The Iron Age of Comics: Jim Shooter's Return to Marvel

Morgan Edge and the Intergang, with Metallo as the main direct menace against Superman...naturally the man behind them all it's Luthor


Lois Lane: Rachel Weisz in his first big blockbuster role (ehy loved the chemistry between her and Fraser in the Mummy franchise) or Sandra Bullock (everything is better with her)
Jimmy Olsen: Will Smith (at the time was just beginning his movie career)
Perry White: Morgan Freeman nuff said
Steve Lombard: Bruce Willis or Bruce Campbell both have the comedic chop for playing the role and the acting skill to use in case something of more serious is necessary
John and Martha Kent: Martin Sheen and Teri Garr, both great professional and respected names
Lex Luthor: personally i will go for Jonathan Frakes...he basically just reprise his second most great role aka David Xanatos only with more malice or Gary Oldman both go for a youngish Luthor; if we want someone of more traditional i go for Michael Douglas having fun in basically playing Gordon Gekko with just the serial number off

GREAT calls on Lois and Luthor.

As for Campbell, love Bruce, but I would like him personally as Bibbo Bibbowski.

Jimmy Olsen, how about Will Friedel? Already popular because of Boy Meets World, small enough role he could do both, good comedic chops and plenty of charm to boot. Remember, Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be the friend/sidekick young readers identify with and want to be, so gotta make him the right mix of funny, dorky and cool.

Do we need an Emil Hamilton btw? Because if you don't mind another bite at the Trek TNG apple, Brent Spiner works.
 
Fun timeline so far...but I do have some questions.

1. In 1993, Mike Mignola debuted Hellboy, which was published by Dark Horse. You mentioned Dark Horse a few times; what's going on? Is Hellboy being published ITTL?

2. How about Dave Sim with Cerebus the Aardvark, published through his own Aardvark-Vanaheim? Sim was & still is a patron saint to many small press publishers out there. Has this alternate TL affected him or Cerebus?

3. What about manga and anime? At this point in the early-to-mid 1990s, it was still a niche, having fans of teenagers and college students. Viz was putting out a handful of English adaptations in comic format, shows like Sailor Moon would hit syndication in 1995 and VHS releases of dubbed/subbed anime was hitting retail shelves. How is this TL affecting these Japanese imports? Is it for the better or for worse? Will we still get anime/manga going mainstream at the end of the 1990s, especially with a HUGE outbreak of Pokemania?
 
DOES THIS BUTTERFLY AWAY ANIMANIACS?! 🤯
Not at all. Animaniacs still debuts on Fox Kids in the fall of 1993.
1. In 1993, Mike Mignola debuted Hellboy, which was published by Dark Horse. You mentioned Dark Horse a few times; what's going on? Is Hellboy being published ITTL?
Hellboy remains unaffected by butterflies so far and debuts in 1993, but who knows maybe he will get an adult-oriented animated series ITTL.
2. How about Dave Sim with Cerebus the Aardvark, published through his own Aardvark-Vanaheim? Sim was & still is a patron saint to many small press publishers out there. Has this alternate TL affected him or Cerebus?
Nope.
3. What about manga and anime? At this point in the early-to-mid 1990s, it was still a niche, having fans of teenagers and college students. Viz was putting out a handful of English adaptations in comic format, shows like Sailor Moon would hit syndication in 1995 and VHS releases of dubbed/subbed anime was hitting retail shelves. How is this TL affecting these Japanese imports? Is it for the better or for worse? Will we still get anime/manga going mainstream at the end of the 1990s, especially with a HUGE outbreak of Pokemania?
Fox has a Power Rangers-sized hole in its line-up (the series went to UPN ITTL) so an anime series could conceivably fill that void. Does anyone have any suggestions? Sailor Moon can be one. Dragon Ball Z is another possibility.
 
Not at all. Animaniacs still debuts on Fox Kids in the fall of 1993.

Hellboy remains unaffected by butterflies so far and debuts in 1993, but who knows maybe he will get an adult-oriented animated series ITTL.

Nope.

Fox has a Power Rangers-sized hole in its line-up (the series went to UPN ITTL) so an anime series could conceivably fill that void. Does anyone have any suggestions? Sailor Moon can be one. Dragon Ball Z is another possibility.

