Marvel has employed some of the greatest creators in the history of the comic industry. These writers, artists, inkers, colorists, letterers, and editors have given readers some of the coolest stories ever, defining entire eras of superhero comics. The publisher has been extremely successful for the last few decades, and a big part of that was writer Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis joined the House of Ideas in the year 2000, and basically defined that entire decade. He was the hottest writer in the industry during those years, writing Spider-Man, the Avengers, Daredevil, and many more. Bendis wrote for the publisher for 18 years, moving to DC and the indies after leaving.
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Marvel isn’t in the best place right now, and there are rumors that Bendis may be returning. While that’s a whole other can of worms, there are definitely some characters who fans would like to see him write if he did return. These five Marvel characters would benefit greatly from bringing Bendis back to the publisher.
5) Jessica Jones
Bendis introduced readers to Jessica Jones with Alias in 2001, a Marvel MAX book that was a favorite of many fans. It followed Jones, a former minor superhero named Jewel who has became a private detective after Purple Man abused her, and took her on a character journey that would see her regaining her confidence, marrying Luke Cage, and hanging out with the Avengers. Jones is a beloved character who has fallen to the wayside over the years since Bendis left and deserves another chance at stardom. He is an amazing crime writer, and a return to the character he created would be a joyful event for many fans, especially if he was allowed to bring her back to her mature readers roots.
4) Miles Morales
Miles Morales became a unique take on Spider-Man, and all of that started with Bendis. He created the character for the original Ultimate Universe, and wrote the best stories starring the young hero. In the years since the writer left Marvel, Miles hasn’t exactly flourished. The character has been pushed out of the A-list, and his latest book has felt more like an exercise in anime-style power scaling than in good superhero storytelling. While Morales has become more popular than ever in the greater pop culture, his comics could use a shot in the arm and his original creator could give him that.
3) Wolverine
Wolverine isn’t in a great place right now. While Ultimate Wolverine is doing great, Wolverine isn’t. The book has fallen down the sales charts, and there are plenty of Wolverine fans online complaining about Saladin Ahmed (the current writer of Wolverine) and his take on the character. Wolverine needs a big time creator and Bendis may be a exactly what the book needs. He never got to write a Wolverine solo series, but he did write the character in New Avengers and All-New X-Men, as well as making him a main character in event books like House of M, Secret Invasion, and Age of Ultron. The writer had a pretty good grasp on Logan’s individual voice and showed a lot of respect for the Canadian mutant. Bendis could give the ol’Canucklehead a great gritty crime story, like the sainted Rucka run of the early ’00s.
2) Luke Cage
Bendis loved Luke Cage. He featured the hero in Alias, Secret War, New Avengers, and Defenders, as well as the various events he wrote. Under him, Cage became the leader of the New Avengers after Civil War, leading the group through the biggest events of the ’00s. The character became more than the mercenary superhero that he was back in the day, and was finally an A-lister. Bendis’s Luke Cage was an amazing version of the character, and since then the hero has fallen down the ranks. Sure, he’s mayor of New York City, but he doesn’t do anything important; the office feels like a consolation prize for the character. The writer made the former Hero for Hire into something special, and it’s about time we got back that version of Harlem’s greatest hero.
1) Daredevil
Daredevil is a character that, over the last 45 years, has had more greatest of all time runs than any other character at Marvel or DC. However, the latest volume of Daredevil (like Wolverine written by Ahmed) was roundly panned by fans and critics, and cancelled. This was the first time in years there’s been a panned run on the character (the last time was the late ’00s with Andy Diggle but even then, the book wasn’t cancelled). Matt Murdock and his fans deserve better than that and the best way to give it to them is bringing back Brian Michael Bendis. His time on the character was sensational, and that’s exactly what the protector of Hell’s Kitchen deserves. Add frequent collaborator and former Daredevil artist Alex Maleev and a return to the character could make a lot of fans happy.
Who do you think Bendis should write if he returns to Marvel? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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