Anyone else ticked that all their favourite Marvel characters are getting replaced?

[random_havoc]

-Bruce Banner is no longer the Hulk (was missing for months then they killed him off)
-Thor is no longer Thor (mysteriously unworthy)
-Tony Stark will soon no longer be Iron Man (replaced by both a teenage girl and by Dr Doom somehow)
-Steve Rogers - I hated Bucky Cap back in the day, I hate Falcon cap just as much, and now Rogers is back but for some reason Falcon is still a Cap and Rogers is Hydra (so dumb)

I get that Marvel has this very obvious agenda to make their characters more diverse, and I'm fine with that, but do they have to do that by replacing all my favourite characters? So irritating. How about using the minority characters you already have better? Or making new characters?

I know they likely will all switch back at some point but with how long this Thor one is dragging on it's too long for my tastes. I don't care about the story of a woman juggling superheroing with cancer treatments. I want to read about the real Thor.

 

[CTFFFan]

Not to mention no more FF. Ok by me, saving a lot of money

 

[DrCosmic]

I'm sure there are people who feel the same way. But the number of people who want to pay money to read yet another typical Thor adventure in comics is shrinking. They've got to do something to change things up, and replacing the character is a good move, replacing the character with someone who doesn't look like every other superhero is even better, and doing so while still keeping the original character around in a way (Unworthy Thor, Hydra Cap, etc) that they can be active is even better - from a sales perspective. Basically you sell Tony Stark AND sell Iron Man separately, and get money for both.

I love Iron Man, I think he's awesome. I have never bought an Iron Man comic. I know the stories, I know how he operates. There's not much that Tony can't do that I haven't seen before, and worse, that isn't more entertaining when done by RDJ. I'm not in the market for any Iron Man comics, and I briefly considered Superior Iron Man, but not really. Now, I might actually buy an Iron Man comic to see who this Riri person is, and if I actually like her.

The reason Marvel is trying to replace its heroes is because it's trying to replace the fans that it's atrophying, and it's gotta figure out a way to make Iron Man *belong* to new fans who have no idea what a Demon in a Bottle is, and simply don't connect to the extensive history of Tony Stark. Same idea for Cap, Thor and Hulk. Notice that, say, Hawkeye, doesn't have this problem, because he doesn't have 30 years of comics to catch up with. So his solo is very much wham-bam, simplified backstory with a gateway character who doesn't know all that stuff. Because it's not important.

FF is a great example of a comic book that everyone respects, and expects to be around, but very few people actually buy and help justify its existence. As much as people may be ticked off their faves are getting 'replaced' they'd probably be more ticked off if their faves just got cancelled, because there's not enough people who want to read (or write) a story that's been told and retold countless times over the past 30 years.

 

[KevanG]

Mine got killed then replaced by a younger version that hangs out with his Space Pirate dad. I'm kind of okay with it despite being annoyed at the first thing. Space Pirates are always awesome.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Mine got killed then replaced by a younger version that hangs out with his Space Pirate dad. I'm kind of okay with it despite being annoyed at the first thing. Space Pirates are always awesome.

I thought Corsair is dead.

 

[KevanG]

Did he die again? He came back for the Cyclops series and I stopped reading around 10 so he may be dead again.

 

[SpideyInATree]

I know they likely will all switch back at some point but with how long this Thor one is dragging on it's too long for my tastes. I don't care about the story of a woman juggling superheroing with cancer treatments. I want to read about the real Thor.

Well, there may be someone who cares a lot about that character and what she's going through. Maybe YOU don't but it's possible there is a younger reader who discovered Thor for the first time in this incarnation. So, are they not a proper Thor fan?

You don't have to like it, and that's your right, but there are other people that Marvel, as well as ANY comic book company right now, are trying to appeal to thanks to all the movies, etc.

DrCosmic covered that portion more. I suppose if you grew up with those characters for decades it would be a tad hurtful in a certain respect. However, you have like 50 years of stories involving all of those characters and an abundance of material to go through even for the most hardcore of fans. Time moves forward and things evolve, even make believe characters. Maybe it's just not your time anymore. It's time to move on and focus in other parts of the comics medium. Or possibly don't read comics anymore.

Because I don't know about you but these types of things will continue to happen over and over and over and over and over again. It's unfortunate if you're a fan of those characters but Marvel, bless their hearts, are trying to get new readers for the comics.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Did he die again? He came back for the Cyclops series and I stopped reading around 10 so he may be dead again.

I don't really know.

Well, there may be someone who cares a lot about that character and what she's going through. Maybe YOU don't but it's possible there is a younger reader who discovered Thor for the first time in this incarnation. So, are they not a proper Thor fan?

He didn't say proper Thor fan, he talked about the son of Odin.