Dbz on Fox Kids would completely change the network forever. I advocate for this.
 
Now, that's a name I've never heard of. For a more name brand toku, how bout Fox reaches out to Tsubaraya?
Are you referring to an earlier introduction of Ultraman? That possible if we have an earlier introduction of Tokusatsu in America, maybe with a network picking up Stan Lee Sun Vulcan proposal and/or a successful Bioman series.
 
Are you referring to an earlier introduction of Ultraman? That possible if we have an earlier introduction of Tokusatsu in America, maybe with a network picking up Stan Lee Sun Vulcan proposal and/or a successful Bioman series.
Turner still own Ultraman rights at the time
 
Chapter 25 - Birth of an (Animated) Universe
Jim Shooter was a known stickler for continuity for all things Marvel and that extended well past its comic book universe. He made his desires for the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man animated series to take place in the same universe known, but that was a challenge since X-Men aired on Fox and the Marvel Action Hour aired on UPN. Not only that, but the voice talent for the former worked out of Canada (to keep costs down) while the latter’s talent worked out of Los Angeles, which would also make such crossovers expensive. However, with Jameron Cameron’s Spider-Man nearing release in 1994, both Marvel and Fox planned to air a new Spider-Man animated series that year [1].

What Shooter and the Fox executives wanted was to make it an event so the latter mandated a crossover starring the Web Slinger and the Children of the Atom for X-Men: The Animated Series’ second season. This interference frustrated showrunner Will Meugniot and the production team despite Marvel and Fox offering additional funding for three additional episodes increasing the second season episode count to sixteen from thirteen. He would later describe the production as “hellish” and “rushed,” but completed it on time for its February 1994 air date regardless.

The “Mutant Agenda” three-parter aired on February 18 to much fanfare and a heavy marketing blitz. Its plot centered around the High Evolutionary abducting several mutants and stealing various pieces of technology using his “New Men” [2] in his bid to create a race superior to humans and mutants. Jean Grey and Jubilee are among the mutants kidnapped and the New Men steal an experimental “recombinator” during a demonstration attended by Peter Parker [3]. Both Spider-Man and the X-Men pursue them to Mount Wundagore where they come across each other by chance.

Spidey’s reputation (i.e. the Daily Bugle’s articles) precedes him and glib comment from the webslinger causes Wolverine to go berserk. The fight isn’t long, but it’s a memorable one that pits Spider-Man’s strength and agility against Wolverine’s fighting skills and killer instincts. Cyclops stops the fight and allows Spider-Man to accompany them although there is mistrust on both sides.

Meanwhile, the High Evolutionary creates the ultimate being from the genetic material he harvested and calls him Adam [4] before sending him to eliminate the Spidey and the X-Men. Despite their initial animosity between them, Spider-Man and the X-Men resolve their differences when they face New Men in their attempt to free Jean and Jubilee. This turns the battle in the heroes’ favor when Jean reaches out to Adam and convinces him that the High Evolutionary sees him as nothing more than an experiment. The revelation prompts Adam to abandon the battle, but the High Evolutionary sets off his base’s self-destruct, which forces the X-Men and Spidey to flee.

The three-parter ends at the X-Mansion where Spider-Man confirms to Professor X that he’s not a mutant and recounts his origin while declining to join his school. He amicably parts ways with the X-Men (even remarking to Wolverine that he shouldn’t believe everything he reads in the papers) who now view him as an ally in their mission of human/mutant coexistence.

“Mutant Agenda” was an unqualified success that saw Fox Kid’s highest ratings until the premiere of Dragon Ball Z later that year. It served as the launching pad for the Spider-Man series that debuted the following week, but more importantly it opened the door to unprecedented network crossovers with Marvel’s UPN shows in the following years where the first part would air on one network and the second part on the other.

Meanwhile, Batman: The Animated Series would see Batman team up with other characters from the DC universe such as Zatanna (a favorite of writer Paul Dini), Jonah Hex, but most curiously, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. The producers of the contact contacted Gaiman to write the episode and to their surprise, he agreed. “Perchance to Dream” [5] centered around a sedated Batman who is caught in a dream where his parents were never murdered.

