History Main / FranchiseCodifier

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'' is the point where the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' can be seen entering its modern form. The most notable change in gameplay was to keep everything in real time instead of high level spells freezing the action, creating the high-paced action that remains a vital part of the series to this day. It also introduced the series first character customization system in the Craymel Cage, which has been greatly expanded on since. Narratively, it was the beginning of the franchise's reputation as a DeconstructorFleet, taking about both narrative tropes such as the light world vs dark world conflict and character tropes such as ChronicHeroSyndrome. Along with the {{Deconstructed Character Archetype}}s came a much greater focus on CharacterDevelopment. Every game since has had high expectations for fast-paced real time combat, CharacterDevelopment, and being a DeconstructorFleet, though ''Eternia's'' relative obscurity means that many of of its innovations are [[OlderThanTheyThink mistakenly credited]] to ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': While the original ''Videogame/MassEffect'' established the world and setting, as well as the game's unique gameplay as a ThirdPersonShooter ActionRPG, it was the second game, ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', that established the direction the franchise would go in for the rest of the series. For example, this game provided the player with various towns and cities to explore on various alien planets, focused heavily on the seedy underbelly of galaxy and the various species that populated it, and established Cerberus and their leader, the Illusive Man, as [[TheHeavy the prominent antagonist faction]]. Gameplay-wise, the game leaned further into the shooter mold: making damage based more on equipment/accuracy moreso than stats, [[TakeCover cover-based]] firefights, a RingMenu to use abilities and weapons, and a skill and perk tree rather than allocating points to stats. The games which followed it up either further refined these mechanics or looked for ways to reintegrate them with the original RPGElements, but ''Mass Effect 2'' remained the core foundation from then on.

* ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'': The first film simply titled ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was a claustrophobic horror movie that aimed for slow, visceral terror and existential dread more than action or quick scares. It was well-received for its time, but it was the second film, ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', which codified how the franchise would be portrayed from then on. For starters, it was the first movie where the threat was multiple Xenomorphs, rather than a single one, it was also an ActionizedSequel that went for big shootouts, explosions, and characters dying off in waves. It also greatly toned down on the sexual imagery of the previous film, to the point that many people no longer even realize that the alien facehuggers, the alien ships, and various other imagery, are meant to be allegories for sexual assault. For the most part, the franchise has become a big budget action-horror franchise with any themes involved as secondary.
* ''[[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Avengers (2012)]]'' was the penultimate film of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, codifying many of the familiar elements introduced by ''[[Film/IronMan1 Iron Man]]''. DeadpanSnarker protagonist(s), a mixture of drama and humor, [[MythologyGag Mythology Gags]] and EasterEgg references to the comics, cameo(s) from previously seen characters, an EvilCounterpart to one of the heroes and a post-credits scene at the end that has massive implications for what comes next.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' introduced a number of mechanical and setting elements that did not exist in the two NES installments that preceded it but have remained series mainstays ever since. These include a more open world, dungeon-specific keys, Pieces of Heart to be tracked down to increase Link's health, cuccos, the Sages and the Master Sword. Its specific style of gameplay and graphics would afterwards become the dominant one for the top-down games that would dominate the handheld side of the franchise.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' was the first game in the franchise to use 3D models modeled to resemble more-or-less realistic humans instead of stylized, two-dimensional sprites, a style that would afterwards dominate the home-console, 3D games that would serve as the franchise's flagship titles. The game also codified Link's and Zelda's design elements, such as Link's blonde hair (he had brown hair in earlier games) and Zelda's dress designs, and introduced Ganondorf, intended to be the original human form of the demon Ganon that had been the earlier games' villains; in later games, this would become the primary and most recognized form of the character, with Ganon's original design often being either not used at all or reserved as a secondary, powered-up form. It also introduced a number of important setting elements, including races such as the Zora, Gorons, and Gerudo; the Great Deku Tree; and time travel; that would remain important parts of most future games.

