What changes would you make to Marvel?

[JudicatorPrime]

1. Have one last event -- let's call it the After Death Event -- whereby Death becomes permanent and for ever. The point of the After Death Event, of course, is to encourage writers to seriously think about how they resolve their plots without always turning to death as a gimmick. It will also encourage editors to use their veto powers more when it comes to death in general. Let's give back death the gravity and finality that it deserves.

2. Following "After Death," or perhaps during the event, transform or depower most, if not all, all the multiple Thors, multiple Hulks, etc., that exist presently. That's right, I'm going straight Highlander on their butts: "There can only be one." Now, I may stretch it to one male version, and one female version, but that's it. Marvel needs to stop diluting the brands of their top characters.

3. Officially establish that Jean Grey is the one and only true Phoenix. Sometimes, she chooses to forget who/what she is. Jean is not merely a host for the Phoenix Force, nor is the Phoenix Force some cosmic abstract that exists apart from her. The two are one and the same being, made manifest by the Creator a billion-billion universes ago. When Galactus was lying in his cosmic egg, it was a young Jean that was singing him lullabies and rocking him to sleep.

Jean is THE Phoenix, one of only a handful of beings that exist outside of Death's prerogatives. This fact would be made apparent in the "After Death" event. At some point Death and its cohorts will think that it has won the day. But out of nothing Jean Grey will spontaneously generate, undoing what Death had wrought. The Phoenix always rises.

Lastly, to help keep things simple, I would establish that anyone else that had supposedly wielded the Phoenix Force were sadly deluded. They were not tapping the Phoenix Force, but rather linking into residual energies of the Chaos Bringer that had been dispersed to the Astral Plane by Professor X back in the classic X-Men 136. That includes Rachel, Hope, Cyclops, Namor, Emma, Quire, Giraud of the 31st century, Stepfords, etc., etc. While bestowing Phoenix-like powers, the Astral Plane sentience is but a glamour of the Phoenix and is nowhere near as powerful as the one true Phoenix. (Yet another point that would be made clear in "After Death" as Death is going to make the faux Phoenix hosts -- past, present and future -- one of its first targets.)

4. Have multiple artists work simultaneously on books the same way that multiple artists work on animated features. I'm still seeing way too much crappy artwork by individual artists, which wouldn't happen if you had a team of artists working together. The team would develop a consistent rendering style and standard and hold one another accountable. I also think that you could get books out the door much quicker.

5. Bring back Marvel Spotlight/Presents with a focus on heroes and teams that have been in limbo for more than a year.

6. Bring back Marvel Premiere and feature story arcs for relatively new characters to the Marvel continuum. Like Blue Marvel.

7. Start a new series titled Marvel Comics: The Book of Infamy which features stories about Marvel's villains, new and old.

8. Continue diversity initiatives with emphasis on the global community, so that the next time that I go to an Avengers movie I won't hear a little Asian kid ask his parents if there are any Avengers (that look) like him.

9. I sit down with a panel to determine who the 10 most powerful/influential/best in their respective category heroes are in the Marvel Universe. If a preponderance of the results are men, I introduce a corresponding number of new female characters (or elevate existing female characters) to this upper echelon. If a preponderance of the results favor one ethnicity in appearance, I order the creative teams to develop or elevate a corresponding number of diverse characters for this upper echelon. Not quota, just quorum.

10. I bring back Alpha Flight for a 24 part series. After a major foul up, the new Canadian regime revokes the team's mandate to operate domestically. In lieu of outright disbandment, the Canadian government sends Alpha as part of a goodwill pact to Australia for a year, hoping the uproar over their failed activities dies down. Australia, of course, is all too happy to have them. Alpha Flight is welcomed like rock stars! But the fun and games don't last, as an old and very powerful villain re-emerges.

[just another user]

I'll stick to the principle that if I owned Marvel, I wouldn't want to micromanage (nor macromanage) the company. That's what I hire professionals for. Because when you start making all these judgments based on your personal tastes, you become as bad as the people you once railed against.

