10 Marvel Heroes Who Deserve Ongoing Titles

Marvel Comics has published countless books based on its most popular heroes and even some of its most popular villains for decades. That continues to this day, with multiple Spider-Man, X-Men and Avengers books available to read every month. At the same time, there are definitely a few characters who still need books of their own.

Certain Marvel heroes haven’t had books in years and for various reasons. Whether it’s falling into obscurity or even real-world controversy, there are several reasons why certain Marvel heroes lack titles of their own. However, these circumstances only present reasons to put them back onto shelves, with each character providing something otherMarvel comic books don’t have.

10 The Winter Soldier Is A Popular MCU Hero

Debut: Captain America Comics #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

Ever since he was reintroduced as the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes has been one of the most popular Marvel characters. He briefly even served as Captain America, though he’s since returned to the Winter Soldier moniker. Given that the hero is so popular in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s a shame that he doesn’t have an ongoing book of his own.

A Winter Soldier title could be espionage and stealth-based and essentially function as a dark Captain America book. The comic could go in directions that Cap’s own title couldn’t, all the while possibly featuring supporting cast members such as Black Widow. With how starved some fans feel concerning Bucky, an ongoing title might be the way to sate them.

9 Luke Cage’s Mayoral Role Has Barely Been Explored

Debut: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas and John Romita Sr.

Luke Cage is another classic Bronze Age Marvel hero who’s sadly been overlooked for the most part. He had a bit of prominence in the early 2000s due to being on the New Avengers team, but this has rarely manifested in a solo title. It’s even worse now, given that he’s the mayor of New York, with the sole title that played with this being a tie-in to the “Gang War” storyline.

Luke Cage’s mayoral status has a lot of narrative potential, especially if he has to balance this with any duties as a superhero. Cage would protect the streets in more than one way, which could cause issues with his responsibilities as a mayor. Add in his wife, Jessica Jones, and it would be a way to explore street-level heroics and politics in a manner befitting the former “Power Man.”

8 Danny Rand Must Return as Iron Fist

Debut: Marvel Premiere #15 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane

Danny Rand isn’t the only Iron Fist, but he isn’t the most well-known incarnation of the character. Debuting in the Bronze Age when Marvel was chasing the kung fu movie trend, he’s recently given up the mantle in an attempt to make Swordmaster popular in the role. This so far hasn’t amounted to much, but bringing Danny Rand back might be the jumpstart that the brand needs again.

Relaunching Danny Rand as Iron Fist could get fans back on board and make the title at least initially successful. The character’s martial arts nature makes him perfect for jumping on the manga bandwagon and imitating a shonen series. Rand is now 50 years old, having debuted in 1974, and there’s no better way to celebrate him than to put him back in the spotlight.

7 Fans Want the Frank Castle Punisher Back

Debut: The Amazing Spider-Man #129 by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Gerry Conway and Ross Andru

The Frank Castle version of The Punisher has been retired by Marvel, but he’s still far more popular and iconic than many of the Marvel heroes who have books. An attempt to introduce a new Punisher failed hard and was quickly canceled, making it clear which version fans wanted to see. Given the types of stories that the character thrives in, now is the best time for a relaunched Punisher comic book featuring the original version.

The recent retcons to The Punisher in the Jason Aaron run should largely be ignored
, and a relaunched series needs to feature Frank Castle taking on organized crime, human trafficking and other grounded threats.

Much like the Marvel MAX title, overt connections to the wider Marvel Universe should be wholly ignored in favor of something completely removed from superhero comic books. This makes The Punisher interesting and different to read, and it could emulate the success of similar revenge stories such as John Wick or The Beekeeper on the big screen. Changing the character for a customer base that will never read him anyway will only damn the iconic Marvel antihero to obscurity, so embracing what makes Frank Castle tick is a much better path.

6 Brother Voodoo Has Never Been Mainstream

Debut: Strange Tales #169 by Stan Lee, Len Wein and John Romita Sr.

Brother Voodoo is one of Marvel’s most overlooked Black heroes, occupying a much different space than others. Whereas Blade is a horror action hero and Luke Cage deals with street-level crime, Brother Voodoo is meant to focus on the supernatural. While his seeming “upgrade” to Doctor Voodoo may have come off as a positive direction, it only made him seem like a spinoff character for Doctor Strange. Given that he mainly shows up only in the book Strange Academy, that’s certainly the case in most readers’ eyes.

