Against merge with Midnight Sons[]
The nine are a specific, early grouping. Even back in the 1990s there was already considerable drift away from that group, with Doctor Strange being split in three different beings, the Nightstalkers and the Darkhold Redeemers disbanding, and various associates coming and going (Vengeance, Strange (now Paradox), Werewolf By Night). LuisDantas (talk) 16:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC)
Against merge with Midnight Sons[]
It's pretty much a different team with a different name. Even Marvel: Ultimate Alliance refers to these two groups as different teams. -UltimateGoblin (talk) 12:51, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
Supporting merge with Midnight Sons[]
While it may be possible to treat The Nine as a separate subject from the Midnight Sons, it's not possible to do the opposite. For the Midnight Sons entry, roughly half of the History section refers to The Nine. From a publishing perspective, that original iteration of the group lasted for roughly 2 years across at least 5 titles. By comparison, the later two iterations lasted only one mini-series each.- The preceding unsigned comment was added by GlennYoung (talk • contribs).
Supporting merge with Midnight Sons[]
The Nine is a specific iteration of the Midnight Sons, formed in the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" arc of the Midnight Sons publishing imprint. They are not two distinct groups. In their final issue together (Midnight Sons Unlimited #4), the characters name themselves the "Midnight Sons" in-universe as their group identity had fluidly changed from nine separate individuals to one coordinated, united team.
What the wiki distinguishes as "the Nine" is the group of characters whose shared and interconnected history created the entire legacy of the Midnight Sons in Marvel publishing. This iteration of the team earns the right to be called "the Midnight Sons" more than any other iteration because they spent over 60 issues building their unity under the Midnight Sons banner to earn the Midnight Sons name in the Midnight Sons Unlimited finale of their Midnight Sons saga. During this time, editorial, marketing, and internal narration referred to the team as the Midnight Sons as well, and their comics were promoted in the Midnight Sons Magazine. (example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4, example 5)
The Nine were always the Midnight Sons. Their first comic (Ghost Rider #28) is literally called "Rise of the Midnight Sons Part 1" and the full story ends with them embracing the Midnight Sons title themselves in Midnight Sons Unlimited #4. The two names are inextricably linked. This cannot be a separate article from the Midnight Sons.
Neither characters, fans, editors, publishers, nor marketing have never referred to the Nine and the Midnight Sons as two separate groups, and to do so rejects the whole point of the imprint. The Nine is an essential subclassification of the Midnight Sons and therefore should be a subsection of the Midnight Sons article.
Vinwriteswords (talk) 12:52, 29 November 2022 (UTC)