How many times have you seen it said that a random, unpublished, unpracticed nobody could do better than the majority of the content Marvel and DC are putting out? Well, I dare the Marvel community to put that to the test. Every name signed on this petition directly challenges Marvel to improve.

Now, do I REALLY think Marvel will hire me and my ragtag group of friends to directly war against them with their own characters, and on their own dime no less? Unlikely! But we all know, whether right wing or left wing, new fan or old, Marvel (and DC) just aren't engaging readers across the entire range of age and ethnicity... not like they used to. Forget nitpicking the reasons why that is. It's just simply true - Marvel isn't what it used to be, at least as far as comics go.

Below is a pitch for an actionable line of comics that will appeal to fans both new and old. It does this not by rejecting decades of storytelling, but embracing and iterating upon it. When you sign this petition, you are directly stating, "I want this to happen, and I would rather my fellow fans write this story than many of the people you'd have hired from your own team."

Want what to happen, exactly? I'm directly stating here that with only fourteen ongoing books, three years of creative leeway, and a humble budget, I, alongside my culturally and intellectually diverse group of friends, can and will outsell every book Marvel is printing right now. Not every one of these fourteen books will be a hit, of course! But I guarantee at least seven (exactly half) of them will be within the top 15 Marvel sellers, provided we have some time to grow our audience. The books are grouped into what I call the "Marvel Forever" collection. The books, along with a brief yet actionable pitch for each, are as follows:

 

 

Spider-Man Forever opens in the aftermath of Peter Parker's final war with Norman Osborn. Mary Jane Watson addresses a grieving crowd; "Thank you for supporting our open secret all this time. I was asked to publicly reveal Spider-Man's identity... but looking at the faces in front of me, I don't think I have to." From his Daily Bugle tower, Jameson grieves in his own, out-of-touch way; "I always had faith in Parker. I always did." (Sure, Jonah.) From his musty, hidden lair, Otto Octavius laments, "That victory should have been mine! Osborn stole everything from me!" High in Avengers tower, an aged and grey-haired Steve Rogers salutes; "You were the best of us, Pete. Rest well." And in the home of Peter Parker, Miles Morales comforts a lonely Mayday Parker, quietly and gently.

Spider-Man Forever depicts the story of Miles Morales trying to fill Peter's shoes, despite having barely known the man. He doesn't only take the role of the city's protector. He's also been entrusted as Mayday's godfather, doing what he can to train a girl who shares her father's quirks in more ways than one. Can the man shoulder the weight of ever-growing responsibility, or will it ultimately crush him?

 

X-Men Forever has the herculean task of following up the most complicated and dense history of any corner of the Marvel universe. One could, of course, do a soft reboot, going back to basics. But I'd much rather play upon the current nature of the series: confused, directionless, and at war with its own basic ideas and ideals.

We meet Magneto and Cyclops on the still-surviving mutant nation of Krakoa, in the midst of a heated debate. Magneto accuses Cyclops of forgetting the ideals he once stood for. Cyclops admits to having rejected Xavier's ideals, but sings the praises of such a decision. As the argument continues and others try to mediate, we get some cosmic irony, as Magneto and Cyclops have practically traded the positions they once held; in the end, many iconic characters either choose a side or take a frustratingly centrist stance and Krakoa breaks into ideological factions, many of which leave the nation behind entirely.

Magneto’s faction, predicated upon not stooping to the level of their foes, takes up the name X-Men. Cyclops’ faction instead takes up the name The Righteous Brotherhood. Wolverine collects outcasts and loners, Beast collects “enlightened non-conformists”, and so on. And so, a battle both physical and ideological begins between the Brotherhood and the X-Men. Each side seeks to collect as many divergent factions as they can, with an impending war for the future of both Krakoa and mankind as a whole growing ever closer.

