It may be the easy way, but it's not the cowboy way

The Rangers

I don't know why it took me so long to get to this crew.  The Rangers have long been my go-to team for Marvel fan-fiction (even more than the Avengers).  There's a special charm to a team which combines superhero action with the do-good spirit of American westerns.  

With the Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men all basing out of New York, the American west is open game to villainy, and the Rangers are ready to step in to fill that gap. The 50 State Initiative would have us believe that this group could be limited to Texas, but their membership ranges through Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada and New Mexico.  With my MMM disbanding of the Initiative, the Rangers are now free to range (ha!) all across the Southwest.

The lineup hasn't changed at all from their first appearance, consisting of:

Texas Twister
I hate this picture of him, but it's what I got.  It makes him look a little doofy, when in fact he's a former SHIELD super-agent and more than capable of leading this team.  True there's a measurable bit of showmanship spawning from his rodeo days (something he still pursues in his off time), but he takes his heroing responsibilities very seriously and has no trouble balancing the two traits.

Shooting Star

Longtime companion of Texas Twister, Star's sharpshooting skills, combined with her specially-rigged pistols are an invaluable asset in both his rodeo act and his super heroics. Her ability with the trick-shot comes in handy when shooting guns out of thugs hands (or fuses off of sticks of dynamite, or mind control chips off of victims spins, or...you get the idea), but her specially-designed revolvers are also capable of shooting stun bullets when she just needs to take a man down. On the team, she provides the loyal opposition to Twister's leadership, supporting him 100%, but in the most argumentative way possible. Seriously, they argue like an old married couple.







Phantom Rider
When evil arises, the spirit of Lincoln Slade merges with his descendant Hamilton to become the ghostly law enforcer, Phantom Rider.  I suspect Hamilton will need to learn some tricks to summoning him when evil is NOT present, though, or he's going to be absent during any scene that doesn't involve a villain, and that's pretty limiting.  As the Rider, he can best be described as ominous and single minded, but Hamilton is swaying him to be more of a team player than the loner he used to be.  As an archaeologist, Hamilton's contributions outside the mask shouldn't be downplayed, as I suspect the Rangers will be facing many challenges native to the Southwest and Hamilton's knowledge in that area is often the key to victory. 

Red Wolf

Having returned to his construction job by day, Red Wolf continues to serve as Ranger when called upon.  A peerless combatant, Wolf is also an unmatched tracker and hunter, valuable skills when their opponents can be spread anywhere across the Southwest.  Another not favorite picture here, though, as later appearances have geared him up too much in the stereotypical Indian war dress.  I much preferred his more streamlined initial dress and will scale him back to just the coup stick and tomahawk.  He should probably get another wolf companion too.  I miss Lobo.









Firebird
As a social worker in her day job, Firebird is a guiding force behind getting the team to provide more to the peoples of the Southwest than just catching bank robbers. From making appearances at children's hospitals to simply cleaning up after their battles, she's probably why the Rangers are as popular as they are. I also like the idea of a positive portrayal of a Christian character in the comics. There aren't enough of those, I think.











I'm a bit torn on location for the team to meet up.  I can't decide what's the most Western. My first thought is to have the team encounter a ghost town with a secret underpinning of technology (I'm thinking an early encounter with the villain Arcade) that they could commandeer. At the same time, the widespread nature of its membership says that a Wild, Wild West-style steam train HQ would be more practical.

Maybe I'll do both... 

Think Globally, Act Locally

The Global Guardians

So far all modern day My52 titles are based in the United States (which makes sense given the US-centric audience of DC Comics), but I do want to expand the world a little bit and take a look at heroic happening outside of Uncle Sam's territory.  This worked really well for me as a concept during the original Justice League Europe/International run of the early 90s (where the stories were better in many ways than the ones printed in the papa comic, Justice League America).  

Unlike DC's New52 line-up, though, I don't want to dilute the name "Justice League" by adding a number of spin-off titles.  Heck, I didn't even use the title Justice SOCIETY for my JSA pitch.  Fortunately, there's another international superhero agency with a long history in the DCU.

