Star-Lord
Storm
Thanos
Thing
Thor
Venom
Wolverine
X-23

Please feel free to add any first trading card appearance information for any of the other characters on this list, and I will update post #2 and #3 below with the official first trading card appearances and scans (if available). Thanks for your help!

[finfangfan]

Amazing Spider-man

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #34
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1428018740.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1428018752.jpg
___________________________________________________________________

Captain America

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #1
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

**NEED SCANS OF FRONT AND BACK OF CARD
___________________________________________________________________

Daredevil

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #23
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/attachments/non-sports/274655d1427578834-list-first-trading-card-appearances-major-marvel-characters-img_20150328_173444.jpghttp://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/attachments/non-sports/274656d1427578853-list-first-trading-card-appearances-major-marvel-characters-img_20150328_173458.jpg
___________________________________________________________________

Deadpool

First Trading Card Appearance: X-force Card #3 (card came polybagged with X-Force #1 comic book).
Publisher: Impel
Year: 1991
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: None.

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo106/GUCD231/deadpoolcard_zpscu5i2fqa.jpg
**NEED SCANS OF BACK OF CARD
___________________________________________________________________

Hulk

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #23
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/attachments/non-sports/274655d1427578834-list-first-trading-card-appearances-major-marvel-characters-img_20150328_173444.jpghttp://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/attachments/non-sports/274656d1427578853-list-first-trading-card-appearances-major-marvel-characters-img_20150328_173458.jpg
___________________________________________________________________

Iron Man

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #12
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

**NEED SCANS OF FRONT AND BACK OF CARD
___________________________________________________________________

Rocket Raccoon

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Heroes and Villains Card #49
Publisher: Rittenhouse
Year: 2010
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Silver foil parallel of card #49

http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786502.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786529.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1402786515.jpg

__________________________________________________________________

Thor

First Trading Card Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Card #56
Publisher: Donruss
Year: 1966
Parallels and/or other cards in set featuring character: Yes. Multiple cards.

**NEED SCANS OF FRONT AND BACK OF CARD
___________________________________________________________________

[finfangfan]

Reserved for updates 2

[Spider-Fan]

Cap, Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Thor all appeared in the 1966 Donruss Marvel set. I don't think there is a set that pre-dates that one, but I could be wrong.

[finfangfan]

Thanks for the lead... I have updated post #2.

Per Jeff Allender's House of Lists (Marvel Super Heroes (1966) (http://nslists.com/mrvsup66.htm) ):

The first trading card appearances (i.e. lowest numbered card for each character) would be:

Capt America

1 I love these class parties!

Iron Man

12 "Get the lead out!"

Daredevil

23 But Halloween is next week!>> EDIT: Looks like Hulk also first appears on this one.

Spider-Man

34 Next time I'll fly the kite!

Hulk

45 (Write your own caption) >> Looks like Hulk first appears on Card #23 above.

Thor

56 She's always hiding the soap!

Anyone have scans of the front and backs of these cards? I just want to verify the character appears on the numbers indicated above... Thanks!

EDIT: Actually scans are posted here... http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~dan/R818-10/go.html ... not sure I want to steal them. Anyone with the original cards able to scan the fronts and backs that I can use for our list?

[Spider-Fan]

I've got this set, which will probably be the next set with a bunch of first appearances. I can do some scans later or tomorrow night. Heading out now.

Marvel Super Heroes Stickers '76 (http://www.nslists.com/mrvsh76.htm) (they are stickers, but they are 2.5x3.5)

[finfangfan]

I've got this set, which will probably be the next set with a bunch of first appearances. I can do some scans later or tomorrow night. Heading out now.

Marvel Super Heroes Stickers '76 (http://www.nslists.com/mrvsh76.htm) (they are stickers, but they are 2.5x3.5)

Cool... thanks! My brother and I have a bunch of those stickers stuck on an old toybox that is still in the basement of my parents house... fun stuff!

[alantown]

Deleted...

[finfangfan]

Thanks for the scans. I added the pics to post#2 above. I think I'm going to ultimately need to repost them in a smaller format (likely cropped too so just the card is showing), so the list will be easier to scroll through and view (especially as we add more pics!). But these are great for now.

I ended up using card #23 as Hulk's first appearance too, since that is the lowest card # his image appears on.

EDIT: I am wavering on what should be considered Hulk's first trading card appearance... #23 (the first card listed in Daredevil's string of 11 cards where Hulk is clearly shown), or #45 .. The first of 11 cards in Hulk's official subset for the set?

I think I will come back to this later after a few other members have weighed in, but for now, I will keep it at card #23.

