Five Marvel Comics We Hope to See After Secret Wars

Marvel Comics is set for a massive shift in the status quo this summer, as Secret Wars changes the face of the universe in ways we don't even know yet -- but we can bet involve alternate-worled counterparts of the existing characters.

As with any such big event, we're being promised that the Marvel Universe will never be the same when it's all said and done...but we can be reasonably sure that they'll still be publishing comics. 

What comics, you ask? Well, it's customary for this kind of thing to usher in a new wave of #1 issues. And we fully expect that this time will be no different.

So...which properties do we think have huge upside for a post-Secret Wars relaunch?

Thor Corps

Thor #1, introducing a new woman wielding Mjolnir, was one of the ten best-selling comics of 2014. In 2016, Asgard is headed to war in Thor: Ragnarok in theaters. It seems like there's huge potential commercial upside for this, right?

There's also the idea that Beta Ray Bill, who has been largely hanging around the cosmic part of the universe of late, could be recruited into the concept and tied more clearly back ot Asgard. With Bill, Thor (the current title-holder) and Thor (the actual god), you've got three people already.

Hey, if Deadpool could support a Deadpool Corps book for a while, there's no reason Thor shouldn't be able to manage a franchise expansion at a time when another movie is around the corner.

Drax the Destroyer

It would be difficult to do a Groot solo comic well; if you have narration boxes, you'd lose a lot of the charm of his "I am Groot" language, and if you didn't, it would seem absolutely insane to try and follow a central character who coudl not clearly communicate his agenda with the readers.

That means with a Gamora series coming and both Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon already on the shelves, the only remaining member of the big-screen Guardians of the Galaxy without a solo title is Drax...a character who, by all measures, should be comparably easy to market.

Carnage

His stand-alone miniseries a while back was, in spite of everything in the universe saying that it shouldn't be, actually pretty great.

Having him inverted during the AXIS crossover provides some interesting storytelling possibilities and while they've run Venom into the ground with miniseries and ongoing series over the last 25 years or so, Carnage has enjoyed comparably little solo attention.

Seems worth a try.

Hercules

It's hard to know when a character like this can be marketed right, but the reality is the Incredible Herc material is still fondly remembered, and there's no good reason that a well-executed buddy comic featuring Herc and Amadeus Cho couldn't work.

Especially since arguably the biggest fault in Incredible Hercules was that it wasn't quite out there enough a lot of the time. A title like that could have really benefited from being just a touch weirder, going the full Hawkeye or FF.

Fantastic Four

Oh, come on. It's obvious. By the time Secret Wars has played out, the Fox movie will have come and gone and it will be pretty obvious where public interest is in the property and what its short-term future holds. Good, bad or indifferent, how long can Marvel really leave a book with that much history out of print before it starts to lose some of its durability?

Also, they're the freaking Fantastic Four. One of Marvel's best, coolest and most malleable properties. Find a cool take and launch it.