For a number of decades, the Global Guardians operated under the premise that each nation would provide a single superhero to represent them in this world-wide peacekeeping organization.  More than a few were showcases for the trend of foreign superheroes being based on cultural stereotypes, but the majority were original creations who rarely went on to bigger things than being mind-controlled opponents for the above-mentioned JLE.

I honestly can't tell you what the "current" status of the GG is (although I believe they made a sort of appearance in early post-Infinite Crisis Green Lantern comics), but following the Final Crisis and Blackest Night, The Guardians reform with a slightly more limited scope. Despite the grand name, these Global Guardians are super-functionaries of the European Union and are chartered to defend Europe.  They still field one member per country, but only European members are invited.

Alpha Centurion

Probably the most obscure member of the team, Alpha Centurian was a supporting character to Superman back in the 90s, but Lord knows what's happened to him since.  Ol' AC was a centurion from Ancient Rome chosen to journey with an alien visitor to the stars, only to return 2000 years later.  Basing himself in Metropolis upon his return, it's no stretch of the imagination to see him return to Rome and ultimately become Italy's representative to the Global Guardians.

Ice Maiden

Although killed in action during her tenure with the Justice League, Tora Olafsdotter was since clumsily resurrected in Birds of Prey.  Still, can't complain 'cause I love the character and look forward to having her back i the Global Guardians. Politically-aware readers might notice that her home nation of Norway isn't actually a member of the European Union, but that's a pretty soft barrier.

Jack O'Lantern
There's been a lot of people in this costume, but it's still such an iconic look in my mind that he MUST be present regardless of who's in the hood.  The most recent barer of the lantern was an Irish freedom fighter, but I can easily see the government stepping in to separate him from that power and granting it to someone more acceptable to their public image.  It'll be interesting to see how a legacy character develops when he's living in the shadow of all the other people who have died while carrying this seemingly cursed power.

 Crimson Fox

Crimson Fox wasn't on my go-to list for members of the Global Guardians, not the least reason because she's dead (twice!).  Initially a shared identity between two identical sisters, both were killed off over time.  However, I've since grown to appreciate the character's contrast between clawed vixen and cultured businesswoman and can imagine hundreds of ways for her to contribute to the team.  Putting a new woman behind the mask could be as easy as someone wanting to step forward with France's most successful heroine (a member of the Justice League no less) when it came time to represent for the Guardians.









Godiva
I'm a sucker for heroes with seemingly limited powers who still know how to throw down (::cough:: Ant-Man ::cough::) and Godiva's prehensile hair certainly makes that list.  One one level, it's hair.  On the other hand, though, she's like a hot blonde Dr. Octopus, only not limited to just four extra limbs.  And while I'm not normally a fan of cultural stereotypes, I'd totally write Godiva with an exaggerated "stiff upper lip" where nothing phases her.  Contrast a stoic, British can-do attitude with the seemingly lame power of "hair manipulation" and I think we've got a winning character here.

Olympian

Unfortunately he's been depicted as something of a goof in recent outings, but I see Olympian as the heir to some of the greatest heroes of Earth's mythic past and should be shown as such.  The golden fleece he wears was the goal of the Jason and the Argonauts (including Hercules)!  I don't know who's under the horns (although I guess I should figure that out), but he has to be a hero himself.  And the strength and invulnerability the fleece brings him must combine to make him one of the greatest champions of the Mediterranean. 

Jolt
Who?
Jolt was one of the forgettable characters for the short-lived Blasters series following the Invasion mini-.  Originally a Spanish fashion model, she gained the power to create a repellent forcefield around her body due to experimentation by the alien Dominators.  Like with Godiva, I appreciate the limited scope of her powers and look forward to seeing how many different ways they can be applied to crimebusting.  In addition to representing Spain in the GG, she also handily fills the spot of vain thrill-seeker that every team needs. Clearly she's only on the team as a way to promote herself.