** Two stories have forever defined the ''Franchise/XMen'' franchise: ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast and ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse. Both of these stories established TimeTravel and {{Alternate Timeline}}s as a massive part of the X-Men mythos, with almost every incarnation of the team learning of some sort of BadFuture in which [[RobotWar Sentinels]] and/or [[EvilOverlord Apocalypse]] has taken over the future, or a time traveler [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight screwing up history]] so that they rule the ''present'' instead. Marvel has repeated the formula multiple times, including with the massive ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', ''ComicBook/XMenSecondComing'', and ''ComicBook/AgeOfX'' storylines.
** ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga is another major story which forever defined the X-Men. In specific, it expanded their exploits into [[RecycledInSpace space]], and also introduced the concept of an X-Man becoming so powerful and/or unstable that they become a threat to the entire Earth or universe. Their complete failure to handle the situation well with Phoenix has led to multiple other stories where the team tries to catch the warning signs and resolve things before it's too late. To varying results.
** ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was not a cosmic-scale crossover event, but it still managed to become Marvel's most successful one of all time. Its success opened the floodgates for many other storylines in the same vein, which pitted some or all superheroes [[GoodVsGood fighting each other]] instead of supervillains. From this, events such as ''Schism'', ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXmen'', ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'', ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXmen'' all featured teams or factions of heroes fighting against one another. Furthermore, 2020's ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' event would follow a similar story development, whereas some heroes (in this case, {{Kid Hero}}es) have become outlawed and must operate in the shadows or on the run.

** The Marvel Universe as a whole codified its entire cosmology with ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', a multi-issue epic which pitted the ''entire'' Marvel roster against the nigh-omnipotent [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]], who had collected the [[SetBonus six Infinity Gems]] and become the supreme being of the universe. This series has been referenced repeatedly since, with Marvel's pantheon of {{Cosmic Being}}s and other otherworldly powers remaining largely in tune with how they were established in ''Infinity Gauntlet''. Further, every CrisisCrossover event thereafter has followed the basic model of ''Infinity Gauntlet''. When Marvel Studios launched Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in 2008, the ''Infinity Gauntlet'' storyline formed the basic outline of the movies' MythArc until 2019.

* ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'': The first film simply titled ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was a claustrophobic horror movie that aimed for slow, visceral terror and existential dread more than action or quick scares. It was well-received for its time, but the sequel ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' second film codified how the franchise would be portrayed from then on. For starters, it was the first movie where the threat was multiple Xenomorphs, rather than a single one, it was also an ActionizedSequel that went for big shootouts, explosions, and characters dying off in waves. It also greatly toned down on the sexual imagery of the previous film, to the point that many people no longer even realize that the alien facehuggers, the alien ships, and various other imagery, are meant to be allegories for sexual assault. For the most part, the franchise has become a big budget action-horror franchise with any themes involved as secondary.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': The first two games, while well received at the time and considered classics are markedly different from the later games. When Creator/{{Bethesda}} acquired the rights to the series they radically retooled the franchise into a first person perspective role playing shooter instead of the isometric pure role playing game the previous incarnations had been and repositioning the franchise from a modestly profitable niche seller to a multimillion dollar franchise selling tens of millions of copies around the world.

* While the original ''{{VideoGame/Doom}}'' had thrilling battles against hordes of demons, its levels also had a fair amount of exploration as in addition to some horror inspired sequences and soundtracks. Its sequel ''{{VideoGame/DoomII}}'' featured levels that focused more heavily on combat and fast movement which would become the series' trademarks.

* ''Film/AShotInTheDark'', the first follow-up to ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'', despite not having the Pink Panther in the title or feature the titular diamond (or its [[WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther animated counterpart]] in the title sequence), introduces several elements that would define the franchise ever since. First and foremost, it makes Creator/PeterSellers' Inspector Clouseau the protagonist, after being only a supporting character in the first movie. It also introduces two of its main recurring characters - Clouseau's assistant Cato, who stages surprise attacks to keep him in a state of readiness; and Clouseau's beleaguered boss Commissioner Dreyfus, who is [[SanitySlippage gradually driven insane]] by his bungling, to the point of becoming a villain in later installments.

* ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'': The first film simply titled ''Film/{{Alien}}'' was a claustrophobic horror movie that aimed for slow, visceral terror and existential dread more than action or quick scares. It was well-received for its time, but the sequel ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' second film codified how the franchise would be portrayed from then on. For starters, it was the first movie where the threat was multiple Xenomorphs, rather than a single one, it was also an ActionizedSequel that went for big shootouts, explosions, and characters dying off in waves. It also greatly toned down on the sexual imagery of the previous film, to the point that many people no longer even realize that the alien facehuggers, the alien ships, and various other imagery, are meant to be allegories for sexual assault. For the most part, the franchise has become a big budget action-horror franchise with any themes involved as secondary.

* ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' may be a [[BrokenBase bit of a sticking point]] for fans, but there's no denying director Creator/AlfonsoCuaron left his mark on the franchise. Standout features include a more chiaroscuro lighting design, a complex architecture for Hogwarts' grounds (including a covered bridge which became a series staple), and little character details such as Hermione's [[FirstNameUltimatum use of "Ronald!"]] and Fred and George Weasley FinishingEachOthersSentences.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout'': The first two games, while well received at the time and considered classics are markedly different from the later games. When Creator/{{Bethesda}} acquired the rights to the series they radically retooled the franchise into a first person perspective role playing shooter instead of the isometric pure role playing game the previous incarnations had been and repositioning the franchise from a modestly profitable niche seller to a multimillion dollar franchise selling tens of millions of copies around the world.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' marked the point where the ''Pokémon'' series began to focus greatly on telling a story within their game, and forcing the player to advance said story before they could progress. While this element had been present in earlier games (usually enforced with a BrokenBridge or two), it was never quite as apparent as it was in Sinnoh. In addition, it also focused heavily on exploring side-routes and out-of-the-way locales that could be missed completely on a normal linear playthrough, something that other playthroughs would feature more and more as time went on. Finally, this game added a tag to moves to indicate them being a Physical attack (and thus being subject to a Mon's Attack and Defense stats) or Special (Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense), which completely rebalanced several moves and led to a much greater interest in the competitive scene going forward.
* ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' started up as a DolledUpInstallment of ''VideoGame/QuakeI'', but it introduced a LOT of mainstays in the series later perfected by posterior games: the [[SniperRifle Railgun]], the Hyperblaster[[note]]which sans ''III'' appeared in every other installment: as a regular weapon in ''IV'', as a Strogg-side weapon in ''VideoGame/EnemyTerritoryQuakeWars'' and as a weapon skin in ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions''[[/note]], the [[{{BFG}} BFG10K]][[note]]which later found use in ''VideoGame/QuakeIV''[[/note]], and the most important feature: the Human vs. Strogg arc, further explored in all of the other games[[note]]''III'' and ''Champions'' feature playable Strogg characters, {{prequel}} ''ETQW'' features the Strogg as a playable ''race'' and {{sequel}} ''IV'' was all about the human counterattack on Stroggos[[/note]] ever since.

* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' was always an action-platformer series known for being NintendoHard with brutal enemy and death pit locations, weapons with properties that required practice to fully master, as well as a game system that relied on the classic VideoGameLives and continues, requiring a full playthrough to beat. ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', however, decided to incorporate gameplay mechanics from ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' (which was on [[SequelGap a hiatus at the time]]), such as searching for better weaponry/abilities and backtracking through the castle. The game received a linear plot along with [=NPCs=] and a shop, platforming elements with fear of instant death were almost completely done away with, and it also added RPGElements such as gaining levels, upgrading equipment, or learning magical spells/transformations. This would go on to define the Castlevania franchise (aside from Retraux titles or remakes) from then on, including every "IGA"-directed game having some form of PlotTwist puzzle at the end which the player needed to figure out to avoid a Downer Ending.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Two games share this role, as they introduced numerous elements absent from their predecessors and would serve as the primary models on which most future games would be based. Notably, while both introduced setting and character elements used by all future games, they each served as mechanical codifiers for a different branch of the franchise.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' introduced a number of mechanical and setting elements that did not exist in the two NES installments that preceded it but have remained series mainstays ever since. These include a more open world, dungeon-specific keys, Pieces of Heart to be tracked down to increase Link's health, cuccos, the Sages and the Master Sword. Its specific style of gameplay and graphics would afterwards become the dominant one for the top-down games that would dominate the handheld side of the franchise.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' was the first game in the franchise to use 3D models modeled to resemble more-or-less realistic humans instead of stylized, two-dimensional sprites, a style that would afterwards dominate the home-console, 3D games that would serve as the franchise's flagship titles. The game also codified Link's and Zelda's design elements, such as Link's blonde hair (he had brown hair in earlier games) and Zelda's dress designs, and introduced Ganondorf, intended to be the original human form of the demon Ganon that had been the earlier games' villains; in later games, this would become the primary and most recognized form of the character, with Ganon's original design often being either not used at all or reserved as a secondary, powered-up form. It also introduced a number of important setting elements, including races such as the Zora, Gorons, and Gerudo; the Great Deku Tree; and time travel; that would remain important parts of most future games.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' influenced the franchise decades after its original release due to how radically different it was from previous entries, both narratively and gameplay wise. On the narrative side of things, the game follows the story of several named, well-defined and speaking party members (unlike the first and third entry) and was the first ''Final Fantasy'' game to truly focus on the story and character interactions. On the gameplay side, the game was the first to use the classic [[CombatantCooldownSystem ''Active Time Battle'' system]] for its turn based combat, as well as being the first game in the series in which ''all'' characters have defined combat Jobs and skills that make them unique from one another. While the game definetly suffers from a case of SeinfeldIsUnfunny nowadays, its impact on the franchise as a whole is undeniable, especially on the much beloved sixth entry in the series.

