Rachel Mercer

(This is a reaction to Alex Jarvis' post on DC characters, original post is located over at InputOutcast)

Sorry to interrupt the typical broadcast of TV commentary, but as the official "one who reads Marvel" on the podcast, it seems that the responsibility has fallen to me to pick up the remaining bits and defend it. Once I saw Alex's (somewhat brilliant) post, I knew that I had to stand and defend my first love: Marvel Comics. Though I tend to doubt that I have the seemingly endless knowledge of the canon that Alex seems to have (I blame ~6 more years of consistent comic book consumption), I still am equally passionate about each of these characters and would love to see an expose on each of them.

1. Daken The Son of Wolverine who not only inherited his father's gift of healing, but also his temperament. Though his origin story is touched on during the larger story arc of Wolverine: Origins, his character (with a penchant for violence, a distinct lack of morality, and overwhelming desire to separate himself from his father) makes the perfect fodder for a one-off trade of some kind. His childhood is torn -- having never known his father and having lived with foster parents who, after the birth of their own child, plot to get rid of him. Daken is a character on par with Phoenix in terms of psychological instability, and that my friends is what makes him so great. If you want to see some previews of his character in action -- Marvel has recently added some memorable scenes in the latest of the Dark Reign series, that's just a taste of what he can truly be like.

2. Medusa Okay, so Medusa did get "Ultimate Medusa", but for one that's part of the Ultimate universe -- something totally different, and two, it's only because Black Bolt had one. Medusa, queen of the Inhumans and wife of the ever-silent Black Bolt has an interesting story to tell. Only partially revealed during the Secret Invasion set, the love shared between herself and her silent husband is one seemingly beyond human comprehension. Though she has no psychic abilities, she is able to communicate with and on behalf of her husband. This choice of her character is not simply based on their love story, but actually because I feel that the Inhumans have one of the most interesting "other worlds" that the humans are in contact with (the others being of course Atlantis and The Savage Land) with a diverse culture and complex political society. In my opinion, Marvel more often than not ignores this part of their canon. Why? I have no idea.

3. An Atlantean that's not Namor Did you ever notice that we've never seen any focus on Atlantis outside of the controversial reign of Namor? Sure, we saw a bit of storyline in the death of his betrothed, Dorma. But what about what the everyday life of an Atlantean is like? Perhaps some sort of plan for mutiny, stories of civil unrest, the next great hero?! Nothing. It hasn't been since the beginning of the Bronze age that we've even scratched the surface of other possible character or rulers (I'm looking at you, Vashti). Atlantis is a kingdom that is filled with advanced technologies and genetically enhanced peoples, surely there's some fodder for a story in here somewhere.

4. Domino Again, please remember that I'm talking about characters that deserve their own book, not a paltry limited series with 4 issues, this woman is a firecracker. Domino, a major player in the beginning pieces of the Civil War, the now-sometimes lover of Deadpool, and the smokin' hot merc that can alter the odds of anything. So, if you shoot a bullet at her, the 1 in 1000 chance that you will miss is altered in her favor. Talk about a girl that I'd love to take on a gambling mission. Though her origin story is interesting, she has the potential to gain her own storyline in the role as the head of some sort of super mercenary team. Deadpool gets the luxury of standing alone, why can't she? I lament that there are far too few strong (badass) women at the head of Marvel. I will be the first to admit that Vertigo does a much better job at this.

 5. Mystique Actually portrayed incorrectly on the side of Magneto during the X-Men films, this woman has a lot more to offer than scaly skin and a penchant for nudity. Surprisingly enough, in her storyline she's the mother of Kurt Wagner (the one that we've all come to know and love as NightCrawler), and at one point in time has played foster mother to the indelible Rogue. That said, though she has played a major character throughout the X-Men storyline, there has yet to be a book that focuses strictly on her, part of her origin story have been tucked away in issues of Sabretooth (of all things -- who really wants to read that?). Why don't we break this gal out and show her from a different perspective, eh?