History WhatCouldHaveBeen / ComicBooks

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[[caption-width-right:300:Imagine -- no ComicBook/RedHood.]]

** During the planning stages, there were discussions between the two companies about potentially swapping certain characters at the end of the crossover. While it was rumored for years that ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, Daredevil and even Wonder Woman were among the heroes who would've been traded, editor Mike Carlin has denied this, with Paul Levitz saying the characters considered were ones of lesser importance who didn't have their own titles and could be removed from their respective universes without causing too many problems. Ron Marz, who co-wrote the crossover, claims that ComicBook/SheHulk and ComicBook/MartianManhunter were the proposed trades, saying that because both characters were somewhat redundant in their own universes (with She-Hulk being the Hulk's DistaffCounterpart and Martian Manhunter having many of the same powers as Superman), they were seen as having potential to fill a more unique niche at a different company. However, the idea was quickly abandoned due to the massive legal headache that would've ensued.

* Shortly after the announcement of ''JLA/Avengers'' in 2001, some of the higher-ups from both companies had lunch together to see about possibly continuing Marvel/DC partnership in additional projects. While an idea for a crossover involving President ComicBook/LexLuthor launching an invasion of Doctor Doom's home country of Latveria was proposed, the meeting fell apart due to the rude and disrespectful behavior of Marvel's Bill Jemas.
* After Jemas' firing, Creator/BrianMichaelBendis pitched an idea for a crossover between Batman and Daredevil. While his editors liked the idea, DC refused the offer due to Creator/JoeQuesada (who had publicly bashed DC in a controversial interview with ''The New York Observer'') still being employed at Marvel, which is why there hasn't been a crossover between the two since ''JLA/Avengers''.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Not a comic book, per se, but the ''Star Wars'' daily strips were nearly cancelled and taken off the LA Times at the end of 1980. The Star Wars fanclub managed to convince them otherwise via a letter. The response also mentioned that they attempted to do something similar with Ziggy.
** Creator/PeterDavid was initially tapped to write the first ''Star Wars: Infinities'' mini-series, which would have adapted ''Film/ANewHope''. The comic would have seen Uncle Owen buying R5-D4 instead of R2-D2, which would have set off a chain of events that ended with Princess Leia usurping Darth Vader and the Emperor, and becoming a Sith Lord and the new ruler of the galaxy. She also would have taken on Luke as her apprentice and lover (since neither of them knew they were related). Understandably, Lucasfilm objected to the dark tone and the depiction of BrotherSisterIncest.
** As mentioned above, ''Dark Empire'' was nearly published by Marvel.
** During Creator/WaltSimonson and David Michelinie's run on ''ComicBook/StarWarsMarvel1977'', the two came up with an idea for a plot where the Empire would build a second Death Star. Lucasfilm vetoed the idea and refused to give an explanation in order to avoid spoiling the plot of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Simsonson and Michelinie altered the story slightly to replace the new Death Star with a different Imperial battle station called the Tarkin.

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** ''Sonic Universe #50'', the last issue before the jump to the upcoming crossover with ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', was originally billed as the conclusion to the ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' series during one of the recent [=ComiCons=]. However, it was revealed that it was now a story involving two versions of Metal Sonic and no word on what has happened to this story.

* At the same time Creator/ArchieComics was pitching possible comics towards Capcom, leading to the creation of ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', they also approached Creator/{{Nintendo}} with possible comics ideas. ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Sonic]]'' artist Tracy Yardley sketched up a number of concept arts using characters from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''. Sadly, Nintendo turned them down.

* After Jemas' firing, Creator/BrianMichaelBendis pitched an idea for a crossover between Batman and Daredevil. While his editors liked the idea, DC refused the offer due to Creator/JoeQuesada (who had publicly bashed DC in a controversial interview with ''The New York Observer'') still being employed at Marvel.