[alantown]

Deleted...

[Spider-Fan]

That spiderman card is a reprinted image from a comic book. Its probably safe to assume the daredevil is also, so if a daredevil f a n recalls the story they can definitively confirm it is the hulk

[cmixer]

Deadpool was bagged with the xforce comic issue1

[finfangfan]

Deadpool was bagged with the xforce comic issue1

Wow... I totally remember that! Were those cards numbered in anyway?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it online... Deadpool was card #3... thanks for the heads-up!

***If someone can scan the front and back of the card, I will add it to post #2... thanks!

[finfangfan]

This card came in the mail today... the first card Spidey ever appeared on!

http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1428018740.jpghttp://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/finfangfan/1428018752.jpg

Would love to fill out the rest of the first appearance list in post #1 above. I will probably try to collect these over the next year too.

Any idea on what Wolvie's first trading card appearance was?

[GUCD231]

Wow... I totally remember that! Were those cards numbered in anyway?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it online... Deadpool was card #3... thanks for the heads-up!

***If someone can scan the front and back of the card, I will add it to post #2... thanks!

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo106/GUCD231/deadpoolcard_zpscu5i2fqa.jpg

[finfangfan]

Awesome... thanks! I updated post #2. Would you happen to have a scan of the cardback?

[GUCD231]

Awesome... thanks! I updated post #2. Would you happen to have a scan of the cardback?

I don't but I will look around for one.

***EDIT*** on the Ghost Rider as Spider found something much earlier.

Also the first Venom I can find from the same set. Sorry about the Ebay pics.

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo106/GUCD231/4f9197ee-9ea7-46fb-9ac2-e29e9ac68f99_zpsgooueqvi.jpg

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo106/GUCD231/945a7967-603c-4741-a288-5c24dcf2cfb8_zpszlidut4r.jpg

[Spider-Fan]

So there are two sets listed on Allendar's page that pre-date the '76 Donruss set. There is the '75 Topps Set and a '67 set called "marvel super heroes stickers". Not sure if the '67 set would qualify or not, not being familiar with it.

The following characters from your list appear in the '67 set:
Marvel Stickers (Philly Gum) (http://www.nslists.com/mrvstkph.htm)
#17 - The Thing
#24 - Dr. Strange

The following characters from your list appear in the '75 set
Comic Book Heroes (http://www.nslists.com/comhero.htm)
The Falcon
Ghost Rider
Dr. Doom
Iron Fist
Luke Cage
(Thing & Dr. Strange also appear in the set, if that other one turns out not to be trading card size stickers)

Here are scans of the ones in the '76 set. The backs are blank white.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a529/AmazingSpider-Fan/Misc/galactus_zpssrea26yv.jpg http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a529/AmazingSpider-Fan/Misc/loki_zpscsabtlxi.jpg http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a529/AmazingSpider-Fan/Misc/punisher_zpsxlxxtq1e.jpg http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a529/AmazingSpider-Fan/Misc/redskull_zpsqpqcych1.jpg http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a529/AmazingSpider-Fan/Misc/silversurfer_zps45iorvl6.jpg

[PoolFan]

Back side of Deadpool X-Force card.

http://i1036.photobucket.com/albums/a443/PoolFan77/DP%20Cards0035_zpsumg601si.jpg

[finfangfan]

Thanks for all of the scans everyone... I plan on updating the early posts with all of those scans tonight or Sunday night.

BTW... I got a response from Jeff Allender in regard to Wolvie's first trading card appearance:

...And the earliest Wolverine I found was in a sticker-card set, Leaf's 1984 Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, which I don't even have (yet) in my lists.


Does anyone have scans of the front/back of this historically significant sticker-card?

And do yourself a favor, if you haven't already, and check out Jeff's wonderful card site >> Jeff Allender's House Of Checklists (http://nslists.com/jachlist.htm)

It is like the wikipedia of non-sports trading cards!!!!

[finfangfan]

Wolverine's first trading card appearance is actually a 4 piece puzzle from the 1984 Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars sticker set (Cards #73, 74, 75, and 76)
http://abs-cards.net/images/mvsecwar.jpg
Full image can be found here:

http://abs-cards.net/images/mvsecwar.jpg

As well as the checklist (under the tab sticker sets):

http://abs-cards.net/checklists/index.html

EDIT: I bought card 73 and 75 off of eBay... I will post the card backs when they arrive. Knowing my luck these cards will be the bottom of the puzzle... so no Wolvie!

[finfangfan]

...Bump...