Wingman

The Global Guardians grew out of old Batmen of All Nations stories, and I'd be remiss not to include one of those characters in this team.  Of the lot, it was Sweden's Wingman which caught my eye, but imagine my surprise when I learned the character had turned evil in recent Grant Morrison-penned Batman stories.  However, I have just now decided that this Wingman once operated with a Robin-like youthful sidekick named Redbird, and that character, now grown, has decided to reclaim and redeem the name of Wingman.  As you can see from the picture, I've opted for something along the lines of his original, more colorful costume rather than the darker image he'd taken in his later days.  Powerwise, his cape/wings allow him to fly, while his combat training makes him almost the equal of Batman himself.  He's a bit like this universe's Falcon.


The Global Guardians have long been based out of a building called The Dome in Paris, and I see no reason to change that.

I haven't decided if eventually the GG will try to branch out of Europe and attempt to fulfill the nature of their name.  The presence of a representative from Norway shows they're willing to look outside the official EU member nations, and I see them soon attempting to sway a Russian hero into joining, perhaps one of the super-speed characters of Red Trinity...

Irredeemable Tales

G.I. Ant-Man

By rights I shouldn't have liked it, but Eric O'Grady, the Irredeemable Ant-Man, really won me over.  Despite a long-standing fanaticism for Hank Pym's Ant-Man, I do have a special place in my heart for craven, deceitful anti-heroes going back to George MacDonald Fraser's 'Flashman' books.

I was honestly disappointed to learn that O'Grady was killed off in the comics and replaced with the previously-dead Scott Lang, but since that all happens *after* my Secret Invasion kick off point, I don't have to allow it and can continue with O'Grady filling the diminutive title role.

Plus I really like the buggy-ness of his costume.

During his time with the Initiative, some genius writer coined the name "G.I. Ant-Man" and gave O'Grady the ability to grow as well as to shrink.  No way I can let that name die, so I've taken his SHIELD training into consideration and make him a government agent.  For the most part it's his training and shrinking abilities which make him such an asset, but every so often he needs to enbiggen and lay some stomp onto things.

Just like Flashman, Ant-Man's status as a top government agent gives him an undeserved reputation of heroism, but just like Fraser's character, his successes only come in spite of his cowardice and general cad-like behavior.  It'll be awesome.  In theory, O'Grady *should* have a secret identity as a top government agent, but I don't see him as the type to be able to keep a secret from a pretty face, so expect him to be dropping some very obvious hints to his occupation with the young ladies living in his apartment complex.

Assembly required

The Avengers

Like with the My52 Justice League, the Avengers line-up is one of the greatest armchair quarterback opportunities in comics.  Everyone has their favorite and detailed explanations of why their choices are best.  Also like the Justice League, there are so many characters to choose from, it's easy to fall into decision paralysis until the most inviting solution is to put EVERYONE in the Avengers.

Done.

The end of Secret Invasion creates a new opportunity to form up "Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Following his killing blow of the invading Skrull queen, Norman Osborn and his Thunderbolts are on the rise, while the Avengers and the 50 State Initiative are on the outs.  In fact, the Initiative is seen by many to have been a base from which the invasion penetrated the U.S., and the program is quickly dismantled.  The Avengers lose their preferred hero status and government support to the Thunderbolts, and are forced to operate as an independent unit.

Not incidentally, the core membership most people think of when they think Avengers doesn't exist in a recognizable form in Make My Marvel.  Thor and Captain America, fer instance, are now completely different people, as is Iron Man as far as anybody else is concerned.

So who makes it into my Avengers line-up?  Thought you'd never ask.

Captain America 
With the death of Steve Rogers, James Barnes has taken on the role of his former mentor.  He doesn't lead the team as Rogers did, but he still brings a lifetime (or more) of combat training and small unit tactics to the team. He fulfills the role of the legacy hero, a second generation character raised to take the spot of his mentor.

Storm

Storm always seemed too big for the X-Men.  In a group where each character possessed a unique single mutant power, Storm's ability to command the elements seemed out of scale.  She's so powerful, in fact, that she always felt to me like she belonged in the Avengers.  And here she is.

Songbird
Of all the former villains to take on heroic identities in the original Thunderbolts series, Songbird was the one for whom it seemed to take the strongest.  We were even shown that she would be joining some future Avengers team in 'Avengers Forever'.

Besides, villain-turned-hero always makes for some great character and story opportunities.