 

[psylockolussus]

Lets not forget X-23 is now Wolverine. And Kitty Pryde was given the codename of Star-Lord which I kinda ticked me off, because Kitty Pryde is an A-list character that doesn't need a codename change especially the one that was already used by a recent big Marvel character.

 

[random_havoc]

Lets not forget X-23 is now Wolverine. And Kitty Pryde was given the codename of Star-Lord which I kinda ticked me off, because Kitty Pryde is an A-list character that doesn't need a codename change especially the one that was already used by a recent big Marvel character.

Good additions! Thank you!
I knew there were more I wasn't remembering

 

[random_havoc]

I'm sure there are people who feel the same way. But the number of people who want to pay money to read yet another typical Thor adventure in comics is shrinking. They've got to do something to change things up, and replacing the character is a good move, replacing the character with someone who doesn't look like every other superhero is even better, and doing so while still keeping the original character around in a way (Unworthy Thor, Hydra Cap, etc) that they can be active is even better - from a sales perspective. Basically you sell Tony Stark AND sell Iron Man separately, and get money for both.

I love Iron Man, I think he's awesome. I have never bought an Iron Man comic. I know the stories, I know how he operates. There's not much that Tony can't do that I haven't seen before, and worse, that isn't more entertaining when done by RDJ. I'm not in the market for any Iron Man comics, and I briefly considered Superior Iron Man, but not really. Now, I might actually buy an Iron Man comic to see who this Riri person is, and if I actually like her.

The reason Marvel is trying to replace its heroes is because it's trying to replace the fans that it's atrophying, and it's gotta figure out a way to make Iron Man *belong* to new fans who have no idea what a Demon in a Bottle is, and simply don't connect to the extensive history of Tony Stark. Same idea for Cap, Thor and Hulk. Notice that, say, Hawkeye, doesn't have this problem, because he doesn't have 30 years of comics to catch up with. So his solo is very much wham-bam, simplified backstory with a gateway character who doesn't know all that stuff. Because it's not important.

FF is a great example of a comic book that everyone respects, and expects to be around, but very few people actually buy and help justify its existence. As much as people may be ticked off their faves are getting 'replaced' they'd probably be more ticked off if their faves just got cancelled, because there's not enough people who want to read (or write) a story that's been told and retold countless times over the past 30 years.

You make a lot of assumptions in this post.
You use Hawkeye as an example of someone that doesn't have a lot of backstory to worry about, but he actually was created in 1964. That's 50 years worth of character, story and continuity. Sure, he hasn't had an ongoing but he's almost constantly been in Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Thunderbolts, mini series, etc etc.

It's not that Hawkeye doesn't have a lot of backstory to worry about, it's that his series is written well. Any character, regardless of massive backstory, can be written well and can sell well.
Want to talk about convoluted stories, think about the fact that Batman has been around since 1939 and gone through multiple reboots and retcons of different aspects and characters but still his comics are some of the most consistently high selling... And they're still about Bruce Wayne.

You don't have to have read Demon in a Bottle to read a good Tony Stark story. There's been a few quick passing mentions to him not drinking/having been an alcoholic. You aren't missing anything if you know the backstory to that.

 

[Spider-Jay420]

I guess the only saving grace is that the originals will always return. Maybe in a few months or even a few years, but they always do!

 

[Set]

It only bugs me when the new character is junk.

I'm totally digging Amadeus Cho as the Totally Amazing Hulk, and Jane Foster as Thor (and an 'Unworthy Thor' series centered around the Odinson is coming up in a few months anyway). I survived She-Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, Thunderstrike, Beta Ray Bill and 'Throgg, the Frog of Thunder,' I can survive the latest 'other Hulk' or 'replacement Thor.'

Captain America is still Captain America, regardless of whether Falcon, Winter Soldier, Nomad, USAgent or Danielle Cage are *also* calling themselves Captain America.

Others? I'm not particularly in love with this new kid calling himself Nova. I'm on the fence about these teen X-Men from the past. (Jean's dead. I got over her in the '80s, and then they brought her back for a crapfest X-Factor series, and killed her yet again. I'm really, really, really over her now.)

Generally, it only bugs me when I lose out on the original character, and their ending doesn't particularly resonate (Jean, in Death of Phoenix, had an *amazing* death, which softened the blow, she didn't die to fluff up some villain of the week I'll never hear again, or to be the 'shocking (and soon to be reversed) death' of the latest otherwise recycled and lame event of the summer). So I'm not thrilled with Bruce being killed off, or 'adult' Cyclops. If you want to write a story about a new character adopting a legacy name, do something like with Steve Rogers, unable for a time to fill the role, handing the shield off to someone better able to carry it, or have a character, like Jamie Madrox and Layla Miller, *retire* for a bit. Nobody says they have to fight the fight every day of their lives! Go spend a year on a tropical island, or visit friends in space, or hang out in the Savage Land, or whatever! No reason to *kill* a character, especially when it's someone like Banner (or Cap, or Tony, or Thor), who we *know* isn't going to be dead forever.

Stuff like there being two Thors or two Spider-Men, on the other hand, I see as the best of both worlds. I get some new stories with a newer character, a fresh perspective on a name and powerset that the original may have gotten a bit jaded with, after years of experience *and* I get to read about the old favorite I've read about since I was a kid. Win, win.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't mind. Then again, my particular favorite character is Thor, the original is still most certainly himself, just dealing with some rough times that are pretty interesting to read, and his replacement is pretty engaging too. Granted, I still don't know why she refuses magical cancer treatment if she knows skipping chemo to be Thor will eventually kill her, but I'm hoping Aaron will get around to making that clearer sometime. If it's just pride, I may have to rethink how highly I regard Aaron's run...

 

[CaptainWagner]

It doesn't bother me, I really enjoy stories like these, and think they can do a lot to show what make the "real" hero so special. The only one of the current shake ups I have issue with is Venom, because they JUST gave him a new status quo and are already changing things up again, which is what annoys me the most about Marvel's current business strategy. It's not the story decisions themselves, but how they do them.

 

[WolfCypher]

Its not just these changes that bug me, its all the changes that happen for some of the worst reasons, such as how Wanda and Quicksilver can't be either mutants or Magneto's children anymore simply because Disney can't get the rights of Magneto in their films. Whenever something that big is retconned because of behind-the-scene dealings with MOVIE STUDIO EXECUTIVES and has nothing to do with story or continuity, I get real pissed.

Same with Inhumans showing up everywhere just to try and make that brand work because Marvel jumped the gun and declared a Inhuman film series before really registering that people don't care about the Inhumans.

@Cap Wagner, the route Marvel is going, that new Venom is going to be a 16 year old gay half-Hispanic, half-Arabic teen transgender, because quotas.

Could we get an original 16 year old gay half-Hispanic, half-Arabic teen transgender in an All-New, All-Different book with her own super-hero/super-villain identity? Naaah, lets just replace an already established character with her instead.

 

[CaptainWagner]

I do have to say, as much as I enjoy these stories, I'd much rather see characters like Cardiac, Puma, Blue Marvel, Northstar, White Tiger or Mania get promoted. They already have great, diverse heroes, they just have to put some effort into it.

 

[raimar]

-Bruce Banner is no longer the Hulk (was missing for months then they killed him off)
-Thor is no longer Thor (mysteriously unworthy)
-Tony Stark will soon no longer be Iron Man (replaced by both a teenage girl and by Dr Doom somehow)
-Steve Rogers - I hated Bucky Cap back in the day, I hate Falcon cap just as much, and now Rogers is back but for some reason Falcon is still a Cap and Rogers is Hydra (so dumb)

I get that Marvel has this very obvious agenda to make their characters more diverse, and I'm fine with that, but do they have to do that by replacing all my favourite characters? So irritating. How about using the minority characters you already have better? Or making new characters?

I know they likely will all switch back at some point but with how long this Thor one is dragging on it's too long for my tastes. I don't care about the story of a woman juggling superheroing with cancer treatments. I want to read about the real Thor.

Well, just about everything that can be said has been said regarding this "stage". I don't post that much but have said it is Disney "softening" down the Marvell universe for their own reasons. The fact that these characters were created and maintained through decades by writters, artists, readers, etc. does not matter to them. Politically correct messages are to be driven into the issue at all times and are obviously more important than the stories, characters and readers who actually supported them. Pardon the stereotype, but we are the former wife, abandoned for a younger one who had nothing to do with the success obtained! Ironic and sad, but true. Eventually, maybe this will "come to pass" and the "franchise fatigue" will settle. Furthermore, readers and comics buyers will loose their affinity to their non-existent, disrespected and dissed like crap, beloved characters and simply give up. And to expect the younger generation to buy anything on the web is ridiculous. It is, perhaps, admitedly, a small portion of the business model, but do not be mistaken, it is where it all began. And then, again, there are all those things you can say about the changes in the themselves:
- women taking over the role of men, because, you know, they really need a head start or would be ignored altogether if a new female character was created! Why try that, highjack an established male one, a succesfull one, or two.
-race oriented crap. I am latin american and have gone through a lot of racism from many races including latinos themselves and black! I do not, have not and will not linger on that, there are also plenty of very good people of all races. Please, stop getting this into the mix, it has really screwed and politized the arena. I know there are, obviously crazy, sickly and severly prejudiced white cops out there who have no brains or conscience and act like criminals. We do not need this **** in our comics. It screws up our escapism. Please, stop. Although, i know you won't.
- too much more i wish to say, so, STOP BUYING THE FRICKING COMICS! It's the only way. I stopped, you can too. Or, please, shut up and simply accept what's coming. Those, ladies and gentlemen are the choices it seems.