Doctor Voodoo needs to return to being called Brother Voodoo, with a new ongoing series finally fleshing out him and his world. As his name suggests, he could deal with all manner of Vodun and Orisha spirits, tackling the dangers between the material and spirit worlds involving various African religions. It’s a good way to finally use him solo while also separating him from Stephen Strange.

5 Deadpool & Cable Should Rise from the Ashes

Debut: The New Mutants #98 and The Uncanny X-Men #201 by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza, Chris Claremont and Rick Leonardi

Deadpool is one of Marvel’s most popular and hilarious antiheroes, and he has an ironic friendship with the time-traveling mutant Cable. The X-Men line is now being relaunched under the “From the Ashes” banner, which deals with the fallout of the Krakoa era. While this has promised several new titles, one book is sadly still missing from the lineup.

Deadpool & Cable was a very popular book in its day, as it combined a gruff commando with a motormouth mercenary. Cable and Deadpool haven’t interacted much lately, so having them team up once more in a new book could correct this mistake. Likewise, Deadpool is once again one of Marvel’s biggest characters due to the success of Deadpool & Wolverine, so a new title for the Merc with a Mouth is sure to be a hit.

4 Ben Reilly Needs a Redemption

Debut: The Amazing Spider-Man #149 by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru

Ben Reilly is one of the most confusing Spider-Man characters ever, as he’s gone from despised to beloved in the past few decades. At one point, he was suggested to be the “true” Peter Parker; his confirmed status as a clone made fans warm up to him a bit more. Sadly, his recent degradation and turn to villainy as Chasm has rubbed many the wrong way, especially after it seemed he was set to become a major hero in his own right again.

A new Scarlet Spider book could focus on either Kaine or Ben Reilly, but either way, it needs to redeem the latter. His role as Chasm needs to end, and he might even be able to find some stability in his life. Given the many Spider-Man titles being published, this one would likely entice fans more than any other. It would also cement Ben as a part of Peter Parker’s world, showing how heroism runs in the family.

Debut: Uncanny X-Men #318 by Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo

One of the more overlooked X-Men teams is the 1990s group Generation X, who are largely ignored compared to the New Mutants. The team’s book, which was fairly popular, featured fan-favorite X-Men member Jubilee alongside new characters such as Chamber, Husk, and others. Sadly, this hasn’t seen them revisited often, with the team largely languishing in obscurity.

Given all the attention the New Mutants continue to receive, it’s only fair to release a new
Generation X
book.

This could be a forward-thinking nostalgia, bringing back the original team and showcasing how much they’ve grown. Given that Jubilee would still be at the helm, it would also ensure that a beloved mutant is there to attract newcomers. Plus, with the New Mutants out of the picture in the current “From the Ashes” relaunch, Generation X could shine like never before.

2 The Midnight Sons Were Major Stars In the 1990s

Debut: Ghost Rider #28 by Howard Mackie, Andy Kubert and Bobbie Chase

Midnight Sons, a big-time team in the 1990s, featured horror and monster-based Marvel characters such as Morbius, Blade and Ghost Rider. Some team members remain popular, with the recently launched Blade comic book being the biggest hit for the vampire hunter in decades. With Ghost Rider also maintaining popularity, now’s the perfect time to relaunch a Midnight Sons book.

Specifically based on the horror characters (and not the overall supernatural tone of the “Midnight Suns”), a new Midnight Sons book needs to explore the darkest corners of the Marvel Universe. Vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins and demons should be the major foes, showcasing gore and violence in ways the Avengers titles might avoid. More horror than superhero, the book might even lead to a relaunched horror line from Marvel.

1 The Amazing Spider-Girl Could Be a Huge Hit

Debut: What If #105 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz

There’s a new Spider-Girl in town in the Marvel Universe, but this is only in the mainstream Earth-616 universe. Elsewhere, there are several alternate takes on the character and concept, with one standing above them all. With fans desperate to see Mary Jane and Peter Parker married, a new book for the Mayday Parker Spider-Girl could fill that void. It helps that the young heroine is so beloved in her own right beyond her parents.

A relaunched Amazing Spider-Girl book could be for the MC2 Universe what the current Ultimate Spider-Man book is for the rebooted Ultimate Universe. If it’s written in the same vein as the classic series, it would be the perfect title for lapsed fans and younger readers, giving them something new while providing all manner of old-school goodness. If it’s anything like the previous volumes of May’s book, it’ll prove once and for all that she’s the true Spider-Girl.