[80s Showtime]

Thanks! I couldn't find this earlier, but I was sure there was one! 👍🏻

[jdandns]

There will definitely be some in the 1984 FTCC Marvel First Issue Covers set, and some more in the 4 different Marvel Universe sets made by Comic Images from 1986-88.

Card #33 which is the Giant Size X-Men #1 card in the '84 set is likely the first card of Wolvie, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus.

https://i.imgur.com/5E09SVH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9lP8MSt.jpg

[80s Showtime]

Just to be silly like comic books first appearances can get with cameo appearances, first full appearances, and first cover appearances and so on . . .
are the character’s first appearance on trading cards limited to their first base card?
What if the character is in the background on another character’s card?
Are insert cards consideration?
If so, what if the character is on multiple insert cards and a base card from the same set?

[DynaEtch]

Just to be silly like comic books first appearances can get with cameo appearances, first full appearances, and first cover appearances and so on . . .
are the character’s first appearance on trading cards limited to their first base card?
What if the character is in the background on another character’s card?
Are insert cards consideration?
If so, what if the character is on multiple insert cards and a base card from the same set?

There is not necessarily a single definite answer to 'what is character X's RC', if I may even use that term in nonsports, as people will differ on what a RC is...just look at the debates in sports over that term.

I really dont think first card appearances in marvel cards are super sought after like they are in comics (although the pandemic hype crowd was trying to make them), but generally I think people use it to mean first base card appearance. And if there are multiple examples of the character in that set, it's the first in numerical order. So for example the Spider-man #34 in the 1966 Donruss set. If there are inserts in that set with the character, the accolades still go to that first numeric base card.

However, there is an example of a solo insert card, preceding sets that have the character as a base- in the case of Miles Morales in 2012 (called Spider-man or Ultimate Spider-man on the card). He's in the Ultimate heroes insert set in the 2012 Greatest Battles set, which I *think* preceded the 2012 Marvel Beginnings 3 set where he appears as the base for the first time in terms of release date on the calendar. In this case I think it's fair to consider that insert the first card appearance, or RC if you will...or at least both of them as RCs.

It probably gets fuzzy when you deal with those comic cover appearances as mentioned above like the 1984 set. I guess that's a first card appearance but kind of lackluster. Also stickers...are they 'cards'? there was that 70s Topps sticker set that complicates things for marvel.

I have one for the thread topic...Carnage. I believe first card was 1992 Marvel Universe #120. Not that it makes the card worth more than 50 cents :D

[80s Showtime]

However, there is an example of a solo insert card, preceding sets that have the character as a base- in the case of Miles Morales in 2012 (called Spider-man or Ultimate Spider-man on the card). He's in the Ultimate heroes insert set in the 2012 Greatest Battles set, which I *think* preceded the 2012 Marvel Beginnings 3 set where he appears as the base for the first time in terms of release date on the calendar. In this case I think it's fair to consider that insert the first card appearance, or RC if you will...or at least both of them as RCs.

That’s one of the characters that had in mind. If memory serves correctly, the insert card was realeased in March 2012 and the base card came out of series 3 in December of 2012 (along with 2 other insert cards).

Another variable is Spider-Gwen. There was a base card and insert cards in that 2015 Vibranium product. They’re all first appearances, right? But let’s limit that potential discussion to that character and not Gwen Stacy of the 616 universe ;)

[DynaEtch]

That’s one of the characters that had in mind. If memory serves correctly, the insert card was realeased in March 2012 and the base card came out of series 3 in December of 2012 (along with 2 other insert cards).

Another variable is Spider-Gwen. There was a base card and insert cards in that 2015 Vibranium product. They’re all first appearances, right? But let’s limit that potential discussion to that character and not Gwen Stacy of the 616 universe ;)

So in the first case with Miles, you almost have to call that Ultimate Heroes insert the first card appearance. In baseball cards there is a reluctance to call any insert card a 'RC', but I do not think that would carry over to nonsports. I mean...it is his first card appearance, who cares if an insert.

As to the Spider Gwen vibranium....that ones pretty subjective. I could see people maintaining only the base card is the first card appearance, because when you have inserts and base in the same set- go with the base. But then you have several parallels of that base too. Sort of a mess tbh.

[80s Showtime]

Sort of a mess tbh.

Just like it comic books. Think about Incredible Hulk 180 and 181 for Wolverine’s first appearance(s) in comic books :D

Maybe in some cases, the base card can the “rookie card” and inserts can “first appearances” to make it even murkier :D

[glorbgorb]

Reminds me of the early days of Beckett Baseball. "First" was so important that they had FTC, FUDC, and so on for first by Topps or UD, respectively.