 

Thor Forever opens with Thor himself taking the crown of Asgard. We then reveal that Ragnarok has come and gone, with Asgard but a shell of its former self. Turning left and right to the last survivors, the mighty Thor makes a mighty declaration; “Asgard shall become a haven of peace throughout the galaxy! Let any displaced by tyranny come and rebuild this land by my side!”

Not one to sit on the sidelines, King Thor personally explores beyond the Ten Realms and deep into the cosmos to shelter anyone he can and personally invite those he deems worthy into his kingdom - not as refugees or immigrants, but as his cherished citizens.

But not all is well. Everyone knowing the power of Thor and many feeling threatened by his growing collection of those they mistreated, many Cosmic and Mystic empires send suitors his way, each hoping to stand by Thor’s side as his queen. Will the Warrior King Thor be able to navigate this rotten political mire? Will his kingdom thrive, or collapse? And just what is Loki plotting this time?

 

Fantastic Forever chronicles the last days of the original Fantastic Four. They grew apart a long time ago, each quietly going their separate ways. Now, as they age and their bodies fail them, they come together one last time to pass on their legacy to four youth - each one taken under the wing of their own Fantastic Four alumni.

The children are eager to become heroes and heroines, but Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are much more concerned with making these kids into a family. Angry and impatient, they take on a mission without their mentors’ knowledge, only to be tempted by Victor Von Doom himself.

Now, we can all guess Doom fails and the kids are rescued… but Doom isn't one to let Richards one-up him, is he? Victor boldly declares his one protégé will become a far greater hero than the four of theirs combined. And before long, he even has receipts. But this protégé “heroine” of his seems not to understand the true nature of heroism, deluded by Doom into thinking that simply hurting bad people will solve all the world's problems. She defeats villain after villain, only to ignore the growing wounds which led to their creation. Can the four New Fantastics find a better way, or will the new era of heroism fall under the tyrannical influence of Latveria?

 

Hulk Forever… is probably, by far, the most selfish pitch here. See, while he's not the character I've read the most comics of (by a long shot), Hulk is my personal favorite Marvel hero. His treatment in the MCU consistently disappointed me, and I want to do him the justice that seemingly only Al Ewing seems capable of these days.

As usual, Hulk is being hunted. But it's not just the one Hulk anymore, is it? No, the Hulkbusters won't be satisfied until they catch every Hulk, including their former leader Ross. The Hulkbusters, at government expense, target Jen, Rick, Amadeus, Skaar, and even their closest allies like Marlo. Can Bruce and Hulk, two warring personalities, save the entire Hulk family before the Hulkbusters’ mysterious leader unfurls a plot that extends beyond even life and death? Can they even save themselves?

 

Avengers Forever asks the question that should have been the focus of the MCU after Endgame: With the core of the World's Mightiest Heroes permanently disassembled, who is left to avenge the worst crises imaginable? Steve Rogers himself, aged and powerless, chooses to become the Nick Fury for a new generation. Alongside the last remaining original Avengers, he collects and trains a ragtag group of forgotten misfits to become Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

But don't think these are simply a collection of Marvel's pre-existing legacy characters, as the Champions and Young Avengers line often are. No, this book would dive deep into the history of Marvel and collect characters with their own, original stories to tell, each of them unloved and forgotten til now.

Not all of them equally so, of course. The White Tiger has been referenced a lot lately, and Cloak and Dagger are looked back upon nostalgically. But this will still be a team of unloved Marvel heroes with massive unrealized potential, finally given the spotlight they deserve.

We begin with three mentors and five protégé. Steve Rogers has recruited Clint Barton and Bucky to be his personal field agents, and Kate Bishop is brought into the fold as the moral anchor for the new team. Alongside them come - Ava Ayala, a character who's always had this underlying flaw of misplaced pride in herself and the legacy she carries that I'd love to see explored further; Cloak and Dagger, a beloved cult-classic duo whose powers have always been Avengers class; and finally, the all-new Nova, bearer of an iconic Marvel mantle that never quite reached A-List status. These eight heroes don't much care that nobody believes in them. They were never asking for accolades to begin with. They plan to save the world as many times as it takes, even as the news media stirs meaningless controversy against them. Because to be a true hero is to set aside your own interests, your own emotion and desire, and sacrifice everything for others.

