Revamp a Hero....

[Michael Watkins]

Change the green to blue? I was so delighted when they changed him from that awful Triathalon to 3D Man! But then he was still never used.

Yeah. Unfortunately the Agents of Atlas never caught on. He made a lateral move obscurity-wise. He’s still a decent character with action centric powers.

[Michael Watkins]

I don't know if this counts, but I would revamp 616 Miles Morales to be like the Miles from Into the Spider-Verse. The only change I would make is to replace the dead Peter from Miles' origin with one of Peter's clones.

For those who haven’t seen it, what are the main differences in the origin stories?

[Michael Watkins]

Yeah, I like those takes, and I can see a possibly larger point in there about the younger generation of heroes being inspired by the older generation, yet developing on their own as heroes and not just imitating or emulating those same characters.

Thanks. I tried to include multiple sides. Cassie is honoring a relatively minor hero. Kate is defying her parents’ idea of legacy. Eli is forced to look at his legacy differently after learning a hard truth. Nate hasn’t even recognized the fate that awaits him. Billy is trying to connect with a legacy that isn’t his own. Teddy will be drug unwillingly into a role opposite his nature.

While it’s fresh, I tried to seed the young Avengers eventual adventure through time. I did this with the hindsight of them being crowded out by other young hero groups. They are still out there adventuring in different time periods and realities putting out Kang’s metaphorical fires. Jonas is part time machine. He “phases” them through space/time. Cassie is their chronal anchor. They can always get back to the 616 because she has a genetic address within her. And they will meet several versions of Cassie. Her counterparts know when she enters their space. And they are all a little curious about her Pym particle-altered dna. Prior to the fight through time, they do a lot of couch surfing and road tripping. A few of them still attend school regularly. But they can be ported back and forth via Jonas/Vision.

[Sutekh]

Change the green to blue? I was so delighted when they changed him from that awful Triathalon to 3D Man! But then he was still never used.

I do not like the green and red so prominent. If the green and gold, or red and gold were the two dominant colors, with the third as an accent, perhaps that would be less of an eyesore?

And as for his powers, I dig the three times reaction speed, endurance, healing rate, strength, etc. But to really differentiate him, I'd love if they played up the three times sensory acuity and *three times intelligence* that should logically come along with it. Make him (a little bit) superhumanly intuitive, clever, perceptive, etc. pulling out some stunts that Captain America doesn't generally own, like memorizing or speed-reading or hearing stuff clearly at a distance, that his 'blah of three men' enhancements should cover, and Cap's enhanced physicality doesn't.

[Michael Watkins]

Jessica Drew

I have done this one already. But it was long enough ago that I need to refresh myself. My influence would be movies like suspiria, the olds, and phenomena. Jess's parents send her off to an elite boarding school run by Hydra occultists. Elsbeth Strucker is the school's headmaster. Jess is flagged as someone with great potential. She could eventually lead a new more powerful Hydra. But right now she's a regular teen interested in teen things. Her rival at the school is Ophelia Sarkassian. Ophelia is an orphan and has lived at the school long enough to suspect what they are really there for. And she's into it. But the instructors focus all of their attention on Jessica. She's a pure spirit with greater magic potential. At some point, a handful go through a ritual (combination of sorcery learned from Modred & science stolen from the Evolutionary) where their avatar is chosen. Jessica is chosen by the spider. Ophelia is represented by the snake. But Jessica is the only girl who begins to change physically. Fast forward through Hydra trying to get their new Spider-woman to be their weapon. Nick Fury shows her how to disappear.

Jessica operates in and around London (but adventures through Europe as well) early in her career, fighting the local rogues. She comes up against Morgan Lefey (possessing the form of someone else) and barely survives. At this point, she has done Fury a few favors. He helps her relocate to San Francisco. But it's too late. She's on Morgan's radar and is the perfect vessel for her essence. That's when Madame Web, a former psi sensitive dabbler in the occult, intervenes. She serves as a mentor for Jessica and keeps some of her enemies off Jessica's scent. And there would be several supernatural threats gunning for the Spider-woman on Lefey's behalf ex. The Nightshift and Daddy Longlegs (a much more sinister figure in this telling). A lot of these folks were regular people who made deals with Morgan to improve their lot in life. And it ended badly for each of them, as they became monstrous hench people. Jessica is even mailed two creepy dolls that grow to full size before trying to murder her. The dolls are a makeshift prison for two child actors who made Faustian deals to save their struggling careers at some point.

