Superheroes where they had it right the first time...

[DrNewGod]

Some superheroes, especially those that have been with us a long time, have received considerable tweaks along the way. Sometimes, this is for the best; I think you'd have a pretty difficult task in arguing that Marvel was wrong in moving the focus from Dr. Don Blake to The Mighty Thor, or that Green Arrow didn't benefit from becoming a bit less exact of a Bat-clone. However, there are a few where you have to ask if sticking with where they were originally headed might have been the better plan.

For me, I think Wolverine is such a case. Very soon after adding him to The X-Men, Claremont and Cockrum started dropping hints that Wolverine was different from other mutants, and I've heard they intended him to be an actual Wolverine, mutated into a human ala The High Evolutionary's court of knights. It wouldn't have derailed most of what's been done with Logan (up until the whole James Howlett business), but it would have been both interesting and distinctive. It would have made for a much more complex look at what it means to be human, and made a more compelling contrast with the highly spiritual and yet more bestial-looking Nightcrawler.

[ben jacobs]

Raven from Teen Titans

[Riv86672]

Puck.

Bill Mantlo took a badass normal character who suffered pain due to his dwarfism, and magicked him all up saying he was once 7 feet tall and was a living prison for some jerk.
John Byrne (and i) was not pleased.

I’m not even sure what Puck’s deal is anymore. I think his body is really dense?
Like hockey puck?

[K7P5V]

Definitely, my choice would be the SHAZAM!/Marvel Family (especially Mary Marvel):

[Jim Kelly]

They had it right the first time with Howard the Duck. Too bad they had to make him wear pants and give him a facelift just to get Walt Disney off their backs. Oh the irony that Disney now owns Steve Gerber's creation.