 

Blade Forever is the first of several choices that are deeply non-conformist to the MCU and its direction. But it's also a somewhat misleading title, admittedly. In Blade Forever, Blade fights not just Dracula and his minions but a great many monsters from Marvel's more Mystic, Gothic side. And he doesn't do it alone; he brings along allies such as Werewolf By Night, Robbie Reyes, and The Black Knight to prevent the monstrous side of the Marvel Universe from uniting under the mysterious Shadow Prince and his Shadow Court.

The book opens on a typical Blade story, but we quickly see that there is much more to the scenario than meets the eye. The Shadow Prince targets Dracula himself, bringing support from many of Marvel's most monstrous felons. Depicted as a surreal Shadow with no body, the campy yet merciless goofball that is the Shadow Prince dances rather literal circles around Drac, and Blade has no choice but to protect his worst enemy… just this once. Ungrateful and egotistical as ever, Dracula backstabs Blade, willingly choosing revenge over preservation. It's only due to the aid of a mysterious ally, a ghostly feline who calls herself Cheshire, that Blade survives the ordeal; but with Dracula in chains and the Mystic side of the Marvel universe in chaos, Blade can't save the world by his lonesome. Not this time.

If this book were to continue past its initial run, I'd drop the “Forever” part and rename the book to something like “Blade and His Gothic Knights”. (Now, Gothic Knights is a lazy name for a team, but if I have one glaring weakness as a writer it would be in naming things. We'll workshop it.) However, the entire point of the book is to both unify and expand upon a much underutilized corner of the Marvel Universe that seems to exist as a separate sub-mythos to the proper Mystic side of Marvel. A risk? Sure. But a carefully calculated one, that I could definitely capitalize upon.

 

Compared to that, though, Shang-Chi Forever is probably the biggest shot in the dark on this list. Many remember the Shang-Chi movie very fondly, despite its low initial ticket sales, but neither the MCU nor the core universe have capitalized on the massive potential of the character in the same way as the Guardians of the Galaxy were handled. I intend to fix that.

Shang-Chi Forever opens on a situation that plays far more off the movie than the comics (as that's just what people are more familiar with right now); Shang-Chi, having made amends with his father and reconciled with his training as a deadly assassin, can't help but stand up for the weak and powerless. However, we meet him as simply an aimless wanderer, who helps when it's needed of him only for him to continue his soul searching in another part of the world. But when a man known only as The Enigma King chooses Shang-Chi as his successor, the martial artist is forced to finally settle on who he chooses to be.

As Shang-Chi makes more and more friends in more and more places, he also gathers more and more enemies against him. Can Shang-Chi keep running forever? Will he he forced to let the spectres of others determine his fate? Or will he finally become a true hero?

 

Iron Man Forever begins with Tony Stark on his deathbed. He doesn't know how long he has to live, but his days of hero work are over. He's finally found a problem his science can't solve: the very arc reactor that's kept him alive all these years has slowly been killing him, and it's progressed far too much for even Marvel's Mightiest medics to do anything but stave off the inevitable as long as they can.

Tony shocks the world with a simple, yet monumental, challenge: “Prove to me you can handle the responsibility that comes with being Iron Man, and I'll give you every piece of privilege that comes along with it. This includes my entire fortune and Stark Industries along with it, with only enough set aside to support my wife and daughter.”

This ignites a furious battle of clashing egos and tragic desperation, as a great many people feel entitled to Stark's fortune and future. But the true contest plays out between three specific hopefuls, each with their own connection to Stark.