!!Creator/DCComics

[[folder:Various]]
* Creator/NeilGaiman once scripted an issue for ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' taking place in the dreams of an unborn fetus as it's being aborted by a doctor, but he declined to publish it because he knew that the subject of abortion would generate too much controversy. And he considered it too dark, even by ''Sandman'' standards.
** The "last" volume of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' was going to be about an issue longer, with the speeches of Alianore, Odin, and Death in full. And Superman, but that was ExecutiveMeddling.
** Sandman was initially conceived as part of the ''Literature/{{Wildcards}}'' universe, and Gaiman only brought the concept to DC after it was rejected by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin.
* DC's 1991 CrisisCrossover, ''ComicBook/{{Armageddon 2001}}'', promised to reveal that a currently-active DC hero would eventually become the villainous Monarch, who would eventually kill all of his or her colleagues and rule the entire planet with a Doctor Doom-like iron fist, all by the summer of 2001. When the story was finished, the editorial decision was that Monarch would be revealed as [[spoiler: ComicBook/CaptainAtom]], but then the ending was leaked to the public. A hastily-cobbled-together ending recast Monarch as [[spoiler:ComicBook/{{Hawk|AndDove}}]], the one character it couldn't have been. One anticlimax later, two regular books were canceled and the entire thing was rendered moot by ComicBookTime (in 2001, it was no more than two years later in the DCU). A [[ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis later story]] turned [[spoiler: Captain Atom]] into the Monarch anyway.
* ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' was set to have a different, almost anti-climatic ending. The original ending would have been issue 10, when the Anti-Monitor's fight with the Spectre leads to the multiverse's destruction and the complete rebirth of the DC Universe. Marv Wolfman's plan was originally to have everyone in the DCU modified, even taking new genders and new nationalities in the process. However, [=CoIE=] proved to be very popular and Marv was forced to extend it two issues more and show that all of the characters were still there. There was another alternative ending in which Superman of Earth 1 would die during the fight with the Anti-Monitor and Earth 2 Superman's aged look was only a make up disguise since his aging stopped at the peak of his powers. This idea got scrapped when John Byrne's idea for ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'' mini series got planned.
** Wolfman's plans purportedly extended beyond simply reimagining every character from the ground-up; he wanted to do the same to DC Comics ''as a company'' and is supposed to have lobbied for the company's name (at least on the covers of the comics) to be changed to "Action" which would facilitate a more direct and dynamic comparison to "Marvel".
* Ferro Lad was intended to be black in ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'', but DC editors shot down the idea as they feared losing readers in the South. Due to the meddling, Jim Shooter opted to kill off the character. Shadow Lass was also originally intended to be a black woman, but had her skin changed to blue.
* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'':
** The notorious final set of issues of Rick Veitch's run, which would have had a time-travelling Swampie meet Jesus Christ. This was subject to ExecutiveVeto at the last minute as too controversial, despite the fact that there would apparently have been nothing in the story to offend mainstream Christians. Veitch promptly quit in disgust.
** Veitch's departure led to Creator/NeilGaiman pulling out of the comic in sympathy. His run would have followed Veitch's and, according to him, would have involved a sort of BatFamilyCrossover featuring all of the DC Universe's plant-themed heroes and villains. Seeds for this had already been planted in a couple of Gaiman-written comic issues featuring ComicBook/PoisonIvy and Jason Woodrue.
** Creator/ChinaMieville's aborted [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/06/03/china-mievilles-swamp-thing-run-that-never-was/ run]] which got canceled before ever seeing print in order to bring a lot of the DC characters that made the move to Vertigo back into the fold at DC.
* The Red Circle: The original plan was that JMS was going to debut them in the pages of ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' in their original forms and team them with DC's big names. But apparently DC felt that the spots on ''The Brave and the Bold'' would be better served with the Creator/MilestoneComics heroes instead, so DC and JMS did four one-shots reviving some of them (mostly radically altered) before launching The Shield and The Web into their own titles (with the other two heroes introduced in the one-shots in back-up stories: Inferno and Hangman, respectively). The books lasted 10 issues each, but not before DC publishing a Mighty Crusaders Special at the same month as the ninth issues of the two books. The only major appearance of any of the Red Circle guys in another DC book was when the Shield showed up in two issues of Magog. They then published a Mighty Crusaders six-issue mini-series in order to try to wrap up all loose ends that the earlier Red Circle book had left behind. The Red Circle heroes have since returned to Archie Comics.
** Also, [[https://www.mightycrusaders.net/the-return-of-mlj-by-mark-heike/ according to Mark Heike]], he planned a proposed 25-page special featuring almost every single REAL costumed hero Archie created (No Pureheart or Captain Sprocket) battling the best of MLJ's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] villains, with each chapter drawn by an Creator/ACComics artist. It was slated to revive interest in these heroes, but Creator/ArchieComics did not consider it workable. The material was re-purposed as AC's 2003 one-shot ComicBook/SentinelsOfAmerica.
* Dave Stevens sketched and scripted a three issue ComicBook/TheRocketeer / Franchise/{{Superman}} [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29312 mini]] that never saw the light of day. It would have been set in TheThirties on the day of Creator/OrsonWelles' infamous ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' broadcast.
* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} was almost killed by Alexander Luthor Jr. in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. It's interesting how close this came to happening. Creator/DanDiDio handed the death down as an editorial mandate, but Creator/GeoffJohns flat-out refused to kill Dick Grayson off (seeing as he is one of the longest-existing comic book characters in American comics). ComicBook/{{Superboy}} was eventually killed off instead (at a time when DC was in a legal battle with the estate of Jerry Siegel over rights to the character). The plan was for the recently-resurrected [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]] to succeed Dick as a DarkerAndEdgier Nightwing – the One Year Later relaunch instead had Jason unsuccessfully try to usurp the mantle from Dick.
* ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'':
** The story was originally supposed to bring back the classic ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, who would've replaced the poorly-received [[LegacyCharacter A.J. Curry]] version of Aquaman that was floating around at the time. In Morrison's own words, he and J.G. Jones had wanted to bring back an Aquaman "we could all understand", but they didn't provide an explanation for how he'd returned or regained his iconic appearance, with the assumption being that another writer would fill in the details later. DC ended up scrapping the plan in favor of the then-upcoming ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, leading to Aquaman's cameo appearance in ''Final Crisis'' becoming an AbortedArc.
** ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkgirl were originally supposed to die, which is why they catch fire near the end of the story and then simply vanish from the plot. Creator/{{Dwayne McDuffie}} had even scripted a scene in ''Justice League of America'' showing Red Arrow visiting Hawkgirl's grave, which had to be hastily rewritten when editorial changed its mind.
* In August 2003, Creator/MarkWaid and Mike Wieringo put in a proposal for a one-shot special that would revamp Aquaman. Rather than going the DarkerAndEdgier route like Creator/PeterDavid, they'd wanted to do a LighterAndSofter take playing on the wonderment and majesty of the ocean. It would have featured a Russian marine biologist named Yelena as an AudienceSurrogate, with the goal being to remind people why the idea of having epic adventures underwater seemed so cool before ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' [[AudienceColoringAdaptation ruined]] [[AdaptationalWimp it]].
* Creator/PaulDini wrote a ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} Prestige Format one-shot for Vertigo, which sold out in a short time. Vertigo had plans for a miniseries and eventually a series. Then, Creator/GrantMorrison got the bid for ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'' and snatched Zatanna away… Dini's ongoing Zatanna series [[ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} did eventually happen]] in 2010, though it was cancelled after 16 issues.
** When Dini first announced his ''ComicBook/BlackCanary / Zatanna'' graphic novel, it was said that AmandaConner would be on art duties. The book was then delayed for years, [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell and when it finally did get released]], the artist had been changed to Joe Quinones.
* Speaking of ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'', the project was originally going to be a ''Franchise/{{Justice League|Of America}}'' SpinOff focusing on some of the lesser known heroes of the DCU, with Morrison specifically envisioning the new team as a pastiche of Marvel's [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]. To that end, the original cast consisted of characters who each paralleled a specific Avenger, with the Guardian standing in for ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (a shield-wielding {{Badass Normal}}), the Enchantress for ComicBook/ScarletWitch (a magical heroine with a bit of a dark side), [[ComicBook/NewGods Mr. Miracle]] for Thor (a caped Creator/JackKirby creation with ties to a fantastic other world), [[ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} Etrigan the Demon]] for ComicBook/IncredibleHulk (a tormented man with a dangerous SuperpoweredAlterEgo), obscure Golden Age hero Spyder for ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} (an adventurous archer with an arsenal of {{Trick Arrow}}s) and ComicBook/MartianManhunter for ComicBook/TheVision (a stoic green hero with the ability to [[{{Intangibility}} become intangible]]). Morrison was denied permission to have the Demon, Enchantress or Martian Manhunter in the book since they were all being used elsewhere at the time, so he replaced them with Klarion, Zatanna and Frankenstein, respectively. By then, the whole Avenger angle had begun to fade away, and it was eventually decided to drop the ''Justice League'' title and do the story as its own unrelated thing.
* Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}} initially intended for the Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} member Triumph to be a closeted gay man, but could never come up with an appropriate story to handle the subject matter. This led to other writers mistakenly giving Triumph female love interests, and later, an illegitimate son.
* Priest's ''The Ray'' series was originally going to be about an entirely original character named the Avenger. His editor liked the pitch, but asked for a name change due to the obvious legal issues "Avenger" presented. Priest ended up revamping the character into a new version of the Ray, a character he remembered from the ''ComicBook/{{Freedom Fighters|DC}}''.
* ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'':
** One of the proposed endings would've seen the creation of a new [[TheMultiverse multiverse]] world that was essentially the Pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|OnInfiniteEarths}} DCU. This presumably would've provided an alternative for fans who preferred the classic versions of DC heroes, as opposed to the host of gritty revamps and YoungerAndHipper {{Legacy Character}}s that were popular at the time.
** Another idea would've had Hal Jordan temporarily recreate the Multiverse, with a new Earth-2 ultimately emerging as the only surviving world. This would have allowed the JSA to continue existing without having to explain how a bunch of people who'd been fighting crime back in the '30s and '40s could still be active in the present.
** Creator/AlexRoss came up with a mini-series idea called ''Batboy'', who would have focused on the son of Bruce Wayne and his ally, Superman, Jr. Most of the original heroes would have been retired save Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan with the ComicBook/TeenTitans becoming the Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}. As the story progressed, Batboy would realize his world was ''too'' perfect before learning the truth -- this was Hal Jordan's perfect Earth from ''ComicBook/ZeroHour''.
** The ending was originally supposed to reveal that the alternate Batgirl seen throughout (from a universe where the Joker decided to kill Commissioner Gordon instead of crippling her) became a new Time Trapper after she made a HeroicSacrifice to save Damage.
* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'':
** After the 70s revival series was cancelled, Roy Thomas pitched a ContinuityReboot of the Captain Marvel franchise that would've given the character a RaceLift and recast Billy Batson as a black kid.
** Before the ''Trials of Shazam'' series, Alex Ross pitched a new ''Shazam'' series which would've seen the Marvel Family traveling the world and trying to reclaim Captain Marvel's powers after they were scattered across the planet. The series would've officially brought Black Vulcan from the ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' cartoon [[CanonImmigrant into DC canon]] by making him the first non-white member of the Marvel Family.
* The ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] / [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]]: Virtue and Vice'' graphic novel was clearly intended to be a three or four-issue miniseries. The story breaks into almost perfect twenty-two page segments. Why it was released as one book was unclear, but DC possibly wanted to test out releasing more stories directly as graphic novels.
* In 1962, Creator/DCComics published a ''Film/DrNo'' comic, which failed to garner attention. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20061206011434/https://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2006_12_03.html Only 10 years later]], as the rights were about to expire, DC noticed they had the rights for more ''Film/JamesBond'' comics. Creator/JackKirby and Alex Toth were even contacted, but the higher-ups ultimately discarded as Creator/SeanConnery left the series and [[ItWillNeverCatchOn they did not know if 007 would still be popular.]]
* Creator/GailSimone pitched an idea for a ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' team book that would've starred [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl2009}} Stephanie Brown]], Bumblebee, Black Alice, and Misfit. The book would've effectively brought Brown out of ComicBookLimbo after her ''Batgirl'' series was cancelled.
* There was a ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' remake pitched by Creator/ScottLobdell and Illias Kyriazis that had a massive misfit team of players. They would have been led by Beast Boy (going ''back'' to his Changeling code name) and Robotman (who would have been shrunk to toy size and forced to be worn around Changeling's neck.) and comprised of Zatara, Madame-.44, Platinum of the ''ComicBook/MetalMen'', Sprout (who is most likely ComicBook/SwampThing's kid) and Bizzaro (though which one isn't revealed). Taking a cue from the modern ''ComicBook/BoosterGold'' series, they would have been a super team that went around stopping Earth-destroying threats yet never get any sort of recognition because no one would know about it.
* In the 90s, there were plans for a mini-series called ''Love and War'' by Creator/JephLoeb and Paul Smith. The series would have been a ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' style take on the early days of DC's Trinity (Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman), but the whole thing fell apart due to a rather silly dispute; Smith had wanted Wonder Woman to wear [[AdaptationalModesty a pair of star-spangled shorts]] (similar to her [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Golden Age design]]), while the editors were adamant that she wear the more {{Stripperiffic}} costume she had at the time (which Smith described as a "G-string").
* In an example of how ExecutiveMeddling and changes from an initial pitch [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools can be a good thing]], had Tony Isabella not pitched ''ComicBook/BlackLightning'', DC's first plan for their first black male superhero was to be the Black Bomber- a white supremacist ex- soldier who underwent an experiment that would turn him into a super-powered black man whenever the powers would activate. The two scripts that were completed were stated to be very embarrassing in plotline, with the basic formula being that the main character would transform to save someone in need, but after de-transforming, he'd react in disgust and racial slurs at the fact that he'd saved a black person. The main character would also have two girlfriends (a white woman and a black woman for each identity) who would be aware of his secret and transformations. After Tony Isabella read the scripts, he convinced editorial to reconsider, and was given the opportunity to pitch his superhero instead. However, in Creator/{{Dwayne McDuffie}}'s run of ''Justice League'', an alternate universe version of the League had a member named "Brown Bomber", as a MythologyGag to the above failed concept. He was depicted as a bald white man in a hoodie, and would transform into a super-powered black man but could only use his powers for an hour. But this appearance also underwent some revision by editorial: Originally, there was to be a punchline where Brown Bomber asked ComicBook/{{Vixen}} if [[NWordPrivileges he could now "use the N-word"]] , to which Vixen would reply "No, you absolutely can't". The Brown Bomber's question was edited out when the issue made it to print, but Vixen's response wasn't, leading to what looked like an awkward beat panel beforehand and Vixen responding to nothing. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rVlYmYabaos/TC5tyikpv5I/AAAAAAAAB0M/th44qRnkSWk/s1600/bomber+2.jpg Here is the edited version]]. One way of reading the edited version is that she's objecting to him calling his power "C.P.T."; alternatively, it could be read as her objecting to his entire concept and existence.
* The female Dr. Light in ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' was to originally be a black woman, but George Perez and Marv Wolfman reconsidered the idea while designing her, as they felt she'd be too similar to the then-current female Captain Marvel (ComicBook/MonicaRambeau). In the end, they decided that she'd be Japanese.
* In the late 1980s, Creator/KurtBusiek and Kevin Maguire were scheduled to launch a series called ''Wildcard'', which would have starred a new teenage superhero. The project was downgraded to a one-shot after Maguire was pinched for penciling duties on the historic ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'', and Busiek eventually decided to just scrap the whole thing altogether.
* Speaking of which, the original plan for the ''Justice League'' relaunch that eventually became ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'' was far different. After the failure of the Detroit-era Justice League, editor Andy Helfer had wanted to bring back the iconic "Big 7" JLA roster roster from UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of ComicBooks}}, similar to what Creator/GrantMorrison ended up doing years later. However, he only ended up getting Batman and ComicBook/MartianManhunter since the other "Big 7" heroes were all off-limits at the time (e.g., Superman and Wonder Woman were in the process of being rebooted by John Byrne and George Perez, respectively; The Flash (Wally West) having his own title; Hal Jordan was already helming ''The Green Lantern Corps'' series). The unorthodox cast the book eventually ended up with (Guy Gardner, ComicBook/BlueBeetle, ComicBook/BoosterGold, etc.) was basically a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot, rather than a conscious decision to focus on lesser known heroes. Also, the book was originally going to have a more serious tone, but co-writer Keith Giffen suggested that a comedic take on the League would help distinguish the book from the more serious titles of the 80s, like ''New Teen Titans'' and ''ComicBook/XMen''.
* Crimson Fox was originally called Red Fox, but the threat of legal action from the publishers of an indie comic called ''Redfox'' led to her being renamed.
* Creator/JackKirby's original ending to the ''ComicBook/NewGods'' saga was completely different, but was changed after he saw ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. The rumor is that the ending was going to feature ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} redeeming himself and performing a HeroicSacrifice to save Orion, which Kirby felt would've been too similar to Darth Vader [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrificing his life to save Luke]].
* When Jim Lee's Creator/{{Wildstorm}} imprint was bought by Creator/DCComics, he approached his former coworkers at Creator/{{Image|Comics}} about an idea concerning both the Image and DC heroes by moving some of the Image heroes like ComicBook/{{Spawn}} to the DC Universe, a la ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn''. There was a lot of enthusiasm, but all that materialized in the end was a brief crossover where Majestic and Superman got interchanged and spent some time in each other's universe.
* The original villain for the ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' leadup was originally meant to be Mr. Jupiter, a man who tried to help out the original ComicBook/TeenTitans near the end of their initial run. It was dropped and replaced with Max Lord.
** Dan Didio revealed a "hit list" of things he wanted to get rid of in ''Infinite Crisis''. Among them were "Superman's marriage" (which meant he'd been gunning for it since 2004) and "non-used ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' characters" (which meant he'd probably tried to get rid of those like Empress, Secret and Arrowette). As well, there was a note talking about Conner Hawke, the second ComicBook/GreenArrow, being put into retirement after killing a villain, which never happened.
* The comic book ''Breach'' was initially pitched as a revamp of ''ComicBook/CaptainAtom'', before being changed to an original character. When the book was cancelled, DC even acknowledged this by revealing that Breach was actually an AlternateUniverse equivalent of Captain Atom, before killing him off in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' and bringing back the real deal. In fact, as a bit of referencing TheArtifact moment, there's a goof in the first issue where someone refers to Breach by Captain Atom's real name. Somehow, the editors missed this.
* The series ''Scarab'' was initially pitched as a DarkerAndEdgier reboot of the ComicBook/DoctorFate character for the Creator/DCVertigo line. The writer was forced to create an original character when the editors liked the pitch, but felt his take was too extreme to work for an established hero.
* ''ComicBook/{{Earth 2}}'':
** James Robinson originally wanted Red Arrow to be a new character (or possibly an {{Expy}} of Roy Harper) named Roy [=McQueen=]. He left the book before he could really explore the character or his identity, and the subsequent writer ended up making Red Arrow the Earth-2 version of Connor Hawke.
** At a convention, Robinson had said he was looking to bring back Alan Scott's children, Jade and Obsidian, by introducing ComicBook/InfinityInc as the Earth-2 equivalent of the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes. Like with the Red Arrow reveal, he left the book before he could do anything with the idea.
* The original teaser for the Creator/GeoffJohns / Creator/JimLee ''Franchise/{{Justice League|Of America}}'' relaunch had a slightly different roster, with the Ryan Choi version of ComicBook/TheAtom and the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroine Lady Luck tapped to appear as part of the team. For unknown reasons, Lady Luck was {{ReTool}}ed into a new character named Goldrush (who only made a guest appearance), while the Atom who ended up joining the League was a new character named Rhonda Pineda ([[spoiler: who turned out to be TheMole for the Crime Syndicate]]). Element Woman and ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} were also hinted at being part of the League.
* Atlee, the third Terra, was originally going to be an original character. It was Dan Didio who suggested to Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray that she be the new Terra instead.
* ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity'':
** Donna Troy was solicited to appear in ''The Just #1'', and there were character sketches done by Ben Oliver released in earlier interviews. When the actual issue came out, Donna was nowhere to be found, and seemed to have been replaced by Artemis.
** The cover solicited for ''The Multiversity #2'' featured Batman (Damian Wayne of Earth-16) and Blitzen (Flash of Earth-10) along with Aquawoman and Thunderer. The cover that was released instead had Red Racer, Atomic Knight Batman, and Machinehead of Earth-8, which made more sense since Red Racer and Atomic Knight Batman were more prominent in the main story than Damian and Blitzen. (It's also just as likely Blitzen was removed due to being a Nazi version of the Flash.)
** The hardcover collection contains sketches and mock covers done by Morrison, including an actual Doctor Manhattan cover done as an homage to ComicBook/DoctorSolar. There are also designs for a Major Max character who is either a counterpart to ComicBook/CaptainMarVell or ComicBook/{{Miracleman}} (Max's comic appears in ''Pax Americana'' and the ''Multiversity Guidebook'' suggests the ComicBook/CarolDanvers-alike in the Retaliators is the "new" Major Max, which fits with the original being Mar-Vell).
** Morrison's original 2009 proposal for the series, reprinted in ''The Multiversity Director's Cut #1'', has a number of these:
*** The series was originally intended to be eight issues: the two-issue framing story and the six spotlight issues for each Earth. There's no mention of the ''Guidebook''.
*** ''Society of Super-Heroes'' didn't have the ''Conquerors of the Counter-World'' part of its title; its internal title was "Doom from the Counter-world". Earth-20's EvilCounterpart was Earth-30 rather than Earth-40.
*** ''The Just'' was set on Earth-7.
*** ''Pax Americana'' was to begin with a student riot.
*** The events of ''Thunderworld'' - specifically the Sivanas' creation of a new day - was what drew the {{Big Bad Ensemble}}'s attention.
*** ''Ultra Comics'' was originally ''Ultraa the Unknown''. Ultra himself was intended to be a Pinocchio-style character, [[PinocchioSyndrome a fiction who wanted to become real]].
* [[Music/MyChemicalRomance Gerard Way]] and Becky Cloonan were slated to do a ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' revamp, but the project was delayed because of Way's music career. While the series was eventually launched sometime later, it was tweaked from the original pitch, and Nick Derington replaced Cloonan as the main artist.
* Creator/AlanMoore's ''[[Script/TheTwilightOfTheSuperheroes Twilight of the Superheroes]]''.
* The original plan for ''The Kingdom'', whose final version was a sequel to ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', would have been a prequel or even an {{aver|tedTrope}}sion of the series. According to Alex Ross, the story would have focused more on the civilian identities than the heroes themselves. Gog, Magog's precursor, would appear here and attempt to murder the New Gods before Magog would kill him. As well, Superman would have visions of the Joker murdering everyone in the Daily Planet and he would take steps to prevent it.
* When the ''DC You'' initiative was announced in 2015, there were two magic-based titles called ''Dark Universe'' and ''Mystic U'' included in the line-up. James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle were working on the former and reportedly left the title, and Alisa Kwitney was writing the latter. While ''Mystic U'' (under the title ''ComicBook/MystikU''), after a lengthy delay, was later announced for a November 2017 release during ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', aside from Tynion and Doyle leaving the project no other news has come to light regarding the ''Dark Universe'' title, and it's entirely likely said book is officially dead.
* ''ComicBook/SuperboyNew52'':
** This version of Superboy, as a stoic agent of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. tasked with hunting down the ComicBook/TeenTitans, was conceived as a possible [[{{Retool}} status quo shake-up]] for the pre-New-52 ''[[ComicBook/Superboy2011 Superboy vol. 5]]''. The original idea was that the pre-New-52 Kon would be [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed and reprogrammed]]. When the ComicBook/New52 continuity reboot was settled upon, the concept was instead worked into his new origin story.
** During Marv Wolfman's tenure as writer, there were plans to feature an evil version of the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes. Artist Joe Prado even finished an evil Lightning Lad design, but for whatever reason the plan was altered and Superboy teamed up with characters called Schiz, Volt, and Lodestone. The three were clearly meant to invoke the Legion founders (Volt especially was blatantly Lightning Lad) and even referred to them as "Imra, Garth, and Rokk." Later on, an evil Legion did appear in the completely unrelated series ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague3001'', with an evil Lightning Lad completely different from Joe's design.
* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' debuting his and Mera's infant daughter Andy just in time for her to grow up to be Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDiDio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward. However, the stories in ''Future State'' are still largely based on ideas [=DiDio=] had for 5G in spite of the repurpose, an example being [[spoiler:his CreatorsPest Wally West being possessed and turned into a villain]].
* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes2020'':
** The Legion's return was originally being set up in ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' but due to all the delays, Bendis was given the chance to reintroduce the Legionnaires in his ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' run. ''Doomsday Clock'' followed suit by erasing its Saturn Girl and featuring Bendis' Legion appearing in the last issue.
** Lightning Lad and Light Lass were both going to be white as they are in other Legion continuities. The twins appeared as such in promotional materials and design artwork leading up to the Legion's debut in ''Superman''. At some point the two were hastily redrawn as Black people.
* Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' was originally intended to just be a 4-issue mini-series. But seeing how well it's doing, DC immediately turned it into a monthly series, with #26 being Morrison's last issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheNail'' writer/artist Alan Davis stated he'd forgotten about ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' when he did the book, which depicted Oliver Queen as having retired from being ComicBook/GreenArrow after losing an arm (and an eye, as well as becoming crippled following a fight with Amazo). While ''The Nail'' depicts Ollie's right arm as the one missing, Davis stated has he remembered ''TDKR'', he'd have made it the missing arm being his left one like in that story.

