10 Marvel Characters Who Should Get A Red Band Title

While Marvel has made quite a few interesting changes recently, the recent Red Band imprint has been one of the most notable steps forward for the company. The line attempts to reach a more adult audience with mature content that otherwise couldn’t be published in more standard comics.

Marvel’s Red Band initiative is giving readers the chance to physically purchase alternate versions of a comic that has far more mature content, essentially making it a bonus R-rated cut of the original story. There have already been four comics that have found homes with the new imprint— Blood Hunt, Wolverine: Revenge, Blade, and Werewolf By Night— with the hope of more to come. With Marvel’s wide array of characters occupying different tones, many could be well-suited for their own series under the Red Band label.

10 Wolverine Could Gain A Secondary Ongoing

The second series to be part of Red Band, Wolverine: Revenge, is already a hit with fans due to its accessible premise, beloved writing team featuring the talents of Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo, and plenty of gore. Because of this, it may be strange to wish for Wolverine to get another series under this branding, but he’s one of the most obvious characters to find continued success under it.

Logan would be well suited for an ongoing under the Red Band label, something that could be a big risk— and reward— for the budding new imprint. With the character getting an ongoing title in September, it’s a clear idea to grant it the freedom guaranteed under Red Band’s premise sometime in the future— or potentially even give him a secondary series along the lines of Detective Comics.

9 Magneto’s Darker Side Would Be Explored

One of Marvel’s most compelling characters, Magneto has been pushed to the forefront of the current From the Ashes initiative as the Headmaster of the X-Men. This new role is critical, putting the character in a whole new spotlight for readers to enjoy, yet it feels like Magneto deserves more as a character than just a supporting role.

It’s the perfect time to give the Master of Magnetism a solo series that can exploit the character’s inherently mature themes. Magneto is also a character who leans on using brute force if necessary, as evidenced by his past as a villain and some memorable scenes in adaptations like X-Men: First Class to pursue goals that are noble by intention. A new series featuring him that takes advantage of Red Band’s 17+ rating would perfectly display Magneto’s ruthless behaviors and dark past.

8 Typhoid Mary Deserves A Return To Adult Stories

In 1995, Marvel tried their hand with a darker, more mature imprint known as Marvel Edge. It was a bold endeavor that lasted less than a yearbut produced a decent amount of fantastic stories—one of which was Typhoid, a miniseries focused on the Daredevil villain Typhoid Mary. She had semi-retired to become a private investigator, with her four alternate personalities coexisting in an effort to discover the identity of a serial killer targeting sex workers.

While it was a brief title, Typhoid showed that Typhoid Mary (and her alters Mary Walker, Bloody Mary, and Walker) was a force of a character that could perfectly lead her series. In the current day, with Mary being the wife of the Kingpin, it would be fascinating to see the character strike out on her own and reawaken her dormant personalities in a comic line with no censorship.

7 Black Widow’s Bite Would Sting Under Red Band

Natasha Romanov has become an iconic character after her prominence in the MCU, even helming her own solo film—yet she has only 55 legacy issues to her name. For a character with such a rich history and massive mainstream appeal, it’s surprising Marvel hasn’t taken advantage of this fact to try and tell more stories with the Black Widow—especially as she now has her own symbiote.

Widow’s new powerup, combined with her deadly work in espionage, would make a Red Band series a very clear route to take in the future. Natasha is a character constantly grappling with her morality, and this internal struggle, coupled with a symbiotic influence potentially exacerbating things, could be a fantastic idea for a series— especially one with a splash of the gore inherent to the Red Band titles.

6 Bullseye’s Bloody Career Would Be A Perfect Fit

Despite being one of Daredevil’s two primary archenemies— three, if you count the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’s poor habits— the mysterious Bullseye has gotten little in the way of solo titles. He’s had three miniseries, each lasting either two or five issues, and with his starring antagonistic role in Daredevil: Born Again on the way, it seems like a perfect time for the character to get a series again.