Firstly, his own daughter, who is the youngest of three teens and the only one who isn't a super-genius. Despite not sharing her father's scientific intelligence, she believes she's the only one who can truly understand his legacy, supported by her mother Pepper Potts. She doesn't take Tony's choice not to name her as his successor personally; rather, she's grateful to him, perhaps unjustifiably so, that she even has a chance to prove herself to him. Tony gifts his daughter her own suit, but leaves the rest to her.

Secondly, we see James Rhodes take a young Riri Williams under his wing. See, for all her scientific intelligence, Riri is actually pretty terrible at navigating combat and politics. To make things worse, she can't seem to figure out what the true purpose of her life is; even her very adventures as Ironheart were largely just the girl trying to solve other people's problems, in other people's ways. And with the media pre-emptively declaring her the destined victor of the war for Tony's legacy, she is constantly solicited by an endless line of organizations hoping to curry favor. James Rhodes, the War Machine, hopes to guide Riri away from disaster. But can Riri truly come into her own?

Finally, a boy named Harley Keener. A prodigy himself, he worked alongside Tony Stark to repair his suit when he was just a boy. Ever since, he's been patiently and quietly creating his own armor, made piecemeal from forgotten bits and bobs he purchased from mechanics, junkyards, and his own family's trash. Declaring himself The Scavenger, he has no illusions that he'll become the new Iron Man. His only ambition is to become a gentle hometown hero, but this very humility is what endears him to Tony and makes him Stark's favored candidate. Of course, can he truly give the mantle to what, for all intents and purposes, is some random kid off the street?

Which of these three, if any, will become the new Iron Man? I think that can't be determined in advance. Not only does it need to fit the story being told, it also needs to resonate with the fans lest it become another Riri Williams situation. There's a planned “coming together” of the three to defeat a greater rival, but as for who Stark passes his legacy to and why? That may be a decision that can only be discovered, not planned for.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Forever intends to reconcile the comedic misfits we see in the films with the much more serious action heroes we see in the comics. But, it won't do so with what's nowadays considered the “core” Guardians team. They've all gone their separate ways, leaving Rocket Raccoon to collect a new team of cosmic warriors to, well, guard the galaxy.

Two of my picks carry on from the finale of the Guardians 3 film: Cosmo and Adam Warlock. While Cosmo has always had a fun energy to them (Cosmo has been depicted as both male and female in various media), and would share a fun back and forth with Rocket, Warlock would be somewhat removed from his disappointing film re-interpretation and instead be the serious yet eccentric man we all know and love. Angela, the Warrior Princess from the hidden Tenth Realm of Asgard, also joins the crew; she'd be a bridge between Warlock's enigmatic seriousness and the antics of Rocket and Cosmo. Rounding out the team is a certain Surfer, albeit one who surfs upon the Power Cosmic rather than Earth's oceans.

This one won't be afraid to have fun with itself. Rather than the serious, grounded planets akin to Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, and their ilk, they'll visit fun, imaginative worlds with equally imaginative conflicts - a true space opera that feels like classic science fiction reborn!

 

Black Panther Forever is… probably the only one I couldn't pull off myself, if only because I have little to no connection to the American black community and thus little understanding of the afro-futurism that Wakanda has grown into. This pitch may totally miss the mark compared to the others, and if it does, please forgive me. But here's the pitch anyway, for better or worse. Because let's be honest… the Black Panther films have upgraded him to a mainstay of the Marvel Universe, but the current Panther books fail to capture the same audience the films did.

The Wakandans have been cut off from their home, itself colonized by a resurgence of Hydra. Much like in the MCU, Hydra infiltrated SHIELD with a litany of covert agents, ultimately tearing the agency apart from within and seizing their assets. But when the Earth's Mightiest Heroes try and recover the nation, Hydra spitefully makes it so no one can live there. In the ensuing chaos, T'Challa makes a final sacrifice to limit the spread of the destruction - sacrificing the Wakandan Mines along with his own life to deal a final, crippling blow to their attackers.