Icarus

The Eternals are an entire race of god-like superhumans living on the fringes of Marvel Earth, and I'd like to see them get some of the attention they deserve.  Thena, the current ruler of the Eternals, decides that they can't hide anymore, and assigns one of their member to join the Avengers as a way to build goodwill toward their people.  I'm even willing to say Makkari was her first choice (because I confess he was my first choice), but noble Ikaris stepped forward to volunteer (even taking the more commonly accepted spelling of his name as a way to blend in).  Without a doubt, Icarus brings Thor-level power to the team.

Iron Man

With Tony Stark bankrolling the Avengers again, it's a sure thing that his Iron Man will get to be on the team.  It's a bit humbling, though, that he has to convince everyone that he's a different guy under the helmet and he doesn't have as much clout in the team as he should with his founding member status.

In fact, a few people think of him as having bought his way onto the team rather than proving himself. It's an uphill battle for some to prove he has what it takes. 

Yellowjacket

I'm not a fan of the heavy handed slate wiping of Hank Pym at the conclusion of Secret Invasion, but whatever helps us get past that one backhand which marked him as a wife beater for the past 40 years.  With that out of the way, I look forward to returning him to his adventuring scientist days.  Also, as far as anyone knows, he's the only founding member of the Avengers still on the team, and that brings him a level of leadership and respect.

Spider-Man
Flying high on his celebrity status (as described in Spider-Man's own entry in Make My Marvel), Parker adds "Avenger" to his resume.  Despite a life-long history of crime fighting, though, being a superstar has soured public opinion on him a bit, and even some of his fellow Avengers question his commitment to righting wrongs. Truth is, he didn't leave the Avengers on the best terms in Civil War, but with someone new in the Iron Man suit (heh), he's ready to give them another chance.









Since the destruction of Avengers Mansion back in 2004, the team has operated out of a skyscraper in Manhattan.  Since I feel that robs from the Fantastic Four too much, I'm going to have my Secret Invasion end with them losing that building and being forced to relocate. Their new digs are set up in one of Stark's long-abandoned Long Island factories.  It's easily adapted to hold science labs, communications equipment, and engineering spaces.  There's a token effort for living spaces, but it's not really intended for full-time occupancy, requiring 
Avengers to keep residences outside of their HQ.

Cap'n A!

Captain America

Steve Rogers is dead.

There, I said it. Assassinated at the end of Civil War, Captain America's shield and mask are taken up by his former sidekick James "Don't call me Bucky" Barnes.  Although the comics quickly set out to revive Steve Rogers and eventually give him his shield back, my policy of "don't kill 'em if you don't want 'em dead" means that Steve is going to stay a martyr, and Barnes is really going to have to step up to fill his shoes.

Once Bucky got behind the shield, though, he continued on the trail he'd set as the Winter Soldier, a gun-toting vigilante/super-spy.  Personally I like my Cap'n A a little more high-minded than that, so my BuckyCap will quickly become aware of the shoes he's filling and try to discard the trappings of the previous life that had been forced on him.  Walking the high road is his way of atoning for everything he did while being mind controlled by the USSR.

Including the shield, he's literally carrying more 

weapons than he has hands for.

Trained by the original Captain America, Barnes is no slouch in a fight, especially when you combine that with his years of activity as a Soviet spy.  He's not the leader of men Steve was, but he can still serve as a symbol for people to rally behind.

Appearance-wise, I kind of hate the costume they put Bucky in when he took on the identity.  He looks more like Captain Puerto Rico than Captain America.  I don't feel at all beholden to adopting the appearances from the movies, but I really thought Cap's costume in Avengers was pitch perfect, and could easily see that adapted to Bucky's new wardrobe, especially in the way the zip-up-the-side-paneled jacket matches what he wore as Bucky in WWII.  Detach the mask from the jacket to give it an upturned collar (and Cap's helmet from Winter Soldier like that which CA originally wore) and I think you've got it.

 

There will be a quiz later.

I can't remember the last time Captain America had a secret identity (and then it was a comic book artist (?)), but I think Barnes needs one.  After spending decades either frozen in hibernation or under Soviet mind control, Bucky is even more a man out of time than Rogers was when he was thawed out.  He needs a civilian life to grow accustomed to the modern world (and only coincidentally provide interesting story potentials.)

