Midgard
What if the synopsis for the Smallville television series ended up on the desk of the Marvel comics editor-in-chief? What if Marvel sat around and decided, with this budget, which hero would replace young Clark Kent? Well, I'll be the "Marvel associates" in this scenario. My first choice was Cyclops. Having some fun with Mr. Sinister, I discarded the idea because of the absence of a family dynamic being such a large part of who Cyclops is. I quickly moved away from mutants. Unable to peace together enough of a story for several heroes, I landed on one of the most popular, but underused, but also, most powerful heroes, in the Mighty Thor. Maybe Daredevil would be real fun/gritty but not as much of an exploration of super powers- echoing the origin of Smallville's production starting out as Batman origin story.
Odin decided his son, Thor, the god of thunder, was no longer worthy and banished him to a planet in which the Allfather himself despised; Earth. Odin proceeded to merge Thor with a child with no home or family. Thor would have to grow into manhood and be humbled as a human for his arrogance before he was deemed worthy enough to wield Mjolnir. The enchantment was as such: When this young child, his name be Eric, his Master's son, reaches adulthood, Thor, son of Odin, will be unbound and begin his path into greatness and, once again, earn the right to wield the hammer of the gods and rightly claim himself the god of thunder or, if he be not worthy, be bound to the mortal.
All was according to plan until Loki, the god of mischief, and brother to Thor, intervened. Typical of Loki, he tricked Thor, trapping him deep within the mind of Eric. He can only escape when Eric, not he, proves worthy.
Look, I'm not saying this would be the hit that Smallville was. I'm just saying that the way they portrayed Jor-El was absolutely Odin-esque, and this would probably wind up feeling more like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. As much as I loved that show and would watch the entire series over again if I could find it, that comparison might be the best reason not to make this show.
Clark's counterpart is Eric Masterson. Since I landed on Thor as Marvel's Clark, it gives me 3 options: Jake, Donald, and Eric. Initially, I had Donald, and they could be interchangeable, but fans are more acquainted with Eric, who had more of a life than Donald, and Donald came first anyway, making him "older."
Lana's Marvel character is Jackie Lukus, a former love interest of Masterson. Her story ends tragically and I'm sure there's at least an episode (before I research) where Lana was evil for a day, which lends itself to Bloodaxe, but since none of this is canonical, it can all change, if only to surprise fans.
Chloe becomes Suzan Austin, the long-time secretary to Masterson who falls for him. This was an easy one.
Pete Ross' Marvel face could easily be Marcus Stone, the officer and good friend of Masterson.
Lex evolves into Herbert Edgar "Eddie" Wyndham aka High Evolutionary. Oddly, it took me some time to get here but I was irritated it took so long. It's an easy choice once I thought about it. He's the most impressive human adversary of (a solo) Thor. His humanity was crucial and it lends nicely to later seasons of that experimentation building I kind of remember.
Lionel's Marvel mash-up is the also-made-up-for-tv Edgar Wyndham, the father of "Eddie."
Jonathan, better known by his Marvel moniker, Donald Blake, is such because of that whole "older" thing I explained earlier. Who else could it be?
Martha, by default, is Shawna Blake. They will find young Eric in their town of Mt. Garden City because it sounds like Midgard and -that is all.-
Roger Nixon, the slimy reporter, is Nick Katzenberg, a slimy reporter (that opposes Spider-Man).
Sheriff Ethan Miller changes his uniform, but not his corruption, as New York's "finest," Ryan Trent.
Whitney, Lana's jock boyfriend, is the second husband of Eric's ex-wife, the jock, Bobby Steele.
Red Kryptonite, the red plot device that "drugs" Clark, is Enchantress, the golden-haired seductress that mindf¥
Fredrick Walden, Smallville's author, discovers all of that historical Krypton stuff in the cave and then gets the powers. Alton Vibreaux, Marvel's geologist, ends up a criminal after gaining powers. Positioned correctly, it fits.
Frank Loder, a piece of garbage from the FBI, would look just as smackable with a name tag that reads, Henry Gyrich.
