The Future of the Marvel Multiverse

[punisher97]

With Marvel Now starting, I think it's a good time to talk about the next few dozen years of Marvel stories. I know the events usually don't have a long-lasting impact, but with Superior Spider-Man having a new Spidey, maybe some of these changes will affect the stories for years to come. The 2099 universe is one possible future that could be brought about by the events of Marvel Now.

What do you think the MU's future will be like? Will there be another "No More Mutants" type of event? Will a current universe become the main MU. Since the Ultimate and 616 universes crossed over, could the universes combine? Perhaps the new Spidey will eventually switch universes with Miles.

I think Dr. Doom has a lot to do with the future of the MU. Planet Doom and the Phoenix Gun are two plot points (besides Dog), that Jason Aaron should be picking up from Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine.

[The Angry Comic Book Critic]

I want to make this clear I love marvel comics but after about 70 years or so since it's been around the future of the marvel U will be what it has always been like Status Que so nothing will ever truly change like we see in all those Future tale stories we see. Would I have loved to see tony stark become a father in 2012 and marry Pepper Potts and not be a Stephen hawking mixed with Hugh Hefner playboy till the end of time like it hinted at in Invincible Iron Man #500 or Peter Parker taking responsibility and growing up instead of staying the eternal "Teen Super hero" and have that crypt keeper of an aunt of his stay six feet under with no take backs or even an apocalypse occur that reduces the 616 universe to ashes where there are barely any heroes left the world is a dark and terrible place or even a utopia scenario? Hell yeah! will it ever be? Probably not because marvel never allows its characters to grow as people like getting married, having children, having the Children grow up to take on the mantle of there parents or there parents dying in some epic fashion when there simply to old to continue on as heroes, etc with the rare exceptions of Luke Cage and Jessica Jewel and that's only because there b and D List characters that know one really cares about growing as characters and getting older. Yeah Peter Parker began to grow when he married to MJ even almost had a kid and his aunt even died but all that got washed away with In deal with the devil and the plans of Norman Osborn and a pile of other bullshit over the past 35 years.

[punisher97]

I want to make this clear I love marvel comics but after about 70 years or so since it's been around the future of the marvel U will be what it has always been like Status Que so nothing will ever truly change like we see in all those Future tale stories we see. Would I have loved to see tony stark become a father in 2012 and marry Pepper Potts and not be a Stephen hawking mixed with Hugh Hefner playboy till the end of time like it hinted at in Invincible Iron Man #500 or Peter Parker taking responsibility and growing up instead of staying the eternal "Teen Super hero" and have that crypt keeper of an aunt of his stay six feet under with no take backs or even an apocalypse occur that reduces the 616 universe to ashes where there are barely any heroes left the world is a dark and terrible place or even a utopia scenario? Hell yeah! will it ever be? Probably not because marvel never allows its characters to grow as people like getting married, having children, having the Children grow up to take on the mantle of there parents or there parents dying in some epic fashion when there simply to old to continue on as heroes, etc with the rare exceptions of Luke Cage and Jessica Jewel and that's only because there b and D List characters that know one really cares about growing as characters and getting older. Yeah Peter Parker began to grow when he married to MJ even almost had a kid and his aunt even died but all that got washed away with In deal with the devil and the plans of Norman Osborn and a pile of other bullshit over the past 35 years.

Good point, almost anything that changes a character or the MU gets changed back. The stories never really progress except throughout a run.

[The Angry Comic Book Critic]

Good point, almost anything that changes a character or the MU gets changed back. The stories never really progress except throughout a run.

Yeah, while I love marvel comics there never seems to be anything really at stake for the heroes for god sake when Grey Gargoyle basically wiped out the population of paris in Fear itself all that was immediately undone by odin in the iron man special that followed. I mean why even put these books out if nothing is ever truly at stake for the characters? I want to see some permanent change in the 616 U that changes the face of the earth

[Sundowhn]

If the proposed Days of Future Past X-Men film is a success, we might see some tie-ins in the Marvel U.

Part of what the comic book genre is, and what defines it is the serial adventures of known characters. If you upset that balance and take away the character imagery, people lose interest. We may see someone different take the costume and powers of Spiderman, like we've seen with Captain America, but the imagery and base personality will remain the same. Marvel has tried to get readers interested in younger versions or copies of known characters -- X-23 and Rachel Grey Summers come to mind -- but it just really doesn't work. People may like reading about X-23, but not see her as a replacement for Wolverine, same with Rachel and Jean. They also don't put many characters in long-term relationships/marriage because it is considered "boring". Just look at all the flak from Ororo and T'Challah. It got to the point where they just decided to break them up. It was the same with Peter and MJ.

