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Post by Tobias Christopher on Feb 20, 2018 16:44:17 GMT -5
What if the Marvel Heroes existed in the real world? Marvel Anthology at one point was going to have an Ultimate line where the heroes were somewhat grounded in reality, with me helming Ultimate Spider-Man. Peter's costume would have just been cobbled together from normal clothes (think Scarlet Spider but way cheaper). Both Aunt May and Uncle Ben were going to be killed, leaving Peter homeless while fighting crime on the streets of New York. Flash's backstory would have been insanely darker, resulting in him becoming the first Venom with a hatred of Spider-Man, who he blamed for his little brother's death by not coming to his rescue.
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Post by DD Doyle on Feb 20, 2018 21:48:17 GMT -5
I've always loved the idea of an Ultimate verse. Not just THE Ultimate verse. Just taking old/retro/"classic" ideas and reimagining them for today or through a more realistic lens.
We could do our own. We could do an "Ultimate DC" too for the DC site. DC never really got it's shot at that concept.
To take it in the opposite direction we could go UBER fantasy. Even High Fantasy. Bruce Banner as a nebbish sorcerer who tries to create a powerful spell to rid the land of trolls but messes up the spell and is accidentally cursed to become a troll himself when angered.
Captain America as a heraldic projection of the land who rises from sleep when events are most dire.
Carol Danvers as a shieldmaiden fallen in battle but healed by a minor solar deity named Mar-Vell and in the process becoming an avatar of light and strength herself.
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Post by C William Russette on Feb 20, 2018 23:24:55 GMT -5
I'll pitch my three ideas that I think would make significant waves in the US anyway.
Logan escapes Project Weapon X feral and mindless but is not found by the Hudsons. The Hand finds him and takes him in. He never joins the X-Men.
Tony Stark, the alcoholic, doesn't make it back to his apartment to pass out and Rhodes dons the armor for the first time. Stark is killed by an AIM op (or some other villains) and is killed in the armor.
When Peter Parker returns home to find his Uncle Ben murdered he goes the other way. He decides that no one is safe, life is short and you better get strong or die. He leaves home and becomes a thief then a world class assassin. He learns to fight and the use of weapons and is almost unstoppable with his spider-powers backed by selfishness and rage.
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Post by brawl2099 on Feb 21, 2018 17:15:29 GMT -5
Ahem further more-
Deadpool is a group of elite assassins, all of them terminally ill, and all completely disposable.
Captain America is the literal spirit of America.
The Black Widow is an alien creature that has taken the form of a human female to feed.
Quicksilver is an AI occupying a liquid metal form.
The Falcon is a leader of a race of avian creatures who have just revealed themselves to the world.
The Iron Patriot is a soldier who through experimentation has gained steel-hard skin and super strength.
Nick Fury is a psionic mutant whose powers become stronger the angrier he gets.
Cyclops is a half-human half-cyclops, a literal creature of myth, who defends his small Greek city from other beasts of myth.
The Human Torch is a serial killer who turns his victims into literal torches.
The Black Panther is an African prince who is saved from a terminal illness when he's injected with Panther DNA and becomes a hybrid creature.
The Thing is a golem controlled by a young Jewish boy on Yancy street.
I can go alllllllll day.
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Post by Tobias Christopher on Feb 21, 2018 18:12:54 GMT -5
- Jack, Katie, and Julie Power, as well as their parents, all died in a horrific car accident. Alex Power is in a mental institution, living in a fantasy world where him and his siblings are granted superpowers and he does everything in his power to protect them and their parents. When Scarlet Witch's power goes out of control, Alex is granted the powers he created in his head and is let loose into the world, believing his family has been kidnapped. And now Alex will go through anyone standing in his way to find his long dead family.
- Bobby Drake was raised by a deeply religious preacher, who would try to beat the sin out of Bobby when he acted out, so imagine what happens when Bobby realizes he's both gay and a mutant. After Bobby escapes that life, he makes friends with the Fantastic 4, who treat him as family, eventually finding he has feelings for Johnny Storm. When Johnny dies due to an accident, Bobby snaps and the anger of the Iceman is unleashed...
- Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, turning him into an inhuman monster. Flash Thompson, the ancestor of Van Helsing, realizes that there's a monster out there in the dark and realizes that it's his destiny to stop it.
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Post by JD Mathis on Feb 21, 2018 19:53:51 GMT -5
I'll pitch my three ideas that I think would make significant waves in the US anyway. Logan escapes Project Weapon X feral and mindless but is not found by the Hudsons. The Hand finds him and takes him in. He never joins the X-Men. Tony Stark, the alcoholic, doesn't make it back to his apartment to pass out and Rhodes dons the armor for the first time. Stark is killed by an AIM op (or some other villains) and is killed in the armor. When Peter Parker returns home to find his Uncle Ben murdered he goes the other way. He decides that no one is safe, life is short and you better get strong or die. He leaves home and becomes a thief then a world class assassin. He learns to fight and the use of weapons and is almost unstoppable with his spider-powers backed by selfishness and rage. The Spider Assassin!!
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Post by C William Russette on Feb 21, 2018 22:28:33 GMT -5
I had no idea. Bad design though.
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Post by Gavin McMahon on Mar 8, 2018 9:06:44 GMT -5
This is far from the most revolutionary idea but, as a lot of these alternative title ideas seemed to stem towards creating an alternative shared continuity, I felt the idea deserved floating (if it hasn't already been). We've seen it with the Ultimate series of titles and with the Netflix shows: the reinterpretation of these heroes in a modern setting, taking them from their core and building the world as it could be in this setting.
One of the things that really worked was the "season long" establishment of characters whilst building towards a team title. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist had most stellar seasons (people will always differ on which is the weakest and which the most stellar). These characters were all defined as they were, true to the canon but with twists and turns that made them more relevant and less outdated. Keep in mind, many of the characters in the Marvel (and DC) universes have been around from the 40s or earlier, their stories are continuous and repeating. A fresh start is never a bad thing. So, whilst not as revolutionary as a medieval setting or a re-do of the Age of Apocalypse, it could be interesting because every writer at this site has an idea about who a character at their core.
Structure could be simple: a plotted "season", a finite number of characters needed for that "season", all with the idea of building towards something.
Whilst the execution of the Defenders wasn't perfect, the premise had some legs. Several writers, each with their own characters, coming together to plot and script several issues of a miniseries al a Defenders. It could be shorter than the arcs of the regular series and writers taking an even split of the bounty to script.
Netflix has stuck to the street-level criminals but that wouldn't be necessary in the written word. The entire world and all of its characters are at the disposal of writers.
As I said, not revolutionary but definitely a very collaborative section within the Alternative franchise of titles. Just thought I'd float the idea.
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Post by travis on Mar 8, 2018 10:50:36 GMT -5
This is far from the most revolutionary idea but, as a lot of these alternative title ideas seemed to stem towards creating an alternative shared continuity, I felt the idea deserved floating (if it hasn't already been). We've seen it with the Ultimate series of titles and with the Netflix shows: the reinterpretation of these heroes in a modern setting, taking them from their core and building the world as it could be in this setting.
One of the things that really worked was the "season long" establishment of characters whilst building towards a team title. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist had most stellar seasons (people will always differ on which is the weakest and which the most stellar). These characters were all defined as they were, true to the canon but with twists and turns that made them more relevant and less outdated. Keep in mind, many of the characters in the Marvel (and DC) universes have been around from the 40s or earlier, their stories are continuous and repeating. A fresh start is never a bad thing. So, whilst not as revolutionary as a medieval setting or a re-do of the Age of Apocalypse, it could be interesting because every writer at this site has an idea about who a character at their core.
Structure could be simple: a plotted "season", a finite number of characters needed for that "season", all with the idea of building towards something.
Whilst the execution of the Defenders wasn't perfect, the premise had some legs. Several writers, each with their own characters, coming together to plot and script several issues of a miniseries al a Defenders. It could be shorter than the arcs of the regular series and writers taking an even split of the bounty to script.