Helen Bryce, the manipulative wife of Lex, is sinister enough to be swapped out for Karla Sofen.
Morgan Edge, a crime lord, has to be the mobster boss from Thor #141, Slugger Sykes.
Adam Knight, the one fans hoped was a young Bruce Wayne, was, in fact, not. He was, however, a young man who died, brought back to life through an injection of the Lazarus formula, and quickly grew more unstable. Simon Garth, known as The Zombie, fits like a glove in this role.
Jor-El is unequivocally Odin.
Perry White might have people thinking J Jonah Jameson but I'd argue the redemption of White in this episode is the kind of growth 3J has much later and, really, has only moments of, throughout his story. Phil Sheldon, a reporter, is the better choice as he carried readers through the world in which (they) all live in Marvels and its sequel, Marvels: Eye Of The Camera.
Genevieve Teague had me struggling to come up with an existing counterpart. I played with the idea of Hilda Zemo and her son, Helmut, would, then, be Jason, but I didn't want Helmut to be a hero. Instead, I chose Martha Williams.
Jason Teague, as the villain turned hero, seemed like a nice spot for the once dead, Simon Williams, who could later be revived and reformed. The Williams' family would be involved in temporarily turning Jackie Lukus in Bloodaxe.
Lois Lane... Jane Foster.
Brainiac being Loki should be another given.
Bizarro? Indisputably, Space Phantoms are exactly what this Bizarro was.
Edward Teague. I guess the objects these people are searching for could be the infinity stones, but those can't just be obtained by anyone, or the 10 rings, but that's more of an Iron Man thing, or maybe it's several items scattered for whatever reason the plot needs, serving as a macGuffen. Like Hercules and his labors, this is how Thor, or rather, Eric, proves he is worthy. Anyway, Edward, instead of the husband, could be Eric Williams, aka Grim Reaper.
Doomsday is on that Surtur level.
Tess Mercer, Lex's protégé and, shockingly, his half-sister, doesn't have a one for one fit in Marvel but, I think, there's 4 characters tied closely enough to Eddie that Jessica Drew can be the one used here, especially as a reformed villain.
Winslow Schott's Marvel transplant has to be cunning. I think Zemo, who later forms the MoE, because, alone he does not stand a chance against Thor, is the right answer.
Zod. I think this would be Hela's role. It's getting to the point where some great powerhouses aren't getting used because the Smallville story was so focused on Lex for years. That's not a bad thing. It's why the actor will go down as the best Lex.
Waller. I could use Thunderbolt Ross but I don't like him as an outright villain on that level. If I'm looking at the Thunderbolts, I could use Amora, but I already did that as a stand-in for red kryptonite. Mr. Hyde works best here.
Metallo, like, Ulik, is formidable on his own and, often times, a henchman. I love Ulik.
Icicle, the vengeful son of a former JSA adversary, trades ice knives in for pumpkin bombs as Harry Osborn. That's a fun shock.
Ray Sacks, a corrupt DA, has a lot in common with Alex Wright, the lawyer behind the man that was responsible for Ka-Zar's "relocation."
JSA becomes the Defenders: Hulk, Silver Surfer, Namor, Dr. Strange, Starlight, Luke Cage, Nighthawk, Hellcat, Ant-Man, Damion Hellstrom, Wasp, Moondragon, Quasar, Nomad (which calls back to Captain America from WWII and his legacy)
Star-Spangled Kid would be Starlight.
Dr Fate directly translates to Dr Strange.
Hawkman, another survivor, would be Nighthawk.
Sandman could be Hank Pym.
Stargirl, and her legacy with the Star-Spangled Kid, would be Morning Star, who should call herself Red Guardian.
Jimmy Olsen, the pal, is everyone's sidekick, Rick Jones.
Darkseid can become Mephisto. Galactus makes the most sense but that's not in the budget. Thanos works too but then we never get to use Mephisto.
Granny Goodness and Desaad are Malekith and Kurse, the right hands of Mephisto.