Otherwise, her supporting cast and profession would be the same. Scratch that. She starts out working in Madame Web’s curio shop. This is where she meets Lindsay McCabe (assistant). Greer gets involved later as a police officer’s widow turned private investigator. A missing person case leads back to the shop. This is prior to her meeting the Cat People. Her venom blast would look the same but be a mystical attack on her opponent's soul and mind. The pain is mostly in their mind and stays with them like a spider bite. She doesn't fly the way Carol Danvers does. It's more like a reflexive levitation spell when she falls off a building (for example). The web pits aid in steering. Jessica isn't a sorceress similarly to how Forge isn't a scientist. The ritual made her a receiver for black magic. Oh and Ophelia eventually set the school on fire and went on a Bruce Wayne-like quest to become the most dangerous version of herself. She volunteers for some kind of black market strength enhancing experiment becoming venomous in the process. All of it culminates in her attempting a takeover of Hydra. But Spider-woman definitely makes her hitlist. I appropriated Madame Web because I feel that she fits Jessica's world better. I don't like the spider totem stuff in relation to Peter. Jessica will also run afoul of The Pride and other west coast villain regulars.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

For those who haven’t seen it, what are the main differences in the origin stories?

Into the Spider-Verse revamped Miles into an artist and gave him a distinct identity from Peter. Bendis' Miles was too similar to Peter. Saladin Ahmed's Miles is an improvement from Bendis', but still not as interesting as the movie version. Miles' family dynamic is also more interesting in the movie than in either comic.

I'm not sure if my example counts because I wouldn't be the one revamping him in this case. I simply want a revamp that exists in the movies to be brought to the comics.

[Huntsman Spider]

I don't know if this counts, but I would revamp 616 Miles Morales to be like the Miles from Into the Spider-Verse. The only change I would make is to replace the dead Peter from Miles' origin with one of Peter's clones.

Like Ben Reilly? Halfway there since in Into the Spider-Verse, Miles's reality's Peter Parker was blond.

[Michael Watkins]

Into the Spider-Verse revamped Miles into an artist and gave him a distinct identity from Peter. Bendis' Miles was too similar to Peter. Saladin Ahmed's Miles is an improvement from Bendis', but still not as interesting as the movie version. Miles' family dynamic is also more interesting in the movie than in either comic.

I'm not sure if my example counts because I wouldn't be the one revamping him in this case. I simply want a revamp that exists in the movies to be brought to the comics.

It totally counts. I borrow from movies all of the time. The idea is to make them your version of perfect.

[Draegwolf]

Into the Spider-Verse revamped Miles into an artist and gave him a distinct identity from Peter. Bendis' Miles was too similar to Peter. Saladin Ahmed's Miles is an improvement from Bendis', but still not as interesting as the movie version. Miles' family dynamic is also more interesting in the movie than in either comic.

I'm not sure if my example counts because I wouldn't be the one revamping him in this case. I simply want a revamp that exists in the movies to be brought to the comics.

I agree with this assessment entirely. The main reason I stopped reading Miles comics were because he was literally just black, bi-racial Peter Parker (Bendis doesn't know **** about Puerto Rican's btw). Think the movie did a better job of fleshing out Miles into his own person and giving him a better origin than his actual comic did.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Like Ben Reilly? Halfway there since in Into the Spider-Verse, Miles's reality's Peter Parker was blond.

Either Ben Reilly or Kaine Parker. I know a lot of people like them but I think they're relatively superfluous with Miles, Miguel, and Spider-Gwen around. If someone wants to read about a Spider-Man who is not Peter Parker, they're much more likely to go read Miles/Miguel/Gwen than literal Peter clones.

I suspect the Peter from Spiderverse was blonde to 1) physically distinguish him from the older Peter and 2) as a nod to Ben Reilly. I don't know if I buy the fan theory that he was actually Ben Reilly.

It totally counts. I borrow from movies all of the time. The idea is to make them your version of perfect.