Throughout the episode a stranger with chalk white, black eyes, and unkempt hair warns him that this world is not what it seems. Bruce dismisses it at first, soon realizes that every newspaper and book is a garbled mess. He confronts the stranger in the bell tower of Gotham Cemetery; the stranger reveals himself to be Dream of the Endless and that his world is the dream life he wanted, but could never have as Batman. While Batman fights the dream’s influence, the dream fights back with nightmarish versions of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the criminal that murdered. It is only by letting them “kill” him that Batman breaks free. While he scarcely remembers his dream, he finds a memento waiting for him in the Batcave: an hourglass.

“Perchance to Dream” remains a highly regarded episode of B:TAS by fans and critics alike, but Warner Bros. was looking to move on after 85 episodes. With Superman ‘95 on the horizon and their plans to launch their own network in 1996, Warner Bros. would task the production team to produce a Superman animated series. With the success of Marvel’s crossovers, the Man of Steel would serve as a testbed to introduce their pantheon of heroes for a potential Justice League series.

[1] With John Semper Jr. as showrunner like OTL.

[2] Animals the High Evolutionary evolved to sapience.

[3] Voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes.

[4] Though not explicitly stated in the episode, it’s hinted to be Adam Warlock.

[5] An alternate version of the OTL episode with a similar plot, but the addition of Morpheus..
 
Nice work there Marvel! Getting the animated universe off the ground in such a strong way should see the UPN series last longer and be much better in terms of quality.

That Sandman Batman episode also sounds really good fun, and as a one off not likely to cause kids confusion.

Do the Amalgam comics still happen? What are DC and Marvel's relationships like ITTL?
 
It served as the launching pad for the Spider-Man series that debuted the following week, but more importantly it opened the door to unprecedented network crossovers with Marvel’s UPN shows in the following years where the first part would air on one network and the second part on the other.
Does this mean a possible merger between Fox and UPN instead of WB and UPN?
“Mutant Agenda” was an unqualified success that saw Fox Kid’s highest ratings until the premiere of Dragon Ball Z later that year.
Does this mean Cartoon Network is going to die or just Toonami?
Do the Amalgam comics still happen? What are DC and Marvel's relationships like ITTL
I hope so.
 
Isn't his contract for Ultra Seven not Ultraman.

I'm not sure if Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad could be introduced any earlier in America, Gridman the Hyper Agent premiered in Japan in 1993 one year before America's Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad.

From the mid nineties to really just a few years ago, Tsuburaya 's options for foreign licensing was limited due to underhanded legal manuevering by Thai filmmaker Sompote Sands.

He claimed to have a contract granting full control of foreign licenses for the Ultra series.

If you butterfly this or change the ruling, all should be good.

Edit: For the irony, maybe Nicholas Cage as Luthor.?
 
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I thought I would have a little fun and ask the audience which actors they would like to see cast in TTL's Superman '95. We already know that Brendan Fraser will be playing Clark Kent/Superman, but feel free to make suggestions for the flowing characters:

-Lois Lane
-Jimmy Olsen (I'm leaning towards Sean Astin)
-Perry White
-Steve Lombard
-John and Martha Kent
-Lex Luthor
Lois - Kate Beckinsale (Jon Peter wanted Sandra Bullock for Burton Superman Lives)
Jimmy - (Burton wanted Chris Rock)
Perry White- I have like to see Frank Langella as Perry with a better script then Superman Returns
Steve Lombard - William Baldwin
Lex Luther - Pete Postlethwaite, (Burton wanted Kevin Spacy )
No idea for the Kents . How old do you want them to be ?
 
Does this mean Cartoon Network is going to die or just Toonami
I doubt CN is going to die without Toonami. The Cartoon Cartoon initiative was already in the works at this point iotl. Without Toonami however, they'll be trailing behind Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Fox Family (if it gets formed ittl.) Also, there is one thing I think can help CN stay relevant in the mid to late 90's: A WCW cartoon.
 
If there's no Toonami, it means that all the animes and toons that WOULD have featured on there have to go somewhere. I can see the shows being divided between UPN and Fox Kids respectively with MTV maybe starting their own Adult Anime channel that evolves quickly into TTL's Adult Swim. ''Liquid Television'' maybe?
 
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