[[folder:Superman]]
* Siegel and Shuster conceived of two early versions of Franchise/{{Superman}} before the famous one. The first was an ordinary man who gained mind control powers in an experiment and became a supervillain until his powers faded (too bad he killed the scientist who gave them to him in the first place) though this was a One Shot. The second version was a nonpowered colorfully attired strongman who went around beating up bullies. This second version eventually became the then mildly popular Slam Bradley (who didn't wear a costume, but otherwise looked a lot like Superman). In this case, ExecutiveMeddling worked for the better, forcing the creative team to create the third wildly popular version of the character and define an entire genre of fiction.
* There was yet another version conceptualized for Superman's newspaper strip: [[OlderThanTheyThink Just like in]] ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', Supes would have been a child sent into the past by the last man on earth, his father, to save him from [[ApocalypseHow the earth's destruction]]. Superman would have powers due to being on a higher {{Evolutionary Level|s}} than present-day humans, and would struggle to find acceptance due to his powers making him different from everybody else. This version [[MeaningfulName truly would have been]] [[RedBaron a "Man of Tomorrow"]].
* It's well known among comic book geekdom that Kryptonite originally appeared in an episode of [[Radio/TheAdventuresOfSuperman the old Superman radio show]] called "The K-Metal From Krypton", before migrating to the comics. What's less well known is that it was adapted from an old Golden Age strip of the same name that never got made. At the time the script was written, Superman's established origin was that, instead of being raised by a loving foster family, he grew up in an orphanage, concepts such as Smallville, Lana Lang, the Kents and other now standard aspects of his backstory simply did not exist. As such, Clark Kent was for all practical purposes a day job Superman worked to pay the bills and a pair of glasses he would rip off at the earliest opportunity, therefore, Siegel decided early on to do away with Superman's SecretIdentity altogether, feeling it was dead weight. In what would have been a massive shake-up of the status quo, Lois and Clark would have discovered Kryptonite and that Superman was an alien, Lois would have learned his secret identity and Superman would decide to just get rid of it. Clark Kent would cease to exist and Lois and Superman would become a crime solving/fighting team and a couple, with her as his BadassNormal detective sidekick/girlfriend. If that comic had been made imagine how the Superman mythos, and by extension the very concept of a superhero and popular culture in general would have changed. We'd be down [[ClarkKenting a trope]], and we'd have missed out on some good stories and several [[Series/LoisAndClark TV]] [[Series/{{Smallville}} shows]].
* Creator/MarkMillar, Creator/MarkWaid, and Creator/GrantMorrison's [[https://davidmann95.tumblr.com/post/151355280746/the-sad-saga-of-superman-now infamous Superman 2000 pitch]], which among other things would have erased the Superman marriage via Lois being mindwiped after Lois is infected with a brain disease that threatens to kill her (on top of Lois being put on a bus out of the country by the three writers, to soften fans up for the purging of the marriage and restoration of the love triangle - this element proved controversial enough that it was eventually booted from a later version), Lex Luthor and Brainiac returning to their Silver Age roots (with the addition that Lex being revealed to be a world-class sculptor who finances his crimes via his art, which also double as a hiding place for his weapons of mass destruction), and the resurrection of the original Fortress of Solitude. However, the pitch caused a communication breakdown among DC editorial, when one editor decided to accept the pitch without bothering to tell the Superman offices, and in the crossfire, it was outright rejected, with Millar and Waid officially blacklisted from ever writing the main Superman books after they went public with their rejection (though they were later allowed to do non-canon Superman stuff in the form of ''[[ComicBook/SupermanRedSon Red Son]]'' and ''[[ComicBook/SupermanBirthright Birthright]]'', both of which used elements of the original pitch). Grant Morrison didn't burn his bridges so badly however, and was later allowed to write ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', which was a semi-sequel to his CrisisCrossover DC One Million and probably the closest thing to what 2000 would have been. The original pitch eventually made it online, and can be read [[http://theages.superman.nu/History/2000/SUPERMAN2000.php here.]]
** The post-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' DCU reboot used some concepts from this proposal (namely Superman having no red trunks, both Jonathan and Martha Kent being dead, and Lois and Clark's marriage being nonexistent). The new direction proved unpopular with fans, and the post-Crisis Lois and Clark were subsequently brought back.
* Originally [[{{ComicBook/Batgirl2009}} Stephanie Brown]] was supposed to be ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} in the ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' comics but ExecutiveMeddling stopped this from happening. The artist had also argued in favor of making Stephanie black, since he felt it would make sense and lessen some of the UnfortunateImplications behind having her "clean up" crime-ridden (and predominately minority) neighborhoods.
* An odd case in the 1980s: According to Jim Starlin, back when the [=AIDS=] scare was the big thing, DC decided to have one of their characters be infected with the virus and die from it and set up a voting booth of sorts (Jim jokes that he stuffed it full of Robins). In the end, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen was chosen to be the victim. However, when someone pointed out that Jack Larson, the actor who played Jimmy in the [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman 50's live-action show]] was gay, DC quickly got cold feet and scuttled the entire idea.
* ''Superman: For Tomorrow'' and ''ComicBook/LexLuthorManOfSteel'' were actually supposed to be part of a massive storyline running through four different books. The main gist of the "Superstorm" storyline was that Luthor was planning to build a Spire in Metropolis that would end up killing Superman when completed. The story would have went through four titles: the aforementioned ''For Tomorrow'' storyline in ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'', the aforementioned ''ComicBook/LexLuthorManOfSteel'' mini-series and two mini-series starring ComicBook/TheQuestion and Vigilante respectively. However, the writer for the Vigilante mini got into trouble with DC and, when he was dropped, ''For Tomorrow'' had just started, forcing them to drop the "Superstorm" thing. Little pieces of it, though, were still found in The Question mini.
* Before ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'', Cary Bates' proposal for a reboot would have Superman clinically die and be brought back to life... only to discover he had been 'de-powered' and had partial amnesia, in essence "erasing" much past of his past history (at least from his mind, anyway). This is to keep the all the Weisinger stories in then-ongoing continuity.
* During the late nineties, AdamWarren came close to writing and drawing a ''Superman''/''LightNovel/DirtyPair'' crossover, and even published a promo piece of art for it, which was published in Wizard magazine at the time. The project apparently was axed due to publishing budget constrains.
* The ComicBook/{{New 52}}-era almost saw the debut of a new villain named the Masochist, a blatant [[Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy Lisbeth Salander]] {{Expy}} with an [[BondageIsBad S&M]] theme. Due to some backlash, she was renamed "Anguish" and had all of the fetish elements removed from her design.
* ''ComicBook/NewSuperMan'' was originally going to star a Chinese teenager named Kenji Kong, but the character was renamed Kenan Kong to avoid the perception that [[InterchangeableAsianCultures DC didn't realize the difference between Chinese and Japanese names]].
* Even before ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', there were proposals for a revision of Superman from various writers. Regular ''Superman'' writer Cary Bates's proposal would still keep the then-ongoing continuity as it was; while Marv Wolfman, Creator/FrankMiller, and Creator/SteveGerber wanted to restart from scratch. While each of the latter three's approach was different, they all agreed on the same things: getting rid of Clark's career as Superboy, cutting down Superman's powers, changes in Lex Luthor's character, and Superman as the only survivor of Krypton. Which essentially Creator/JohnByrne also agreed on for his proposal that is ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel''.