In the aftermath, Shuri finds herself as the leader of a nation in permanent exile. No nation worldwide will grant them all citizenship at once, for one reason or another. They're stuck in international waters, without the very vibranium that built their former empire. In that way, I'm inspired by the Bajau, a real-world group of seafaring people with no citizenship anywhere.

There's only one observable solution Shuri has been given - to let the Wakandans disperse across the world and integrate into whatever nation may take at least some Wakandan refugees. But while there is much pressure on her, both internally and politically, to enact this plan, Shuri flatly refuses to let her people become pawns for others. And thus begins the journey of the new Black Panther as she seeks a permanent home for her people… ALL of her people… even those who reject her rule.

 

Doctor Strange Forever is probably the most cynical choice here. And not just because I, religiously, tend to shy away from the most occultish elements of Marvel, despite enjoying characters like Blade and Ghost Rider in a vacuum. (For example, my favorite greedy cash-grab mobile game, Marvel STRIKE Force, just introduced a character literally called Satania, and while I'm perfectly fine with Scarlet Witch, The Hood, Dormammu and etc, the very existence of Satania as a playable in-game character makes me uneasy.) But I figure, why not embrace that discomfort? Isn't the entire root premise of Doctor Strange that he protects us from the occult entities we can't protect ourselves from? Aren't most villains just the fears of their authors personified anyway?

In Doctor Strange Forever, we get the weird, surreal stuff that Multiverse of Madness never committed to. There are faceless, voiceless entities that most of humanity believes are just perfectly normal bystanders, their exact purpose unknown; there are ancient, sinister artifacts that twist the psyches of those around them to covetousness while demanding an abuse of their abilities; there are devious were-witches who only are aware of their true selves by the light of the moon; and we haven't even mentioned Strange’s usual foes yet! The possibilities for Dr. Strange stories are endless, especially when you lean into the “Strange” part of the name. Strange has been highlighted in recent years more than he ever has, so it's the perfect time to give him a new, iconic run!

 

Adventrix Forever probably isn't the most obvious name, but the idea is to make a space for energetic, youthful, optimistic adventure in the midst of a line of comics that grapples with difficult ideas of death, tragedy and legacy. Besides Kamala Khan, who is easily the most charming and endearing thing to come from the 2010s-era Marvel Legacy experiment, the characters found within are totally unique to the book. But since I hope to launch my own comics universe some day and highly doubt Marvel would actually hire me, I'll keep the specific members to myself for now.

Instead, I'll cut the pitch short by simply saying… I won't be the guy who uses selfies, social media, and outdated slang as the way in which I “relate” to the kids. That's the equivalent of rap battles and street slang in the 90s and early 2000s - totally ignorant of what the kids of the era actually do with their time, and thus, relatable to no one at all. Instead, I promise a much more timeless appeal, without all the time-sensitive references to pop culture and meme culture that modern children's media so shallowly leans on. The Adventrix will go on adventures the whole family can enjoy together, and that vision will be executed to its fullest extent.

 

Heroes For Hire Forever isn't the single most riskiest or most unusual pick of the litter. But, it's up there. To be clear, when I say “Heroes For Hire” I don't refer to mercenaries like Deadpool, nor do I refer to lethal anti-heroes like Punisher. No, I'm going back to the origins of the name - Daniel Rand, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones get together to create an agency that helps those who can't help themselves. Luke, as the leader, has a tendency to say a recurring line; “Our prices are high… but just this once, I'll give you a discount.” (Luke, here, being portrayed as much more of a “secret softie” with a heart of gold than his historic portrayals.)

The trio slowly accrue the support of misfits and oddballs, honorary “reserve” members of the team. But their core is always at least two among Luke, Danny, and Jessica, with a rotating cast of two to three guest stars per storyline. However, this book would intentionally be left episodic, to contrast the aggregate narratives of the majority of the rest of the Marvel Forever line. There'd still be a larger big bad, but it's ultimately just Kingpin. Instead, we'd focus on shorter stories personal to the cast, guests and mainstays alike. In that way, it would be much more akin to classic comic storytelling.