Few writers/editors influenced Marvel more than Mark Gruenwald (1953-1996). Famed for pioneering work on Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his magnum opus Squadron Supreme, he also wrote a hundred-plus-issue run of Captain America; multiple Marvel Two-in-One sagas; and several miniseries, including Contest of Champions, the first of Marvel's multi-hero sagas. He explored the Marvel Universe's ancient history in a series of What If? backup stories he also penciled.

After establishing himself on Eternity's Ex-Mutants and First's Badger, Ron Lim went cosmic with a six-year penciling run on Silver Surfer, followed by a collaboration with Jim Starlin on the Warlock/Thanos Infinity multi-miniseries saga. With writer Tom DeFalco, he helped create the look and characters of the MC2 universe, while he explored a different Marvel future during a 35-issue run on X-Men 2099. Lim's other Marvel credits include Captain America, Spider-Man Unlimited and Venom: Lethal Protector.