[[folder:Batman]]
* Franchise/{{Batman}} himself turned out much different from how Bob Kane first envisioned him. Creator/BillFinger described the character as having worn red tights like Superman, a pair of red bat wings, and a small black domino mask. Finger, inspired by ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'', offered an alternative costume design which became an early version of the iconic bat suit. Robin was originally to be named "Mercury", and would be a young boy that would wear a "super-costume". Jerry Robinson convinced Kane to bring the character down to a more realistic level and call him Robin (after Myth/RobinHood).
* According to Bob Kane, sales for the Batman titles had fallen so drastically by the early 60's that DC was considering killing the franchise altogether. The "New Look" period (as well as the concurrent editorial shake-up) was designed to revitalize the franchise. [[LongRunners It worked]].
* During the "New Look" era in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} (where Batman first gained a yellow oval on his chest and returned to his earlier detective tone), Carmine Infantino had wanted Batman to start using handguns again. Julius Schwartz nixed this idea, since Infantino's main justification for giving Batman guns was that [[RuleOfCool he thought it'd look cool]].
* The reason for the creation of Jason Todd: One of the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' writers had wanted to de-age Dick Grayson and return him to being Batman's sidekick. However, Marv Wolfman, as writer on ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' (DC's hottest property at the time), wielded a lot of power and suggested that instead, [[LegacyCharacter a new character could be introduced as Robin]] as a gimmick to boost sales, since such a thing hadn't really happened before.
* During his original run of ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'', Creator/ChuckDixon [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/10/22/comic-book-legends-revealed-283/ ultimately planned]] for Tim Drake to move on to becoming ComicBook/BlueBeetle for a period of time. Dixon had set up foreshadowing by establishing Tim as a fan of Ted Kord, and giving Ted a heart condition that would make it more difficult for him to do strenuous crime-fighting. Tim would then take on the role, while Stephanie Brown would temporarily become Robin in his absence. Tim would then go back to being Robin, and the "Blue Beetle" name would be franchised out, with Ted Kord training other new Beetles. Ted Kord wound up being killed off in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', albeit when Max Lord killed him and leading to the mantle passing to Jaime Reyes.
** Creator/ChuckDixon had also planned for there to be a miniseries featuring Spoiler, after she was resurrected and brought back to the Robin title. However, the miniseries never came to pass due to another falling-out between Dixon and DC editorial.
* Creator/GailSimone's [[http://wednesdaytheology.blogspot.com/2013/08/angel-of-bat.html original proposition]] for the Cassandra Cain ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2000}} was to have her rescue a sincerely faithful Christian preacher to Gotham's homeless population from a mugging and be converted by his strong faith in forgiveness and the teachings of the Bible. Taking up a new, white-colored costume, and devoting herself to the most vulnerable of Gotham's residents -- the mentally ill, the homeless, runaways and immigrants -- she would become known as the Angel of the Bat and, for the first time ever, would be genuinely happy.
* Creator/GailSimone revealed via her Tumblr page that [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl2000}} Cassandra Cain]] was originally supposed to join the ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey after the controversial ''Death of Oracle'' storyline, partially to answer complaints about the [[MonochromeCasting lack of minorities]] on the team. Simone claims to have started writing the issue before being informed that Cass would be used in ''[[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman Inc.]]'' as the Batwoman of Hong Kong. Which itself now falls under this trope; Creator/GrantMorrison wrote Cass into one issue but the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' threw things out of whack. It now appears she's (retroactively) been removed from the Batman Inc. team.
** Simone also claims that she tried to have ComicBook/{{Vixen}} added to the team at several points, for reasons similar to Cassandra. She had also requested to use Flamebird at least twice, but was shot down as the character was restricted to the potential Batwoman title that had been in development hell at the time (A Batwoman story would finally come to pass with Greg Rucka's run on ''Detective Comics'').
* Creator/ScottSnyder intended to have Cassandra Cain in his first issue of the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' Franchise/{{Batman}} series. Some ExecutiveMeddling led to Cass being removed from the script, which in turn led to Snyder creating Harper Row as a replacement.
* When Alan Grant wrote the first issue of ''Detective Comics'' introducing ComicBook/{{Anarky}}, he planned for Anarky to become the next ComicBook/{{Robin}}. However, his pitch to DC was rejected because plans were already in the works to introduce Tim Drake as the new Robin in Marv Wolfman's ''Batman''. The two characters ended up debuting at more-or-less the same time. Of course, YMMV on whether having Anarky become Robin would have been better or worse, but it certainly would have been different.
* ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'' had two versions of ''Batman'' issue #428 drawn up - one where Jason Todd lived and one where he died. If the fans had voted for Jason to live, the page where Batman discovers Jason's body would have instead shown a jubilant Batman crying out to the heavens "He's ''alive!'' Thank God!" Later in the issue it also would have shown Jason in hospital, in a coma, with Bruce's narration saying that it was unknown when or if he would recover. Afterwards, Jason would have endured a long period of recovery, after which he would retire as Robin; his role afterwards would have been as a commentator of sorts for the DC Universe. This came ''very'' close to happening, with the vote to kill Jason off only winning by 72 votes out of more than 10,000 total.
* Geoff Johns apparently wanted to reveal that the new Red Hood was actually the Jason Todd of Earth-2, rather than a resurrected version of the Post-Crisis Jason. The idea was that this version of Jason would be a young man who had idolized Batman while growing up, only to snap and become a violent AntiHero after discovering that his world's Batman had been murdered. There was also talk of Red Hood being ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}'s Robin.[[note]]This is likely the basis for a major plot point in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', where Slade seeks to have Robin become his apprentice by force.[[/note]]
* Damian Wayne was supposed to die at the end of the story arc where he was introduced, ''Batman and Son''. Creator/GrantMorrison said that the idea was to have Damian start off as a complete brat, only to pull a HeroicSacrifice after being inspired by his father's heroism. However, Morrison instead opted to bring Damian back from near-death in the next story arc, ultimately make him the new Robin, and ''then'' have him KilledOffForReal, believing that killing him after making sure the audience was invested would make his death much more meaningful and shocking. Damian ''was'' eventually killed off in ''Batman Incorporated'' #8, but ended up being resurrected 17 months after ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman run ended.
* A year or so before [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain]] debuted, Creator/JohnByrne pitched the idea of an Asian-American Batgirl, which he thought would be fitting since bats are considered good luck in several East Asian countries.
* For ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'', Scott Snyder, Gail Simone, and Grant Morrison have all asked to use Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown in their stories. Maybe they would have appeared in Bruce's fantasy of his family waiting for him to wake up.
* Sarah Essen-Gordon nearly survived ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand''. The final big storyline before NML ended would have had ComicBook/TheJoker murder someone on the GCPD attempting to stop him from killing the babies he kidnapped. Both Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya were chosen, but different writers fought for their survival. It wasn't until other writers noticed how, coincidentally, Sarah had been foreshadowing something big in her life that they used it to make her the SacrificialLamb for the story.
* This happened in a "dream vision" manner at the end of Stephanie Brown's run as Batgirl. Thanks to Black Mercy, she got a vision of a possible future (which the author wrote as ideas he had for the title if it continued). Everyone agrees, they would have been awesome.
* DC was open to having [[ComicBook/{{Azrael}} Jean-Paul Valley]] take over as Batman permanently during the ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' storyline, fully phasing out Bruce, if fans had responded positively enough to the change.
* There was a different version of the final issue of ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'' that came as the aftermath of ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil''. [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/06/02/the-entire-art-from-nightwing-20-by-before-it-was-binned/ The pages show]] everyone in mourning for Dick's supposed death and reminiscing over various events. According to DC, the new version segued better into ''Grayson''. If what many fans would tell you, they would have preferred this over what they got
** As well, Creator/JamesTynionIV had came up with [[https://www.gamesradar.com/the-nightwing-that-almost-was-inside-the-2014-proposal-by-james-tynion-iv-and-mikel-janin/ an idea outside of the super spy idea]]. This would have seen Dick Grayson take up the identity of John Blake, a nod to the character of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', and become a cop while he chases down an escaped Owlman. Dick would use the identity to resume being Nightwing, but a second Nightwing would spring up realizing who he was and Dick would have to stop him, too. Editorial refused to let him use Owlman, hated his ideas for who could be the second Nightwing and ultimately chose to go with the spy thriller.
* ''ComicBook/HolyTerror'' was originally meant to be a Batman story set in "Millerverse" Batman called "Holy Terror, Batman!", a nod to Robin's phrase from the 60's ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' series. (Miller was probably not aware of an Elseworld's tale called ''ComicBook/BatmanHolyTerror'') Supposedly, Creator/FrankMiller decided to take the book to Legendary because he realized it was "not a Batman story" and the hero was "much closer to Dirty Harry than Batman".[[note]]The other rumor is that the reason for the change was because he was friends with the editor, who was letting him make this story with the Batman characters, but when the editor was canned (and conveniently jumped ship to Legendary), no one was okay with a story of Batman torturing terrorists and Al Qaeda essentially having Illuminati-like reserves and secrets and fired him.[[/note]]
* Around 1996, a ''Batman''/''ComicBook/{{Gen 13}}'' crossover was being worked on by DC and Image-Wildstorm, and Gen 13 artist J. Scott Campbell would have drawn it. A piece of promotional artwork was shown in Wizard magazine, but Campbell's infamous ScheduleSlip habits and his departure from the regular Gen 13 title eventually doomed the crossover.
* "Jolly Ol' Saint Nicholas", one of a series of shorts in ''The Batman Adventures Holiday Special'' and later adapted in ''WesternAnimation/TheNewBatmanAdventures'' episode "Holiday Knights", originally had a scene where Barbara Gordon, banking on the panicking crowd seeing Clayface being too busy panicking, change into Batgirl in front of them. According to Bruce Timm, it was based off of a panel from an issue of ''Supergirl''. DC quickly nixed the idea, mostly because, as the mock-up panel showed, it was quite risque, especially for a comic that's supposed to be more kid-friendly. While the actual comic had Babs dive into a dressing room, "Holiday Knights" instead had her dive between some clothing racks.
* Williams and Blackman's run on ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' has boiled down to this trope, due to their final two issues being scrapped when they left DC. Alice's origin would have been delved into, as would that of Director Bones (clarifying whether or not he was related to the Kanes). Kate and Maggie were also to get married (which DC forbid, leading to the writers' departure), and from the sounds of things the climactic fight between Batwoman and [[spoiler:Batman]] would've been ''far'' more brutal for both combatants. While their story was concluded in an Annual, they have both made it clear that the Annual was not ''their'' ending.
* Kate Leth and Joe Quinones pitched a mini-series called ''Batman '89'', which would have been set in the universe of [[Film/Batman1989 the]] [[Film/BatmanReturns two]] Creator/TimBurton ''Batman'' movies, while [[CanonDiscontinuity ignoring]] ''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. The series would have included unused ideas from the films, like an African-American Robin modeled after Marlon Wayans, and a Two-Face who resembled Creator/BillyDeeWilliams. It also would have introduced "Burtonized" versions of characters who didn't appear in the first two movies, like Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Additionally, Harley Quinn would've been Alicia, the Joker's scarred girlfriend whom he claimed committed suicide. One could draw that conclusion due to the similarities in their masks. While this comic was ultimately never made, Williams would later voice Two-Face in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', with the character designed to resemble him, and the concept of Duke Thomas ensured that there would eventually be a teenaged African-American in the Bat-Family like Wayans' Robin. On February 16, 2021, ''Batman '89'' was formally announced with Quinones working alongside screenwriter Sam Hamm, as Leth ultimately didn't take part in the final version.
* Creator/ScottSnyder had wanted to bring back Harold, a mute hunchback who acted as the Bat Family's mechanic during the '90s, during his ''Batman'' run. He realized it wouldn't make any sense since he was currently writing Bruce as an amnesiac and Jim Gordon as the new Batman, so he waited until his ''All-Star Batman'' run to reintroduce Harold.
* Scott Snyder and Dan Didio had discussed making Duke Thomas the official Robin or even the new Nightwing (presumably during the period where Dick was [[ComicBook/{{Grayson}} thought to be dead]]), but Snyder decided against it, as he felt that {{Legacy Character}}s tend to have short shelf lives.
* Scott Snyder and Dennis Medri pitched an idea to DC for a Batman mini-series called ''Batman: Rebel Yell'', which would have reimagined Batman and his other characters in a rockabilly-style.
* ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'s costume was designed by Alex Ross to actually be used by Barbara Gordon returning to the role of Batgirl post-''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. DC loved the costume design, but they wanted to make a new Batwoman, thus the design was repurposed for it.
* ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'', written by Creator/KevinSmith, was planned to last twelve issues, but only six were published. The remaining issues were planned to be published as a followup in 2014, titled ''Batman: Bellicosity'', but remains unpublished.
* Creator/GailSimone wanted ''ComicBook/Batgirl2011'' to be lighter and more optimistic, but editorial felt this wasn't in keeping with the Batbooks. Ironically, after Simone finally quit the book over this, the editors in question ''also'' left, and the new ''DC You'' creative team basically got to do the book Simone ''wanted'' to write.
* Stephanie Brown's time as Robin could have been actually longer. Stephanie, for better or worse, had been scheduled to die during ''ComicBook/BatmanWarGames''. The writer of ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'' at the time wanted to do something with Stephanie before her death and was allowed to make her Robin (he compared it to a dying kid getting a Make-A-Wish dream come true). Surprisingly, Steph-as-Robin proved to be popular and there was an uptick in sales for the ''Robin'' title. However, it was too far in to make a massive last-minute change and Steph died as scheduled.
* Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}}'s ''ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}'' run featured a storyline that implied that Slade Wilson was Damian's true biological father. While the resolution eventually reconfirmed that Bruce was Damian's dad, Priest's original plan was for it to indeed be Slade. Apparently he and DC had debated this plot point, and Priest claims a final decision wasn't made until mere days before the book went to press.
* Creator/TomKing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqA5OhFCWNU revealed]] in an interview that a lot of the more controversial stuff in his run happened due to the ExecutiveMeddling by Creator/DanDiDio. It was originally planned for Alfred's brutal NeckSnap from ComicBook/{{Bane}} to be a Scarecrow fear gas hallucination, but it was changed to an actual death. ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s [[BoomHeadshot bullet through the brain]] from [=KGBeast=] would've instantly been healed by ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} rather than him having a long time with amnesia (in fact, this was [=DiDio=]'s ''third'' attempt to get rid of Nightwing, after failing to with ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' and ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil''). He also confirmed that the ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} version of Batman / Thomas Wayne wasn't going to be as prominent as he was in the final version, but King was mandated to increase his role, culminating in the character's FaceHeelTurn and alliance with Bane.
* ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' would have had a different ending had ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' not intervened. In the original ending, Batman's battle with Superman would have had the Man of Steel regain his full power and beat Batman into submission and capturing him. Batman would then fake a ''suicide'', leading to the normal ending. As Watchmen already had an ending with the villains achieving victory, it was changed to its more iconic ending.

[[folder:Wonder Woman]]
* Creator/GregRucka had wanted to change Franchise/WonderWoman's costume for ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' in order to add a Greek-inspired armored skirt, but WB rejected the idea for changing her costume too much from its recognizable form.
* Creator/GailSimone's run on ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'' would've featured an interracial lesbian wedding between Queen Hippolyta and Phillipus. This was scrapped when Simone's run was CutShort in favor of Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's ContinuityReboot ''ComicBook/WonderWomanOdyssey''.
* Simone had also wanted a few other heroes to appear in the all-female team-up from [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 issue #600]], including Rocket from the ''ComicBook/{{Icon}}'' series.
* There were plans in the 90s for a crossover between Wonder Woman and Series/{{Xena|WarriorPrincess}}, with the entire issue being completed before DC shelved it.
* Creator/JohnByrne once stated in an interview that he would have had Diana been Wonder Woman during World War II, instead of Hippolyta as he wrote it, and eventually return to Man's World in the reboot.
* ''ComicBook/AmazonsAttack'' was going to be a different mini-series leading into ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', originally about Themyscira being invaded by the US military.
* Adam Hughes was tapped to write and draw ''All-Star Wonder Woman'' for the ComicBook/AllStarDCComics line. The project met with heavy amounts of ScheduleSlip due to Hughes having difficulties handling both the scripting and illustration duties, and was presumably axed once and for all when the All-Star line was cancelled.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanAndTheStarRiders'' was envisioned as a toy line and accompanying animated show, but only promotional material, including a promotional comic, was actually produced.
* In the last few issues of ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'' Marston and Murchison wrote before Marston's death a bunch of old villains were brought back, ties between Hypnota and the slavers of Saturn unhappy with the current alliance with America and abolition of slavery were introduced, and a plot to start a war between Saturn and Earth was unveiled, though not the full group behind it. While Villainy, Inc. was formed in Marston's final issue the overarching plot concerning Saturn was never brought to completion.

[[folder:Supergirl]]
* Peter David planned to continue his ''Supergirl'' run past issue #80 with ''Blonde Justice'', a ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' style team book, with Kara Zor-El as Supergirl, Linda Danvers as Superwoman, and Power Girl.
* Writer Nick Spencer had big plans for ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} before he left partway through his first issue. He was planning on setting Kara up as a leader like her cousin Kal and would have led to the creation of a new ComicBook/YoungJustice. The story plans go that the villain would have been the Luthor-Brainiac clone and, to deal with it, Kara would gather a team comprised of ComicBook/{{Static}}, ComicBook/BlueBeetle, the Damian Wayne Robin, the Stephanie Brown Batgirl, Miss Martian and the Iris West Impulse (with hopes to include Aqualad). The pinnacle of Kara's evolution would have had Iris running away in a panic and Kara stopping her, convincing her to keep going. Most of the team, minus Kara, would have ended up getting captured and, with advice from Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, would have made a second team to rescue them. The story would have concluded with the dance party of the Flyover app's premiere, with one scene showing Iris dragging Damian out onto the dance floor. The Jaime/Damian/M'gann team (but none of the others) made it into James Peaty's run, but the details of the storyline were completely altered, along with Alex's true identity ([[spoiler:Kryptonian-Dubbilex hybrid clone]]), it wouldn't be until [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice the Young Justice cartoon]] that Static, Blue Beetle, Stephanie (as her Spoiler identity), and Miss Martian would become members of the Young Justice, with Stephanie also added as a reserve member of the team in their relaunch under Brian Michael Bendis.
* One of the early issues of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' series was supposed to introduce a radically redesigned version of Maxima, with her appearance changed from that of a {{Human Alien|s}} to a {{Humanoid Alien|s}} with PointyEars. This was scrapped at the last minute and the design was instead recycled for a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute named Reign. When Maxima was finally reintroduced in the New 52 several years later, she sported a [[AgeLift slightly younger]] version of her classic appearance.
* At the beginning of ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', Tony Bedard started several interesting subplots up, but he had not the chance to develop them. [[http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/tony-bedard-interview.html A while later he explained his plans in detail during an interview]]:
-->'''Anj:''' You sowed the seeds of future plotlines which may never come to fruition. Can you tell us what you were planning with Blaze? Siobhan? Michael? Shay Veritas?\\
'''TONY:''' I was going to have Blaze create a trio of henchgirls called the Furies. Remember Siobhan’s roommate and her two friends? They were all orphaned in superhero battles and had sworn themselves to finding a way to make super-people pay. They were going to beat Supergirl and take her back to Blaze’s home dimension. Hilarity would ensue. I wanted to get Siobhan in there more, to make her and Kara a team. I had one issue where the newly Red Lanterned Kara fights Silver Banshee, and I contrasted their fight with flashbacks of Kara and Siobhan just having fun roommate moments. That remains one of my favorite things from the run: just letting her have a friend. Michael returns in my final issue, and we’ll see if they do anything with him after that. If not, it was enough that Kara met a guy who had every reason to hate life and yet retained a positive outlook. He was in many ways a good role model for her, and he didn’t want to trick or use her, which is nice for a change. And Shay I wanted to keep playing sort of mysterious. Is she really a friend to Supergirl, or does she view her as another science project? Shay’s still a bit of a cypher to me, which is okay if she’s played for mystery. But I liked doing scenes of her staff at the Block talking about what it’s like being stuck there, having to wear her face, alternating between admiration and resentment. It gave the whole Block set-up a little complexity.
* Geoff Johns had wanted to include ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in the "One Year Later" Teen Titans roster, but since she was going a DarkerAndEdgier route at the time and Johns wanted a " naïve, fun alien chick", Miss Martian was created as a [[{{Expy}} substitute]], though Kara was finally allowed onto the team in 2007 later.
* Sterling Gates had at least two plans to use Linda Danvers in the 2005 Supergirl series after she'd vanished from the DC Universe (save for ''Reign In Hell'').
** Gates and artist Jamal Igle originally wanted Linda to be the Kandorian hero Flamebird while Nightwing was going to be Conner Kent brought back from the dead. At some point their identities had to be changed, so Flamebird became Thara Ak-Var and Nightwing was now an older Chris Kent.
** Gates' hypothetical 75th issue would've featured Kara dying, as was alluded in the annual issue where she traveled to the future. The story would've gone on to reveal Kara was trapped in Hell thanks to Lord Satanus. Lana Lang needed to team up with soul of Kara's mother Alura to rescue her, but to do that they needed to seek out Linda Danvers to get them into Hell.