Slade, or the character they called Slade, I'm reading was horribly adapted. Admittedly, I fell from this show several seasons before this, but I knew just by the general description this one was off. Reading a few reviews, I could see I was right. I'm putting Taskmaster in this slot because he's the best one for one Slade in Marvel.
Clark Luthor is, I guess, the equivalent of a Thor raised by Laufey.
Marionette Ventures, consisting of Toyman, Metallo, Roulette, Dark Archer, Black Manta, Captain Cold, and Solomon Grundy, who clearly act as a defacto Legion of Doom here, are respectively Zemo, the Mad Thinker, Ulik, Black Mamba, Speedfreek, Titan(ium Man), Grim Reaper (revived for the team), Swordsman/Strucker w/a leather strapped sword), Mongoose.
Who combat the
Clark (Thunderstrike), Chloe (Suzan, who soon retires)...
...Supergirl is an easy Valkyrie.
...Flash is Marvel's Scarlet Witch as long as
...Aquaman is Quicksilver. The twins have a huge history with High Evolutionary so them being starter Avengers in this story makes sense.
...Green Arrow is the very rich Iron Man. I didn't want to take the easy way out and use Hawkeye. Kate Bishop is classier than Mia's Speedy. Idk, I could've put Stark in Cyborg's spot to even out the powers but... I can find a better spot for Hawkeye and later, Kate Bishop.
...Cyborg, the victim of experiments and tests, is Winter Soldier. This also gives another opportunity to a) mention Captain America and b) lead into "Season 11's" enlistment of him.
...Zatanna isn't really a great match for Black Knight but the sorcery of the sword and the Everyman appeal that Green Arrow brings, will be carried over by BK.
...Martian Manhunter has to be Beta Ray Bill. Who else can mentor Thunderstrike besides BRB? If you're thinking Strange and Silver Surfer, they are already a part of the Defenders so they couldn't. He's also the last of his kind. Also-also, he's is in Thor's shadow, and is near equal in power, much in the same way MM is to Superman.
...a later enlistment to the team, replacing Chloe is Tess Mercer/Red Tornado. I guess Jessica Drew's brain patterns and consciousness become the template for Vision. Who knew?
General Sam Lane is best as Nick Fury.
- Suicide Squad, consisting of
...Flag
Hawkeye and that can play heavily into his dubious background.
...Deadshot
Wonder Man. The reluctant villain brought back from the dead. Deadshot can't be the second sharpshooter of a team of only 2 sharpshooters. A team of sharpshooters would be different. Only 2 is redundant so we'll leave out some of my favorites like Batroc and Bullseye. Besides, this team needs to be able to handle Thunderstrike and others.
...Plastique
Absorbing Man
...Warp
Abyss was my favorite character from AoA. I'm guessing he'd give a god a run for his money.
...Icicle
Harry's Green Goblin, as already written
Legion of Superheroes supposedly inspired the original Guardians of the Galaxy and, with 3 Legionnaires showing up, the shift to 4 members isn't the hardest pill to swallow: Major Victory, Charlie-27, Yondu, Martinex
Speedy is to Green Arrow what, well, no one is to Iron Man. He needs an Iron family but I couldn't just take Rhodey or Iron Heart and make them as damaged as Speedy because... it's after 2000 and offensive things offend... something something. However, Clayton Wilson, also known as Force, does fit the best into that role so it could work itself out. I don't know about the code name though. Maybe Centurion. There's always War Machine but that's the perfect upgrade ala Arsenal. There's a name there, somewhere, that exists in Iron Man's backyard, that fits better than Force. I just can't think of it. Rescue and Guardsman are too upbeat.
Black Canary's best match, in this case, would be Black Widow.
Andrea Rojas, the vengeful daughter, could be the second White Tiger.
Wonder Twins are the equally weird Northstar and Aurora.
Mera, the royalty that will soon wed Aquaman, would have to be Crystal, who will soon wed Quicksilver.
Superboy would certainly be Adam Warlock if Lex is The High Evolutionary.
Blue Beetle, as I read somewhere, isn't the equivalent of Spider-Man or Iron Man. He is actually best doubling as Venom.
