Marvel recently announced that it will be ending it’s current universe starting with the upcoming event Secret Wars. They haven’t been exactly clear on the extent of the of the reboot after the event but it sounds like a combination refresh/reboot will be taking place. I thought it would be a fine time to make a list of things I would like to see in a new Marvel Universe. Here is a list of ten things I want:
10) Crossovers From Alternative-Verses Into The Main Canon
Marvel has stated that the Ultimate universe is ending going into Secret Wars. That leaves the ever popular Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales up in the air. Hopefully he will make a crossover into the main universe when all all said and done. I’m also intrigued by the idea of having some of the more fun books like upcoming X-Men ’92 becoming ongoing titles.
9) Lasting Character Deaths
If the Marvel Universe gets a true reboot I’d like to see character deaths handled with a little more severity. There is no reason a character who dies should be resurrected a year later. Last time I checked, I think all but three of the major X-Men have died at least once. Deaths can be done in a meaningful way that should add depth to the comics, not make it a running gag.
8) Diversification of Writers
Most writers for DC and Marvel are older white dudes. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing on it’s own if they are great writers. It does however limit the amount of perspectives and flavors that can be added into the comics themselves. Writers like G. Willow Wilson, Marjorie Liu and Kelly Sue DeConnick have proven you don’t have to be an old white guy to create beautiful art. There is still a huge lack of writers of color at Marvel. Hopefully the vast amount of new books being written could change this.
7) Continue to Modernize Costumes
There is no reason that today’s female superheros need to look like the bikini-clad heroines of the 60’s and 70’s. Avenger Jessica Drew will finally get new duds in Spider-Woman #5. While some might not approve of her biker outfit, it’s a nice change from having her dress like a spandex sex object. Hopefully we will see more women in outfits like Spider-Gwen, Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman.
6) Consolidation of Book Families
For new comics readers it can be quite daunting to choose a title. There are currently 5 major Avengers books, 4 Spider-Man books and 8 X-Men books. It would be nice if there were only 3-4 major books in each family for people to read. It’s difficult enough understanding what is going on without having to read 8 books a month for just one family. I know that this will probably never happen for money reasons but I can still dare to dream.
5) Concise Events
Another entry that is little more than a daydream. I want to see events that don’t drag on over the course of 18+ issues. My roommate recently commented that when trying to read the Infinity event he was lost because you had to have about a year of prior story knowledge. Events should be able to be told well in a much smaller span. There is no reason to force readers to purchase 20 issues of various books just to be able to follow a (usually) simple plot.
4) Focus On The Little Guy
I really want to see more books that either star or feature a roster of lesser known characters. Something that I love about books like Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men is the amount of lesser known characters that get a lot of attention. It’s great that characters like Squirrel Girl (even if she is annoying) and Deathlok have gotten their own series. I want to see a new wave of “B-List” characters like Jessica Jones getting books or main titles that feature lesser known heroes in the new Universe.
3) A Hero Having A Healthy Relationship
I would love to see more heroes having meaningful relationships in the new Marvel Universe. There is an on-going thread in X-Men that to be a hero means you have to sacrifice having a happy, stable relationship. I think it would be nice showing just a few more heroes who can handle having both a cape and a significant other. Marvel hasn’t had a past with exactly stellar lovers.
2) More Female-driven Books
Marvel has done a decent job at having a number of female-lead books recently. Elektra, Squirrel Girl, Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, Black Widow and Ms. Marvel all have their own books. Sadly, She-Hulk is being canceled this month. I hope that in the new Marvel Universe we get more books driven by strong females, not less. Young readers, both boys and girls, should have an array of strong female heroes to look up to.
1) More Character Diversity
Marvel has been doing a better job recently of showcasing characters of color. Most of the current Mighty Avengers roster are characters of color. Ms. Marvel is a Pakistani American. I’m just afraid that the success of the Avengers films will affect the line-up of the new Avengers comics as the entire movie cast is Caucasian. I’d like to see more characters of color getting their own books or having prominent places in the new major titles. I want to see more books like Mighty Avengers and less with teams that look like the cast of Friends.
Let me know what you’d like to see in the new Marvel Universe in the comments section!
Fabulous Nothing 