[[folder:Teen Titans]]
[[AC:"Fab Five" Teen Titans]]
* Teen Titans #20 originally featured a black superhero named Jericho, but the story was considered too heavy-handed in its anti-racism message. Fearing that they'd lose potential buyers in the South, Carmine Infantino ordered the entire plot rewritten. The hero was changed to a white man and renamed "Joshua". Marv Wolfman and Len Wein (the original writers of the story) would wind up blacklisted from DC for about two years as a result of the controversy, and the Jericho name wound up being used for the codename of Deathstroke's heroic son Joseph introduced in the 1980s New Teen Titans.
* Bob Rozakis had intended to move ComicBook/WonderGirl and Speedy to Titans West, while bringing Bat-Girl and another member to the east coast team. This would set up a love triangle between Bat-Girl, Robin, and Harlequin, with both girls vying for his attention. Speedy and Wonder Girl's relationship would also have been focused on a little more.
* Harlequin was to also be the star of a back-up story in the series ''ComicBook/{{Vixen}}'' in 1978. When Vixen wound up being among several potential titles to be axed, the Duela Dent back-up stories never got off the ground.

[[AC:The New Teen Titans]]
* ComicBook/{{Raven}} was originally intended to be black, but it was felt that having a black character be called "Raven" was a bit too on the nose.
* Frances Kane was to become a superhero around the time of ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', with a concept design even appearing in DC Sampler, but this was put on hold after George Perez left NTT. The idea of Frances taking on a costumed identity did come to pass years later, though her color scheme was tweaked to be magenta and white rather than Perez's intended red and blue outfit for her. A proposed codename for her was long believed to be "Polara", although Perez says there was a different name in place (though he can't remember the exact one). In the final product, she took the name "Magenta" (after her costume color and as an anagram pun on her magnet powers) and became a ''villain'' as a result of undergoing a FaceHeelTurn from a SplitPersonality. It wouldn't be until the New 52, nearly ''thirty'' years after Crisis on Infinite Earths, that Frances would finally be a hero on the Teen Titans, specifically the team led by Dick Grayson that was RetGone after their fight with Mister Twister.
* Wolfman and Perez had penned a graphic novel titled "Games", that was to take place during New Titans and that would explain the final fate of Cyborg's friend, Sarah Simms. Due to Perez' departure and his later health problems, the novel's fate was a constant uncertainty. At one point, Wolfman considered tweaking the plot to have it tie into Geoff Johns' volume 3 run (with the current Titans being shown in a framing sequence), but this idea did not get far. The story was finally released as a standalone and out-of-continuity tale, with some tweaking done to its plot (although Sarah Simms' death remained intact). The original plans were included as an extra in the graphic novel.
* Aqualad was nearly KilledOffForReal during the ''ComicBook/TitansHunt'' storyline, but editor Johnathan Peterson wanted him to live. Golden Eagle was killed in his place just to make the Wildebeest Society seem like a more credible threat. Aqualad died many years later during ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' before eventually reappearing in the New 52.
* Nightwing and Starfire were to actually be married, and would temporarily retire from the team while letting Donna take over as leader. The Batman editorial office did not approve, and their marriage was hastily canned [[note]]The wedding itself still happened, but a Trigon-controlled Raven crashed the wedding and killed the preacher, aborting it and starting a storyline where she put several Titans under her control, but her good side had been put in Starfire and retook its body to purge the corruption. Starfire has since denied Nightwing his chance at marriage whenever he tried again.[[/note]] while Nightwing was brought back to the Bat-books. Donna was also depowered (see below), leaving Arsenal to be the new leader instead. Interestingly, issues #81-83 of Mark Waid's run on ''The Flash'' refer to Nightwing and Starfire as having just been married, showing that the plan to have their wedding fail was indeed a sudden case of ExecutiveMeddling. While DC has shied away from having the two show any romantic interest in one another again, porting Barbara Gordon's AgeLift and PromotedToLoveInterest role from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' to retcon her as his first love and giving him other love interests such as ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, other continuities, most notably alternate continuities where they get married, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', and the ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'' still bring the pairing back.
** [[http://nurgh.blogspot.com/2009/02/amazing-heroes-202-aborted.html A Nightwing mini-series was planned as a way to set up the aforementioned marriage]], but did not come to pass. Both Nightwing and Starfire would have been heavily redesigned in their costumes and overall look. Jonathan Peterson's departure for Image Comics, as well as the Batman editor issues, played a part in the series falling through.
* Donna Troy would not have lost her powers at the end of the "Total Chaos" arc, but would have instead created a new costume from Lord Chaos' cape. The editor at the time (Peterson) had hoped to have her husband killed off at the hands of a demonic Raven, but this was nixed due to Donna being depowered, though Terry Long was later killed off anyway.
* Pantha was to get an origin story, written by Louise Simonson. In it, Pantha would be revealed to be a bookish woman transformed into a monstrous creature by the [=HIVE=].
* Wolfman had suggested the idea of Nightwing and Troia potentially being a couple, due to the fact that different editorial departments had split up two of his previously-established couples in canon (Donna's marriage with Terry and the would-have-been Nightwing/Starfire marriage). While it never came to be, ''Series/Titans2018'' did depict them as childhood friends.
* Titans spinoff books that were rejected during this time included a proposal by Creator/RobLiefeld (that evolved into ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}), a series for the team "The Hybrid", and another team called "The Rogue Titans", presumably having evolved into the Terror Titans team assembled by Deathstroke.
* A character named Split (who appeared in the series ''ComicBook/{{Steel}}'') was shown as a member of the Titans in the DC vs. Marvel trading card set, but never appeared in the series. One can only assume that he was intended, at the time, to join the team, but the idea never materialized.
* One storyline that was never developed included ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} attempting to return to the Titans, only to clash with Arsenal over leadership and cause tensions within the team. Wolfman teased the possibility that Nightwing would form another group of Titans, and that the existing members would have been split between remaining on Arsenal's side or joining the rival team. Ultimately he returned to the team when he joined the DC Rebirth Titans, though on friendlier terms with Arsenal.

[[AC: Team Titans]]
* The mysterious leader of the Teamers was intended to be a grown-up Danny Chase from the future, but editorial decided to instead have him revealed to be Monarch in order to tie the title's cancellation into the ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' mini-series.
* One Team Titans idea that never got used bore some similarity to the Legion of Superheroes' "[=SW6=] Batch" storyline: There would be a team of teenage, alternate universe versions of the Wolfman/Perez Titans that would wind up having to interact with their current selves.
* Wolfman had also toyed with the idea of a Titans group modeled after the original five-member '60s team, but with more modern attitudes to contrast the originals' campy "goody-two shoes" personalities.
* Phil Jimenez had wanted to do a story where Duela Dent (previously shown as an asylum patient in one issue of his run) would be revealed to be a member of one of the various Titan teams from the future, that would have been modeled after the '60s-70s team. Having been stranded in the past and separated from her team, she would have gone insane and stolen a special hourglass that would allow her to warp reality. The editorial team rejected the story for being too "strange" and for referencing Duela (who [[ExiledFromContinuity Wolfman and others would not allow to exist in Post-Crisis continuity]]). However, this story does appear in an injoke for a false "next issue" tagline in the final story of Team Titans.
* Jimenez had also hoped to reveal that the Teamers were from an alternate Earth, and intended for Terra II to be a lesbian and an earth elemental-type. He had planned on killing off Mirage, who'd attempt to abort her unborn child by shapeshifting it out of existence and would wind up dying in the process.
* Marv Wolfman re-introduced Kole in his run of Team Titans, as he'd regretted having had to kill her off. While he dropped hints that she was some sort of ghost or supernatural entity sent to aid the team, the editorial team told Jimenez to explain her away as one of Monarch's puppets.
* The original plan for the book was quite different. As ''The New Titans'' had a largely adult cast at the time, the idea was that ''Team Titans'' would start with a cast of {{Decoy Protagonist}}s, only to [[PutOnABus get rid of them all around issue #12]], introduce the above-mentioned alternate universe Wolfman/Perez Titans as the new protagonists, and then finally rename the book ''Teen Titans''. The new versions of the classic Titans would have also been much younger, allowing them to bring back the ''Teen'' part of the name without making it an ArtifactTitle.

[[AC: Teen Titans volume 2]]
* "Joto" was originally "Slag" in early promotional interviews. As a reference to this, Isaiah initially takes the codename "Slagger" until his father convinces him that honoring his Swahili heritage would be for the better, leading to him taking later names such as Joto and Hotspot.
* Tim Drake was to originally join the team, but the Batman editors forbid the story and Captain Marvel Jr. was put on the team instead. Only following ''ComicBook/GraduationDay'' was Tim finally let onto the Teen Titans.
* Wildcat was to be the team's mentor, but due to the depowering of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica in ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'', Dan Jurgens was forced to scrap the idea, the de-aged [[ComicBook/{{TheAtom}} Atom]] leading the team comes the closest to having an adult mentor.
* Nightwing was to also feature in the title as a mentor, but the problems with the Batman editorial office (see above) persisted. The character Omen was also intended to be Raven (in her reformed gold spirit form), but was eventually revealed to be a new identity of Lilith's.
* Three alien hybrid children were left unaccounted for by the time of the series' cancellation. According to Jurgens, one was the villain Sweet 16 while the other two were other wannabe heroes that had showed up at a membership drive (Kid Emotion and The Solution).
* The identity of Lilith Clay's mother, whom she apparently inherited her psychic abilities, was never revealed though it was clear she would've been the focus of a future story. WordOfGod from Dan Jurgens is that her mother is a preexisting DC character, and so far he's yet to actually admit who she is in case he ever has a chance to go back and complete the story.

[[AC: Titans volume 1]]
* A spin-off called "Titans LA" was planned, but was rejected by higher-ups. It would have involved Terra II trying to find out the secret of her past.
* Jay Faerber had pitched a story where Slizzath, nemesis of Tempest, had resurrected all the dead Titans as an army to fight the current team. In a way, the idea of zombie Titans sort of came to pass in Geoff Johns' run, as well as in ''Blackest Night''. Another rejected story by Faerber included Mr. Jupiter being killed off, with the Titans having to solve the mystery of his murder.
* Barry Kitson had wished to do more with specific characters like Bumblebee, Lilith, Terra II, and Risk, had the series not been cancelled. Although he has never gone into too many details, he did state that Lilith would have stopped using the Omen codename.
* Faerber had hoped for Dolphin to join the Titans team and become a more active character. After Tom Peyer became the writer towards the end of the series, Dolphin and Tempest were written out, with Dolphin ordering her husband to quit the Titans.
* The villain Epsilon was originally meant to be a serial killer that would hop dimensions to murder heroes. After the editors shot it down, Jay Faerber suggested that it would be a grown-up Danny Chase, resurrected by Slizzath and made into a darker and edgier villain. This was meant to lead into the plotline of Slizzath creating his army, but after Andrew Helfer came on as editor, these plans were scrapped.

[[AC: Teen Titans volume 3]]
* ComicBook/{{Static}} was originally going to have been part of the team as one of the main characters, as he was coming off of the popular ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' TV show at the time. Creator/GeoffJohns had to scrap this plan when it turned out that DC [[ExiledFromContinuity didn't actually own the rights to the character]]. The merge between Milestone and DC in 2008 gave DC the rights to its heroes, including Static, allowing him to join the team in 2009.
* Geoff Johns had originally wanted his Titans team to fight the Scarecrow in an early arc, but the Batman office would not allow for it. Blackfire was also intended to appear at some point during his run, but ''Infinite Crisis'' and Starfire's departure for the Outsiders caused her to be shelved (although Mike [=McKone=]'s design did eventually get used in Blackfire's later appearances).
* Johns had wanted to include ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in the "One Year Later" roster, but since she was going a DarkerAndEdgier route at the time and Johns wanted a " naïve, fun alien chick", Miss Martian was created as a [[{{Expy}} substitute]]. Kara finally joined the team in 2007.
* Argent was considered as the first to die in Superboy-Prime's massacre, but was spared due to one of the editors favoring her and Pantha wound up dying instead.
* Had ComicBook/{{Superboy}} not died in ''Infinite Crisis'', Johns' plan for the next story arc would have involved him regaining his confidence to fend off the "Titans of Tomorrow", who would find a way to attack the present timeline. Sean [=McKeever=] slightly reused the idea of the future Titans' return, although in a much different type of story (to accommodate for both Superboy and Kid Flash's deaths).
* Johns had set up threads for the then-new Aquagirl to join the team, but had to nix the plan due to the ''One Year Later'' status quo in Aquaman. Static was also promised for the team, but again, licensing complications with Creator/MilestoneComics led to his arrival also being delayed until long after Johns had left the title.
* Rob Liefeld's two-issue filler arc with Creator/GailSimone was meant to get his foot in the door at DC. There were plans for Liefeld to do a new Titans East series to help expand the franchise, as well as a possible Teen Titans-based limited series, but the deal fell apart due to tension behind the scenes. Liefeld ended up walking away from DC, and had some unkind things to say about the company.
* Issue 47 was originally pitched as a story where Duela Dent got to officially join the volume 3 team, after deciding to stick with them after the "Titans East" arc. As Duela wound up slated for death in ''Countdown'', the issue was rewritten as a tie-in and focused on the Titans holding her funeral. Her revival as a [[AdaptationalVillainy villain]] in the New 52 has made it harder for her to come back to the team.
* Sean [=McKeever=] had intended to reveal that the villain Sun Girl was pregnant with Inertia's child, upon which she'd appeal to Bart Allen and the other Titans for help. Editorial rejected the idea, and it only got as far as her pregnant silhouette being shown in a montage of "possible future" events.
* [=McKeever=] [[https://twitter.com/seankmckeever/status/1364052978362155011 recently revealed]] more details of his plans which were derailed thanks to editorial.
** When he included Fever during the Terror Titans arc, he wanted to have her join the Titans. Instead, he was told to kill Fever off and had to pick Aquagirl instead, mentioning the irony that wanting Fever in the Teen Titans got her killed.
** As mentioned below, there was plans to revive Kid Devil after he was killed in Bryan Miller's run. [=McKeever=] also had the idea of Eddie going to Hell and becoming a villain for a while before being redeemed.
** [=McKeever=] argued to spare Wendy and have her become a villain after Marvin's death, but she was crippled anyway and then made into Calculator's daughter.
** Peter Milligan's version of Infinity Inc. had absolutely nothing to do with the Terror Titans miniseries, until Sean learned halfway through writing it that the end of Milligan's series announced it would tie into ''Terror Titans''.
* Kid Devil would have eventually been resurrected in a story arc sometime after his HeroicSacrifice, but this was pitched at the same time Dan Didio ordered for there to be "no more resurrections" ([[SarcasmMode which of course, OBVIOUSLY really stuck long]]), so he remained dead. In the rejected story pitch, the demon Blaze would have revived him and used him as her slave, until he'd be freed by the Titans.
* JT Krul's run was supposed to feature the new Aqualad from ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' joining the team, as well as the Teen Titans facing off against ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}'s new team of AntiHero Titans. Both of these plot threads were hinted at in Krul's first issue, but were abandoned when his run was CutShort. Kaldur would later finally join the Teen Titans team led by Damian Wayne in DC Rebirth.
* Eric Wallace had several storylines cut as a result of ''Titans'' being rushed due to ''Flashpoint''. He intended to follow up on Cinder finding child molester Nursery Cryme after she'd accidentally set him free, and there were obvious implications that metahuman Allegra Garcia was going to join the team or at least meet Deathstroke's team again.
* The ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' reboot ended some stories before they could start. For instance, the finale of the ''Titans'' series hinted at Red Arrow and Jericho rebuilding the team... only for the title to end and an entirely new continuity to start the next month.

