While Marvel’s Secret Empire is dominating the company’s current slate of books, Marvel has their eye keyed to the future as well.
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That’s where Marvel Legacy comes in, a 50-page one-shot that will set the stage for the universe over the next few years and bring the focus back to some of its most celebrated characters.
“This one-shot honors Marvel Comics‘ past and it’s a good window into the present day Marvel Universe and then also sets the stage for where we’re gonna go in the future,” writer Jason Aaron told Marvel. “The main goal was just to be able to give this to someone who’s got no idea what’s going on in the Marvel right now and have that be a good entry point for them and I think it does that.”
Legacy will take the vibe that Marvel has brought to their X-Men ResurrXion launches and encompass the rest of the universe, setting the table for a host of big returns and return to more iconic takes on heroes. This is similar to what DC did with its Rebirth event, and at this point, it can be unquestionably called a great success. Marvel hopes for some of that success as well, and ComicBook.com has compiled a list of changes and returns that would make the new era feel even brighter. Hit the next slide to see the top hopeful changes for Marvel Legacy.
Before Legacy hits, Marvel has the approach of Captain America’s Secret Empire on its hands, which kicked off in last week’s Secret Empire #0. You can view the official description for the book below. You can read the full review of Secret Empire #0 here.
The Marvel Universe is under siege from within! Captain America, secretly a true believer in the cause of Hydra, has turned his back on the Super Hero community. Using the trust and respect he has gained over the years he has ascended to a position where he can enact Hydra’s ideals. The death of Jack Flag, the trial of Maria Hill, the second Civil War, the alien Chitauri Queen. All of the dominos of Captain America’s plan have been laid out – and it will take only the slightest push to set them into action! Now, the Avengers, the Champions, the Defenders, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men and more will be tested. As Hydra’s grip tightens around the Marvel Universe, the heroes stand at the precipice of an unprecedented challenge. How will they Marvel Universe cope with this shattering betrayal by the most trusted among them?
Secret Empire #0 is in stores now, while Marvel Legacy hits stores this fall.
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A Pause On The “Events”
Marvel can take a piece of advice from DC Comics in this regard.
One of the biggest boons of Rebirth has been the scaling back or events and a renewed focus on characters. Since Rebirth launched in 2016, there have been a total of 4 events, and only two of those crossed over into non-related books (Monster Men and Superman Reborn were all just in their respective circles).
The effect has been more time for fans to get to know their favorite characters again, and when the events happen they hit harder and have more effect on future stories. Marvel has had literally no time to breathe for their character, who went from Civil War II to Monsters Unleashed to now Secret Empire, with a crossover Inhumans vs X-Men in between. It’s all a bit much, and dilutes the characters and teams since there’s no time to get to know them before the next big dust up begins.
The Return Of Steve Rogers
The current Secret Empire series is the culmination of months of Captain America stories that center around his reworked memories and history, done to him by the Red Skull and Kobik the sentient Cosmic Cube.
It’s resulted in him becoming the leader of Hydra, and acting directly in opposition to everything he’s stood for over the years.
It’s a compelling storyline to be sure, but after what will be around a year (once the event is all said and done that is) of Hydra Cap, it will be time to bring the heroic Steve Rogers that stands for so much back into the fold. This is very much in keeping with the Legacy aspect of the new Marvel line, and there will be plenty of fans happy to see their Captain America of old return to form.
Richard Rider Back In The Drivers Seat
Sam Alexander has been a fantastic addition to the Marvel Mythos, but fans were more than excited to see the most popular Nova return in Richard Rider.
There’s been a mystery as to how he returned, along with what he brought back with him, but with Legacy quickly approaching and Alexander already carving himself out a niche with the Champions, it’s time to make Rider the lead Nova again.
Alexander shouldn’t go anywhere, however, and should be a regular presence in the book. Rider just has so many ties to past Marvel lore that it’s a great way to reintroduce him to new fans while also bringing in the ones who have been championing his return for so long.
The Return Of Cyclops
Marvel has said that Legacy will feature a few resurrections, and one of the biggest deaths of recent months occurred in Inhumans vs X-Men when Cyclops succumbed to the M-Pox.
While there are those who still dislike what occurred in Avengers vs X-Men (cough “Avengers fault” cough) his legacy has been a bit cleaned up thanks to people finding out he didn’t attack the Inhumans.
The accompanying ResurrXion makes this a perfect time to bring the X-Men icon back in a new way. Young Cyclops is fine, but there is no replacing the original Scott Summers, and he deserves to be on the front lines.
Integration Of The X-Men
The point has been made by Marvel in the past that it can succeed without the X-Men taking center stage, and FOX has also shown it has no intention of giving up the license anytime soon.
Now that the two have seemingly come to terms with both of these factors, it’s time to establish the X-Men as a real part of the universe again.
ResurreXion is already establishing the characters in a big way once more and bringing together some fan favorites. Now it’s time to integrate them into the Marvel world proper. It’s getting old to only have Storm, Rogue, and Deadpool be the only characters crossing over to big events, and when the next big crossover does happen, the X-Men should be a vital part.
