Before he went on to co-found Milestone Media, the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, along with artist Ernie Colon, gave Marvel fans one of the most underrated, funny comic book concepts ever put to paper: Damage Control.
Debuting in 1988's Marvel Age Annual #4 as a 5-page story, the concept would be further explored in a 17-page story in Marvel Comics Presents #19; three four-issue miniseries published between 1989 and 1991 (the last of which with art by Kyle Baker); minor appearances in a number of Marvel titles; and the three-issue World War Hulk Aftersmash: Damage Control in 2008.
A live-action television adaptation has been in development for a few years now, with recent set photos from Spider-Man: Homecoming possibly hinting at the company making an appearance.
The basic skinny on Damage Control is that it's a construction, engineering, and insurance company usually contracted to fix the massive amounts of property damage caused by superhero/supervillain conflicts. Its employees have been face-to-face with a number of such characters, including getting Spider-Man out of a collapsed giant robot; dredging Avengers Mansion from the Atlantic Ocean; being nearly targeted by the Punisher due to the Kingpin being a secret shareholder of the company; and even saving the universe from being destroyed in the name of a 'big cosmic cleanup'.
After picking up the latest trade paperback collection of the entire series recently, I found it to be a hilarious, amazing read. (I believe I had the most chuckles with the issue that guest-starred the X-Men.) After giving it some thought, my fancasting gears started turning...
To borrow that most famous of Marvel questions: What If...Marvel's television animation division, in 1995, brought Damage Control to the small screen? When you think about it, the 90's had a decent number of animated superhero parodies on the airwaves. Some notable examples I can think of are The Tick, Freakazoid, The Mask: The Animated Series, Earthworm Jim, The Ripping Friends, and the pilot for Defenders of Dynatron City. A Damage Control series would fit right in with them.
So here's how I'd picture the particulars of a hypothetical cartoon adaptation:
1. McDuffie has to absolutely be involved--he's had a very good career in television writing as much as he had in comics, with some of his more notable TV filmography entries including Static Shock and Justice League.
2. The art and character designs for the show should derive some influence from Ernie Colon's style. He was really good with character expressions during his time with the concept. My alternative would be having the character designs be done by an artist whose style has yet to grace the small screen--the original master of mischief in the mighty Marvel manner, Mister Fred Hembeck.
3. I would have this show tangentially be a part of the Marvel Animated Universe of the time, which would allow actors to occasionally reprise their roles based on the guest-appearances of their characters in the stories. I refer to say, Robert Hays as Iron Man, Chris Barnes's Spider-Man, Simon Templeman's Doctor Doom, Tony Jay's Galactus, etc. You could say that Damage Control takes place in a version of the Marvel Animated Universe that has a bit more levity in its cosmic makeup.
And now, the meat of my idea, the voice cast:
#Damage Control, Inc.
+Cam Clarke as the voice of John Porter, account executive
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cam-Clarke/
"Worked independently in "superhero insurance", but was offered a job by Ms. Hoag. He initially had a rivalry with Robin Chapel, but the two have become good friends and he has expressed a romantic interest in her. John has the ability to find peaceful, practical solutions to the most complicated problems. Has an odd, peaceful relationship with notorious villain Thunderball."
When I was first reading Damage Control, as I read Porter's lines, the first voice that popped into my head was Clarke's. There are voices of his that really match up to the yuppie exec-type that Porter is portrayed as, and Clarke I believe would be able to nail Porter's 'level-headedness under pressure' attitude. I'd say utilizing a bit of his Die Fledermaus from The Tick would do wonders here.
+Gail Matthius as the voice of Robin Chapel, traffic manager and later CEO of Damage Control
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Gail-Matthius/
"Ms. Hoag's most trusted employee. She initially had a rivalry with John Porter, because he was hired to fill a position for which she had applied. Over time, the two became good friends, and by the time of the fourth series, they are romantically involved. Robin is very capable and ambitious, but is a friendly person underneath her businesslike exterior."
Matthius has a great sense of comic timing, and being a veteran of Saturday Night Live (she was called by Rolling Stone in a 2015 article a "flicker of hope" during the show's early-80's debacle) also helps her case. She had a long run as a voiceover artist in the 90's, with one of her roles being, fittingly enough, Sue "Invisible Woman" Storm in a guest appearance on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. If there's anyone who'd do Robin justice, Matthius is the one.
