Has Marvel Comics ran out of story ideas?

[Tien Long]

Daredevil is not into space adventures. However, I envision Silver Surfer and Captain Marvel working together, or even becoming a member of Guardians of the Galaxy, which would be a great match...

Wouldn't mind seeing Daredevil in a space adventure, actually. I've been hoping to see that for a lot of street level characters for a while. I'll always appreciate the street level guys fighting in alleys, warehouses, and sewers, but I think it would be cool to see them in the Savage Land, on Hala, in the Dark Dimension, the Nexus of All Realities, or the dystopian future of Deathlok. That shows that they are versatile and can go into any situation.

Honestly, I think that's one of the reasons why Spider-Man is so successful. He's essentially a street level character, but can have a story anywhere. Those street level characters that have that little extra power set, like Luke Cage and Iron Fist, Cloak and Dagger, or Ghost Rider, I could see them have great stories in these environments!

[PCN24454]

I don't think they did. I think every generation asks this question.

Also are we talking all of Marvel or just the Silver Age properties? Kamala Khan for example is arguably the most original Marvel hero since Peter Parker.

Can she really be "original" when she takes her identity from two different sources?

[kcekada]

Have they run out of story ideas? No.

Have they run out of good, compelling story ideas? That would be a yes.

I will say thought that corporate interference from Disney execs seems to be part of the cause. Lots of crap happens for no reason -- like putting Spider-Woman in a POS outfit when her original is far superior.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Can she really be "original" when she takes her identity from two different sources?

I think she is. They made another nerdy awkward teen like Spider-Man but who has a very orderly personality and shows leadership qualities when putting on the costume. Prior to her every other teen hero was a Spider-Man ripoff in the sense that they were nerdy and the costume made them jokey and chaotic. Ms. Marvel is a genuine breath of fresh air in the sense that she puts on the costume and kinda becomes the opposite of Spider-Man's personality. We haven't really seen that before.

[Anthony W]

I think she is. They made another nerdy awkward teen like Spider-Man but who has a very orderly personality and shows leadership qualities when putting on the costume. Prior to her every other teen hero was a Spider-Man ripoff in the sense that they were nerdy and the costume made them jokey and chaotic. Ms. Marvel is a genuine breath of fresh air in the sense that she puts on the costume and kinda becomes the opposite of Spider-Man's personality. We haven't really seen that before.

Cyclops says hello. Ms. Marvel is nothing we haven't seen before. She is the basic fan makes good and hangs out with heroes story. Her story is older than Spider-Man's. Ms. Marvel is basically a DC hero in the Marvel Universe. Marvel was once "The House Of Ideas" then it became a "Condo Of Concepts" now it's just an "Apartment Of Atrophy" and In about three years it will become a "Tent Of Tie-ins"

[Snoop Dogg]

Have they run out of story ideas? No.

Have they run out of good, compelling story ideas? That would be a yes.

I will say thought that corporate interference from Disney execs seems to be part of the cause. Lots of crap happens for no reason -- like putting Spider-Woman in a POS outfit when her original is far superior.

the purpose of disney buying marvel was for marvel to go make them money, not micro manage them and be responsible for everything you specifically don't like

[H-E-D]

the purpose of disney buying marvel was for marvel to go make them money, not micro manage them and be responsible for everything you specifically don't like

The idea that Disney Executives sent down a missive from above to give Spider-Woman a new costume is laughable.

[Shinglepants]

I honestly just feel that people who think Marvel run out of ideas are just reading the wrong books. Not every book is a hit and not every writer is amazing. I’ll admit the events are a little repetitive but Marvel have plenty of great books and great books that feel fresh.

[Gaastra]

Well empire event, iron man 2020 event is almost over and there's the incoming event. So three events at once! Ready for a fourth event with venom followed by that phoenix event?

Remember when a title could go a full 12 issues on it's without any event and you could read just that one title and events were rare or only once a year in the annuals and still loved? Those were the days huh?

[Triniking1234]

I think she is. They made another nerdy awkward teen like Spider-Man but who has a very orderly personality and shows leadership qualities when putting on the costume. Prior to her every other teen hero was a Spider-Man ripoff in the sense that they were nerdy and the costume made them jokey and chaotic. Ms. Marvel is a genuine breath of fresh air in the sense that she puts on the costume and kinda becomes the opposite of Spider-Man's personality. We haven't really seen that before.

That feels like a bad choice of words. The only difference between Spidey and Ms. Marvel is Kamala doesn't mind teams but Peter rather works alone.

