by beastovjudgement » Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:42 pm
Good topic idea.
My first pick is Quasar (Wendell Vaughan) as a starring character again. As much as he is considered corny by many Marvel fans, Quasar did have a reasonably long-running, and generally very good, solo series. This is due more to the late Mark Gruenwald's outstanding characterization skills than anything else, but there is a great base for new writers to build upon. The character has been used recently, but not written to potential. The strength of the old ongoing series was in its combining Marvel's cosmic elements with strong character development. A capable and interested writer could do great things with Quasar.
Next, is Adam Warlock. No writer since Jim Starlin has done the character justice. Warlock has ties to several key Marvel characters, including Thor and the Fantastic Four, as well as the cosmic side of things. I always liked how he was written as having to save the universe from himself, and in effect killing himself to prevent the Magus and his church from being created. The later concept of continuous death and resurrection cheapened the character immensely. A story implying Warlock's inability to stay dead once again makes the Magus future possible could be interesting.
Tiger Shark. Formerly one of Namor's top villains, and a credible threat to most heroes, he has been relegated to a joke. Tiger Shark's long-forgotten origin actually had him as a hero, who was injured while saving a drowning swimmer's life. He became a villain after receiving his powers in a deal to have his body restored. If I remember correctly, his powers are a result of Namor's DNA combined with that of an actual tiger shark. There is plenty of room for character development, and for his threat level to be restored.
Speaking of villains, the U-Foes badly need restoration. They are an insanely powerful, evil Fantastic Four. They are nearly a match for an enraged Hulk, and once drew with the West Coast Avengers while missing their most powerful member, Vector. The U-Foes have been used as throwaway villains for years now. They should be considered a huge menace. Also, the team dynamic is very similar to the FF's, an aspect which has not been explored in detail.
Finally, the Wrecking Crew. They have been trendy villains in recent Marvel books (recent to me; I stopped reading a few years ago), but have been stripped of everything which made them cool. Back in the old stories, each member of the Wrecking Crew had a distinct personality. Dr. Eliot "Thunderball" Franklin, for example, was a nuclear physicist said to be on par with Bruce Banner. These days, he's a street thug, because any super-strong black guy in comics must be. The rest of the Wrecking Crew members are white, so they are all generic psychopaths now. A return to form on these guys would be great.
"The bestial screams, a life devoted - to the occult.
The flickering lights, my dream came true.
And now I'm dead.
Find me, take me. To the void, to the crooked nest, to Nekrohaven."
Satyricon, "Nekrohaven"
