Blue Marvel Appreciation 2019

[JudicatorPrime]

As much as I hate that Adam isn't featured in a book, I hate that Kevin and Adrienne Brashear haven't shown up anywhere yet (as far as I know) even more. Seriously, can we go ahead and give Adrienne powers (if she doesn't already have them) and unique hero name now? With all of that tinkering that she was doing with the Cosmic Cube she's bound to have some kind of molecule manipulating, reality warping, time/space continuum folding powers by now.

[Chris0013]

An interesting character that unfortunately got shelved for too long after his first appearance. Not saying she should have been the new flavor that was put in every book...but should have had here and there appearances when warranted and built his character. I feel this way about most characters but usually unless they are one of the "big names" they go away until some writer thinks about using them. Marvel should start a series that focuses on these forgotten characters instead of doing another Wolverine story even though he is in 1/2 a dozen books a month.

[XPac]

An interesting character that unfortunately got shelved for too long after his first appearance. Not saying she should have been the new flavor that was put in every book...but should have had here and there appearances when warranted and built his character. I feel this way about most characters but usually unless they are one of the "big names" they go away until some writer thinks about using them. Marvel should start a series that focuses on these forgotten characters instead of doing another Wolverine story even though he is in 1/2 a dozen books a month.

Unfortunately a book on focusing on forgotten characters just wouldn't sell.

If you do a sort of team up book with a high profile character like Spider-Man, it might have a chance. But in todays market even that might not be enough, as a lot of readers won't but books like that because they aren't perceived as "important."

That said, Carol arguably was considered a forgotten character, and look at her now. Same with Starlord. If you have an IP with potential, you can sometimes bypass the comics. That's his best shot.

[JudicatorPrime]

Unfortunately a book on focusing on forgotten characters just wouldn't sell.

If you do a sort of team up book with a high profile character like Spider-Man, it might have a chance. But in todays market even that might not be enough, as a lot of readers won't but books like that because they aren't perceived as "important."

That said, Carol arguably was considered a forgotten character, and look at her now. Same with Starlord. If you have an IP with potential, you can sometimes bypass the comics. That's his best shot.

Carol got a push. Deliberate, concerted effort to elevate her. Starlord was fortunate enough to be redesigned, which is what sparked fan interest.

Blue Marvel will never get a push like Carol did. Marvel is what it is. There is no place for an old fart like Adam at the top of the food chain.

The only real chance to save Adam is a character redesign. I know how most here feel about that, but the character as presently constructed does not appeal to writers or fans as much as we'd like. Starlord was around for, what, 40 years before they realized that he needed to be reworked? Maybe you all have that kind of time to wait, but I sure don't.

[Sutekh]

The only real chance to save Adam is a character redesign. I know how most here feel about that, but the character as presently constructed does not appeal to writers or fans as much as we'd like. Starlord was around for, what, 40 years before they realized that he needed to be reworked? Maybe you all have that kind of time to wait, but I sure don't.

At the moment, he suffers from having a sort of generic 'Superman' powerset, like Gladiator, Hyperion, the Sentry, and various other Superman knockoffs and homages floating around. Focusing more on the anti-matter, which is unique to him, could help differentiate him and elevate him from the crowd.

Lots of folk are bulletproof, strong and can fly, and someone is always going to do it better. I'd like future writers to focus on what helps him stand out, which is being a living antimatter reactor, and perhaps even a stable interface between a positive matter and anti-matter universe.

He's also got the super-scientist thing going on, but he's never going to be allowed to outsmart Reed, Tony, etc. for long, so I'd prefer he not even play that game. Let them (and von Doom) squabble over who has the biggest mental dick in the room.

[JudicatorPrime]

At the moment, he suffers from having a sort of generic 'Superman' powerset, like Gladiator, Hyperion, the Sentry, and various other Superman knockoffs and homages floating around. Focusing more on the anti-matter, which is unique to him, could help differentiate him and elevate him from the crowd.

Lots of folk are bulletproof, strong and can fly, and someone is always going to do it better. I'd like future writers to focus on what helps him stand out, which is being a living antimatter reactor, and perhaps even a stable interface between a positive matter and anti-matter universe.

He's also got the super-scientist thing going on, but he's never going to be allowed to outsmart Reed, Tony, etc. for long, so I'd prefer he not even play that game. Let them (and von Doom) squabble over who has the biggest mental dick in the room.

Adam's niche is that he's Reed/Tony plus Sentry/Hyperion -- and several other archetypes -- all combined. He's Grevioux's Shazam when you think about it. Only instead of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, Grevioux determined that Adam's gifts would be comparable to Tony, Hulk, Reed, Molecule Man, etc., etc.

The question isn't whether someone else can do it better, because unlike those other men, Adam is elite level in just about everything that he does, including some things that those other guys can't do individually without some type of plot enhancement. A character like that is daunting for many writers. Most choose to focus on what makes him tick, as opposed to solely his powers and capabilities.