I mean, it wasn't exactly my idea. Only thing I would change is maybe make Miles even more artistic. Calling it "my" revamp feels like I'm taking credit for it when I would just adapt the movie version to the comics.

[Huntsman Spider]

Thanks. I tried to include multiple sides. Cassie is honoring a relatively minor hero. Kate is defying her parents’ idea of legacy. Eli is forced to look at his legacy differently after learning a hard truth. Nate hasn’t even recognized the fate that awaits him. Billy is trying to connect with a legacy that isn’t his own. Teddy will be drug unwillingly into a role opposite his nature.

While it’s fresh, I tried to seed the young Avengers eventual adventure through time. I did this with the hindsight of them being crowded out by other young hero groups. They are still out there adventuring in different time periods and realities putting out Kang’s metaphorical fires. Jonas is part time machine. He “phases” them through space/time. Cassie is their chronal anchor. They can always get back to the 616 because she has a genetic address within her. And they will meet several versions of Cassie. Her counterparts know when she enters their space. And they are all a little curious about her Pym particle-altered dna. Prior to the fight through time, they do a lot of couch surfing and road tripping. A few of them still attend school regularly. But they can be ported back and forth via Jonas/Vision.

You're welcome, and that all sounds like it would be very compelling character work.

In the spirit of this thread, I'll finally contribute another Marvel 2099 hero revamp and try my hand with . . .

Black Panther 2099

By 2099, the rest of the world has caught up technologically to Wakanda . . . Wakanda of 80 years ago, that is. Ever since Wakanda sealed itself off from outsiders for good following the Cataclysm decades before, its leaders have known that for Wakanda to remain free and uncolonized, it needs to maintain its technological edge over the outside world. Becoming aware that the megacorps that dominate the rest of the world have been creating superpowered "corporate raiders" for corporate espionage and warfare, with a special interest in finally piercing the barriers keeping Wakanda protected from the rest of the world, Wakanda's counter to this is a complete and total transhumanistic transformation of the Black Panther. Instead of having a Black Panther consume the Heart-Shaped Herb to gain augmented senses, strength, and speed while wearing the traditional Panther Habit, the Black Panther of 2099 undergoes an advanced form of cyber-surgery, his muscles and nerves rewired and rewoven with vibranium-infused nanofibers, dramatically boosting his strength, speed, and senses. The Panther Habit he dons is a cybernetic carapace also made from vibranium, connected to Wakanda's Kimoyo system, with which he communicates through a virtual avatar (that he's customized to resemble a revered figure from Wakanda's past), and powered by the kinetic energy it absorbs from both his own movements and external attacks, energy that he can channel into and through his body to increase his speed and strength even more, or divert into an explosive burst that forcefully repels everything and everyone around him. With all these advancements, the newest Black Panther is finally ready to step into the spotlight as the latest in the long lineage of Wakanda's warrior-leaders --- or is he? More importantly, though . . . who is this new Black Panther of 2099?

[dkrook]

Luke Cage

Start him off as a young Detective on a missing persons case, and as he gets deeper into his investigation he finds leads that alludes to either aliens or occult Involvement. It's at that moment he is approached by SHIELD and organization he up to this point has heard of but dismissed them as being impactful in his world. The SHIELD agent introduces themself and commends him on tenacity and skill that got him this far. He then extends an opportunity to work the leads to his case with what he knows. Combining the new Information the two of them crack the case and working along with additional SHIELD backup go to apprehend culprits and Luke is shot near fatally. SHIELD quickly acts to save his life with a top secret procedure that gives him all his current power stats. He quickly recovers and seeing his potential Nick Fury himself request to train Luke to be a special agent for SHIELD, which he accepts thinking about the chance to be part of something bigger, and making sure he can push to be the top guy time.

