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In recent years, Marvel has seen their “Life Story” series get good reception with critics and fans. Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley viewed Spider-Man’s life as if he aged in real-time. Currently, Fantastic Four: Life Story by Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse is giving Marvel’s first family the same treatment. This is a promising start and could mean that more stories are on the way. Which, if done well, could be an amazing series.
It’s looking most likely that any “life story” series doesn’t need to exist in a shared universe. This frees up creators to craft a story that stands alone, summing up the character as they grow older. Hopefully, they learn from their history instead of repeating the same mistakes. These books could lead to Marvel cleaning up some retconned origins and streamlining their backstories in an engaging and exciting way.
10 Daredevil’s Rich History Could Show A Descent And Recovery From Madness
The history of Daredevil is one of constant revision. Frank Miller added a lot to Matt Murdock’s history that had been left blank. A “life story” can approach these retcons and have Daredevil being shaped by them in the 1960s and 1970s.
While the 60s sees Matt Murdock figuring out the type of hero that he wants to be, the 70s would see him try to relocate to San Francisco and build a relationship with another hero, the Black Widow. The 80s bring the death of Elektra and Daredevil targeted by the Hand. As his life is torn apart by the Kingpin in the 90s, we could see a hero decimated but fighting to reclaim his life before he dies.
9 Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Has Such An Eclectic History
Carol Danvers has had a different identity for almost every decade. The 1960s sees her as a soldier with her life changed by the Kree Captain Mar-Vell. Her power levels also change so drastically that she need not age so much by the end of the series.
This frees up the writer to explore Carol inheriting the legacy of Captain Marvel and inspiring others. The 80s can also present something challenging if her being victimized by Marcus Immortus and Rogue drop Carol to her lowest point. Of course, this also can lead directly to the alcoholism she deals with in the 2000s.
8 Nick Fury is A Soldier Creating A Legacy
Nick Fury’s story could stretch back even further and start in the 1940s. This would make it one of the longer series at eight issues. While his exposure as the cosmic “man on the wall” from Original Sin might present a problem, the life story format does allow for clumsy retcons to be handled logically.
Nick Fury Jr.was introduced to make Nick Fury in the comics resemble Samuel L. Jackson from the MCU. This provides an opportunity for Nick Fury to not be such an absent father. This allows Fury’s efforts to protect his country and planet in line to protect his family, setting the stage for his son to take his place.
7 Doctor Strange Shows The Price Paid For Magic
A recurring theme in media centered around magic is the idea of the price that one must pay in order to access the full spectrum of promised power. This is something that Doctor Strange comics have explored in the past but a life story series could really add a new layer to this recurring theme.
His portrayal in the 90s shows the toll being Sorcerer Supreme took on Doctor Strange. His more recent ceding of the role to Jericho Drumm can stem directly from this era of instability, as would the dissolution of his marriage to Clea. One could hope that by the end, Doctor Strange would have earned the wisdom to regain the role of Sorcerer Supreme and begin training his replacement as he was trained.
6 Hulk’s Life Story Could Incorporate So Many Changes Over The Years
The Hulk’s history is very fractured and can’t easily be separated into decades with ease as the years progress. It does offer a writer a good chance to reinterpret the struggle of Bruce Banner dealing with his monstrous alter-ego. It would be interesting to explore the fact that Hulk takes control more regularly now, becoming wiser as he gets older. The obvious conclusion is to resolve the fate of the Hulk becoming Maestro.
Of course, another way to go is to focus on Bruce Banner dealing with his childhood trauma. It’s a retcon that helps explain the multiple personalities that the Hulk deals with over the years. The role of Doc Samson in the 70s, 80s, and 90s would be much more important in the grand scheme of Bruce Banner’s journey.
5 The Avengers Renewing Their Membership Roster To Show The Passage Of Time
The Avengers has long had a pattern of bringing in young heroes, which extends the life of a team. The interesting dynamic of a constantly changing roster mixed with the aging aspects of the life story books could lead to a series exploring how the heroes (both old and new), as well as the public, responds to titles and roles being handed down. The immortal (or nearly immortal) heroes could act as mentors and we could see a more contained version of themes that have been popping up over books for decades.
Younger heroes can be the ones that get the older ones to rethink the purpose of the Avengers. Kamala Khan, America Chavez, Quake, and others can point out that after nearly sixty years, the Avengers have not done much to make the world better or solve really big problems. In going this route, a talented writer could deal with real-world problems.
4 X-Men Could Deal With the Implications and Problems of Its New Direction
When Moira MacTaggart was retconned into a mutant, many fans had questions. If Moira had been working with Professor X and Magneto, several stories were now out of place in the grand scheme. A “life story” can explore how history could differ if the architects of Krakoa were in fact working together.
The choice of a creative team would be interesting. Re-writing iconic stories from Chris Claremont would be a daunting task, but several writers could make it work. If there’s any series that could draw a legendary writer, it would be X-Men: Life Story.
3 Iron Man Would Follow Tony’s Race To Save The World
Tony Stark’s purpose has been an evolution of his character. As time has gone on, he’s gone from being a weapons inventor protecting against evil menaces to trying to make the world better and safer. Again, it’s a case of different writers reinventing the character.
Now think if that reinvention came as Tony Stark got older. Recovering from so many brushes with death, he would know the full limits of his mortality and in the end, he would most likely be finding an heir to the legacy of a man of the future stuck living in the present.
2 Wolverine Could Be A Year-Long Series, Going Decade By Decade
Wolverine’s history goes back farther than World War II. This gives a chance for a “life story” that explores a mutant coming to terms with his powers in a world where there’s no word for what he is. The series could last for a year, stretching decade by decade.
Of course, halfway through the series, readers would see the protagonist lose his memories and identity for several years. It would change the tone of the series in a unique and fascinating way.
1 Captain America Could Be A Worthy Candidate If Done Correctly
Through the eyes of Captain America, a “life-story” would mirror the changes in the country. There was a bit of this seen in Spider-Man: Life Story with Captain America avenging Vietnam War atrocities. Unfortunately, there is a decade when Steve Rogers was stuck in the ice. It could be odd to have a decade passed over.
However, if the story were drawing a connection between America and Steve Rogers, it could be useful to point out that the Red Scare and McCarthyism happened when Captain America wasn’t around. This would also mean ignoring that “commie-smasher” version of that period- which could allow Marvel to create a better representation of the character free of those outdated prejudices.
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