Warning: contains spoilers for Battleworld #2!
Marvel’s original MCU experiment quietly began 20 years before Iron Man hit theaters. The MCU revolutionized the superhero movie genre, changing how the public perceived these characters. It was a bold move on Marvel’s part, but the groundwork was laid 20 years before, in a forgotten imprint that makes its grand return in Battleworld #2.
Battleworld #2 was written by Christos Cage and drawn by Marcus To. At the end of the issue, Korvac, one of Battleworld’s antagonists, is talking to Ken Connell, the Star Brand from Marvel’s New Universe imprint.
Star Brand New Universe
Korvac has seemingly duped Ken into helping him fight the other heroes on Battleworld.
Star Brand New Universe MCU
Marvel’s New Universe Was a Flop, But It Began With Good Intentions
The New Universe Was Launched to Celebrate Marvel’s 25th Anniversary
marvel’s new universe
The Star Brand’s appearance at the end of Battleworld #2 marks the return of the New Universe, which has not been seen in its original form in over 30 years. The New Universe is one of the most controversial moments in Marvel’s long history. Thus, it is ironic that it began as a way to celebrate that history.
In 1986, the Marvel Universe turned 25 years old, and the publisher launched a year-long celebration. In addition to the now iconic 25th anniversary covers, Marvel also launched an imprint, called The New Universe. The brainchild of then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, the project began with lofty goals and equally high expectations.
Marvel prided itself on its “the world outside your window” approach. That is, Marvel’s writers and artists took a “real world” approach to their characters. Marvel heroes, such as Spider-Man, had bills to pay and social lives to juggle. Likewise, Marvel heroes did not necessarily get along with each other, in a reflection of real world relationships.
The New Universe was conceived as taking this a step further. The heroes of the New Universe would not operate like traditional Marvel heroes: they did not wear flashy costumes, have secret identities, and they did not operate openly in public. Shooter also wanted the events of the New Universe to roughly happen in real time.
There were other glaring differences between the two universes. The Marvel Universe was replete with magic, alien races and empires, secret societies and other tropes that sometimes pushed credibility. The New Universe disposed of nearly all of these concepts, favoring a far more grounded approach than other mainstream superhero comics of the time.
The New Universe Failed By Forgetting What Made Marvel Great
The New Universe Was Hampered by Budgetary and Creative Concerns
Star Brand #1, the debut new Universe comic
Yet the New Universe was doomed to fail from the start. Marvel trimmed the imprint’s budget out of the gate, meaning the top talent Shooter envisioned working on the books failed to materialize. This led in turn to a revolving door of creative teams and books that failed to find their verve.
Furthermore, fans took umbrage with the New Universe’s aims. Part of the appeal of the Marvel Universe was the magic and aliens and secret societies. These various concepts helped elevate Marvel above other publishers in the 1960s and carried them to industry dominance. Fans felt the New Universe was disrespectful to the spirit that made Marvel Comics great.
The New Universe launched in 1986 and was gone within three years. 1993’s Starblast event seemingly put the final nail in the New Universe’s coffin. Marvel would periodically revisit the New Universe, most notably in 2006’s newuniversal. Variants of characters from the New Universe, such as Star Brand, continue to make appearances in Marvel Comics.
Today, the New Universe is nothing more than a footnote in Marvel’s history, the perfect example of how good intentions can go off the rails quickly, sometimes due to factors outside the creator’s control. Jim Shooter and the other New Universe creators deserve credit for at least trying something new and different.
The New Universe Laid the Foundation for the MCU
The MCU Perfected What the New Universe Set Out to Do
And the New Universe deserves some credit for laying the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU, which launched in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, raised the bar for superhero movies, and introduced mainstream audiences to the interlocking continuity that made comics so much fun. Iron Man was a hit with audiences and critics.
The MCU has refined the New Universe’s approach to superheroes. The New Universe aimed for realism in the genre, forsaking tropes that had guided comics for years. The problem with the imprint was it took this viewpoint too far in one direction, and alienated fans, who saw it as disrespectful to Marvel greats such as Jack Kirby.
Where the MCU succeeds is that it ultimately recognizes that the goofy tropes the New Universe was trying to distance itself from are what makes Marvel so much fun. MCU heroes still wear flashy costumes, and operate openly. The MCU has featured numerous alien races as well as explored its supernatural/magical side to great success.
The MCU’s successful refinement of the New Universe’s formula serves as a vindication of this forgotten imprint. While the New Universe jettisoning the tropes that made Marvel was a step too far, it nevertheless pointed to a need for superhero comics to engage with the world around them. The MCU has learned this lesson well.
It Is Time for the New Universe to Return
The New Universe Was Full of Heroes Other Than the Star Brand
Psi-Force appears in New Universe comics from Marvel.
With the MCU justifying the New Universe, the next logical step is to revive it, and that is what Marvel is looking to do in Battleworld. Korvac, one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, has conned Star Brand into joining him. Ken Connell will no doubt learn he’s been had, and will throw in with the other heroes.
The original Star Brand’s return can provide the vehicle to resurrect the rest of the New Universe. The imprint was full of compelling characters, even if they failed to meet their potential. Characters such as Nightmask, Merc, Spitfire and others are languishing in limbo, and desperately need a chance to shine again.
The New Universe Was Ahead Of Its Time
The MCU Vindicated the New Universe’s Daring Approach to Superheroes
MCU Avengers assembled during the Battle of New York in The Avengers
Although Marvel has returned to the well for the New Universe several times, these revivals have been variants, and not the original. Battleworld #2 seems to change all of this. Star Brand allying himself with Korvac, even if it is only temporary, will give the New Universe the most exposure seen in decades.
With the characters of the New Universe on a collision course with other multiversal variants, now is the perfect time to revisit this forgotten and curious imprint. Derided in its day, the New Universe was ahead of its time, and the victim of external pressures. Despite its failure, Marvel’s forgotten imprint laid the foundation for the MCU years before Iron Man.
Battleworld #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!