[[AC: New 52 Teen Titans]]
* The reboot of the title was originally ''not'' going to be a reboot at all. The initial pitch was that the Titans would've disbanded the team following their battle with the LegionOfDoom, only to be forced to bring the group back together after several of their former teammates were kidnapped by the N.O.W.H.E.R.E organization. This explains the inclusion of Solstice, who was a very recent character at the time and yet still made the cut over a number of more popular characters associated with the team.
* Likewise, the New 52 ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' would've been a continuation of the previous continuity, with the new status quo (Superboy working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. as an adversary of the Titans) justified via a [[LaserGuidedAmnesia mindwipe]] and {{Brainwashing}}.
* Cheshire was originally going to appear as a supporting character in ''[[ComicBook/{{Wildcats}} Grifter]]''. When this plan fell through, Cheshire's New 52 design was reused for a new character named Niko.

[[AC: Teen Titans Rebirth]]
* Miss Martian, Wonder Girl and Bunker were considered as part of the team, but ended up being passed over for various reasons. Miss Martian would wind up on ''Titans'' Rebirth instead, as their liaison with the Justice League.
* Jonboy Meyers designed a new, female Speedy for the team, with a costume inspired by the Red Arrow suit from ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. The character was ultimately shelved for being too similar to Emiko Queen from the ''Green Arrow'' books, and when Damian's Teen Titans team had a shift in its roster, Emiko herself was among the new heroes added to the team.

[[folder:Green Lantern]]
* Gerard Jones' version of ''Franchise/GreenLantern: Emerald Twilight''. Basically, the Zamarons (the female gladiator counterparts to the Guardians of the Universe) were supposed to take over the Green Lantern Corps, reinstate super-villain and renegade Green Lantern Sinestro as head of the Corps, and do away with all of the established weakness of the power rings (mainly the yellow impurity and 24-hour charge). Hal Jordan would then go renegade, but not in a crazy mass murderer sort of way, but in an OnlySaneMan manner as far as going "rogue" rather than take orders from his arch-nemesis and a bunch of crazy war mongering space amazons. Apparently, DC editorial hated the scenario (largely because it required people knowing who the Zamarons were), so Jones resigned from the title, and Paul Levitz, Mike Carlin, Denny O'Neil, and Archie Goodwin wrote a new plot based on Jones' script, and gave it to Jones' successor, Ron Marz, to write. The result is the ''Emerald Twilight'' that was published currently. You can learn more about Jones' ''Emerald Twilight'' [[http://www.dcuguide.com/glcorps/curtain/gl48-50.php here]].
* Karu-Sil of the Sinestro Corps was originally conceived as a ComicBook/GhostRider villain.
* Creator/LarryNiven wrote "The Green Lantern Bible", which would have established the ComicBook/PostCrisis history of the Green Lantern Corps, and would incorporate [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness hard science fiction]] concepts into the Green Lantern mythos. Some of the stuff would later appear in the 1992 one-shot "Ganthet's Tale" (co-written and drawn by John Byrne), and parts of the bible can be seen in his 1991 book, "Playgrounds of the Mind". One of Niven's proposals include making Guy Gardner an alien, which kind of happened (see below).
* After losing his yellow Power Ring and after the ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' crossover, then-current writer Beau Smith wanted to revamp Guy Gardner as an Franchise/IndianaJones-type hero (i.e., without his powers), but he was forced by editorial to add the Vuldarian shape-shifting powers due to the popularity of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' at the time. You can learn more [[http://www.comicsbulletin.com/main/sites/default/files/busted/107815836153701.htm here]].
* Joshua Hale Fialkov was hit with an editorial mandate demanding that he kill off John Stewart and then build a storyline around the investigation of his murder. Fialkov refused to do so, and walked away from the book as a result. After the reason for Fialkov's departure was leaked by Bleeding Cool, the resultant backlash (as Stewart is one of DC's most popular and recognizable black superheroes) from the fans caused DC to nix the idea.

[[folder:The Flash]]
* For ''ComicBook/TheTrialOfTheFlash'', Cary Bates had several plans that would have continued if not for the Crisis, including Flash being found guilty and going "on the run." This would’ve kicked off a new story arc which would have had Flash continuing to do his good deeds as a wanted man with an arrest warrant hanging over his head. What he liked most about this idea was "the delicious irony of a Flash who ends up joining his own Rogues Gallery."
* In the ''The Flash: Rebirth'' collected edition and on Twitter, Geoff Johns' pitch for the 2010 Flash series is included, and features a more substantial role for Wally in the form of a backup story written by Johns and drawn by Scott Kolins. However, as the pitch concludes by noting it would be leading into ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' in 2011, it appears that much of this dropped due to the ScheduleSlip the final issues of ''The Flash: Rebirth'' suffered from.
** Ethan van Sciver also said in a live chat that there were plans for a book called "All Flash" before Flashpoint, which was to focus exclusively on Wally and his kids. However, the editors got scared that the phrase "All Flash, No Substance" would be used to insult the book. According to Sciver, that phrase alone killed the book.
** There were also talks about [[https://speedforce.org/2009/12/all-barry/ a Kid Flash series focused on Bart,]] scripted by Sterling Gates (who would later write for the Flash tv series) as part of the post-Flash Rebirth status quo, but it was scrapped by DC in favor of only one Flash book, focusing on Barry.
* Artist Ethan van Sciver started making commentaries on his comics on his [[https://www.youtube.com/user/fascistfrog/playlists Youtube channel]]. When talking about Flash: Rebirth, he revealed that he planned to create [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether a family of evil speedsters]] for Professor Zoom, including a wife, a daughter (called [[PunnyName Mara Thawne]]) and Impulse's nemesis Inertia, as he believed that Thawne wasn't intimidating enough if he had to face the whole Flash family by himself. However, the New 52 ended that idea.
** Van Sciver, who designed the Black Lanterns for the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' event, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tvOtwoHUpA also revealed]] that before editorial approved Flash: Rebirth, it was "quite possible" that Johns would have brought back Barry as one of the main Black Lanterns. This would also give Wally Barry's place as co-protagonist of the story along with Hal Jordan.
* Johns planned to make Jai West the new Turtle, and Irey's EvilCounterpart. This never came about thanks to the New 52 erasing Wally and his kids from existence, and with their resurrection in DC Rebirth, this idea has not come to pass.
* ''The Flash: Rebirth'' ended with a depowered Hunter Zolomon approaching Eobard Thawne for a second villainous team-up. Nothing came of this, as the New 52 happened, and neither Thawne nor Zolomon existed in that universe for a long time. Thawne would eventually resurface with Zolomon's powers, but this wasn't well-received and this Thawne had his reality and history re-written in-universe so that he was more like his pre-Flashpoint counterpart. Zolomon would appear a while later in the future with his powers returned, posing as a Time Judge (a character that had appeared briefly in the 2010 series following ''The Flash: Rebirth''), and also wearing a Flash costume; whether this was always the plan with Zolomon is not known.
* Prior to Wally's New 52 reintroduction, Brett Booth posted several ideas for Wally's costume on his personal blog - Whilst mostly resembling the costume Wally had been wearing prior to the reboot, one major difference was [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OqeBA5lD4Ew/TmwKahX6nHI/AAAAAAAACIs/S1b8Bry1yjw/s1600/WallyRunRed.jpg the use of black on the hands and the waist down]] to give Wally a costume that whilst resembling Barry's, would allow the reader to easily distinguish between the two Flashes at a glance; and an alternate color scheme on the same costume, [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1T5Z-NsGi2s/TnTZSGKEJuI/AAAAAAAACI0/1QQxkSPDxa4/s1600/WallyRunBlue+%25281%2529.jpg replacing the red and gold other with blue & silver]] - ultimately, Booth would use different designs when he got to introduce a future version of New 52 Wally as the Flash, and when he got to design Wally's new costume upon his return in ''ComicBook/DCRebirth''.

[[/folder]]

!!Creator/MarvelComics

Franchise/{{Wolverine}} has [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/{{Wolverine}} his own page]].