Booster Gold would be a fun twist on Dargo Ktor. Give him those same qualities and it would work well.
- Tess' (Jessica Drew's) Injustice League (HAMMER)
Mirror is Mastermind
Plastique is Absorbing Man
Parasite is Rogue. Parasite deserved to be any season's main villain whereas Rogue is a good stand-in for his power.
Livewire is Electro, who could be an interesting villain for Thor and definitely raise his value as a powerful A+ villain.
Neutron is Radioactive Man
>Incandescent Man: Louise Blevins was a victim of experiments and recently released from jail on good behavior. Philanthropist Edgar Wyndham bought him a house in the area as a show of good faith. When bad luck follows him, he resorts to using his powers nefariously.
>Maggot: Japheth Lobdell is seemingly cursed with abdomin-sized slugs that live inside of him and escape when he sleeps; also, the evil slugs feed on living organisms. Unaware of how or when the slugs burrowed inside of him, he needs help getting rid of them. We learn that his father was an employee of Wyndham Tech many years ago but, post unemployment, has paranoid personality disorder and will not leave his barricaded home.
>Heart of Darkness: Blackheart, who is searching for the twighlight sword and eternal flame, to use it in order to defeat his father, is drawn in by the rumors of the vessel of the God of thunder, whom he believes can take him to the sword.
> Because I'm not myself: Believed to be an alien, the media-dubbed, Carbon Copy Invader, is an amnesiac human whose origins are never discovered and die with him. He had become so many others, he lost his mind and origin and, in the process, became evil without cause.
>Crusader: Arthur Blackwood's wife had become a victim to one of the slugs from an earlier episode. Visiting her grave to meditate on his life, he had a religious vision of an ancestor who devoted his life to serving God. This drives him to learn the identity of Thor's vessel, on whose arrival he blamed the death and abnormality that was recently frequently occurring, and die trying to kill him with the new armor and weapons he was given by his ancestor. Upon his death, it was realized the gravel in which he knelt to mourn his wife, was saturated in toxic material, driving him insane.
>The Weak: Arkin was long infatuated with Queen Knorda, leader of a hostile race of Mountain Giants. His love leads him to betray Asgard and he proceeds to use sorcery to inhabit the human vessel of an elderly man who suddenly de-ages to his prime in order to find Thor's vessel. The 2 immediately work in tandem due to their shared immoral nature. Whereas Arkin is driven to find Thor, the human is driven to find the children and grandchildren of men he believes wronged him in his youth. The old man's will was not strong enough to contain Arkin and, upon the release of Arkin to no doubt serve punishment, the old man collapses with his last words showing no remorse.
>Things That Go Bump in the Night!:
Bloodscream really is a perfect Thor villain. A cursed, vampire-like villain that seeks the "blood of a man who ageth not." He can also only be killed by a metal not made by man. That sounds like Thor's hammer to me. I think I stumbled on a new villain for Thor.
>It came without ribbons, it came without tags: Ethan Groonkowski, a sewer-dweller with green skin hiding from society ever since Wyndham swore he would kill if he ever saw him again. Wyndham swore this after Groonkowski, a former employee, destroyed an entire floor full of vital, top secret equipment. Groonkowski returns to steal new "top secret things" and places them at the door step of the Blake's and Masterson. The break-in spoofs the grinch just as the comic book character, Groonk, does. Later, Groonk is missing.
>Sangre Means Blood: Julia Concepcion is a police officer turned into the assassin, Sangre, after her son became a victim of the lowest form of human garbage. The abuser was substitute teacher, Mr Westcott, who was teaching at the school, Mt. Garden High (the Vikings) where Eric attends. Masterson saw the Westcott taken down by a sniper shot while he was leaving school. Masterson, dubbed Thunderstrike, raced to the rooftop from where the shots came. The assassin had disappeared but a message was spray painted on the wall that stated "Sangre means blood". Officers discover the illegal distribution ring and the most prominent name on the list was the School District Supervisor named Armand Pelps. Sangre established a sniping point while Pelps was addressing the media but her assassination attempt was thwarted by Thunderstrike. Sangre sprayed him with some gas and fired a shot towards Pelps but the hero was able to deflect the bullet in time. Pelps was arrested and Sangre promised not to continue her vigilantism.