+Edie McClurg as the voice of Ann-Marie Hoag, CEO of Damage Control
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Edie-McClurg/
"Founder and first director of Damage Control. She is good friends with then-S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury and convinced him that S.H.I.E.L.D. should loan her the money to buy Damage Control's stock." McClurg immediately came to mind when casting Ms. Hoag. You've probably seen her in a number of live-action shows and films (most notably Grace in Ferris Bueller's Day Off), and have probably heard her in more cartoons than you can think of. Let's just say, the Midwestern accent she frequently uses is quite distinct. I thought she would be funny as the head honcho of Damage Control, don'tcha know?
+Phil Morris as the voice of Albert Cleary, comptroller
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Phil-Morris/
"Albert is a financial genius and always keeps a cool head, even when presenting bills to the likes of Doctor Doom. He possesses the uncanny ability never to wrinkle his suit. Doctor Doom at one time offers Cleary a job. Cleary politely turned down the offer. Doom respected Cleary's decision enough to let him live. Although Cleary will never admit it, he found his encounter with Doom unnerving."
Although Morris didn't get into voiceover until 2000, at the time of my show's hypothetical premiere, he had just debuted as one of the most famous characters in his repertoire: the Johnnie Cochran-esque lawyer extraordinaire Jackie Chiles, on Seinfeld. If he brought a bit of Jackie into a portrayal of Albert Cleary, no doubt it'd make him a memorable character in a Damage Control cartoon.
+Dana Carvey as the voice of Bart Rozum, intern and later personal assistant to Robin Chapel
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Dana-Carvey/
"Former intern, offered a full-term contract as personal assistant to Robin Chapel. Infatuated with the receptionist Anne. He is named for John Rozum. Good friends with Robbie Baldwin, AKA Speedball, a former D.C. employee."
I just knew that I had to use Carvey for this character. Being an SNL veteran, and just being a year before his short-lived turn with The Dana Carvey Show, puts him right in a prime spot for jumping into voiceover, although in real time he didn't dip his toes into that realm till the 2000's. Still, he'd do well channeling a bit of Garth Algar in a portrayal of Bart, although less squirrely and more laid-back.
+Melanie MacQueen as the voice of Anne, receptionist
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Melanie-MacQueen/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504057/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
"Anne is the sultry sexpot of a receptionist for Damage Control. Her last name has yet to be revealed."
With most of my casts, I like bringing together voice actors that have worked with one another in prior productions. Such is the case with MacQueen, who's worked with Clarke before in a number of early anime dubs for the US, most notably Robotech. She hasn't done a lot of voicework for US-based cartoons, so in a hypothetical case like mine, this would be her first. (Alternate choices: Candi Milo, Jennifer Hale, Kath Soucie, and Tress MacNeille.)
+Maurice LaMarche as the voice of Lenny Ballinger, foreman of Damage Control's work crews and search-and-rescue division
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/maurice-lamarche/
"He is a middle-aged man whose no-nonsense attitude has made him very popular with his crew. During a strike, he even took their side in a strike against Carlton Co, who had offered him a large amount of money to do the opposite. Although occasionally mistaken for the late actor Lee Marvin, Lenny feels he looks more like Paul Newman."
Probably my favorite voice actor in the business, LaMarche would be a great fit for Lenny. Among LaMarche's arsenal of voices, he does great blue-collar-sounding ones. Fittingly enough, I would have him voice Lenny with an impersonation of Lee Marvin--because what else would be funnier than a foreman who looks and sounds like Lee Marvin but thinks himself more akin to Paul Newman?
+Stephen Furst as the voice of Eugene "Gene" Strausser, technician and head of R&D
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Stephen-Furst/
"Technician, briefly became an armored supervillain when Damage Control's new board of directors fired him; with an ally, he even attacked She-Hulk. Was rehired when Ms. Hoag regained control. He served the required jail time for his misdeeds on a work-release basis, thanks to his "former boss", Nick Fury, pulling some strings on his behalf."
Furst was first (HA!) on my list when it came to casting Gene. Around the time of my hypothetical premiere, Furst had just gotten into voiceover with the debut of his character Fanboy on Freakazoid. Eagle-eyed viewers here may recognize him for one of his more famous live-action roles, Flounder from National Lampoon's Animal House. Here, Furst would get to give us his interpretation of the old 'absent-minded professor' archetype.
+Lauren Tom as the voice of Marie Leahy, account executive
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Lauren-Tom/
"An account executive from Tokyo, Marie is sometimes first on the scene before John Porter."