That said, Machine Man would be at the center of the next big event. I gotta play with my power a little bit, at least.

That's the way to do it. Most of the other replies would result in the posters getting fired pretty quickly due to not benefitting the shareholders.

[Aliltron]

I never said F4 getting the can has anything to do with the PC problem at Marvel. Thor being a woman now is a problem from Marvel being PC.

F4 getting shafted is because of the movie wars influence on the comics (along with X-Men issues, GOTG being everywhere, Inhumans trying to replace mutants, etc.), which as I said is a greater problem and one I'd address first.

Anyway I'd also reboot Marvel. Not a nu52 continuity reboot, all the past stories still happened, but to fix things you'd need a franchise-wide reset of issues and writers. Everything would go back to classic status quo which is what people ultimately want/buy, and then let stories develop from there.

The lineup would be:

-Avengers
-Uncanny Avengers (I actually like the concept)
-New Avengers (Illuminati)
-Mighty Avengers (alternate Avengers team)
-Young Avengers
-Avengers Academy
-Secret Avengers
-Captain America (Steve Rogers of course)
-Iron Man (That doesn't have him as evil)
-Thor (real Thor of course)
-Incredible Hulk (make him a hero on the run again)
-Secret Warriors (Real Nick Fury focused)
-Black Panther
-Hawkeye
-Black Widow
-Ant-Man (Pym-centric)
-Dr. Strange
-Winter Soldier
-Namor
-Daredevil
-Punisher
-Heroes for Hire (Cage/Iron Fist centric)
-Captain Marvel (Carol)
-Thunderbolts
-Ghost Rider (with the real one)
-Elektra
-Iron Fist
-GOTG (Earth never appears in it)
-Silver Surfer
-Nova (issue #1 begins with Ryder throwing Sam Alexander into a black hole)
-Fantastic Four
-FF (Focus on the kids/alternate F4 members)
-Blade
-Moon Knight
-Defenders
-She-Hulk (non-crap art)
-New Warriors
-Inhuman
-Hercules (BRING THIS MOFO BACK)
-X-Men (core X-Book with the real cast back)
-Uncanny X-Men (companion book to main X-Book)
-Wolverine
-X-Force
-X-Factor
-New Mutants/Young X-Men/whatever, something focused on a younger generation of Mutants.
-Deadpool
-Amazing Spider-Man
-Scarlet Spider/Spider-girl/Spider-Man 2099, some kind of alternate Spidey
-Agent Venom
-Alpha Flight
-Ultimates
-Ultimate FF
-Ultimate X-Men
-Ultimate Spider-Man

I like this idea very much

[cyberhubbs]

That's the way to do it. Most of the other replies would result in the posters getting fired pretty quickly due to not benefitting the shareholders.

Joe Quesada once admitted to not being fond of cosmic books, but he still greenlit the Annihilation stuff. It can't always be about what "you" want.

[Bri]

1. Don't let business decisions made by the Movie dept. Affect the Publishing. Marvel is unhappy with a deal they made (from which they have gotten millions of dollars.) This is no reason to punish Fantastic Four fans.

2. Lower cover prices and Digital prices to attract new readers.

3. Get Lee Child to write the Punisher

4. Get Joe Hill to write Blade or Ghost Rider

5. Get George Perez and John Byrne to pencil new comics.

6. Get Roger Stern and Louise Simonson to write some new comics

7. Put Peter David and Art Adams (or Alan Davis) on the FF.

8. No more variant covers ever for any reason. One comic, one cover.

10. Sign Bendis to a lifetime contract. (I can already here some boos...)

11. Take all sales (floppies, trades, digital) into account when determining the survival of a series. Counting the revenue from only one sales stream seems like a poor business choice.

[Aliltron]

Limit the number of events to one.
Reduce the amount of books a character can appear in.
Reduce the size of the Avengers roster.

