Comics Characters and Stories that were intended to be different...

[Ben_Reilly]

What Stories or characters can you think of, that were confirmed to be altered before they were finished?

The original Carrion was supposed to be an undead Norman Osborn but was changed just as the final two issues of the storyline came out.

Gaunt was supposed to be the true villain as depicted until the reveal of a random mastermind. He was supposed to be Harry Osborn.

Ben Reilly was the one true Peter Parker.

HobGoblin was originally going to be Richard Fisk.

 

[PeterBenParker]

Venom was supposed to be a woman. Wish that could've happened, to be honest.

 

[Ben_Reilly]

Venom was supposed to be a woman. Wish that could've happened, to be honest.

Oh yeah. I read about that one.
They didn't think she'd feel or look like a threat to Spider-Man.
Then look a few years later... Stunner!

 

[ItchyWebShooter]

Venom was supposed to be a woman. Wish that could've happened, to be honest.

That idea had so much potential, and it was set up better than Brock, too.

 

[PeterBenParker]

Oh yeah. I read about that one.
They didn't think she'd feel or look like a threat to Spider-Man.

That's a bit dumb.

That idea had so much potential, and it was set up better than Brock, too.

Was she? How would they have been different?

 

[Ben_Reilly]

She was going to be someone that actually had a "grudge" against Spider-Man.
Her family was killed during a fight with a supervillain and she was going to "avenge her husband and daughter.

 

[ItchyWebShooter]

The cool part is she was introduced in continuity. The event occurred very inconspicuously in an issue of Web of Spider-Man during Michelinie's run, but the seeds were planted. During some supervillain confrontation, a pregnant woman and her husband would be caught amid the chaos. Their car was destroyed, the husband died, and the wife lost her baby (this would be revealed after the fact mostly)--the symbiote found her through her hate of Spider-Man or some such and then BAM! Venom. There's a later issue of Web of... where a female hand pushed Peter in front of an oncoming train without alerting his spider-sense. That's technically the first appearance of Venom, but the female hand is ignored and Brock is retconned into the host.

Such a cool story, all shot down by Jim Shooter (EIC at the time) who didn't think a female villain would be "a credible threat" that readers would believe.

 

[PeterBenParker]

She was going to be someone that actually had a "grudge" against Spider-Man.
Her family was killed during a fight with a supervillain and she was going to "avenge her husband and daughter.

The cool part is she was introduced in continuity. The event occurred very inconspicuously in an issue of Web of Spider-Man during Michelinie's run, but the seeds were planted. During some supervillain confrontation, a pregnant woman and her husband would be caught amid the chaos. Their car was destroyed, the husband died, and the wife lost her baby (this would be revealed after the fact mostly)--the symbiote found her through her hate of Spider-Man or some such and then BAM! Venom. There's a later issue of Web of... where a female hand pushed Peter in front of an oncoming train without alerting his spider-sense. That's technically the first appearance of Venom, but the female hand is ignored and Brock is retconned into the host.

Such a cool story, all shot down by Jim Shooter (EIC at the time) who didn't think a female villain would be "a credible threat" that readers would believe.

Wow, can we please build a time machine to go to that alternate dimension? Preferably one that also had Jake Gyllenhaal as Spider-Man in the Raimi days?

Seriously, though, that would've been kick-ass! Damn.

 

[ItchyWebShooter]

More than almost any other creative decision in Spider-Man history, I'm curious how that would have turned out and how much it would have affected the popularity of Venom and future continuity.