Building a new Marvel

If Marvel and DC Comics are no longer popular with people anymore

Considering that the superhero school of storytelling began in the United States, where my father pointed out that it goes hand in hand with America’s status as a superpower, but if America’s status as a superpower were to be undermined in some way that superheroes might become less popular. I may add that the superhero school might still exist, but be made nearly unrecognisable in the future. If because the very two pillars that largely make up the superhero school, that are DC and Marvel, would become less popular over time. If the superhero school were to remain relevant in the future, then it has to change with the times as well.

It kind of already does to an admirable extent, but with America declining as a superpower it would have to change beyond recognition. Maybe not entirely but mostly unrecognisable enough to largely not read as the same thing, given the different influences subsequent and future works will take in. It could be something like crime fiction, but this is one example and there could be many more at play. America’s status as a superpower would undermine the popularity of both DC and Marvel, not necessarily overnight but becoming less popular over time and would come off as hopelessly outdated by then.

Outdated in a ‘hello, fellow kids’ sort of way when it comes to catching up with changing reader preferences and market trends, you could argue that it already is happening to some extent. Which means that DC and Marvel would have to work harder to get the attention of other people, so it would be better for them to risk doing some changes as to be relevant in today’s market and that of tomorrow’s. It would anger disgruntled old fans who want things as they are, but when it comes to competing brands and franchises that they have to make some changes to stay ahead of competition or remain in it in some way.

I feel this is something those at Gamergate and the like don’t get, where companies have to do these changes to remain relevant and competitive. If they didn’t, then they’ll be out of business. This is something that both DC and Marvel strive to do, as much as they can do about it, but the loss of America as a superpower would necessitate more drastic changes to remain competitive. As in having to cater a lot more to a more relevant, powerful market this time, something like China or even Russia for another matter, that they have to pander to them more and do certain things their old fans may not immediately take a liking to.

But with America becoming a less powerful nation comes a less powerful market, so DC and Marvel would do a lot to pander to a more powerful market like China’s instead. Even Russia might one day become a powerful nation again, so DC and Marvel would get keener to pander to it more. This involves understanding what those markets want and what they don’t want as well, something like out and proud gay couples being abhorrent to the Russian market that DC and Marvel would have to do away with those. If Nigeria ever becomes a superpower, it would be practically no different really given similar attitudes and laws.

A more harrowing situation is when/if American influence were to be largely undone throughout the world that it becomes necessary to create a new Marvel instead, which is going to be tricky and a big burden to bear for many. So let’s say my proposal for a new superhero story involves a world where superheroes are actually involved in law enforcement themselves, they are actual police officers and detectives this time. Though this has a precedent in Alan Moore’s Top Ten, oddly enough since he’s the same author behind Watchmen. But it doesn’t really reek of crime fiction, as much as it’s very much mired in superhero school cliches.

Even then this is a good start to doing something that’s rarely if ever done in superhero stories at all, where the superheroes are real detectives and police officers instead of being vigilantes as in the worlds of DC and Marvel. It’s not that it’s never been attempted before, as much as this is a rare angle in superhero stories. Even then due to its rarity that it’s fresh enough for anybody else to utilise it in a story, so it would be neat to portray this in a video game which lets you solve mysteries as the superhero themself. That may’ve been done before, though not very often as I said before. But with the potential loss of both DC and Marvel comes the need for a new kind of superhero story.

Marvel had already paved the way in superhero stories before, so it’s only fair that another brand would make its mark on the same territory. One that goes further with renewing and revitalising the superhero school in a way that’s rarely ever done, something like a stronger crime fiction influence of all things. But not necessarily the only thing around, as it could involve influences from things like classic literature (Johann Goethe) and nonfiction sources too. It still makes for a brand new superhero world that’s not too beholden to DC and Marvel trappings, the way other superhero universes have fallen into.

With the latter, there’s the risk of deja vu because you’ve seen it before in either DC or Marvel in some way. So something drastically new’s in order, one that will serve this new superhero universe well after America’s demise. Given the talk about America becoming less of a superpower these days, especially with the Orange Man being back in power and potentially bringing the economy down, that it becomes more than necessary to create a new Marvel that speaks more to people in a post-American landscape. Some of the things Marvel characters stand up for may not resonate well with international audiences, so there’s a need to pander more to them instead.

Actually these are the same things Marvel characters may not resonate more with future audiences either, given America’s growing irrelevance that something new and different is needed instead. There are people out there saying that America is Mystery Babylon, the prophesised nation-state said to corrupt the entire world with. That’s the nation-state mentioned in the Bible where it becomes both powerful and spiritually corrupt as to warrant destruction by its enemies, so it seems whatever America produces isn’t good if Mystery Babylon’s said to be the mother of all abominations. This may even include Marvel, if it weren’t for certain characters.

So we might as well create something that has many of the good things with/about Marvel, but none of the spiritual baggage that went along with it. Perhaps creating new memories is necessary, especially if Marvel’s spiritually tarnished in some way. Well similar things can be said of comparable brands like Overwatch, DC Comics, World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons and so on that it’s best to create something new in their place, for people to develop new memories of this with. Something that doesn’t have the same spiritual baggage as those, something to develop new affections for even if the process is going to be hard and awkward at first.

But if America is Mystery Babylon (the mother of all abominations), perhaps it’s best to move on for something newer and better in mind. Forget the former things and strive for something new that God has in store for us.