My titles would be:

Avengers- (smaller team)
Avengers World- (bigger team)
Young Avengers
New Avengers (Illuminati)
Secret Avengers (led by Steve Rogers again)
Punisher
Black Panther
Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker)
Silk
Spider-Gwen
Spider-woman- (Jessica Drew solo. 616)
Daredevil
Captain America (Steve Rogers back)
Captain Marvel
Thor (Odinson)
Iron Man
Hawkeye
Black Widow
Incredible Hulk
She-Hulk
Ms Marvel
Elektra
Heroes For Hire (Luke Cage and Iron Fist)
Fantastic Four
Moon Knight
Thunderbolts
Inhumans
Scarlet Spider
Venom
Invaders
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ant-Man (Pym)
Doctor Strange
X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Winter Soldier
X-Force
Deadpool
Ghost Rider (Blaze)
Falcon- (Sam Wilson solo)
Ultimate Spider-Man

[Reviresco]

I have to give this some thought.

But if I'm in charge of everything, does that mean I'm replacing Ike Permuttler? Cause I'm pretty sure my first action would be to retire Ike Permuttler with the least amount of monetary damage.

My second action would be to add more bathrooms to the Marvel Comics office.

My third action may involve scaly green swimming trunks, but I'd have to consult with the lawyers first.

[Kurolegacy]

Let's see:

Stop the pointless killing/replacing of characters clustered together (seriously 3 iconic characters in the span of mere months?)

Cancel all ongoing animated titles and create a Marvel Animated Universe where the series actually feel like adaptions of the comics rather than a cash grab at toy sales/movie hype.

End the Schism in X-Men because it's just dragging on at this point without seeming to be going anywhere.

Lower the prices of satellite titles to $2.99.

Get rid of that mohawk on Storm.

Limit events.

[ImprobableQuestion]

Well, first we need to make some leadership notes:

Carol Danvers leads the Avengers, with Captain America and Thor under her managing of the Assembled and Mighty teams. She'd lead an "All-Star Avengers" team featuring members from both sides. Membership would feature various new and classic characters, including Spider-Man, Winter Soldier, Loki, and Storm.

Kitty Pryde leads the Avengers, with Nightcrawler and Rogue under her managing the Astonishing (Gold) and Extreme (Blue) teams. There would also be a book for the Teachers, lead by Storm and Emma Frost. Mystique would lead an anti-hero X-force. Charles Xavier is alive.

Peter Quill still leads the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Uncanny Avengers, based out of New Attilan and lead by Dante and Kamala Kahn, is a team of young people from various backgrounds (mutants Tempus and Triage, human Kate Bishop, hybrid mutant Wiccan, Kree/Skrull hybrid Hulkling, and Inhumans Inferno and Ms. Marvel). They are an independent team, but often go on missions on behalf of Queen Medusa.

Medusa leads the Nuhumans, a team of various new Inhumans (most of which haven't been given proper names yet in the books).



Then, a couple alignment rules:

Doctor Doom is normally an anti-villain/egotist hero, on the rare occasion being a very serious villain.

Magneto is a tragic/well-meaning villain (like classic Mags), who occasionally helps in the face of a larger scale threat.

Loki is an Anti-Hero/guile hero, never a villain.

Namor is never better than an anti-villain.

Mystique is not a full-on villain. She doesn't consider herself a hero but her concern for certain other mutants has changed her demeanor...

Captain Marvel, Kitty, Medusa, Ms. Marvel, and Starlord form the Secret Avengers.

[Kuwagaton]

Joe Quesada once admitted to not being fond of cosmic books, but he still greenlit the Annihilation stuff. It can't always be about what "you" want.

That said, this is all absolutely hypothetical. Being realistic about it doesn't make it any more of a real possibility.