[[folder:Various]]
* ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions'':
** The story was originally going to be a tie-in to the 1980 Olympics. However, the project ended up in DevelopmentHell after President UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter decided to boycott the games, thus rendering the crossover pointless. It was revived two years later and the premise was changed to remove the Olympic tie-in aspect.
** ComicBook/CarolDanvers originally had the role held by ComicBook/SheHulk in the finished story, and the art had to be changed since Danvers lost her ComicBook/MsMarvel powers sometime after the original series was drawn. This is why She-Hulk appears to be flying in certain panels.
* The original outlines for Marvel [[CrisisCrossover crossovers]] ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' and ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' have some major differences to the end products. ''Civil War'' would have [[http://web.archive.org/web/20080618202127/http://www.marvel.com:80/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/814 originally]] included what would become ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' (in drastically different form as Hulk, his new wife, and their children invading Earth) and involved a plot device "Power Stealing Electric Chair" that would have stripped Speedball and ComicBook/CaptainAmerica of their powers; whilst the [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090711183011/https://www.marvel.com/blogs/tom_brevoort/entry/1545 original ending]] to ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' would have massively depowered ComicBook/TheSentry and killed off [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]] and ComicBook/JessicaJones and ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}}'s baby, as well as having ComicBook/NormanOsborn just out of the blue STEAL the Avengers name from the real Avengers. Instead, Wasp was the hero who died, and Norman Osborn killed Skrull Queen Veranke so his ComicBook/DarkAvengers could be legitimate.
** Erik Larsen had wanted to reveal that ComicBook/{{Elektra}} was a Skrull back in 1999, a full eight years before ''Secret Invasion''. However, Larsen says this is because he found the way Marvel resurrected Elektra to be disrespectful to Creator/FrankMiller, rather than any attempt at starting a wider CrisisCrossover story involving the Skrulls.
** Also, in the original outline for ''Civil War'', one of the victims of the Stamford explosion was the son of Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, which would explain ComicBook/IronMan's motivation for supporting the SHRA (Super Hero Registration Act).
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'':
** After Jim Valentino proposed the Guardians of the Galaxy 1990 series be set in the 31st century, [=Tom DeFalco=] suggested the series be set in the 35th century, an idea used for the Galactic Guardians in issue #8, and a planned "Galactic Guardians" miniseries. Issue #19 was to feature the 1000 year old Wolverine after Rancor had already appropriated his skeleton. A character based on The Beast was featured instead. Issue #22 was to be titled "Enter: Shadowhawk", the new name for the dark Starhawk. This was overturned by [=Tom DeFalco=], and the name was used for an Image character instead. Jim Valentino's run ends at #27 and does not [[OldShame officially]] count #28-29, two throwaway plots brainstormed with Rob Liefeld before leaving the book. The two issues were intended to have a Masters of Evil team with Absorbing Man and Yellowjacket II, who would betray the team, ally with the Guardians, and leave Vance Astro at the Avengers Mansion, with guest appearances by the New Warriors and Marvel Boy.
** Issues #30-51, if continued by Jim Valentino, would have continued the plot of the Guardians in the 20th century, meeting the Starhawk re-living his life in an earlier time period mentioned in #7, and the repercussions of Vance idolizing Captain America in #30-34. #35-36 would have featured a War of the Worlds and ComicBook/{{Killraven}} story. #37-39 would take place in one of Kang's alternate realities. #40 would be a double-sized issue featuring a wedding between Vance and Aleta, with an older future Gladiator flashing back to the wedding in #41-43 and the future Galactics encountering a remnant of the Shi'Ar Empire confronting the Badoon invasion. Doctor Doom, appearing in #23, would have returned in #44. #45-50 would be the grand finale featuring the invasion of Earth and the death of Galactus and Vance Astro. #51 would be the epilogue, featuring Vance's funeral, followed by a year's worth of stories exploring new worlds with no ties to the Marvel Universe. Other story plans included the female Adam Warlock joining the Galactic Guardians, and Yondu's god Anthos being somehow related to Thanos. Another miniseries was planned to follow after the funeral, focusing on the evolution of the Guardians from 500 years in the future, with thousands of members, including those who abused their powers as dictators of other worlds.
** Major Victory was named after a Timely character. Vance travelling into the past during Timely Comics' creation would have established a stable time loop by leading to the creation of the company Marvel Comics.
** Jim Valentino proposed a ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' reboot similar to ''Supreme Power'', with four story arcs outlined.
** The now iconic Abnett and Lanning relaunch of the franchise (the one that would later serve as the basis for [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy the movie]]) almost didn't happen. Originally, the plan was to use ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}: Conquest'' as a BackdoorPilot for a new ''ComicBook/{{Quasar}}'' series starring Phyla-Vell. However, the readers really responded to the subplot about Peter Quill leading a ''[[Film/TheDirtyDozen Dirty Dozen]]''-style team of cosmic criminals on a suicide mission, so the decision was made to have the surviving characters band together as a new team of Guardians.
* Creator/GenndyTartakovsky's [[http://comicsalliance.com/genndy-tartakovsky-luke-cage-comic-interview/ Luke Cage]]. In [[ComicBook/Cage2016 2016]] it was finally SavedFromDevelopmentHell!
* Marvel UK:
** There were going to be further stories of the ''Warheads'', wormhole-travelling mercenaries funded by Mys-Tech. AllThereInTheManual details were given in Overkill magazine. ''Warheads: Black Dawn'' mentions two planned miniseries to appear in 1993. The all-female Virago troop was to be featured in the cancelled [[http://www.2000ad.org/markus/loosecannons/ four issue]] ''Loose Cannons'' limited series by Dan Abnett and Mark Harrison.
** ''Dark Guard'' was about Marvel UK characters teaming up to fight Mys-Tek, and was going to be followed by ''Dark Guard Gold''.
** ''Death's Head Gold'', by Dan Abnett and Liam Sharp, was published as ''Death Head's Gold'' #0, the flip cover of ''Death's Head II'' Vol 2 #14, followed by ''Death's Head Gold'' #1. Issues #2-3 were intended to follow, wherein Tuck is seduced by Cicatrice, Death's Head II becomes a sort of god and meets his future self.
** ''Wild Angels'' was a [[NoExportForYou Europe-exclusive]] Dark Angel and Wild Thing crossover published by Panini/Marvel Italia.
** ''Death's Head II'' had an unpublished story where Death's Head II and Tuck team up with the Punisher. The Punisher would also have appeared in ''Super-Soldiers'' #9.
** ''Wild Thing'' ended with issue #7; ''Super-Soldiers'' ended with issue #8. The Red Mist crossover, about the Red Mist 2020 virus introduced into the Super Soldier program, would have gone through the cancelled ''Super-Soldiers'' #9-10, ''Wild Thing'' #9-10, ''Bloodrush'', ''Death Duty'', and ''[='Roid Rage=]''.
* ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'':
** The original idea for the series had ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}} as one of the last surviving heroes, with the idea being that his unbreakable skin made him immune to the infection. This was changed when Kirkman found out that Greg Land had already drawn Cage as a zombie in ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'', something that hadn't been specified in Creator/MarkMillar's script.
** The opening pages were supposed to have [[LawyerFriendlyCameo Superman]] as the virus-carrying superhero from another dimension. This was changed to the Sentry with an obvious recolor.
* Marvel's 1997 ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' relaunch series was to be written by Shon C. Bury, with pencils by Cary Nord and ink by Dan Green. Five issues were scripted, three penciled, but was cancelled when the Micronauts license was not granted to Marvel.
* There was going to be a Marvel tie-in comic for the cancelled ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' animated series.
* ''[[Wrestling/{{WCW}} WCW S.L.A.M.Force]]'' was going to be a twelve issue regular series with artists Chris Bautista and J.J. Kirby, following mini comics from WCW Slam Force toys by Toy Biz and a seven page teaser comic by Ruben Diaz, Bill Rosemann and Michael Ryan, featuring WCW wrestlers Chris Benoit, Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg, Bret Hart and Sting as the "Secret Legion Against Monsters" superhero team versus Dr. Von Ghoul. Guest starring Spider-Man and Captain America.
* Christopher Priest had wanted ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and Justice as part of his short-lived title ''ComicBook/TheCrew'' to help offset the perception of the title as a "Black Avengers" book. When he found himself unable to use Quicksilver, he thought about [[ComicBook/CloakAndDagger Dagger]] before settling on Alex Power of the ''ComicBook/PowerPack''. ''That'' eventually fell through as well, and after deciding to get rid of Justice too, Priest decided to use Junta.
* One day, two fans of the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} showed a fake ad for a '[[BlandNameProduct Tastee Fruit Pies]]' starring the characters to Creator/KurtBusiek, who liked it enough to show it to editorial. They came up with the idea to reillustrate the ad by giving it to Marie Severin, who had drawn many of the infamous Hostess Pie ads in the seventies. Unfortunately she was not available, so the task was given to the regular artists of the book, resulting in readers getting the uncannily-odd sensation of seeing authentic pictures of the Masters of Evil ranting about 'tasty fruit filling' and the like. You can read the entire bittersweet-tasting tale [[https://jimintomystery.tumblr.com/post/35896021955/hostess-makers-of-twinkies-and-other-fine-snacks here]].
* At a very early stage in pre-production, Creator/KurtBusiek had wanted Yellowjacket (Rita [=DeMara=]) to be one of the main characters in ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}''. Busiek had planned to explore her backstory in greater detail, such as revealing that she was [[DeadPersonImpersonation living under the name of her dead best friend]] after being pursued by the mob. Yellowjacket ended up being KilledOffForReal during ''ComicBook/TheCrossing'', making any future plans for her moot.
* According to James Fry, if Marvel had approved of more ''Slapstick'' stories after ''ComicBook/TheAwesomeSlapstick'', his Rogue's Gallery would have included established Marvel villains such as The Toad Men and the poultry-based team-up of [[SuperZeroes The Black Talon, Gamecock, and Bantam]] -- revealing them to be [[SiblingRivalry rival siblings]] in a battle that would have ended with all the heroes doubled over with laughter at their expense...
* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' went through a few changes before publication. One of the big ones was Nico Minoru's source of power. Originally, she found a book of dark magic hidden in a shed in her backyard. Being heavily Christian, she hated it but sacrificed her beliefs to use one of the spells during the first fight with the Pride. Some aspects of this were left, including her being a former altar girl and a comment when she first sees her parents as dark magicians ("This isn't like you, Mom! We go to church every Sunday!") Also, Chase's name was originally "John".
* Fabian Nicieza had wanted ComicBook/SquirrelGirl to join the ''ComicBook/NewWarriors'' and develop a crush on Speedball. He left the book before this could happen, but was able to utilize the idea of a Speedball/Squirrel Girl romance years later in one of the ''I (Heart) Marvel'' one-shots.
* There was an ''ComicBook/IronMan'' issue where Madame Masque was apparently [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] by a new woman who wanted the identity for herself. This famously set off a series of confusing developments, including multiple new Madame Masques appearing, as well as the debut of an Avengers ally named Masque. Creator/KurtBusiek finally {{Retcon}}ned the whole thing away by revealing that all of the women involved were clones of the real (and still-living) Madame Masque, but the original intention behind the story that started the mess was quite different. The idea was that Madame Masque's killer would have been revealed to be Rae [=LaCoste=], who was one of Tony's love interests at the time. Unfortunately, the plan to make her the new Madame Masque ended up as an AbortedArc, which led to all the confusing attempts to continue the story. Additionally, Rae was going to be revealed as Scott Lang's ex-wife.
* ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' was supposed to lead to a new team book called ''The Renegades'', which would have starred ComicBook/AmadeusCho, [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]], [[ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII Angel]], Namora and the Carmilla Black version of the Scorpion. Despite the team getting a PoorlyDisguisedPilot in the pages of ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'', editorial ultimately passed on the series.
* Jean-Marc Lofficier's ''Shamrock & The Peregrine'' was going to be a [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/jmlshamrockperegrinemcpstory.htm four part story]] for ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsPresents'', clarifying details of the Frankenstein family. Story elements later used in ''[[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme]]'' #37.
* Jean-Marc Lofficier's ''Book of the Vishanti'' backup stories in ''ComicBook/TheTombOfDracula'' would have given additional details to horror/mystic characters. Yellow Claw and Fu Manchu were brothers affiliated with the Immortal Nine, a group exposed to Dracula's Pool of Blood, including Cagliostro and Aged Genghis.
* ''What If... The Fantastic Four had been defeated by the Dark Raider?'' was going to be a [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/whatifdarkraider.htm 22 page story]] by Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier, continuing the X-Men as vampires universe in ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' Vol 2 #24 and ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' Vol 2 #37-39.
* Timequake, the story running through ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' Vol 2 #35-39, had a different ending explaining the Time-Keepers using time as an energy battery, and their involvement with the Time Variance Authority.
* ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}} was originally going to be an entirely separate character from Bobbi Morse, who was going by the name "Huntress" at the time. Mockingbird would have had the same design she eventually sported, but would have been African-American. Also, she would have first appeared as an enemy of Spider-Woman. When the Huntress name became unavailable thanks to DC publishing [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} their own heroine by that name]], the decision was made to merge Huntress and Mockingbird into a single character.
* Creator/DwayneMcDuffie once pitched an idea for a mini-series called "The Killing Machine," which would have revolved around ComicBook/ThePunisher stealing a suit of ComicBook/IronMan armor and painting it black. Iron Man and the Punisher would then spend the series fighting for control of the new suit. There were also plans for a sequel which would have seen James Rhodes donning the black Iron Man armor and eventually being spun off into his own title. It never happened, but [=McDuffie=] has said he liked to think the pitch had some influence on the eventual creation of ComicBook/WarMachine. And then they gave Punisher the [[https://comicbook.com/marvel/2017/06/23/marvel-punisher-war-machine/ War Machine armor]].
* [=McDuffie=] had also worked with Tom [=DeFalco=] (the future creator of ComicBook/SpiderGirl) and Mark Gruenwald on a pitch for a series of interlocking street level books set in the Marvel Universe. The titles would have included a new ComicBook/HeroesForHire, a radical {{ReTool}}ing of ComicBook/ShangChi, and a team book led by Monica Rambeau which would've incorporated the Shadowline series from Marvel's Epic imprint. The plans fell apart when [=DeFalco=] left Marvel, Gruenwald passed away, and Marvel itself went bankrupt during UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996.
* Creator/MattFraction's ''ComicBook/TheOrder'' was originally going to be a revival of ''The Champions'', but it turned out that Marvel had lost the trademark in the years since the original volume's cancellation.
* Speaking of Fraction, he was supposed to spearhead Marvel's massive ''ComicBook/{{Inhumanity}}'' launch, but left the project due to creative differences. He's since left Marvel entirely to focus on his creator-owned work.
* The ''ComicBook/SheHulk: Ceremony'' mini-series began life as a pitch for an ongoing series. It was scrapped when Creator/JohnByrne returned to Marvel and asked if he could do his own ''She-Hulk'' series.
* There were plans for a ''Franchise/RoboCop'' comic book series set in the continuity of the films. It never happened, but the basic premise [[DivorcedInstallment was recycled]] for the successful ''Deathlok'' series.
* ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'': The line as a whole was meant to end in a completely different way. According to the initial plans, all the heroes in 2099 would be eventually [[KillEmAll wiped out]] and make way for the ''Marvel 2101'' line up, which would feature characters living in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] Savage Land. Those plans had even been briefly [[{{Foreshadowing}} alluded to]] in a crossover between ''Spider-Man 2099'' and the original ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''. Obviously, ''Marvel 2101'' was never launched, and the ''2099'' line ended with the one-shot ''2099: Manifest Destiny'' after a ''massive'' WriterRevolt following the editor getting fired. Elements of the original plans can still be seen in ''2099: World of Tomorrow''. The overall result was that the plans for every single 2099 title were completely derailed.