>Whytehouse Down: Stuart Whyte gets a hold of a tech weapon stolen from Wyndham Tech and goes on a crime spree until stopped by Eric.
>No Strings Attached: When the new girl, Alicia, begins her first day at school, the students quickly learn, that despite her blindness, she is very independent. She befriends Eric, Suzan, and Marcus, who all take her home a few days into her arrival. It's there they learn that her father, Phillip, moved to the town for his new job at Wyndham Tech. Soon, the strangeness that follows Phillip moves the plot forward. In the end, Phillip's manipulation results in a confrontation with the Wyndhams. Once Eddie leaves the room under the impression things have worked themselves out, Edward calls in "The Voice" to persuade Phillip to confess to everything and take sole responsibility, to which he does.
>Ready, Seth, Go: New York's Mayor Carson Knowles visits Mt. Garden to sit with its mayor and the Wydhams. Shockingly, he's also the master criminal, Black Spectre. His intentions were to use the power of Egyptian god, Seth, contained within a statue, to curse his dinner guests. He is defeated by the arrival of Moon Knight who later finds Thunderstrike and teaches him a bit about the importance, hardships, and responsibilities, of being a vessel.
>The Wrecking Crew: The Wrecking Crew are given their weapons by Amora and unleashed on the city in order to draw out Thunderstrike.
>Thunderstrike, Served Fresh: Ah Puch is one of the Ahah, a race of beings who were worshiped by the Aztecs and Mayans of Ancient Mexico. Disenchanted by the threat of Thor's emergence and what that may mean in terms of the potential decrease of deaths if he was to save the lives of countless mortals, he successfully summons a primeval entity, Demogorge, the god-eater, to devour Eric Masterson.
>Bee Kind: Edgar Wyndham makes his rounds in the media after saving a local bee farm. Soon thereafter, the bees rapidly increase in number as more and more bees travel from afar to join the existing hives. The bees turn aggressive and begin attacking locals. One such man is devoured unbeknownst to the public and hidden by Wyndham. Thus, Swarm is created and, later, defeated, but escapes when the villain dissipates.
>Mind-Wave's Revenge Tour: Erik Geldon swore revenge on Eddie when Eddie got him fired from Wyndham Tech almost 5 years prior. Now, a megalomaniac possessing mental abilities heightened by his own inventions, he's back for revenge.
>The Tomorrow Man: Arthur Zarrko was a nobody until he claimed to have in contact with the Time Variance Authority and knows what the future beholds. The townspeople begin to call him the Tomorrow Man and his predictions, while serious to him, are met with aloofness by others. It's not until he alludes to Wyndham (actually alluding to Eddie) that Edgar sees the need to silence him. "The Voice" once again shows up to persuade Zarrko into answering his questions. No sooner do alarms start blaring, and evacuations are needed, that Eric comes in undetected to save Zarrko. Once free, Zarrko instantly loses his sanity and, unable to speak ever again, is committed. The ending sees The Voice killed by Eddie.
>Herald: Firelord travels to Earth to strike a deal with the emerging hero called Thunderstrike. He tells him that, as his replacement as the herald of Galactus, he can be endowed with powers even greater than that of the thunder god. However, if he continues to stay on earth as a cocoon for Thor, he may not survive the moment Thor emerges. He's a bag keeping Thor fresh until Thor is, once again, worthy. As he beats down Thunderstrike, he threatens to drag him to Galactus even if his heart is barely beating and then Firelord will force him to beg the world-eater to make him the new herald. Thunderstrike, on the brink of death, refuses to surrender and submit to the fear with which Firelord threatens and the strength with which Firelord promises. Firelord gets angrier and more violent and, still, Eric Masterson says he is no man's weapon; not Galactus; not Thor; not Odin. Thunderstrike earns the herald's respect and he leaves.
