15 Years Later, Marvel Comics Should Bring Back Its Best Alternate Universe

Marvel Comics has always been fascinated with the concept of the multiverse and infinite parallel Earths. Since the 1970s, Marvel has been offering striking and engaging alternate versions of classic stories and characters, particularly through its long-running What If…? anthology series. Decades later, Marvel still invests significant time and effort in crafting expansive, intricate parallel universes. This is best seen by how Marvel’s hit two-year-long new Ultimate Universe series is ending and paving the way for the all-new dark and twisted Midnight Universe. However, 15 years ago, Marvel ended its best alternate universe franchise, and it’s far past time that it was brought back into the limelight.

In 1998, Marvel released What If…? #105, titled “Legacy…In Black and White,” which depicted a world where Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s daughter didn’t die in childbirth. What started as a one-shot story quickly evolved into the critically acclaimed Earth-982, aka Marvel Comics 2, or MC2 for short. Although this multi-title franchise officially ended in 2011, now is the perfect time to return to the world that’s inhabited by the next generation of Marvel Heroes.

MC2 Created Some of Marvel’s Best Alternate Heroes

Parallel Earths and future timelines offer writers a plethora of creative opportunities to write compelling alternate and next-generation versions of familiar characters, and the MC2 succeeded better than most at its assignment. As stated previously, the MC2 initially started as a simple one-shot What If…? story focused on Spider-Man and his possible future family. However, the story quickly expanded into an entire imprint featuring multiple titles and some of the greatest alternate versions of Marvel heroes the company has ever produced.

Easily the greatest and most influential character MC2 introduced was Mayday Parker, aka Spider-Girl. On Earth-982, Mayday grew up to have a happy life with her parents. Peter was forced into retirement after losing his leg in a battle. Naturally, Mayday inherits her father’s powers and becomes Spider-Girl. With a hundred issues, the first volume of Spider-Girl is among the longest-running female-led Marvel comics of all time, and it’s not hard to see why it lasted so long. Mayday is a fun, lighthearted character who brings back classic high school Spider-Man stories. She also has her fair share of terrifying villains, such as the Green Goblin, Killerwatt, and the Savage Six. Overall, Mayday was a beloved addition to the Spider-Man mythos.

Spider-Girl’s success paved the way for many other titles and next-generation heroes to expand upon Earth-982. MC2 featured many awesome alternate universe characters, the children of retired Marvel heroes and villains. These heroes include Peggy Carter’s niece Shannon, aka American Dream, Juggernaut’s heroic son J2, Wolverine and Elektra’s daughter Wild Thing, Scott Lang’s daughter Stinger, and Iron Man’s AI replacement Mainframe. Some of the premier superhero teams of this world are A-Next and the Fantastic Five. Each hero brings their own unique personality and spin on familiar characters. Although none of their titles lasted nearly as long as Spider-Girl, they still had large followings because they offered great character dynamics, action, and storylines.

Despite the success of the MC2 brand, Marvel quietly shut it down and seems mostly content to forget that it ever happened. The only notable hero to make reappearances since the end of the MC2 is obviously Spider-Girl, who would sometimes show up for Spider-Verse crossover events. However, even the appearances of Spider-Girl are few and far between, and her fellow next-generation MC2 heroes are completely forgotten. As their initial success showed, the MC2 and its characters have a wealth of untapped potential that needs to be unlocked now more than ever.

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A Universe Founded on the Hope for the Future

The loss of the MC2 in 2011 was a real tragedy because it felt like there were plenty of stories yet to be told. And on top of providing many engaging storylines and characters that can be expanded upon, the main reason the MC2 should make a comeback is for how it drastically differs from almost every other alternate universe storyline Marvel has done before or since. For instead of a grim dystopia or a world on the brink of destruction, the MC2 offers something rarely seen any more in comics: a hopeful future.

As seen with hit storylines like Age of Apocalypse, Age of Revelation, both Ultimate Universes, and the upcoming Midnight Universe, Marvel is much more comfortable going all out depicting the bleakest, most nightmarish timelines. Even the What If…? series that the MC2 was founded on has, over the years, focused only on universes where either the main characters are killed off or the entire Earth is destroyed by the smallest of changes. In contrast, the MC2 provides a world where many Marvel heroes receive the happy endings they can only ever dream of in the main universe, as their children and protégés grow up to defend the world in their stead.

The aesthetic of the MC2 is generally bright and optimistic, making it unlike any other Marvel alternate universe storyline in years. Instead of ending with an apocalyptic climax, the MC2 gives its characters unlimited potential to grow and change. In a time when all narratives about the future are that it’s the end of days and that there’s no hope for the next generation, the hopeful and lighthearted tone of the MC2 is sorely needed. Although there are certainly still villains and problems in Earth-982, they’re mitigated by the presence of competent and kind-hearted heroes who balance their civilian and crimefighting lives and who have a measure of control over their lives. The heroes of the MC2 show that it’s possible for the future to be a bright one.

Given the 15-year gap between the end of the MC2 and today, there are two ways that Marvel could bring this alternate universe back. The first option is for writers to reboot the entire series, as DC Comics did with Earth-2, to create a future timeline that acknowledges events that transpired in the main Marvel Universe over the past 15 years. The second option is that Marvel creates a direct sequel to the original MC2 that brings back the original characters. Either way, the MC2 is a world that embodies the ideals of heroism, which will continue to prosper into the future as new generations take up classic mantles. In a multiverse full of darkness and despair, the MC2 is a shining beacon of hope.

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