* ''Film/AShotInTheDark'', the first follow-up to ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'', despite not having the Pink Panther in the title or feature the titular diamond (or its [[WesternAnimation animated counterpart]] in the title sequence), introduces several elements that would define the franchise ever since. First and foremost, it makes Creator/PeterSellers' Inspector Clouseau the protagonist, after being only a supporting character in the first movie. It also introduces two of its main recurring characters - Clouseau's assistant Cato, who stages surprise attacks to keep him in a state of readiness; and Clouseau's beleaguered boss Commissioner Dreyfus, who is [[SanitySlippage gradually driven insane]] by his bungling, to the point of becoming a villain in later installments.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

Most franchises, especially [[LongRunners long-running ones]], tend to have one particular work whose elements are borrowed by future entries in the same franchise; this is known as the Franchise Codifier.
The Franchise Codifier is ''not'' the first work in a franchise; and indeed a sign of a true Franchise Codifier is it departing from the original work. A Franchise Codifier, by the same token, also cannot be the ''last'' work, how can it inspire future entries if nothing is made after it?

A Franchise Codifier is a significant turning point in a franchise, and usually the point where it begins GrowingTheBeard to some fans, altough fans of the older works may complain TheyChangedItSoItSucks for the same reasons.

Note that a work's status as a Franchise Codifier has little to do with its quality, rather its influence on future entries.

!! Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': During UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, Batman (and by extension, ComicBook/{{Robin}}) were retooled as a wacky crimefighting duo that engaged in lighthearted, often comical, adventures. This was out of necessity to keep in line with UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode, which ''especially'' targeted those two superheroes. However, Denny O'Neill's run in the 1970s did a lot to reestablish Batman as a dark, foreboding crimefighting figure, in turn introducing the characters ComicBook/RasAlGhul and ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul, who would go on to be two of Batman's most iconic antagonists. This return to darker, more mature stories would finally coalesce into Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', which to this day is considered ''the'' most definitive Batman story (aside from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' and ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', each released a year after the other).

** The Marvel Universe as a whole codified its entire cosmology with ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', a multi-issue epic which pitted the ''entire'' Marvel roster against the nigh-omnipotent [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]], who had collected the [[SetBonus six Infinity Gems]] and become the supreme being of the universe. This series has been referenced repeatedly since, with Marvel's pantheon of {{Cosmic Being}}s and other otherworldly powers remaining largely in tune with how they were established in ''Infinity Gauntlet''. Further, every CrisisCrossover event thereafter has followed the basic model of ''Infinity Gauntlet''. When Marvel Studios launched Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in 2007, the ''Infinity Gauntlet'' storyline formed the basic outline of the movies' MythArc until 2019.
** ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' is considered ''the'' definitive Spider-Man story, and has gone on to define the entire franchise -- for better or worse. For better, because this story is largely credited with ending the Silver Age of comics and ushering the darker and more mature UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks. At the time, it was considered ''unthinkable'' that [[ILetGwenStacyDie the hero's love interest would die]] in comics, but now all bets were off. Unfortunately, this also codified ''other'' things into the franchise, such as Spider-man [[NotAllowedToGrowUp not being allowed to grow up too much]] or [[TrueLoveIsBoring stay married]], as Gwen was killed off for ''exactly'' those reasons. Also, her death also helped usher in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, in which shock deaths and twists became the rule rather than the exception. In fact, ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'', widely considered the worst Spider-man storyline of all time, was a direct followup to ''The Night Gwen Stacy Died''.