>Ain't Never Had A Friend: Lowly writer, Stewart Cadwell, was visited by a Djinn. Cadwell wished for great power. The only way to keep the power was to kill others with great power. Eventually, Thunder-Sword, the moniker he gave himself, crosses paths with Thunderstrike. With only one man able to survive, 'strike hit him so hard he landed somewhere in the surrounding body of water, never to be seen again.
>Barfly: Straight from Madripoor, a monster of a man who refers to himself as Roughhouse, is brought over by Wyndham in response to Mind-Wave's revenge tour as the company's security system. The beer-drinking brawler is financially coerced into drawing out Thunderstrike in order to take him out; an unsuccessful venture that sees Roughhouse head back to Madripoor.
>That Belongs in a Museum: Wyndham opens the Wyndham Museum of Science and History with the special attraction being the cursed spear Eos presented to Cephalus, the mortal who would become the immortal huntsman of Zeus. There is a spot left for Mjolnir. Unfortunately, Cephalus comes looking for his spear and Thunderstrike is the only one strong enough to send him packing.
>Beneath the Surface: Elsa Ames manifested the ability of gill-slits that enabled her to breathe underwater. Escaping her old life and swimming the currents, she fell in love with a boy named Peter, a "normy," but she felt that a relationship between them would never last due to her adaptation. In order to be able to stay together, Peter approached scientists at Wyndham Capitol, who performed an operation to allow him to breathe underwater. Unfortunately, Elsa had the very same idea, and had her gill-slits permanently closed up unbeknownst to Peter, separating the two lovers once again.
>Warriors 3: When the Destroyer crashes into Mt. Gardner City, the Warriors 3 aren't far behind to lend a hand to Thunderstrike. They form a bond of respect for Eric and tell him he will be a fine warrior himself one day, with or without their friend.
>I Scream. You Scream: This is the origin of David Angar, a radical social activist who sought a utopia. He volunteered for an experiment that would give him superhuman powers in order to overpower any others with super powers so that no one would ever dare use their powers again. The experiment gave him the ability to scream so loud that it would cause people to hallucinate. He made his way to Mt Garden City to first ask Thunderstrike to stand down and reveal his secret identity in case he ever strayed, but Thunderstrike refused and the 2 fought. Angar retreated but returned the next day and
attack a crowd of civilians out of pure bitterness towards losing for the first time. Maybe 'strike would standout down and reveal his identity if others lives were in peril. Thunderstrike lifted him high above the city towers and dropped him. He screamed the entire way down until his larynx was destroyed. Thunderstrike was unable to catch him before impact, leaving the hero depressed and riddled with guilt.
>The Hammer and the Hades: Believing that he has lost his honor after not being able to save Angar, a depressed Masterson is approached by Hayden P. Hellman (dumb things like this make me laugh). Hellman, a disguised Pluto, attempts to trick the depressed hero into signing off on assuming the duties of ruling Hades so that Pluto is no longer bound to that duty. He is granted a limited time outside of Hades before being trapped there for ever with no new souls to take as per Zeus. Once Eric discovers who Hellman really is, the battle begins and Pluto, having engineered death traps for Eric's loved ones, gives him an ultimatum, battle him or his loved ones will die and, in defeat, except the rule of Hades or, again, his loved ones will die.
Well, I've worked hard enough on something that doesn't matter so here are the rest of the Marvel villains that match with the Freaks of the Week
- Malice
- Waxman
- New men
- Blackheath
- Red Norvell
- Korg
- Thunderbolt Ross
- Klaw
- Baron Mordo
- Molto, the Lava Man
- Klaus Voorhees
And if we trailed of into the comic book
- season 11 Teen Titans could be Young Avengers
-Miss Martian is replaced by Omaka.
-Speedy, again, is Centurion.
-Blue Beetle's Venom would go here BUT that's not who Venom "is" so this is a good time to introduce Hawkette aka Kate Bishop.
-The Wonder twins spot goes, again, to Northstar and Aurora
-Stargirl makes Red Guardian (Morning Star) the leader of the team
-(Later) Raven, the little magic teen, gets Nico Minoru in there.