I'd reboot and streamline. Like
- Scott, Logan, Jean, Ororo, and Rogue as the O5
- Steve as WWII cap and Sam as the current
- College Peter, or even Gwen as the spider hero
- Namor, Reed, and Susan are big shots
- Banner is split between Savage and Fixit
- Asgardians are aliens

[Strangefan]

As previously mentioned, I would have more limited series. I like most of the mentioned ideas for on goings, be it solo or teams. I like the idea of adding adjacent to a particular characters solo, a limited team up, whether it be with one character, or a whole group. These characters would be less known or undeveloped enough not to have their own book, but deserve some character development. So instead of it being a one off guest shot in the solo, you would get to know this character over a complete story anywhere from 4 to 12 issues. Perhaps some might get enough attention to get their own on-going. It is tiresome that the same characters get to speak, and the same characters get to rest in oblivion or death. Plus, if you are a good writer, the characters actually behave differently with other characters. You would get to see aspects you might not see in their regular solo or team books with their usual supporting cast. It also is tiring liking a comic, and it being cancelled before you can see what the writers plan was, so limited comics would have a beginning and an end. More satisfying to me, that way.

I don't mind events, but I also don't want them artificially lengthened to the point where you go, I could have told this in 3 issues. I don't want to cut build up, because sometimes it is appropriate, but instead of having one good idea, and taking a year or two (or three in Hickman's case) how about having maybe two or three good ideas a year. Some stories can be told, short and sweet, some need to be long. Let's shake it up a bit, please.

I also agree death needs to mean something. If a character has been killed, I don't object to them being brought back, but there should be effort and cost in the endeavor.

No character in more than 3 on-goings, in fact two would be better. They can be in the limited series, but more characters need to have some exposure than always the same ones. There are a lot of great characters out there and they've been missing so long I can't even come up with a list right now.

Let the heroes be flawed, but heroes. Let the villains be multi-layered, but leave them villains. When people look at movies, it isn't just the hero they find interesting, it is the fight with the villain. We need good villains, and not just the same ones over and over. Let's make some new big bads. Let some villains rest a bit.

Don't create a place in the Marvel universe without other supporting comics. While I don't want endless events, I think it is fun to have crossovers. Earth has tons of support, but there should be more than one team on-going in space. There should be more than one magical/paranormal comic. There should be more international coverage, with Alpha Flight, bring in some teams that focus in some place in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, wherever. Give us more of a whole world feel, instead of just East Coast America. When world threats occur, these people should be in contact with each other.

So my wish list includes:
Various teams of Avengers, each with their own specialty and rotating cast. This would include an international group who maintain contact with specific smaller teams who are homebased in their own countries. The international group or members of it would then have limited series interacting with some Irish team, or a Japanese team, etc, etc.
Various teams of X Men, ditto above.
Spiderman has his own multiple incarnations, but I don't want him so diluted, so keep it to three comics.
Doctor Strange on going, with at least two other magical based solos, and multiple limited series of various lengths allowing a wide range of magical/paranormal/horror stories. The three solo players would weave in and out these limited stories, supporting characters that don't have on-goings. Let's get to know the magical side of Marvel again. Not everything is evil in Magic, lets see some wonder and healing, not just a demon trying to destroy the Earth and its souls.

GOTG, get the NovaCorp and Richard Rider in action. I believe Mantis and Moondragon and undoubtedly others are out in space, find a reason for them to get together, whether it be solving intergalactic mysteries, or bring in some political thrillers. Let these guys run into the others, and show there aren't isolated. Again, having characters who don't normally hang together has potential. Not only in sharing a bad guy one isn't familiar with, but personal interactions. It doesn't mean they need to carry on for issues, but a popular bar is popular where ever you are in space. It isn't a big reach to have GOTG hanging out there and the NovaCorp needing to bust in to find a felon.

This could go on and on, so I'll stop typing now.

[JudicatorPrime]

Let the heroes be flawed, but heroes. Let the villains be multi-layered, but leave them villains.

I absolutely agree on this point. I'm all for the occasional fallen angel or redemption story, but let's not lose perspective of who the bad guys are, or so easily forgive a villain's past crimes simply because they chose to show their better humanity. All crimes should be punished for the victims' sakes. And perpetrators of said crimes need to be aggressively pursued and held accountable, no matter who they are, or where they are.

