One of the beauties of streaming platforms is having the opportunity for comic book stories to be told outside of their respective cinematic universes. Maybe more importantly, it’s a chance for the novice to see them like they are in the source material. You can see what started the momentum that made them popular.
Marvel Studios has successfully attempted this multiple times on Disney Plus, with the likes of X-Men '97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man telling gripping, comic-accurate stories that aren't tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that just highlights that we need more animated Marvel shows.
The upcoming list will explore some Marvel Comics stories that would be the perfect source material for an animated series or project on Disney Plus. Let’s start with a personal favorite.
Deadpool by Gerry Duggan
This is the series I normally recommend to new Deadpool readers. It has all of the fourth-wall breaking, action, and ridiculousness that the novice Wade Wilson fan knows. But, more importantly, it’s among the deepest runs of the character’s existence. Sure, it starts with a silly fight between zombie U.S. Presidents, but it leads to him becoming learning he's a father, getting married, and gaining new friends.
Imagine how this story would look if it were adapted to Disney Plus in the form of an animated series or film.
Astonishing X-Men
An animated Astonishing X-Men can be Marvel’s answer to the Justice League animated series. It would feature lesser-known characters like Kitty Pryde, Danger, Armor, and Emma Frost, while also spotlighting popular ones like Cyclops, Beast, Colossus, and Wolverine.
You’re probably thinking that Emma and Kitty are known, and that’s true. However, they do things in this series that highlight their powers, personalities, and will. It would be great to see that come to life in an animated series. It would also be a nice complement to whatever Marvel Studios does with the X-Men in the MCU.
Immortal Hulk
Unless you’ve read Immortal Hulk, you’ve never seen the Hulk like this. He doesn’t talk like a child or avoid confrontation. This “Devil Hulk” is the most conniving, ruthless, and driven personality you’ll ever see. To top it all off, Immortal Hulk has a lot of elements like body dismemberment that make this a horror story.
This could make for a more mature animated series, but as Marvel Studios is currently experimenting more than it ever has, Immortal Hulk could be the perfect project to do that with.
Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet
This is more than a story about Black Panther and T’Challa. A Nation Under Our Feet showcases Wakanda in a way you have never seen before. You’ll see that even the most advanced civilization on Earth has its issues. This leads to infighting and revolt. And, depending on what side you’re on, this isn’t a bad thing. As cliché as it sounds, nothing was the same after this series.
Imagine what this would look like in animated format. The visuals of Wakanda alone would make this one worth it. Add in the incredible storytelling and you would have a winner.
Civil War
As much as people enjoyed the MCU’s adaptation of Civil War, the comic book version was more detailed and bigger than what was shown by Marvel Studios in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. An animated miniseries would have the opportunity to feature the treachery and politics that the movie didn’t have time for. It’s also a perfect opportunity to feature characters that may not be as well-known to mainstream audiences.
This event also leads into Marvel’s “Who do you trust?” era. Perhaps an animated outing could also set up an ongoing arc for future projects to adapt it.
Secret Invasion - Siege
The lead-up to this one - from learning that Skrulls had infiltrated Earth to the Siege of Asgard - was one of Marvel’s best eras. You saw betrayal, and relationships were almost destroyed due to a lack of trust. Things got so bad that it ended with Norman Osborn responsible for protecting the world. You heard that right. The Green Goblin was in charge of safety. This is what the kids call “cinema.”
After Marvel Studios' misfire with the Secret Invasion Disney Plus series, this would be an opportunity to showcase what the gripping comic book storyline was truly capable of.
She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell
Rainbow Rowell’s She-Hulk is the perfect representation of Jennifer Walters. You see her as a lawyer, friend, and superhero. There’s even a love interest, drama, and dates where she wears a fancy dress and eats cake with Patsy Walker. It’s like Sex and the City, except with a literal fight club with her, Titania, Ben Grimm, and more.
Rumor has it that the live-action She-Hulk: Attorney At Law series was extremely expensive to produce. Perhaps an animated She-Hulk series is the way forward.
Old Man Logan
There are multiple versions of the Old Man Logan story out there, like Fox’s Logan and an Old Man Logan podcast, but none of them are quite as good as Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s original comic book. It’s a true wasteland where the villains won, Red Skull is President, and most of the West Coast of America is run by the Hulk and his literal inbred sons and daughters.
The villainy and ruin are only part of the story. We’d also see a pacifist Logan and a blind Clint Barton (Hawkeye) travel across the country in the Spider-Buggie.
An animated series focused on this story would be a vivid experience and we absolutely need Marvel to make it happen.
Secret Wars (Nick Fury)
When Nick Fury says he’s willing to protect the world at all costs, he means it. Sadly, that required him to use people and make them complicit in something they wouldn’t have agreed to. To make things worse, it all comes back to bite him in the end, and almost gets innocent civilians and superheroes killed.
Nick Fury is a complex character and the MCU movies have only scratched the surface of that. A series spotlighting him and his decisions would place a much bigger focus on that.
Mystique by Brian K. Vaughn
Who doesn’t love a good spy story? Add Mystique’s shapeshifting abilities with Charles Xavier and Forge as her handlers, and you have something special. Thankfully, despite the heroes involved, Raven is still the destructive person you love. She’s just nicer about it.
There aren't enough Mystique stories out there considering how interesting a character she is. An animated series adapted from one of her most compelling comic book stories? Sign us up!
Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson
I used to think that Carol Danvers was a dull character with incredible powers. I was half right. Kelly Thompson’s Captain Marvel showed how interesting Carol’s life is. She doesn’t just fly around the universe fighting the good fight. She’s also balancing a romantic relationship, friendships, and mentoring future heroes.
If Marvel wanted to showcase how awesome Captain Marvel is, adapting this story would be the project to get people engaged with the character again and dispel the nonsense that she’s boring.
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