When considering the best place for a one-armed Army vet, I latched onto the idea of Bucky getting a job at a veteran's affairs office.  Providing support for veterans and wounded warriors adjusting to life outside the military can be just as therapeutic for Bucky, and there's even an opportunity for a romantic interest in a young, idealistic physical therapist.

Then I realized I sort of ripped that off from the Falcon in the Winter Soldier movie as well, but just decided to go with it. 

I...am...Iron...Man...

Iron Man

To be honest, Tony Stark didn't come out of Secret Invasion too well.

On the heels of Civil War, Tony Stark had been made the head of SHIELD and incorporated all his "Starktech" into that global defense force.  I'm not sure exactly what "Starktech" means, but it was apparently even hardwired into his own body such that when the alien invaders inevitably hacked his system and brought down all of Earth's defenses, Stark sort of crashed with it.

After the smoke had cleared, opportunistic politicians saw Tony as the perfect scapegoat and came down hard on him.  In the comics, this lead to some sort of weird system reboot in his brain (conveniently wiping any culpability for the dickhead maneuvers he did during Civil War).  I don't need to go that far exactly, but I do appreciate the excuse to gut all that Extremis gear that had pushed Iron Man so far from the "guy in a high-tech suit" concept.

wha-?

I admit, my ongoing concept for Iron Man stems from one mental image: Tony Stark in trouble and calling on his bodyguard all Johnny Sokko-like, and Iron Man launching from a silo at Stark Enterprises to fly to the rescue.  The twist is that once the Iron Man armor arrives on scene, Tony would surreptitiously slip into it, becoming Iron Man rather than being whisked to safety.  Everybody sees them both together, so they're none-the-wiser about the dual identity, and Stark gets to be Ironman in secret.

"Why," you ask, "would he need to act in secret when everyone knows he's Iron Man?"

The answer is that, following the debacle of Secret Invasion, the public loss of confidence in Stark both from the government and his investors lead him to the realization that the only way to keep his company afloat is to stop being Iron Man.

The opening story arc shows that he's hired someone else to be Iron Man (I'm thinking Michael O'Brien, a character with experience piloting some of Stark's powersuits, pending a quick review to make sure the character is still alive), only to see that person quickly overwhelmed and killed in action.  Tony can't put another person at risk like that again, and decides to continue being Iron  Man himself, but now must keep that role secret for the sake of his company.  He uses O'Brien's death to justify his need to keep the current Iron Man's identity private.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite IM armor.  Of course I'm a longtime fan of the classic MkV armor he wore for so many years, but I also appreciate some of the more modern takes on it.  Ideally, I'd like to see a blend between the classic form-fitting suits and the modern plated armor look.  Something that suggests iron plates, but without all the jutty and sticky-out parts some artists can get carried away with.  Something along the lines (if not exactly the lines) of the 'Bleeding Edge' armor which appeared in 2010.

In fact, this suit is almost perfect.  I wonder if there's a way to add back in the eye slits.  It was always nice to be able to see Tony's eyes through his visor.

Other than that, it's business as usual.  Tony tries to manage his company as best he can, while fending off corporate spies and foreign saboteurs on a monthly basis.  Although no longer in the defense industry, the scope of SE's projects mean there's no shortage of ways to put him in any number of dangerous situations around the globe.

Here's where I confess I have zero idea of who Stark's supporting cast is these days.  I know Happy Hogan's dead, and Pepper Potts recently sported the armored identity of 'Rescue,' but I'm pretty blank on anything else.  He might even need an all-new cast of supporting characters from which to hide is secret identity. 

Marvel's First Family

The Fantastic Four

It's hard to pitch a Make My Marvel version of Fantastic Four because the series never seems to work when it deviates from the initial four characters of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Thing and Human Torch.  They're all so perfectly balanced and characterful that any tip of the apple cart is too much.  However, I think a fun variation of the team would be to, while not changing the membership, switch up their powers.  It's change for the sake of change, but could liven up a team that's been pretty consistent now for about 50 years.  

