The Marvel comic book universe is full of characters on the fringe who poke fun at the more popular aspects of the universe. Some of these characters, like Howard the Duck and Deadpool, attained cult status among comic book fans, eventually leading to their own ongoing monthly series, guest appearances in more popular titles, and even (whether we want to admit it or not) feature films.
Most cult classics never attain more than the small following they accrue over the course of several limited series or numerous cameos. So while it might be cool, we most likely will not see the Great Lakes Avengers or Alpha Flight on a movie theater marquee any time in the near future. But occasionally, someone in Hollywood sees the potential in your favorite little-known property and wants to take the risk.
Damage Control (Vol. 1) #2 (1989)
Last week, ABC and Marvel announced that they have given a pilot commitment to a half-hour sitcom based on the late 80’s/early 90’s comedy series, Damage Control. The show will have Ben Karlin (The Daily Show, Modern Family) and David Miner (30 Rock, Parks and Recreation) as executive producers, along with Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb.
Created by writer Dwayne McDuffie and artist Ernie Colon, Damage Control follows the bureaucratic nightmare of being the construction company Iron Man calls to clean up the mess he made while battling Fin Fang Foom in New York City. Marvel has published four limited series, and Damage Control have appeared or been mentioned in numerous Marvel comics since first appearing in 1989. They were even an “easter egg” in the bottom crawl on the television behind Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) just before Stark discloses his alter-ego at the end of Iron Man.
Though appearing only briefly over the past 26 years, Damage Control has a long and tangled history involving almost every major character and team in the Marvel Universe. Led by Ann Marie Hoag, Damage Control has past relationships with SHIELD and Tony Stark, which leads to access to SHIELD and Stark Industries technology to help them rebuild disaster areas in record time. They’ve rebuilt almost every major superhero headquarters from Avengers Mansion to Four Freedoms Plaza, and have confronted Doctor Doom, the Punisher, and Wolverine all with humor.
When McDuffie originally pitched Damage Control to Marvel (it was the first professional work he ever sold), he wanted the series to feature an “ensemble cast… along the lines of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Barney Miller, Taxi, and WKRP in Cincinnati.” Damage Control was always intended to be a sitcom about another side of the Marvel Universe, a team that didn’t care if it was Reed Richards or Matt Murdock who needed their expertise as long as they paid their bills. Writer Fred Van Lente (Incredible Hercules) called the Damage Control series “pitch-perfect sitcoms set in the Marvel Universe.”
Damage Control (Vol. 3) #3 (1991), Creator Dwayne McDuffie, Damage Control (Vol. 2) #3
This all may sound like a longshot to actually make it to network television, and with a shaky and almost non-existent track record recently for superhero comedies (No Ordinary Family, The Tick) there might be good reason to be cautious. But Damage Control would have some very strong source material to build off of, and if they’ve been around longer than the first Iron Man movie, it stands to reason the TV series would pick up with Damage Control firmly established in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This would save the need for an origin story, and let the show hit the ground running with mentions or flashbacks to fill in the gaps with the hilarious backstory created by McDuffie.
One of the big gripes about the first season of Agents of SHIELD was the lack of Marvel characters appearing on the show (in a personal blog during that first season I actually listed Damage Control as a possible guest), and the most likely scenario if the series is picked up is that we’ll only get to hear our favorite heroes mentioned by account executive John Porter or the company comptroller Albert Cleary. This could be tiresome for fringe Marvel fans, but diehards may get a kick out of hearing that Captain America didn’t file his Extraordinary Activity Assurance, aka “superhero insurance,” paperwork on time.
The only sad part about the excitement from fans and creators about the possibility of Damage Control making it to network television is that Dwayne McDuffie won’t be here to see it. McDuffie, who also created Static for DC Comics and wrote for the animated series Justice League, Ben 10, and Teen Titans, died after complications from heart surgery in 2011. Longtime comic book writer Fabian Nicieza (X-Force, X-Men) summed up what many fans were thinking in this tweet after the news broke last week:
I wish Dwayne McDuffie could be alive to see this. Hell, I wish he could be alive to write this! http://t.co/IQhoOicjaH
— Fabian Nicieza (@FabianNicieza) October 3, 2015
The pilot season for network television isn’t for a few more months, but with Damage Control, the Bobbi Morse/Lance Hunter SHIELD spinoff apparently back on, and a mystery project from screenwriter John Ridley (Three Kings, 12 Years a Slave) all at ABC, plus Netflix’s upcoming Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist series the internet is sure to be buzzing with Marvel television news and casting rumors for quite some time.
A complete paperback collection of all four Damage Control limited series will be available in bookstores and comic shops on Nov. 3.