What they will do is continue to treat the cash cows with reverence -- characters like Spiderman, Wolverine, Iron Man, Cyclops, Cap, Storm, etc won't be touched in any big way -- and throw in gratuitous death of supporting characters to fulfil a kind of blood quota and develop the cash cows more. Cyclops kills Xavier to develop his descent into Magneto-ism. Nightcrawler bit the big one so Wolverine would be all sad and drive the X-Men apart in Schism. Do I think it's a lousy, lazy way to write? Damn straight. Will they continue to only have about 10-12 characters that the entire Marvel Universe revolves around? Probably, as long as they allow the films to dictate comic trends and are trying to drag (largely fictitious) new readers into the genre. They may pick up an additional sale here and there after the movies, but Marvel no longer writes comics in such a way to keep the long-term interest of new people. All they do these days is drive away the old ones.

[Prof. Warren]

I don't get how fan bitch so much about nothing changing in the Marvel U. These characters are supposed to remain evergreen. If they aged at a normal rate, they'd all be in the senior home by now. Comics are about creating the illusion of change. Either you accept that or you don't but that's the way it works.

As for the future of the Marvel multiverse, I think it would be to Marvel's advantage to explore a real multiverse at some point. I don't know how you'd differentiate it with the Ultimate line but I do wonder if a NuMarvel U that looks more like the traditional MU than the Ult. line but is seperate the original universe isn't inevitable at some point.

[punisher97]

I think nothing changing gets kind of repetitive and removes the continuity aspect that many series are read for. A self-contained run is great, but when the writer leaves, I don't want everything to change back to the way it was before.

Marvel should really explore other universes that can change stuff without altering the 616 characters, since they refuse to do this. They could have their own book or two for the other universes.

[The Angry Comic Book Critic]

I don't get how fan bitch so much about nothing changing in the Marvel U. These characters are supposed to remain evergreen. If they aged at a normal rate, they'd all be in the senior home by now. Comics are about creating the illusion of change. Either you accept that or you don't but that's the way it works.

As for the future of the Marvel multiverse, I think it would be to Marvel's advantage to explore a real multiverse at some point. I don't know how you'd differentiate it with the Ultimate line but I do wonder if a NuMarvel U that looks more like the traditional MU than the Ult. line but is seperate the original universe isn't inevitable at some point.

We bitch because after 70 years or so of a universe where everything more or less stays the same is boring hell I read comics for 7 years now and I'm getting bored with it to the point where I'm dropping comics all together once my last marvel title finishes it's run in December. I would love to see the characters age a little more I think since spider-man appeared he's aged maybe what 8 to 10 years in real time? I want character to age and grow and see new characters created from them go through a process like that, have worlds ends and be born it doesn't have to be in a blink of an eye but characters should age one year for every 2-3 years in real time and have actual changes occur as a result of it.

Yes I've gotten the argument of what about today's generation they'll never get the chance to see these iconic heroes in action and I call bullshit on that every time because these heroes have appeared in hundreds of not thousands of comics so there stories will always be around to be enjoyed either by back issues or in graphic novel format

[Omega Alpha]

Yes I've gotten the argument of what about today's generation they'll never get the chance to see these iconic heroes in action and I call bullshit on that every time because these heroes have appeared in hundreds of not thousands of comics so there stories will always be around to be enjoyed either by back issues or in graphic novel format

Yes, because that's what kids will do: pick up decades old comic books just to see a character their daddy thinks that used to be cool.

[The Angry Comic Book Critic]

Yes, because that's what kids will do: pick up decades old comic books just to see a character their daddy thinks that used to be cool.

My dad was the one who got me started in comics when I was a kid by getting me Daredevil and Amazing Spider-man comics from the 80's they only made me want to get more of them and they were out a good 12 years before I was even born and now I'm about 75 issue give or take shy of a complete Amazing spider-man collection. I know lots of people who have gotten there kids/ younger siblings into comics by showing them comics that out before they were even an itch in there daddy's jockies so yeah kids will do that if given the chance.

[Sundowhn]

We bitch because after 70 years or so of a universe where everything more or less stays the same is boring hell I read comics for 7 years now and I'm getting bored with it to the point where I'm dropping comics all together once my last marvel title finishes it's run in December.

Then the comic genre may not be what you're looking for. Plenty of other entertainment franchises use a pressing forward theme. And I actually say that with all politeness. The comic genre is unique in respect to character longevity.