8. New Warriors
What Is It? The New Warriors was a comic book launched by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley, and they were billed as the superheroes for the 90s! There were quite a few teenage Marvel characters floating around at the time, and mirroring what DC did with the Teen Titans, writer/editor Tom DeFalco brought them together as the New Warriors. Gathered by Night Thrasher, a young masked vigilante whose origin bore similarities to Batman, the initial team consisted of Marvel Boy, who possessed telekinetic powers; Firestar, who was initially created for Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends; Namorita, cousin of the Sub-Mariner; Nova, imbued with cosmic powers; and Speedball, who couldbounce (there were actually some creative uses of his powers, but yeah, it basically comes down to bouncing). Despite the terrible costume designs that plagued the 90s, this was one of Marvels underrated gems. The characters were all well-constructed and some intriguing story-lines were brought out of their diverse backgrounds. Unfortunately, after Niciezas departure, the quality dropped like a rock and the book was cancelled. There were two attempted revivals, both of which were terrible, and then Mark Millar unceremoniously blew them up to start Marvels Civil War event.
How To Do It Right? This one is a bit more challenging, given the scale of some of the villains that the Warriors fought. Not only did they go up against street-level threats, but also more cosmic-level entities, like Terrax, a Herald of Galactus. Take a cue from Heroes and Smallville and eschew the bright and colorful costumes in favor of something more utilitarian. Nova would probably have to be left out, but a show built around Night Thrasher, Marvel Boy, Firestar, Namorita, and Speedball could be something really special. Some great stories from the comics have the potential to be adapted, like Night Thrashers ex-flame Silhouette and their connection to the Folding Circle, or Marvel Boys prison sentence after he accidentally uses his powers to kill his abusive father.