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]

* ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondPearlAndPlatinum'' marked the point where the ''Pokemon'' series began to focus greatly on telling a story within their game, and forcing the player to advance said story before they could progress. While this element had been present in earlier games (usually enforced with a BrokenBridge or two), it was never quite as apparent as it was in Sinnoh. In addition, it also focused heavily on exploring side-routes and out-of-the-way locales that could be missed completely on a normal linear playthrough, something that other playthroughs would feature more and more as time went on. Finally, this game added a tag to moves to indicate them being a Physical attack (and thus being subject to a Mon's Attack and Defense stats) or Special (Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense), which completely rebalanced several moves and led to a much greater interest in the competitive scene going forward.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' created a template for future games of the series going forward, both acclaimed and controversial. On the acclaimed side, the game expanded on the somewhat minimal platforming elements of the previous installments, created a much more well-balanced magic system (with different spells serving vastly different purposes and being viable even in the endgame), and postgame bosses that served as great challenges to the player. On the controversial side, this game also introduced the {{Shocking Swerve}}s and plot contrivances that would show up in future games as well[[note]]In this case, Ansem from the first game wasn't actually Ansem but his apprentice instead.[[/note]], and it marked the point where the games began to take themselves far more seriously than one would expect a series focused on crossing Final Fantasy over with Disney to do.

## As of time of writing this, this trope is not officially considered a YMMV trope. Please DON'T add it to YMMV pages.

* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': ''Film/TheTerminator'' was basically a SlasherMovie [[FormulaWithATwist whose gimmick was that the villain was a robot]]. The movie went for mostly dread and suspense, with action sparsely used throughout. The [[Film/Terminator2JudgementDay sequel]] was the one that really codified the franchise, with the iconic T-800 Terminator upgraded to hero, Sarah Connor becoming solidified as an ActionGirl, and the story being more focused on [[ActionizedSequel action]] and cool stunts rather than the slow terror of being stalked by a KillerRobot. Nearly every single film in the franchise has more closely followed the T2 mold with a heroic T-800, a badass Sarah Connor, heavy doses of action with some new model of Terminator that is usually just an upgraded version of either the T-800 or T-1000, or both.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': While the original ''Videogame/MassEffect'' established the world and setting, as well as the game's unique gameplay as a ThirdPersonShooter ActionRPG, it was the second game, ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', that established the direction the franchise would go in for the rest of the series. For example, this game provided the player with various towns and cities to explore on various alien planets, focused heavily on the seedy underbelly of galaxy and the various species that populated it, and established Cerberus and their leader, the Illusive Man, as [[TheHeavy the prominent antagonist faction]]. Gameplay-wise, the game leaned further into the shooter mold: making damage based more on equipment/accuracy moreso than stats, [[TakeCover cover-based]] firefights, a RingMenu to use abilities and weapons, and a skill and perk tree rather than allocating points to stats. The games which followed it up either further refined these mechanics or looked for ways to reintegrate them with the original RPGElements, but the ''ME2'' remained the core foundation from then on.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' was a very early model for the Metroid Vania genre; during a gaming era when characters could only walk from left or right (and sometimes could not even backtrack), Metroid allowed players to go anywhere in a complex maze at any time, actually necessitating backtracking and searching for new abilities to unlock new doors. However, its second sequel, ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' is what codified not only the franchise, but the {{Metroidvania}} concept from then on. Super Metroid introduced cinematic cutscenes, Samus's narration and motivations, added a map the player could view and review in-game, created more of a "structured" feel to the game in which certain sections had to be beaten in sequence (instead of a lost player wandering aimlessly), allowed Samus to keep all of her beam weapons and combine them simultaneously (instead of being forced to swap), and, most importantly, introduced the Speed Booster and Shinesparking — a technique that has been so codified into the franchise that when the first game was remade as ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', both the Speed Booster and Shinesparking were worked in, despite never appearing in that game. Other things that were also added to Zero Mission or ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' from Super Metroid included Super Missiles, Power Bombs, the Grapple Beam, and the Gravity Suit.

