Marvel is an extremely profitable part of the most powerful entertainment company in America. While the comic publishing part of the company doesn’t have the money of the movie arm, they control the largest market share in the superhero comic market. Basically, if Marvel wanted to, they could put out any books they wanted, just to see if they can make them stick.
2023 is a new year for the company and as always, there are many characters that fans want to see in their own books. This ranges from well-known characters that are strangely missing to lesser known characters that deserve their own books.
10/10 Hercules Hasn’t Had A Solo Book In Ages
Marvel is full of powerful demigods, but few of them can match Hercules. The Prince of Power has often been an upper level B-lister, last seen in Guardians Of The Galaxy, helping to protect the universe and hanging out with his new boyfriend Noh-Varr. Hercules is always a fun character, ready to fight, party, or both.
Hercules could do with another solo book. Outside the X-Men books, Marvel is very bad at LGBTQ rep, so giving the bisexual Hercules a series would go a long way towards making that better. On top of that, there’s so much that can be done with Herc, and he deserves a series.
9/10 Jean Grey Is An Icon Who Deserves Her Own Book
Marvel is looking to give its women more chances to shine in 2023, but also ignoring the biggest superheroine icons in the X-Men. Women like Storm, Emma Frost, Mystique, Rogue, and more could all front a book, but there’s one who deserves it even more. Jean Grey is an icon and the patron saint of the X-Men, and she needs a solo book.
Teen Jean Grey got a short-lived solo book, but fans didn’t love that version like they do the main version. Giving her a series would be great, especially since she’s being completely wasted in X-Men. Jean is massively popular and well known, so giving her a solo in the Krakoa Era would be great.
8/10 Cannonball And Smasher Would Make For A Great Sci-Fi Superhero Book
Cannonball has been left completely out of the Krakoa Era. Since the end of his time as an Avenger, he’s lived in the Shi’Ar Empire with his wife, the Imperial Guardswoman Smasher, and their child. He’s made bit appearances in New Mutants, but that’s it. Smasher has also been absent since her time with the Avengers ended, so giving her and Cannonball a book would be great.
The Shi’Ar Empire doesn’t get nearly the exploration that other Marvel space empires do, despite its important role in X-Men history. Setting a book starring Cannonball and Smasher as they dealt with threats to the Empire would be welcome, letting fans spend time in environment they don’t get to very much with characters they like.
7/10 The Winter Soldier Has Been Left Out Of The Captain America Renaissance
Not every Marvel hero fulfills their destiny, which is what has happened to the Winter Soldier. His time as Captain America was his peak and since then he’s gone downhill. His solo books have failed, and he’s went back to being sidekick. With Steve and Sam both starring in solo books as Captain America, it’s about time for Bucky to get his own.
Bucky has made some appearances in Steve’s book, and he has a new status quo, a player in a great century long game. That story is mostly being handled in Steve’s book, but the Winter Soldier could still get his own book at some point in the year.
6/10 Nova Is Due For Come Back
Nova is a top-notch cosmic Marvel hero. Writer Al Ewing put him Guardians Of The Galaxy, and he’s also been showing up in X-Men Red, hanging out in Port Prometheus on Arakko. He helped fight Uranos’s machines during Judgment Day and was last seen helping fight Vulcan. It’s about time for Richard Ryder to have his own adventures again.
Nova barely gets the credit he deserves anymore. Even with Ewing writing him, he’s not the icon he could be. Making him a part of an X-book, especially one of the most popular ones like X-Men Red, might give him the spotlight to get his own solo book.
5/10 The Sentry Has Always Deserved Better Than He Got
Many Marvel heroes have disappointed fans, but none so much as the Sentry. His debut in 2000 was a smart, psychological story, but what came after wasn’t as good. He was used as a boogeyman more than anything else, going back and forth between hero and villain because of his dark side the Void. Writer Jeff Lemire was supposed to do an ongoing, but it got cut down to a mini.
The Sentry was killed in King In Black and has recently been seen as an undead creature in Strange. The Sentry has come back from death before, so bringing him back in a solo book in 2023 would be easy. There’s still so much that can be done with the character.
4/10 The Inhumans Are Due For A Comeback
Marvel and the Inhumans haven’t gotten along since the end of Marvel’s attempt to push them. 2018’s Death Of The Inhumans killed them off, but left a way for the royal family to return. Marvel needs that right now. The Inhumans never should have been pushed like they were mutants. The characters can work in all kinds of other stories and a new book can show that off.
The Inhumans push introduced all kinds of great characters beyond the royal family, opening things up even more. An Inhumans book can go in so many directions. Done right, it can start a more organic Inhumans push that could give Marvel another killer franchise.
3/10 Reed Richards Has Never Really Gotten Any Solo Stories
The Fantastic Four have a long history at Marvel, but one character isn’t seen very often outside of the team’s book. Reed Richards is basically always with the FF or at the very least in a team book, like New Avengers. Reed is a character who needs a chance to exist outside of the team.
Reed is a rich character, one who many fans love for a variety of reasons. No one has really tried to make him work outside of a team, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. An ongoing might not be the right place for Reed, but a miniseries would a great place to show readers that Reed can be a solo star.
2/10 Wolverine Is Too Good For A B-List Miniseries
Laura Kinney as Wolverine gained a lot of fans and 2022 let many of them down. She was part of the cast of X-Men until the Hellfire Gala one-shot. However, her time on X-Men felt like a waste, as she was barely a character most of the time. She’s since appeared in X-Terminators, and as well-loved as that mini is, she still deserves better.
Wolverine should have her own book. Logan has his. Laura should get hers. People love her and mutant books are huge right now. Wolverine is a character with massive potential. She’s fronted solo books before, has a built-in supporting cast, and can go in different directions than her father.
1/10 Ms. Marvel Doesn’t Have An Ongoing
Ms. Marvel is an amazing hero. She’s starred in her own Disney+ series and is easily the most popular character Marvel’s put out in the 2010s. The only one who comes close is Miles Morales, but Spider-Man has his own solo book and has starred in movies. Ms. Marvel gets a show, and some one-shots guest starring more popular heroes like Wolverine or are crossovers like Dark Web.
Ms. Marvel was a star in the comics, but that’s faded a bit. If there’s any character who needs to be in a new solo book in 2023, it’s her. She’s still popular and has a legion of fans. Ms. Marvel is a great hero, and giving her a book would be great for her readers.