And I dunno. She's named after a pre-established hero but her powers are different from that heroine but similar to another pre-established hero. There aren't many solo teen superheroes in Marvel to compare Kamala to but she seems to follow the basic teen hero archetype:
1) Keep identity secret
2) Try to balance hero and regular lives
3) Don't abuse powers as a civilian
4) Optional: Have close friend(s) in on the secret.

[charliehustle415]

the purpose of disney buying marvel was for marvel to go make them money, not micro manage them and be responsible for everything you specifically don't like

The idea that Disney Executives sent down a missive from above to give Spider-Woman a new costume is laughable.

But you can imagine a company wide mandate to make the characters as "bankable" and "safe" as possible - so nothing that can cause any kind of offense and keep things as milk toast as possible to make as much money as possible

[cranger]

But you can imagine a company wide mandate to make the characters as "bankable" and "safe" as possible - so nothing that can cause any kind of offense and keep things as milk toast as possible to make as much money as possible

I imagine stuff trickles down and eventually impacts things that Disney does not even care about.

On the other hand, I wonder what, if any, incentives exist particularly with regards to multi media appearances. If someone comes up with a new Spider-Woman costume, and that version gets used, do they get royalties? Is it just bragging rights? The general belief is that mainstream creators are not 'creating' for Marvel anymore, but saving their good ideas for creator-owned work.

[Anthony W]

That feels like a bad choice of words. The only difference between Spidey and Ms. Marvel is Kamala doesn't mind teams but Peter rather works alone.

And I dunno. She's named after a pre-established hero but her powers are different from that heroine but similar to another pre-established hero. There aren't many solo teen superheroes in Marvel to compare Kamala to but she seems to follow the basic teen hero archetype:
1) Keep identity secret
2) Try to balance hero and regular lives
3) Don't abuse powers as a civilian
4) Optional: Have close friend(s) in on the secret.

She is also portrayed as a giant fangirl of all things superhero. Which makes the character's schtick seem far more dated than Spidey, because he was created in opposition to characters like Ms. Marvel. For all the talk of being fresh and new Ms. Marvel has more in common with golden age DC Legacy heroes.

Spidey was not portrayed as a fanboy.
Spidey was not a legacy.
Spidey was not instantly beloved by every hero he came into contact with.
Spidey was not portrayed as a team player
Spidey was not beloved by the public

[kcekada]

The idea that Disney Executives sent down a missive from above to give Spider-Woman a new costume is laughable.

Maybe not that specific a directive, but I feel a lot of stuff changed after Disney took ownership of Marvel. The books have not been as strong -- even though they are doing well with films.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Cyclops says hello. Ms. Marvel is nothing we haven't seen before. She is the basic fan makes good and hangs out with heroes story. Her story is older than Spider-Man's. Ms. Marvel is basically a DC hero in the Marvel Universe. Marvel was once "The House Of Ideas" then it became a "Condo Of Concepts" now it's just an "Apartment Of Atrophy" and In about three years it will become a "Tent Of Tie-ins"

Ms. Marvel is a much more direct portrayal of that than Cyclops is, IMO. Also what do you mean by her being "basically a DC hero in the Marvel Universe?" Spider-Man is basically the most DC character that Marvel has. If anything that is one of Ms. Marvel's strengths as a character.

That feels like a bad choice of words. The only difference between Spidey and Ms. Marvel is Kamala doesn't mind teams but Peter rather works alone.

And I dunno. She's named after a pre-established hero but her powers are different from that heroine but similar to another pre-established hero. There aren't many solo teen superheroes in Marvel to compare Kamala to but she seems to follow the basic teen hero archetype:
1) Keep identity secret
2) Try to balance hero and regular lives
3) Don't abuse powers as a civilian
4) Optional: Have close friend(s) in on the secret.

Looking at Kamala Khan as a character, it is as if her creators looked at what made Peter Parker appealing and just flipped the formula. It's similar to how Bob Kane and Bill Finger looked at what made Superman appealing and then flipped the formula to create Batman.

I think they're both teen empowerment metaphors but in opposite ways...
1. Peter is an orphan, Kamala has her parents.
2. Peter is a nerd who experiences boy problems, Kamala is a nerd who experiences girl problems.
3. Peter is agnostic and science-oriented, Kamala is genuinely curious and has questions about her faith.
4. Peter as Spider-Man becomes chaotic and jokey, Kamala as Ms. Marvel becomes orderly and serious.
5. Peter wore a full-face mask so the adults wouldn't know his real age, Ms. Marvel wore a domino mask so that teens know her real age.

The bolded point especially is what I think makes them two sides of the everyman coin. We all have days where we feel life is dry and monotone, and on those days we want to shake things up like Spider-Man. We also have days where we feel life is hectic and all over the place, and on those days wish to act more like Ms. Marvel.