They dabbled with this a bit in the second Fantastic Four movie, and I'd bet money it's been played with in the comics before, but I'd like to try it as a long-term ('cause nothing's permanent) change to the status quo.  I accept that it's a gimmick, but let's see how it takes.

Strangely, I couldn't find any pictures of them with switched powers,

so I made this handy chart to track my intent.

Mr. Invisible (Reed Richards)
Based on Reed's deep-set desire to see and understand the underpinnings of the universe, Reed takes on Sue's ability to bend light and manipulate "hyperspace forces" (whatever that means).  As Sue could, he can turn himself and others invisible as well as produce invisible force fields.  His engineering-oriented mind is able to create more complex shapes and effects than Sue ever could, but he finds that his structures aren't as strong as hers were.

It-Girl (Sue Richards)
Sue's desire to protect her family and others leads her to adopt Ben's monstrous strength and appearance.  While I'd like the artist to find a slightly more feminine way to draw her than She-Thing, she does have to learn to cope with her new appearance much as Ben had to in his earlier days (and she does it in much the same way, thanks to the unconditional love of her husband and children).  Her new form is even more indestructible than Ben's was, but she isn't able to reach the same strength that he did.

The Torch (Ben Grimm)
We all know Ben's got a bit of a temper, and he loves to fly, and these two traits lead him directly to Johnny's flame powers.  He's not as good as Johnny was  with the fire shapes, but can really pour out the speed and power.  Unfortunately his flame doesn't last as long, and Ben finds his flames can exhaust themselves pretty quickly if he doesn't moderate them.  On a personal note, he's obviously ecstatic to have his human appearance back, but is almost as distraught by having (inadvertently) foisted his disfigurement onto Sue.

Thin Man (Johnny Storm)
I kind of hate the name, but I tried to keep the new names thematically similar to the meter of the previous names, and the best I could come up with for Johnny was to tie his name into another WWII-era superhero, in this case, one with stretchy powers. In any case, it's Johnny's carefree personality which leads him to adopt the shape-altering powers of Mr. Fantastic, although his vanity makes him slightly less likely to distort his features too much. He mostly limits himself to elongating his limbs and trunk rather than flattening his body or taking on shapes.  Still, he's more acrobatic than Reed was with the same powers, and he can be an elusive combatant.



Recent leanings in the writing of the Fantastic Four have depicted them as explorers, gallivanting around space and the dimensions, and having a series of out-of-this-world adventures (ha!).  I actually like this interpretation as it's in keeping with early comics of them discovering Subterra or aiding alien civilizations, but it shows the same flaw (to me, at least) as all those stories of Thor in Asgard.  I lose interest in the characters if they're removed from the recognizable world.  Putting them in the Negative Zone or rocketing to Altare V gives me zero investment in whatever it is they discover or achieve.

Looking again at their early adventures, the FF weren't just exploring new places, but were discovering new threats to the Earth there and stopping it.  Having just survived a major alien invasion (and feeling more than a little responsible for it), puts Reed and the rest of the FF in a position to re-dedicate themselves to watching for extra- (or sub-) terrestrial threats to the Earth.  The Foursome is more focused on being a first-line defense against anything "not of this Earth."

Initially I was kind of directionless about the Richards kids.  Franklin and Valeria are getting old enough to participate in adventures, and my first blush was that adding these two to the mix upsets the 4-way balance of the main characters.  In fact, I briefly had the idea of renaming the group the 'First Family' (playing off both the growing family aspect as well as their often-used sobriquet as the first family of comics. But then I remembered that was exactly the title of one of Kurt Busiek's Astro City groups and I didn't want to be ripping him off at all.

Although it might be fair to ask who ripped off whom in his instance.

But then the idea dawned on me that being old enough to have adventures is not the same as joining the team.  I think the occasional back-up story of the Richards kids going all Goonies would be a lot of fun.

Thanks to some destruction during Secret Invasion, the upper flours of the Fantastic Four's skyscraper HQ are eligible for some redesigning.  I'd like to see the tower take on some traits of an observatory, and serving as a reminder of their goal as watchmen for extra-terrestrial threats to the Earth.  In a departure from the clean, symmetrical geometry of Four Freedom's Plaza, the new tower is topped with a jumble of Kirby-esque domes and devices.