Marvel Comics’ new horror imprint, the Midnight Universe, is off to a strong start with its reinterpretations of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. Each of these comics have so far been equal parts compelling and terrifying. Every comic also leans into different types of horror, from body horror to cosmic horror, making for a truly diverse universe. Of course, Marvel won’t stop at just three comic titles, as it has a plethora of other iconic superheroes to twist into nightmarish monstrosities. Many of Marvel’s greatest heroes have plenty of untapped potential to fit right at home in the Midnight Universe and would make great future projects for the imprint.
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The Midnight Universe takes non-horror superheroes and transports them into a world full of terror and frights. If the Midnight Universe’s first three titles are any indication, these heroes would be transformed into absolute nightmare fuel.
5) Daredevil
As the Man Without Fear, Daredevil could face whatever challenges the Midnight Universe throws at him. As a street-level hero who regularly takes on the most vicious crime lords, assassins, and serial killers in Marvel Comics, Daredevil has a lot of potential to be at the center of a horror story. The Midnight Universe could also play with Daredevil’s heightened senses, which he gained from exposure to radioactive waste. The Midnight Universe could have Daredevil mutate even further from the chemicals, becoming a more grotesque creature, or explore what happens when his senses are heightened to the point that they cause him constant agony. Another concept that would be interesting and play into Daredevil’s abilities is that, in the Midnight Universe, his heightened senses let him perceive and fight unholy abominations like ghosts and demons that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. An exorcist, demon-hunting Daredevil would lend itself to unique visuals and haunting action set pieces.
4) Captain America
Captain America is normally Marvel Comics’ shining beacon of hope and heroism, but the Midnight Universe could offer a chilling look at the horrors of war hiding behind star-spangled patriotism. Given Captain America’s backstory as a willing test subject in a secret government super-soldier project, the Midnight Universe could easily turn it into a tale full of body horror. Perhaps the process to become Captain America requires far more physical psychological torture, with the result being him becoming a monster. We could also explore, in more depth, the test subjects deemed failures of the U.S. Government’s super-soldier project. They could even have Captain America undergo similar brainwashing to the Winter Soldier to become a mindless killing machine. Furthermore, the setting of World War II would lend itself to a slew of nightmare-inducing imagery with soldiers and civilians alike suffering and dying in one of the most brutal wars in human history. Midnight Captain America could offer an unflinching look at the true pain and suffering of war that shiny propaganda and patriotism cover up.
3) Iron Man
Iron Man is a hero defined by his constant efforts to push the boundaries of technological innovation. However, in the Midnight Universe, that obsession could consume the Armored Avenger. If Iron Man were put into the Midnight Universe, he’d be perfect for a Robocop-style body-horror story about machines overtaking his body and stripping away everything that makes him human. The transformation could be more than skin deep with his nano bots slowly replacing his body parts, as Iron Man desperately tries to cling to his humanity and keep a soulless machine from reprogramming his mind into that of a logic-based and unfeeling monster. Marvel has already explored a similar idea with Tony becoming the emotionless, metallic Iron King in the Age of Revelation storyline, and the Midnight Universe could delve into the concept in even more graphic detail. The Midnight Universe has the perfect opportunity to show what happens when Tony becomes more iron than man.
2) Wolverine
Midnight X-Men offers a chilling tale in which the Children of the Atom split between bloodthirsty vampires and fearless vampire hunters. Yet of all the X-Men shown in the first issue, the most iconic X-Man of all was strangely missing: Wolverine. With his seemingly endless trauma and tendency to enter a berserker rage and carve up anyone who gets in his way, Wolverine seems like the perfect addition to the Midnight Universe. Several alternate-universe versions of Wolverine exist where he’s been both a vampire and a vampire hunter. Wolverine could easily fit into either side of the vampire/mutant conflict in Midnight X-Men. Alternatively, the Midnight Universe could follow the second Ultimate Universe by giving Wolverine an independent comic that separates him from the other X-Men. Wolverine’s trauma and brutality could easily lend themselves to horror stories that lean into his desperate attempts to retain his humanity while experiencing excruciating physical and psychological torture. Of all the X-Men, few fit the role better than Wolverine, making him perfect for the Midnight Universe.
1) Hulk
No A-List Marvel hero fits the Midnight Universe better than the Incredible Hulk. Over his long publication history, the Jolly Green Giant has lent himself perfectly to body, psychological, and cosmic horror as writers have explored the duality between mild-mannered Bruce Banner and his monstrous Hulk persona. The Midnight Universe has practically endless avenues to examine when developing an even more horror-adjacent Hulk. It could lean further into the Hulk’s Jekyll-and-Hyde aesthetic to tell a gripping psychological horror tale about Bruce trying to control his malevolent split personality. The Midnight Universe could also make the Hulk an even more grotesque, ever-mutating monster, an unstoppable mass of flesh that will kill anything in sight. The Midnight Universe could even separate Bruce and the Hulk into completely different entities, with the scientist trying to stop the monster, as in the original Godzilla or the classic Frankenstein movies. Either way, Marvel would be foolish not to include the Hulk in its new Midnight Universe.
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