Do you think the writers will ever run out of stories?

[Ubauba01]

Will they run out of stories regarding Spider-Man's regular rogues gallery (Lizard, Shocker, Doc Ock, Green Goblin etc.) as well as in general?

[marvelprince]

Will they run out of stories regarding Spider-Man's regular rogues gallery (Lizard, Shocker, Doc Ock, Green Goblin etc.) as well as in general?

Nope. I think it’s a cop out when people say “we’ve told all the stories we can tell”. I don’t buy that, they’re so many ways to tell a story.

[Alan2099]

This feels like a really loaded poll. Four options for "they suck" and only one option for "it's good"?

[Garlador]

Put me in a room for an hour and I could come up with hundreds of story ideas for a married Peter Parker alone.

There are an infinite number of story ideas out there. There should never be a "we ran out of ideas" excuse for any character.

[Dan Slott]

I could come up with a bazillion ideas for Spider-Man where he has a pet unicorn.
Or where he's aged in real time and is now in his late 70's.
Or where he's moved out of New York and is based in Los Angeles.

(And, thankfully, stories set in his current status quo.) ;-)

Part of the job isn't just coming up with stories, it's coming up with stories that fit within the parameters of how Marvel (as a company) want to manage their intellectual property.
If you can do that, work well with others, and bring in the sales... that's the trick of it all.

Like if I showed up and said I only wanted to tell stories about a Peter Parker/Spider-Man who has adventures in space-- not just for an arc, but as his ongoing status quo-- and Marvel made it quite clear that that's not what they wanted for the property that they own, I probably wouldn't get to tell those kinds of stories for much longer... or at all... and I'd be out of a job.

[Ubauba01]

This feels like a really loaded poll. Four options for "they suck" and only one option for "it's good"?

That was the not the intention, but I forgot to seperate the "the stories will be fresh option" to "...regarding the rogue's gallery" and "...in general".

[Mister Mets]

No, the stories will be fresh for the forseeable future (and if they're not, that's because the writer messed up rather than that the job was impossible.)

Spider-Man has a fantastic setting, power-set, rogues gallery and supporting cast.

As New York city changes, there will be opportunities for new stories (Kraven targets rich hunters. A 21st Century corporation bankrolls Ben Reilly when Peter's out sick.) Writers will also come up with connections that weren't considered before (Gog as Peter and Randy's pet! Vulture seeking revenge after his granddaughter learned that he's just as bad as people say. Doctor Octopus's tentacles develop a mind of their own and like Peter.)

[TinkerSpider]

Do I think stories will run out?

No. Like Garlador said, stories are infinite. The only limit is imagination and the creators' talent, building on established characterization and world building to weave a story that allows the reader to suspend disbelief.

Now, does this mean pop culture franchises won't feel tired from time to time? Also no. But pop culture franchises once thought tired can also be reinvigorated. Depends on a host of factors.

Can creators run out of inspiration? Yes. Can creators' sensibility and the material be a poor mismatch? Yes. Can a creator's reach exceed their ability to tell story? Definitely. Are IP companies scared and only want to do the same old tired thing over and over again, happy with guaranteed but ever diminishing returns instead of taking calculated creative risks that could explode audience growth? Absolutely, it's a business. Do companies take creative risks despite the outcome not being guaranteed? Also yes. Can art and commerce be at odds, with art stifled and gagged? Of course. Can companies trust their chosen creator's creative instincts and keep their hands mostly off the creative? Also happens frequently.

So IMO the answer isn't cut and dried.

[out of control]

It is all repeat now. Goblin for the 1.000.000th time etc... I haven't read spider-man books since the one more day story. Back to teenage peter parker... pfftt. Why should i read that, i just go read Stan Lee&Steve Ditko run for that, why should i read a second rate immitation of that again and again. Marvel put Spider-Man in a vicious circle of creative drought with one more day story.

[CaptainUniverse]

Not in the near future, no. However, one day the Universe and all life within it will succumb to the forces of entropy and perish. When that day comes, there will be no Spider-Man ideas left, because everyone will be dead. Provided, of course, that Humanity manages to survive that long. Earth being destroyed would also produce the same result. Dark, I know, but...that's life.

[Garlador]

Not in the near future, no. However, one day the Universe and all life within it will succumb to the forces of entropy and perish. When that day comes, there will be no Spider-Man ideas left, because everyone will be dead. Provided, of course, that Humanity manages to survive that long. Earth being destroyed would also produce the same result. Dark, I know, but...that's life.

Think transcendent. The human spirit enduring into the afterlife with the souls of Spider-Man readers and fans singing a heavenly chorus in angelic harmony.

"Spider-Man... Spider-Man... Does whatever a spider can..."

[CaptainUniverse]

Think transcendent. The human spirit enduring into the afterlife with the souls of Spider-Man readers and fans singing a heavenly chorus in angelic harmony.

"Spider-Man... Spider-Man... Does whatever a spider can..."

Glorious...

[Dan Slott]

Not in the near future, no. However, one day the Universe and all life within it will succumb to the forces of entropy and perish. When that day comes, there will be no Spider-Man ideas left, because everyone will be dead. Provided, of course, that Humanity manages to survive that long. Earth being destroyed would also produce the same result. Dark, I know, but...that's life.

At the end of the universe... there will be a lone Marvel Editor who will mutter the line, "Someone is always predicting the end of the comics, but has it happened yet? No."

[TinkerSpider]

Not in the near future, no. However, one day the Universe and all life within it will succumb to the forces of entropy and perish. When that day comes, there will be no Spider-Man ideas left, because everyone will be dead. Provided, of course, that Humanity manages to survive that long. Earth being destroyed would also produce the same result. Dark, I know, but...that's life.

Well, now that you brought it up...LOL

Seriously, though, while stories are infinite - that also means new stories are infinite. Once upon a time, humans listened to epics like Gilgamesh and spun tales around pantheistic gods. Now, while there are still currently told stories that riff on Egyptian or Norse or other ancient world myths/religions, as a whole humans moved on to new tales. Comic book heroes have had a good run, but they've gone from selling in the millions in the 1940s to selling in the hundreds of thousands in the 1980s to selling in the tens of thousands now - over the course of a blink and you'll miss it human lifespan, especially when compared to the history of human storytelling that stretches back to cave paintings.

So there will always be new Spider-Man ideas - but will there still be a mass audience at the end of Earth's time? I dunno. There isn't a massive audience beating down the door demanding more tales of Gilgamesh today.

[CaptainUniverse]

At the end of the universe... there will be a lone Marvel Editor who will mutter the line, "Someone is always predicting the end of the comics, but has it happened yet? No."

I think you are under the mistaken idea that I was using a metaphor to describe the comic book industry. I was not, I was speaking of the actual end of all things, the death of this universe. It is something I have always had a morbid fascination with. Imagine it, an entire universe...devoid of life and light but continually expanding into the void. What comes after the end? Does it remain that way for all eternity or does it eventually rise from the ashes like a Phoenix reborn? Does the end of one universe bring about the beginnings of another? It is all very fascinating.