[ImprobableQuestion]

I like the idea of limiting characters to two books, though I would make cameos unlimited; for example in my thoughts above I listed Carol Danvers as leader of the Avengers, so even though she'd only be a billed member of her Avengers book and her solo, she would probably appear in the other two Avengers books for cohesion.

[Of Atlantis]

I'd become the most hated person ever in charge of Marvel making everything based on and around movies/TV.

Truly this is my darkest timeline lol

I'd likely do the opposite, in having the movies/tv absolutely non-influential. That means no Fury Jr., no Coulson, no new Dethlok, no generic Hawkeye costume etc.

Other than that, I'd like to see the heroes finally reconcile and the main groups not hate each other any more. I'm fine with characters having their issues with each other, I mean it's been a common comics trope for as long as I remember. But the X-Men/Avengers beef has to end. Alienating the fanbase and turning them against each other had to be the stupidest idea Marvel's ever had. Imo it only kills their sales and prevents fans from exploring new titles.

I'd also pretty much outlaw characters getting replaced and someone else using their name. I hate that. Two Ghost Rider titles in a row, neither starring Ketch or Blaze, but a poor replacement. Both have failed. Get a clue, Marvel.

[Pav]

I'll stick to the principle that if I owned Marvel, I wouldn't want to micromanage (nor macromanage) the company. That's what I hire professionals for. Because when you start making all these judgments based on your personal tastes, you become as bad as the people you once railed against.

This, of course. I'm not so haughty that I think all of my ideas would be wildly successful.

But, a few ideas -

I'd try to establish more "families": the Avengers family of comics and the X-Men family of comics are going strong, but that's basically it. Marvel has never really established a long-term family of successful Spider-Titles, so I'd be pushing for more Spidey side-characters to get the spotlight. I'd try to establish the same thing with the Defenders and that team's characters.

I'd want to establish some legit "rules" on numbering and the length of an "ongoing." For the former, I'd probably embrace the "Season" format more than Marvel already does. For the latter, I'd try to do away with "ongoings" that only last 6 or 8 issues. I have this fantasy of doing a contest where the fans get to choose which C-list-type characters they'd like to read about, and the winners would automatically get a two-year run, no ifs and or buts. I think the fans would appreciating knowing that they'll get 25 issues of a book, that the creative team will get to tell the whole story it wants to tell, etc. If the sales stay strong for these comics, then obviously they would continue on (perhaps indefinitely); but if not, that just means it's time for a new contest!

I'd always hire two artists per comic to make sure that delays rarely ever happened and that fill-in artists weren't needed very often (if ever). For the established comics with strong sales, I might even hire two writers.

I'd try to get comics put in grocery stores and other "normal" places, so that kids who happen to be shopping with their moms will see them and want them.

I'd want less comics that feature characters already appearing elsewhere; if a character is popular, I'd make sure s/he appeared in at least one solo and one team book, but I'd try to limit anything beyond that unless it just made total sense.

More diversity in the line - more in-universe comics that a young person can read without parents worrying about sex or swearing; more in-universe comics that are only for adults.

More comics that mirror real-world issues/problems/politics: the X-Men would be perhaps the most thematically strong comics in the line, constantly dealing with issues that we deal with in the real world (like nation building, extremism, religious ideas vs. secular ideas, etc). Essentially, I wouldn't want X-Men comics that don't mean anything beyond the punches that are thrown.

I'd try to do the same with an ongoing Dr. Doom comic.

I'd try to limit titles that are too similar: for example, I wouldn't put out both a Spider-Woman comic and a Silk comic at the same time; it just seems like they'd "get in each other's way" sales-wise, if you know what I mean.

Finally, for the comics that tend to have low sales and can't really sustain themselves, I would always push for combining them a la "Power Man and Iron Fist" - but only if the story makes sense. For example, if the market doesn't seem able to support solos for Venom and Kaine, I'd have them co-lead a comic. Keep the fanbases happy!

-Pav, who would have to fight the desire to write almost everything himself too...