Tom started doing voiceover gigs around 1995, so this would be a good start for her, well before some of her more famous characters (such as Amy Wong in Futurama and Numbuh 3 in Codename: Kids Next Door) came along.
+Billy West as the voice of Henry Ackerdson, head of marketing
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/billy-west/
"Not very popular because of his one idea that every employee should wear superhero costumes, but eventually accepted as part of the team; first appeared in Marvel Age Annual #4."
West is another favorite of mine because of his variety and his funny bone. He's got the capability to voice snake oil salesman-types like Henry here, and I'd also have him bring a bit of Jerry Lewis to the role.
+David Yost as the voice of Ray Lippert, former representative of CarltonCo.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0949128/?ref_=nv_sr_1
"Ray was an employee of CarltonCo. during their takeover of Damage Control in the second miniseries. At first he came off as a smooth-talking jerk, but over the course of the story he rethought his allegiances and left CarltonCo. to join Damage Control after it was bought back."
Many here will recognize Yost for his role as Billy Cranston in the first couple of seasons of Power Rangers, but as his time on that show was starting to wane, you'd think he'd start looking for other roles to break from that particular image. (Which he's done, of course.) There's a first time for everything, so suppose that he decides to give voiceover a try. (His former Power Rangers co-star Jonny Yong Bosch has done well in that field.) I think Ray would be an interesting change of pace for Yost.
+Dustin Diamond as the voice of Speedball/Robbie Baldwin
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0224616/?ref_=nv_sr_4
Many here know who Speedball is--founding New Warrior, co-creation of the legendary Steve Ditko, future Penance of the Thunderbolts. When Bart becomes Robin's personal assistant, Speedball winds up being hired as their new intern.
With Saved By the Bell winding down around the time of my theoretical premiere date, like Yost one would also imagine that Diamond would probably be looking around for other avenues in acting. Suppose he gives voiceover another shot (his first being a small role in a 1987 Yogi Bear special), and with the sense of humor he had out on display during his Bell tenure, he'd be a decent fit for the funnyman of the New Warriors.
#Antagonists
+Jeff Bennett as the voice of Michel Souris, vice president of CarltonCo.
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jeff-Bennett/
"The unscrupulous VP of CarltonCo. who leads the company's efforts in buying out and taking over Damage Control. In trying to make it more profitable, his actions anger a lot of employees (leading to a strike and Gene's brief turn as an armored supervillain) and nearly ruin the firm. Ms. Hoag convinces S.H.I.E.L.D. to invest in Damage Control, loaning her enough money to buy back the company."
Bennett is another voiceover maestro who I knew I wanted to fit into this cast, given that he was in a TON of shows during the 90's. In particular, I was inspired by one of his characters from Gargoyles--in playing Souris, just picture Owen Burnett, only a bit more funny. Bennett has great voices for snooty, corporate raider-types, so this would be a walk in the park for him.
+Charles Napier as the voice of Lt. Steve Sure, Superhuman Crimes Task Force
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Charles-Napier/
*Unable to find good image of Sure*
"Head of the Superhuman Crimes Task Force who accuses the firm of creating their own disasters to get the cleanup jobs afterwards."
Napier was a no-brainer for Sure (HA!), as the guy reminded me visually of Napier's character Zed (head honcho of MIB) from Men In Black: The Series. Combine that with the over-the-top-ness of Duke Phillips (his character from The Critic), and we'd have a memorable guest-appearance in a Damage Control cartoon.
+Townsend Coleman as the voice of Edifice Rex/Rex Randolph
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Townsend-Coleman/
"A former employee of Damage Control, Rex gained cosmic powers from an orb found in the wreckage of a worksite and, combined with a newly-gained anal-retentive personality, threatens the universe with his pursuit of cleaning it up--to the point of restarting it."
If there was anyone fit enough to give a voice to the cosmic-powered neat freak that is Rex, Coleman is the guy. I pictured his iconic take on the Tick as the main inspiration for this casting--if he brought some of that over-the-top madcap performance to Rex, he would stand out.
Tune in next time, where I'll be exploring a couple of other What Ifs from the 90's, such as:
-What if..."Archie & Friends", an Archie comics adaptation from 1994
-What if..."X-Men: The Animated Series" had a US-based voice cast?
And now ladies and gentlemen, in honor of the 25th anniversary of their feature film debut, give it up for the musical stylings of WAYNE CAMPBELL AND GARTH ALGAR: