As Marvel seeks to make big creative moves in 2026 that will define its future, one of the publisher’s top writers is looking to the history of DC Comics for inspiration. Jonathan Hickman has had a transformative influence on Marvel over the past decade, and he cites two legendary DC stories as formative influences on his creative approach.
As quoted by Popverse, Hickman shouted out The Dark Knight Returns and Superman: Red Son as examples when discussing how Marvel needs to focus less on continuity and more on telling the best possible stories.
It’s not the first time Hickman has shared his evolved view of canon; Marvel seems to be adopting his perspective, but what about Marvel fans?
A-List Marvel Author Jonathan Hickman Names Two DC Classics He Seeks To Emulate
Superman: Red Son and The Dark Knight Returns
Superman Red Son comic propaganda poster
Along with authors like Al Ewing and Deniz Camp, Jonathan Hickman is one of the great reinventors of Marvel Comics’ current era. Hickman’s vision for the X-Men franchise birthed the 5-year Krakoan Era, possibly the most astonishing reboot in comic history. He recently reinvigorated Marvel’s cosmic landscape with the Imperial miniseries. And crucially, he was behind the revival of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe.
Hickman brought back the Ultimate Universe, and gave it a 2-year ticking clock. Just over three years later, Hickman is helping to guide the Ultimate line to its “Endgame,” a grand finale tying its many ongoing plot threads together. During this time, Hickman has written Ultimate Spider-Man, offering a refreshing alternate continuity take on Peter Parker.
For the author, this is an extension of his ideas about continuity and lore. Moreover, it is an extension of one way in which Jonathan Hickman thinks DC has the edge over Marvel. As he put it:
“Where the guys across the street [DC Comics] have done a fantastic job over the decades is taking those institutions and every once in a while looking at it through a very different prism. And you get what is a standalone evergreen book like “Superman: Red Son” or something like that, right, where you’re not s***ing on the character, you’re not destroying the character, you’re just saying, you know, it’s a glorified ‘What If…?’ story. But it’s done in such a way, and it’s done as a complete thought.
In other words, doing something innovative with a classic character ranks high among Hickman’s creative priorities.
Extended Alternate Continuity Stories Are A Key Part Of Marvel’s Burgeoning New Era
Jonathan Hickman Is Leading The Charge
Iconic “Dark Knight Returns” art featuring Batman’s silhouette leaping as lightning strikes.
Elaborating on his point, Hickman went on to say:
And it is almost like a feedback loop into the other thing where – Dark Knight Returns suddenly is such a powerful vision of the character that it seeps into the main continuity of the character.
This lines up with Hickman’s conception of canon: that it’s what sticks with readers, not the sum total of everything written. Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns was non-canon, but it proved to be a perfect take on Batman, forever changing how fans and writers alike understood the character moving forward.
Similarly, Superman: Red Son pushed the boundaries of what a Superman story could be. Marvel Comics has always done this with its “What If?” stories, which Hickman also invoked, but these out-of-continuity stories were often an afterthought. Now, they are a priority for the publisher. And Jonathan Hickman is at the vanguard of that change in creative philosophy.
Fans still consider continuity precious, but it is becoming increasingly less important to many Marvel creators. Projects like the Ultimate Universe are Marvel’s attempt to navigate this divide; long-term alternate continuity stories that become “complete thoughts,” as Jonathan Hickman put it. This is one vital lesson Marvel is seeking to adapt from DC Comics as it forges a new era.
First Appearance
Amazing Fantasy
Alias
Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance
Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Race
Human