** Donkey Kong remained relatively obscure after Mario branched out, until the release of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'', which has defined the franchise ever since. It spawned its own spin-off franchise that introduced the extended "Kong Family", including mainstays like Diddy and Dixie Kong, and DK's eternal archnemesis King K. Rool. Portrayals of Donkey Kong since then have taken more from the ''DKC'' series than the original games, such as the implication that the protagonist of the ''DKC'' series is actually a grown-up VideoGame/DonkeyKongJunior, with Cranky Kong as the original DK from the 80s who has grown wizened and, well, ''cranky''.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': During UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, Batman (and by extension, ComicBook/{{Robin}}) were retooled as a wacky crimefighting duo that engaged in lighthearted, often comical, adventures. This was out of necessity to keep in line with UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode, which ''especially'' targeted those two superheroes. However, Creator/DennyONeil's run in the 1970s did a lot to reestablish Batman as a dark, foreboding crimefighting figure, in turn introducing the characters ComicBook/RasAlGhul and ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul, who would go on to be two of Batman's most iconic antagonists. This return to darker, more mature stories would finally coalesce into Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', which to this day is considered ''the'' most definitive Batman story (aside from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' and ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', each released a year after the other).

* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was not a cosmic-scale crossover event, but it still managed to become Marvel's most successful one of all time. Its success opened the floodgates for many other storylines in the same vein, which pitted some or all superheroes [[GoodVsGood fighting each other]] instead of supervillains. From this, events such as ''Schism'', ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXmen'', ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'', ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' and ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXmen'' all featured teams or factions of heroes fighting against one-another. Furthermore, 2020's ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' event would follow a similar story development, whereas some heroes (in this case, {{Kid Hero}}es) have become outlawed and must operate in the shadows or on the run.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': The Marvel Universe as a whole codified its entire cosmology with ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', a multi-issue epic which pitted the ''entire'' Marvel roster against the nigh-omnipotent [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]], who had collected the [[SetBonus six Infinity Gems]] and become the supreme being of the universe. This series has been referenced repeatedly since, with Marvel's pantheon of {{Cosmic Being}}s and other otherworldly powers remaining largely in tune with how they were established in ''Infinity Gauntlet''. Further, every CrisisCrossover event thereafter has followed the basic model of ''Infinity Gauntlet''. When Marvel Studios launched Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in 2007, the ''Infinity Gauntlet'' storyline formed the basic outline of the movies' MythArc until 2019.
* ''Franchise/{{Spiderman}}'': ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' is considered ''the'' definitive Spider-man story, and has gone on to define the entire franchise -- for better or worse. For better, because this story is largely credited with ending the Silver Age of comics and ushering the darker and more mature UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks. At the time, it was considered ''unthinkable'' that [[ILetGwenStacyDie the hero's love interest would die]] in comics, but now all bets were off. Unfortunately, this also codified ''other'' things into the franchise, such as Spider-man [[NotAllowedToGrowUp not being allowed to grow up too much]] or [[TrueLoveIsBoring stay married]], as Gwen was killed off for ''exactly'' those reasons. Also, her death also helped usher in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, in which shock deaths and twists became the rule rather than the exception. In fact, ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'', widely considered the worst Spider-man storyline of all time, was a direct followup to ''The Night Gwen Stacy Died''.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** Two stories have forever defined the ''X-Men'' franchise: ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast and ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse. Both of these stories established TimeTravel and {{Alternate Timeline}}s as a massive part of the X-Men mythos, with almost every incarnation of the team learning of some sort of BadFuture in which [[RobotWar Sentinels]] and/or [[EvilOverlord Apocalypse]] has taken over the future, or a time traveler [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight screwing up history]] so that they rule the ''present'' instead. Marvel has repeated the formula multiple times, including with the massive ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', ''ComicBook/XMenSecondComing'', and ''ComicBook/AgeOfX'' storylines.

* The second volume of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' may not have originated the team, but it did include many of the franchise's most famous arcs (like "True Believers" and "Live Fast") and was the series that officially made Nico the team leader, and revealed that Karolina is a lesbian. It also codified the AnyoneCanDie nature of the series; whereas the original killed off the villains in its penultimate issue, the second series killed off a major hero halfway through the run.