[Draegwolf]

Ghost Rider (Frank Castle)
- I’ve always felt this concept was a wasted opportunity on two fronts, namely that turning Frank Castle into Ghost Rider is one of those ideas like turning him into War Machine in that it just seems like the natural progression for the character. And yet both times it’s been botched. Marvel has tried a few times to steer Punisher into the supernatural and both attempts have been spectacular failures, yet to me it was always more how they tried to execute it rather than the actual idea itself. That being said he should have never been in consideration for the cosmic scene, rather than turn him into Deadpool in space I think Frank makes more sense as a conventional Ghost Rider. Personally I would have introduced this concept sometime following his acquisition of the Bloodgem and subsequent resurrection towards the end of Dark Reign. While Frank’s stint as an angel was bad I could see rolling a few aspects of that storyline over into this concept to separate him from other Ghost Riders, namely in that unlike previous Spirits of Vengeance Frank would be bound to a member of the Black Host rather than another demon. Appearance would resemble classic Punisher, complete with black duster and flak vest, with celestial aspects incorporated into the design and rather than a chain as his primary weapon I’d give him a soul blade made up of either angel’s grace or accumulation of Castle’s sins. Concerning comics I would actually have a Ghost Rider & Punisher comic running parallel to one another, with us not learning the identity of Castle’s Ghost Rider until the end of the first or second arc like what they did with Jane Foster’s Thor. During his tenure as Ghost Rider Castle would be for the most part be allowed to continue business as usual, with the exception of when undergoing missions on behalf of heaven.

Cosmic Ghost Rider (Wileaydus Autocylus)
- On that note personally I would have used the concept of a Cosmic Ghost Rider to bring back another classic member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. Seeing as Autocylus was already a Cosmic Ghost Rider a few decades before Marvel tried to reintroduce the concept I honestly would have just rolled him over for this event since he could work with a little tweaking. Could easily see him being the sole survivor of his race and becoming the spirit of vengeance following the destruction of his planet by way of Galactus, Thanos, or another Annihilation event. Hell having him be a former Herald of Galactus to keep his planet safe only for Galactus to renege on the deal or Thanos destroy it anyway could easily serve as the catalyst for his transformation, plus I do like the idea of him being on par, if not stronger, with the Heralds of Galactus. Since the Sarks have ties to the Universal Church of Truth I have altered his appearance somewhat to incorporate aspects of the Church’s Black Knight and Cardinal caste with the more conventional elements of Ghost Rider, likewise his arsenal would have consisted primarily of faith-based weapons modified with hellfire and the power cosmic.

Other concepts I will expand upon later:

Deathlok (Frank Castle)
- [supplement concept over FrankenCastle; Castle rebuilt as Deathlok following death at Daken’s hands]
- [subjected to the Deathlok program by a coerced Fixer on behalf of Norman Osborn in attempt to further the latter’s agenda by weaponizing Castle for HAMMER]

Venom
- [supplant Eddie Brock in acquiring Venom symbiote from Lee Price following Flash Thompson’s tenure with the symbiote]

[Sutekh]

In the spirit of this thread, I'll finally contribute another Marvel 2099 hero revamp and try my hand with . . . Black Panther 2099

Ooh, that's interesting!

I wonder if, by 2099, or in some AU, Wakanda will manage to synthesize the 'heart-shaped herb' and genetically splice it into *every* Wakandan (while, simultaneously engineering it to be *incompatible* with the genetics / biochemistry of anyone who isn't carrying specific codons found in Wakandan DNA, to keep the genie in the bottle, at least to a limited extent).

Spread across the world of 2099, tens of thousands of 'Black Panthers' exist, integrated into some communities, hunkered down in Wakandan enclaves and embassies in less friendly nation-states.

[Huntsman Spider]

Ooh, that's interesting!

I wonder if, by 2099, or in some AU, Wakanda will manage to synthesize the 'heart-shaped herb' and genetically splice it into *every* Wakandan (while, simultaneously engineering it to be *incompatible* with the genetics / biochemistry of anyone who isn't carrying specific codons found in Wakandan DNA, to keep the genie in the bottle, at least to a limited extent).

Spread across the world of 2099, tens of thousands of 'Black Panthers' exist, integrated into some communities, hunkered down in Wakandan enclaves and embassies in less friendly nation-states.

I'm glad you like my idea, and I like your addition to it. Having the Heart-Shaped Herb distilled into a health supplement available to everyone in Wakanda of 2099 would be an interesting advancement, while the more drastically superhuman enhancements would be reserved for Wakanda's chief protector and leader, the Black Panther. I could also see Wakanda 2099 having cells of covert operatives in the outside world, working counterintelligence against the megacorps that seek to conquer Wakanda like they've effectively conquered the rest of the world.