 

[WolfCypher]

I do have to say, as much as I enjoy these stories, I'd much rather see characters like Cardiac, Puma, Blue Marvel, Northstar, White Tiger or Mania get promoted. They already have great, diverse heroes, they just have to put some effort into it.

Yeah, bring back Puma and Black Tarantula, give them a hard push.

 

[Saint]

Anyone else ticked that all their favourite Marvel characters are getting replace

No, because I've been reading comics for longer than ten minutes, and I know better. I know that the events that galvanize the most memorable, important stories in a character's history are usually the ones that flout the established conventions.

 

[raimar]

Saint,

That is not the main thing. There is, around all of this, an admission of not being able to bring new characters, male, female, transgender, alien, etc. and being succesfull at it. That Marvel thinks it "cool", or reasonable or whatever to replace Stark with a teenage Girl is ridiculous, if not also repetitive at this point. My 15yr. old daughter laughed out LOUD! "Oh no, This IS Ridiculous". So in their effort to please, feminists, race, gender equality, etc. they are actually breaking their product and ridiculizing themselves. Hopefully, they would come up with comic where Jesus is actually a girl!, Who came out of a virgin guy! Man, that, i would declare equality!

 

[CTFFFan]

I have resolved myself that marvel comics is dead and it is now Disney comics. I am a huge believer in diversity. But do that by creating new characters. Not getting rid of (even temporarily) the iconic characters. And if concerned about diversity don't kill off two of the few African American characters they do have (Goliath and War Machine). How about coming up with new characters and mingle them in with teams and then a solo book. Like Morales' Spiderman. Love that addition!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

New characters almost never catch on entirely by themselves, though. I guess this Mosaic guy will be the real test. That's an entirely new character with no associations to earlier characters or legacies. Somehow I don't see his series lasting very long, but maybe I'll be proven wrong. If not, though, can you really claim any kind of surprise when Marvel wants to link these new characters to established, time-tested legacies and concepts?

It's not enough to introduce a new character, watch it fail, and then keep right on publishing your line composed almost entirely of straight, white men. The higher-ups at Marvel clearly want to shift the dynamics of their stable of characters to more accurately reflect modern society and make their comics more welcoming to new readers. So long as the comics are still entertaining to me as a longtime reader--and they most certainly are, up to and including the one featuring the replacement for my favorite character of all time--I don't mind it.

Now, if Marvel issued a press release saying, effectively, "all our old characters are dead and never coming back," then I might be upset. But Original Recipe Thor is still around. Original Recipe Steve was always around, and just returned to officially calling himself Captain America again. Original Recipe Iron Man will probably still be around or return within a year or two. This is all just part of the cyclical nature of comics as a never-ending medium. The stories are intended to run literally forever, so I welcome a bit of change now and then.

Plus, Marvel publishes enough that, unless you really only like one specific character, you'll always have something that suits your tastes. I'm a huge Avengers fan but I couldn't stand Bendis' writing, so guess what? I just didn't read Avengers comics for a few years. Now Mark Waid's giving me great Avengers comics, so I'm reading them again. Just ditch what you don't like for the time being and try some new stuff until you find things you do. You can't stop Marvel from doing whatever they're gonna do, so why get angry over it?

 

[Havok83]

I have resolved myself that marvel comics is dead and it is now Disney comics. I am a huge believer in diversity. But do that by creating new characters. Not getting rid of (even temporarily) the iconic characters. And if concerned about diversity don't kill off two of the few African American characters they do have (Goliath and War Machine). How about coming up with new characters and mingle them in with teams and then a solo book. Like Morales' Spiderman. Love that addition!

Your last statement is pretty ironic considering Miles was created as a replacement for Peter's Ultimate Spider-Man. He didn take on an original persona like what you are down about in the first half of your post

 

[BoredGuy]

New characters almost never catch on entirely by themselves, though. I guess this Mosaic guy will be the real test. That's an entirely new character with no associations to earlier characters or legacies. Somehow I don't see his series lasting very long, but maybe I'll be proven wrong. If not, though, can you really claim any kind of surprise when Marvel wants to link these new characters to established, time-tested legacies and concepts?

Mosaic will fail, but mainly because of his silly NBA star origin, and his being an Inhuman which Marvel is only just now realizing nobody cares about... the Royal Family is beloved, but the new inhumans are weak