Netflix has stuck to the street-level criminals but that wouldn't be necessary in the written word. The entire world and all of its characters are at the disposal of writers.
As I said, not revolutionary but definitely a very collaborative section within the Alternative franchise of titles. Just thought I'd float the idea.
I kind of like this idea of whatever this alternate universe ends up being having the structure of several solo titles that lead to some kind of group shared project like the marvel netflix shows.
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Post by Gavin McMahon on Mar 8, 2018 11:17:07 GMT -5
I kind of like this idea of whatever this alternate universe ends up being having the structure of several solo titles that lead to some kind of group shared project like the marvel netflix shows. It could be kind of fun to bring to life. Everyone would have their own realm to play in but then as a series of mini-events we could tie the stories together for a major finale. There's also no reason there couldn't be team titles, but there's such a wealth to explore per character that it wouldn't need to be all teams, all the time. The solo's aspect, as the predominent title list, also makes it a bit different.
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Post by DD Doyle on Mar 8, 2018 13:10:28 GMT -5
As I've said this is a concept I love and a concept I feel deserves another shot. The actual Ultimate line eventually devolved into a horrid mess. Originally created in order to be free of "continuity baggage" they soon created their own as it seemed the writers barely ever spoke to one another. Not to mention some series were more inspired than others. The Ultimates really taking to concept to heart versus the Ultimate X-Men really did nothing to make the concept modern or more realistic instead just making it more of a soap opera and an excuse to make the characters hotter with skimpier costumes. I see the appeal of keeping it to solo series, despite having had my own Ultimate X-Men concept in my back pocket for a good decade at least lol, I'm good with either if we go that way.
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Post by travis on Mar 8, 2018 13:50:09 GMT -5
I think there could be a mix of titles (solo+group) but launching it in smaller chunks that create an event and then we see where we go from there has potential.
Kind of like Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers project, except that unlike DC we actually do something with the characters after the event.
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Post by Gavin McMahon on Mar 8, 2018 14:38:06 GMT -5
Inherently, the X-Men (most notably with the exception of Wolverine) and the Fantastic Four operate as teams. Majorly solos with a scattering of teams, such as having one team of X-Men, one team of Avengers etc, would be a good place to start in terms of not immediately overloading the potential with baggage. Characters tend to be absorbed into teams just because they can and an approach I've always taken (and much preferred) is operate with a minimalist crew. It gives more "screen time" to each character and ensures they're properly developed without fighting for the chance to be explored. I find the perfect team numbers lay at 5, 7, and (at a push) 9. There's a middle of the road between oversaturating teams and solos. And between a lot of teamwork, the cohesive continuity could be achieved . . . a Google Doc is always a great way for establishing ideas in real time between multiple writers. Notably, it's how more than a few of ideas at Marvel Anthology were established in my time. Food for thought.
Edit: Also, even if it's not the general consensus, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with a few writers playing in the same ball pit. (:
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Post by D. Golightly on Mar 8, 2018 15:27:41 GMT -5
Tom Moses tried to get something like this going years ago. He and Brent Lambert created a shared alternate universe based on AoA, where they had everything mapped out from beginning to end. They solicited other writers to create solo books based on individual characters, while they had the "core" title tat guided the universe events.
That's where my Agent Zero title came from. Tom and Brent never got it moving and I had already completed two or three issues of my story. So...I dropped it into M2K's alternate section!
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Post by Gavin McMahon on Mar 8, 2018 17:01:04 GMT -5
Tom Moses tried to get something like this going years ago. He and Brent Lambert created a shared alternate universe based on AoA, where they had everything mapped out from beginning to end. They solicited other writers to create solo books based on individual characters, while they had the "core" title tat guided the universe events. That's where my Agent Zero title came from. Tom and Brent never got it moving and I had already completed two or three issues of my story. So...I dropped it into M2K's alternate section! Ah man. It really is a shame that it didn't work out previously. I suppose it depends on interest and whether or not people are able to establish and gain traction with titles etc. It could be a pretty fun endeavour, I tried it once before before university called away and I really enjoyed the fresh start.
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