The specifics of Bullseye’s work are nasty, making him a great fit for the Red Band line. His 2017 series, in particular, came the closest to showing the gruesome results of his many kills, following Bullseye as he tore through a series of cartels for a job. However, he was still restricted by the fact the title was under Marvel’s mainline brand. The villain’s innate charisma, crossed with his unstable nature, would make the assassin a wildly entertaining lead for any mature series, whether a miniseries or an ongoing one.

5 The Punisher’s Fan-Favorite Series Was In A Similar Line

Punisher has made a name for himself as the ideal antihero, solidifying as a key pillar of the archetype over the years. He’s also one of Marvel’s most iconic characters, receiving many adaptations over the years and a long-running series in the former Marvel MAX imprint. Due to his bloody MO and tortured psyche, Castle had his gruesome stories featured in MAX, the original adults-only Marvel imprint.

Castle is currently out of the picture as Punisher, with the recent character Joe Garrison taking his place. But this doesn’t mean Marvel can’t tell any more stories about the character before he stepped down from his time as the violent vigilante, as evidenced by their revival of MAX to publish Frank as the lead of the comic Get Fury. The recent establishment of Red Band logically leads readers to believe Frank— or possibly even his successor, Joe— could easily find themselves as part of the new imprint.

4 The True Potential Of The Thunderbolts Could Be Showcased

The Thunderbolts are due for their first mainstream adaptation with the upcoming MCU film of the same name, and a comic series to accompany it seems like a no-brainer. The most recent series about the team ended in March 2024, so bringing it back—potentially to tell a much more mature story—is quite an exciting idea.

The Thunderbolts have always been morally questionable characters. Even if the upcoming film’s roster seems filled with more anti-heroic types, they’d fit perfectly into a ruthless imprint like Red Band. Typically composed of supervillains, seeing a team built from the shadiest characters in Marvel’s canon would be entertaining for readers. There would be no restraint to what the team’s members could do in an uncensored comic, which is exactly what they need.

3 Marvel Needs To Utilize The Supernatural Midnight Sons

A team representing Marvel’s magical side, the Midnight Sons were a hit during their inception in the ’90s. Since then, fans have been clamoring for more content with them, with projects featuring the team constantly rumored to be in development. While the Midnight Suns game wasn’t a financial hit, it became a bit of a cult classic among fans— and, as a result, it left many curious about where a potential comic series featuring them may be.

A Red Band title could be a great way to bring the team back to their edgier roots, especially spinning out of the Blood Hunt event. With many of Marvel’s more mystical characters also picking up in fame— such as the Maximoff family, Dr. Strange, and arguably Morbius (though it could be argued he’s more infamous than anything)— it would be a great chance to bring old and new members of the team together in a gruesome new series.

2 Doctor Doom’s New Role As Sorcerer Supreme Could Be Properly Explored

Victor Von Doom is one of the fiercest villains in the Marvel universe, with several feats under his belt that lesser crooks could only hope to achieve. From annihilating universes to killing gods to even becoming one, Doctor Doom has marked himself as a true threat—especially as he has now taken on the role of the Sorcerer Supreme following the events of Blood Hunt.

A solo series about Doom’s new position could be a fantastic addition to Marvel’s lineup, with Red Band taking the extreme nature of the character to its logical conclusion. Doom has dabbled in rather macabre mystic arts over the years, a notable example being when he stole the skin and soul of his old love, Valeria, to use as impenetrable armor. Combining this with his all-new powerset and a Red Band series about the character could be a memorable addition to his history.

1 The Marvel Zombies Universe Is Primed For Even More Gore

The original Marvel Zombies series made waves with its debut in 2005. It was a grotesque and horror-driven look at an alternate version of the Marvel universe succumbing to a zombie plague. Since then, miniseries featuring the concept have been churned out over the years, always seeking to push the envelope with their themes.

With the introduction of the Red Band label, there’s always the chance for Marvel Zombies to push the limits even further than before. While Marvel is inconsistent with what qualifies as its own thing, MAX or Red Band, bringing the Zombies franchise under the newest label could be a nice way of unifying mature content under one umbrella. It could help maximize sales and even potentially help promote the MCU’s upcoming Marvel Zombies animated project.