Great heroes need great causes. Adam is no different. Ewing was on the right track with the Ultimates in that respect. It can't be your basic saving cats from trees type of cause. It has to be something only gods would think to address. Cosmic level threats and concerns. To borrow the catchphrase, there are still things around the omniverse and beyond that go bump in the night. Adam should make it his business to bump back. Give him his own Ultimates-type team, have Those Who Sit Above in Shadow alert him to some dire cosmic peril, and let Adam do his thing.

[JudicatorPrime]

Since I brought it up, guess I'll toy around with what "Adam's Ultimates" would look like. Now, let's see, who should Adam pick to join the team first?

[Hypestyle]

As much as I hate that Adam isn't featured in a book, I hate that Kevin and Adrienne Brashear haven't shown up anywhere yet (as far as I know) even more. Seriously, can we go ahead and give Adrienne powers (if she doesn't already have them) and unique hero name now? With all of that tinkering that she was doing with the Cosmic Cube she's bound to have some kind of molecule manipulating, reality warping, time/space continuum folding powers by now.

how old are Adam's children?

[Sutekh]

Great heroes need great causes. Adam is no different. Ewing was on the right track with the Ultimates in that respect. It can't be your basic saving cats from trees type of cause. It has to be something only gods would think to address. Cosmic level threats and concerns. To borrow the catchphrase, there are still things around the omniverse and beyond that go bump in the night. Adam should make it his business to bump back. Give him his own Ultimates-type team, have Those Who Sit Above in Shadow alert him to some dire cosmic peril, and let Adam do his thing.

I liked the initial idea of dealing with cosmic problems, like Galactus, head on and proactively, but they seem to have abandoned it after that one and done.

I would have liked to see Adam move forward and attempt to 'deal with' cosmic threats like Dormammu (who always seems to end up in charge of the Dark Dimension again, no matter how many times Umar and / or Clea overthrow him), or the N'Garai, or the Brood.

Some of these threats don't even need to be dealt with violently. Some sort of device that 'firms up' the barriers between this world and the Dark Dimension could, if nothing else, slow Dormammu down from invading (and serve as an early warning that he's coming when it fails...). This project would obviously draw the attention of Strange (and perhaps Clea, who might find herself unable to move between worlds because of it, and require some sort of 'key' to allow her to visit Earth, which could become a plot point when Unca Dormy gets ahold of said key.).

Finding a solution that allows Brood to breed without using sapient hosts might cut down on their threat and turn whatever faction of Brood goes along with this solution into more of 'just another alien race to trade with' and less of an existential body horror (and others can remain devoted to 'the old way' of doing things, and regard those using the new techniques with clones or animals or whatever as sell-outs and blasphemers, consorting with 'prey,' so that these Brood can continue to be used as morally uncomplicated nasties, by the writers).

[JudicatorPrime]

how old are Adam's children?

We don't really know all of their exact ages. There is reason to believe that all of Adam's children share his longevity. Kevin, the oldest, was born in 1970, so he's 49 linearly speaking. But he looks to be no older than a man in his mid-to-late 20s. One of the other children was born around the time that Kevin graduated college in 1991. It's difficult to tell if the baby depicted is Max or Adrienne. We also know that Max graduated from Howard University before Adrienne began attending Spellman. Presumably that makes Max the middle child and Adrienne the youngest of the Brashear brood. My guess is that it was Max at Kevin's graduation and he's around 28. Adrienne has since graduated Spellman, has her doctorate degree. If we can safely assume that she's at least 4 years behind Max, that makes her 24.

[your_name_here]

Only just seen that his first appearance/series goes for quite a lot of money on eBay! I’ve had it since release and never assumed it would go up on price.
Is it just film speculation or was it low in print?

[dkrook]

After going back to through The Ultimates series I truly feel that the inclusion of America kind of muted and dulled the Chance for Adam and by extension the rest of the group to be developed better. She seemed to crowd in on role that could have given to Adam.

[XPac]

After going back to through The Ultimates series I truly feel that the inclusion of America kind of muted and dulled the Chance for Adam and by extension the rest of the group to be developed better. She seemed to crowd in on role that could have given to Adam.

I actually thought Ultimates fleshed out Adam moreso than any other character. Ewing gave a surprising amount of development for Anti-Man and Adams kids. For a team book at least.

[scribbleMind]

You've been in this thread long enough to know many many people here would prefer it if Adam went around punching things for battle thread feats than if his character was actually developed.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I actually thought Ultimates fleshed out Adam moreso than any other character. Ewing gave a surprising amount of development for Anti-Man and Adams kids. For a team book at least.

In fairness, Adam was the only one he could develop in such a manner. The rest had their own books, IIRC