** Creator/MarkWaid had a [[https://daredevil.dreamhosters.com/dd2099p.htm proposal]] for a multi-issue ''Daredevil 2099'' title. What happened was completely different. Daredevil appeared in ''2099 A.D. Genesis'' had only the most vague references to this draft, and in 2004, there was a one-shot ''Daredevil 2099'' who established DD 2099 as a completely different character. This second version became canon to 616 via ''Spider-Man 2099'' in 2015.
** The cast of ''Ravage 2099'' were always meant to be PutOnABus, but the specifics were very different in the planning phase. Originally, [[ComicBook/DoctorDoom Doom 2099]] was going to send Ravage and all the denizens of Hellrock Island to another dimension, and then destroy the island. What actually happened was [[spoiler:one of the most thorough cases of KillEmAll in comicbook history. Doom kills ''everyone'' with liquid adamantium and hurls them in space.]]
** By the time of the WriterRevolt above, ''Fantastic Four 2099'' was shaping up to be one of the line's best selling titles. There were only five issues released at the time. The comic only lasted for eight.
** There was going to be a video-game named ''[[https://www.unseen64.net/2009/12/14/marvel-2099-psx-cancelled/ Marvel 2099: One Nation Under Doom]]'', released on the original PSX. It was cancelled the last minute.
** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'':
*** [[NeverFoundTheBody What happened to the corpse of Aaron Delgado?]] The original idea was to have the corpse used by ComicBook/{{Venom}} as a host, and after that was scrapped, possessed by Thanatos. Neither of those things happened; Thanatos was revealed to be [[spoiler:Rick Jones]] during Creator/PeterDavid's run on ''ComicBook/CaptainMarVell'', and Venom 2099 became Kron Stone via RoguesGalleryTransplant. Aaron Delgado remained a bloody stain in the asphalt.
*** Before the WriterRevolt, Peter David intended for the real identity of Goblin 2099 to be Father Jennifer, the sister of Miguel's dead fiancée. The following writers didn't like that and made Goblin to be Miguel's brother Gabriel. ''Then'' the same writers {{Retcon}}ned it saying it was a shape-shifter. When Peter David picked up the title again in 2014-2015, he ignored all the above and made Goblin 2099 Jennifer.
*** The critically panned cartoon ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited'' was originally supposed to be an adaptation of ''Spider-Man 2099''. It took on its current form when DC Comics and Warner Bros. coughed up the superficially similar ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' around the same time, ''also'' a series set in the future and starring a LegacyCharacter.
** After the end of ''Spider-Man 2099'' vol.3, [[https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Spider-Man-2099-2015/Issue-25?id=117588#33there were plans to start a new series]] named ''Defenders 2100''. This would feature several ''2099'' heroes such as Captain America and Strange (not a doctor), and a SequelHook that indicated Miguel was going to try reunite with his family. Those plans were discarded as the original ''2099'' run was RetGone in 2019 due to InUniverse events and then rebooted.
* Spider-Girl (ComicBook/AnyaCorazon), Mania, and ComicBook/{{Galactus}}' daughter Galacta were all supposed to have been part of the ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders Fearless Defenders]]'' at one point or another, but were shot down by editorial.
* There were plans for a crossover between Creator/HarveyComics and Creator/MarvelComics, wherein a miscast spell by ComicBook/WendyTheGoodLittleWitch swapped WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost with ComicBook/GhostRider. Marvel signed off, but Harvey got cold feet and backed out.
* Creator/KurtBusiek had plans for a [[MillenniumBug Y2K]] story called [=Y2Kang=] where time travelling villain Kang would do something that, when midnight struck on December 31, 1999, it would suddenly be January 1, 1900, transforming Marvel Earth into that time era, including the heroes. However, by the time the storyline was approved, it was too late - comics were already set for January, 2000 and the earliest open slot was in April. The editors were willing to keep going with the story, but Kurt complained that "no one would care" and, thus created ''Maximum Security'' instead.
* ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' was written before ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', and as such required some hasty last minute rewrites:
** The role of the team telepath was originally going to be filled by ComicBook/ProfessorX, but was changed to ComicBook/EmmaFrost when Xavier was killed by ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} near the end of ''[=AvX=]''. You can still see certain panels where Emma appears to be limping, as she was drawn over an illustration of Xavier using crutches.
** The book was supposed to take place before the events of ''ComicBook/MarvelNOW'', explaining why Captain America and several other heroes are still clad in their classic costumes.
* Creator/GrantMorrison once proposed a rather radical ComicBook/NickFury series that would have revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. kept Fury in action into the present day by injecting his personality into unassuming test subjects--essentially brainwashing innocent people into serving as the perfect secret agent. The idea was deemed too much of a change of pace for such a classic character, so Morrison instead [[RecycledScript reused the idea]] for his original comic book series ''ComicBook/TheFilth''.
* Creator/WarrenEllis' run on ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'' lasted only one issue - Ellis was apparently going to take the character into a less superhero-oriented direction, towards fantasy and horror, but he quit after the editor who handpicked him for the book was replaced by one with a preference for classic-style superhero stories.
* ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' line was originally conceived as a complete ContinuityReboot of the entire Marvel Universe ala ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', but it was decided that it'd be a waste since sales were already pretty high at the time.
* Before the introduction of the ill-fated Kasper Cole version of the ComicBook/BlackPanther, there were several other plans to shake up and {{ReTool}} the franchise. Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}} had suggested T'Challa undergo a FaceHeelTurn, while Mike Raicht suggested that Queen Divine Justice become the new Black Panther.
* After the character's surprise appearance in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Marvel announced a ComicBook/{{Thanos}} mini-series called ''Thanos: Son of Titan''. Written by Joe Keatinge and drawn by Richard Elson, the series would have explored Thanos' origin and rise to villainy. The project was cancelled before issue #1 was released, with Stephen Wacker citing a change in plans for the character.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'':
** Creator/FrankMiller's first issue was actually pushed up a month because the previous story, a two-parter dealing with the topic of drugs in schools, was censored by the Comics Code. An altered version wound up being published over a year later after Miller had become a big enough superstar to push it through.
** Following "Fall from Grace", D.G. Chichester's run went to #332. He planned to continue until issue #350, which was written by [=J.M. DeMatteis=] instead.
** Creator/BrianMichaelBendis was originally going to have Bullseye appear in ''Daredevil'' #36 as part of the storyline where Matt Murdock's identity was leaked. However, Creator/KevinSmith had called dibs on writing Daredevil and Bullseye's next confrontation, so Bendis used ComicBook/{{Elektra}} instead.
** In his original run, Smith had wanted to do a story about Matt regaining his sight, but had to nix that plan after learning that Creator/ScottLobdell had already written a similar story. He almost skipped out on the gig entirely before coming up with the iconic "Guardian Devil" storyline.
* ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' was originally going to star ComicBook/{{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}} as one of the last surviving heroes during the ZombieApocalypse, with the logic that his unbreakable skin would have prevented him from being infected. This had to be dropped when Robert Kirkman noticed that Greg Land had already drawn Luke as a zombie during the initial ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' arc that introduced the Marvel Zombies.
* ''Franchise/StarWars: ComicBook/DarkEmpire'' was nearly published by Marvel, with Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy even beginning work on the series under Archie Goodwin's supervision. Unfortunately, Goodwin left Marvel under unpleasant circumstances, and since he was pretty much the only one at the company who really believed there was an audience for new ''Star Wars'' comics (as the franchise was considered finished after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''), Marvel tabled the project indefinitely. Veitch and Kennedy were eventually able to publish the story at Dark Horse, kick starting the company's long line of successful ''Star Wars'' comics.
* Jim Calafiore wrote and drew a one-shot ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} story called "Deadpool Almost Destroys the Marvel Universe", which would have seen Deadpool starting an intergalactic incident after accidentally killing an alien ambassador by sneezing on him. This would have led to a massive battle with all of the heroes of Earth joining together to fight the vengeful aliens, and nearly perishing as a result.
* Blind Al was originally going to be the first ComicBook/BlackWidow, but Joe Kelly left the ''Deadpool'' book before this could be revealed.
* Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross attempted to take over the ''ComicBook/IronMan'' title after John Byrne left it. Not much is known of it, but Ross and Busiek co-created the Iron Man armor to be used during that run, which ended up being used by Busiek when he took over the title following ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn''.
* Speaking of which, Busiek was supposed to write a mini-series called ''Iron Man: Look Back in Armor'', which would have explained what happened to the teenage Tony Stark from ''ComicBook/TheCrossing''. For whatever reason, the series never happened, and Busiek wound up clarifying the final fate of Teen Tony in the 2001 ''Avengers Annual''.
* In 2009, Creator/JamesGunn pitched a Marvel MAX revival of the ''ComicBook/PowerPack''. The series would've dealt with the now-adult members of the team, who would have been screwed up due to their insane childhoods.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:
** ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was initially drafted by Millar as a story for the Ultimate universe. But the editors liked it so much that it was turned instead into a CrisisCrossover at the mainstream comics.
** Originally, Creator/GrantMorrison was going to pen an Ultimate Universe adaptation of The Kree-Srull War, which would have revealed the enemies the Chitauri were fleeing from in The Ultimates Volume 1 as The Kree and that the original Super-Soldier serum was made by Kree Scientists (who had been in hiding on Earth) from Chitauri DNA. However, Morrison returned to DC and this mini-series and the plot-lines it planned to introduce were thus abandoned.
** Before Creator/JephLoeb came aboard, Creator/MarkMillar planned to follow up The Ultimates Volume 2 with an ongoing series titled Ultimate Avengers, which would have detailed the original Ultimates team (now called by their mainstream name of The Avengers) operating independent from SHIELD out of Stark's New York townhouse. Millar later recycled story ideas he had for this series into the actual Ultimate Avengers series he would later pen.
** When he was first announced for the ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'', and still ignoring that he would have a short run, Millar announced that he would use Dr. Doom and Galactus in the first year. Only Doom appeared. Galactus would be used in ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy'', by Warren Ellis.
** Bendis had an idea for a story for the ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'', but the editors rejected it: it was better suited for ComicBook/TheAvengers. So he was allowed to write it for the Avengers instead. It was ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled''.
* Carol Danvers almost didn't get to become ComicBook/CaptainMarvel. Bendis had wanted to graduate Carol into Captain Marvel ever since ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', but the bigwigs weren't convinced. At one point, the character Gravity was supposed to become Captain Marvel, explaining his death in ''Beyond!'', but when that fell through, the character was revived instead in ''Fantastic Four''.
* During his time working on Udon's ''ComicBook/StreetFighter'' books, Jim Zub pitched a ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' comic to Marvel. Writer Frank Tieri also claimed that a comic mini-series for ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' was in the works at one time, but the project was shelved due to the companies being unable to reach an agreement.
* According to Creator/{{Disney}} CEO Bob Iger, his predecessor Michael Eisner was the one who initially floated the idea of the company acquiring Marvel. However, the rest of the board found the brand to be "too edgy" for Disney. One has to imagine how the publisher, not to mention the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, would've evolved without Disney's backing.
* ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'' was going to have more tie-ins involving ''Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda'', ''Ghost Rider'', ''Squadron Supreme'', ''Spider-Man'', and ''Thor''. In terms of debuts, it would have featured a limited series featuring a new incarnation of ComicBook/TheOrder based in the United Kingdom, and a one-shot starring [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Kamela Khan]]'s now-sentient Stormrager costume. The amount of tie-ins were forced to be scaled back due to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic affecting the industry. Consequently, this left certain plot points (most damningly [[https://www.cbr.com/empyre-thor-story-untold/ Thor returning in the final issue of the main title with]] [[spoiler:control over plantlife and embracement of his heritage with his birth mother Gaea]]) [[OrphanedReference coming out of nowhere]].
** Relatedly, ''ComicBook/{{Strikeforce}}'' got cancelled one issue before it was supposed to tie-in with the event.
* ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' was supposed to have a mini-series featuring the ComicBook/NewWarriors, where members of the original team trained a new generation of heroes to be part of the team under Kamala's Law. However, when the storyline resumed following the Coronavirus pandemic stopping the industry, the mini-series was the only one not to come back. Many fans have assumed that the backlash over the new heroes may have been a factor in dropping the series.
* The ''Shogun Warriors'' was originally comprised of Raydeen (''Anime/BraveRaideen''), Great Mazinga (''Anime/GreatMazinger'') and Dragun (''Manga/GetterRobo G''). However, Marvel realized late in the planning that they didn't have the rights to use the latter two, thus replacing them with Combatra and Danguard Ace.
* ''ComicBook/DisneyKingdoms'' was supposed to have a third ''Figment'' series, but it never saw the light of day for unknown reasons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Captain America]]
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's original name was 'Super-American'.
* In the 1960's, Joe Simon sued Marvel for ownership of the character. Marvel asked Creator/JackKirby to create two new Captain America designs, with the idea being that if Marvel lost the rights to the original, they could quickly introduce a new version of the character. Simon ended up settling, and Kirby later recycled one of the new Cap designs for Captain Glory.
* ''Captain America'' #300 by [=J.M. DeMatteis=] would have been a double-sized issue featuring Captain America becoming a pacifist, being rejected by superheroes, the government, and the world, then assassinated by Nomad and replaced by The Falcon or Black Crow.
* ''Captain America'' vol. 3 #14 by Creator/MarkWaid would have shown more of the Red Skull's twisted perspective, including the Red Skull's origins with Hitler, and his viewing Captain America as a Hitler figure that has to be killed.
* [=DeMatteis=] was originally hired to write an oversized treasury edition one-shot to tie into the ''Captain America'' TV movie that was released in the 70s, but the one-shot was cancelled. The contents were later published in ''Captain America'' #261-263 as the "Celluloid Heroes" storyline.
* Waid had planned to use Kang as a major villain in his run, but due to Creator/KurtBusiek using the villain in ''The Avengers'', he ended up compromising by having Michael Korvac ''pretend'' to be Kang. Ironically, this was essentially recycling an idea Waid had planned when he was writing ''Ka-Zar'', where he'd wanted to have Korvac impersonate ComicBook/{{Thanos}}. When someone else called dibs on Korvac, he scrapped that plot point and used the real Thanos instead.
* Captain America dies in Dan Jurgens' ''Captain America'' vol. 3 #50, which would have been addressed by a follow up mini-series by John Ney Rieber, who had planned to write the first story arc for ''Captain America'' vol. 4, which ended up being scrapped and modified due to the World Trade Center attacks, ending up as volume 4's second story arc.
* Before the real return of ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, there were plans for a story called "Bucky Returns", which would have revealed that Bucky had survived all of those years ago, but was now dying of old age. Steve would have went to Bucky's side, finding out that he was a quadruple amputee and disfigured, leading to a TearJerker-worthy scene where the two would reunite just before Bucky passed on.
* Speaking of Bucky, Bucky was supposed to have returned the shield to Steve after he came back in ''Captain America: Reborn'', but fans grew to love the Bucky Cap, so he got to stay longer.
* Mark Waid had wanted to do a story rationalizing the absurdity of Bucky's secret identity ([[SecretPublicIdentity or lack thereof]]), but never got the chance. The story would have revealed that the Intelligence Office had fabricated a backstory for the boy, explaining why nobody thought "Bucky" was a risky choice for a superhero alias despite it being ''his real name''.
* After the end of ''Captain America and The Falcon'', there were plans for a solo series starring ComicBook/TheFalcon. Plans fell through when Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}} decided he didn't want to be pigeonholed as a writer who only worked on "[[MinorityShowGhetto black]]" comics.
* ''Captain America and The Falcon'' was also supposed to feature a romance between Cap and ComicBook/ScarletWitch as one of the main hooks for the book's second year. The romance plot had to be moved up and drastically shortened due to the events of ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'' taking Scarlet Witch off the board for the next several years.
* There were plans for a major arc which would have seen Falcon inadvertently causing Cap's death. The plan was that this would lead into a BatFamilyCrossover between several books, each showing how the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was dealing with the aftermath of this event. Creator/EdBrubaker's ''Captain America'' book would feature several potential {{Legacy Character}}s vying for the mantle, while ''Captain America and The Falcon'' would focus on Falcon traveling through time to try and prevent Steve's death. Additional events in the crossover would happen in ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' and other related titles. Tom Breevoort liked the idea, but felt it would be redundant given that Marvel was already planning a massive CrisisCrossover for that same year.
* Creator/RobLiefeld left the ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn'' Captain America series after the first arc, and had a lot of unused art as a result. He would later end up recycling said art for his ''Fighting American'' series, resulting in a lawsuit from Marvel. He had also done up a redesign for the Falcon that never actually appeared in the books, but was featured in ''Wizard'' magazine and the ''Heroes Reborn'' trading card line.
* Creator/JossWhedon had wanted to do a crossover between Captain America and [[ComicBook/TheAuthority Jenny Sparks]], which would have involved Steve learning about both the good and the bad points of American history, and how they were reflected in Europe. Parts of the story were used in a short story Whedon later contributed to ''Sam Wilson, Captain America'' #7.
* Back when ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' was still in the planning stages, Creator/MarkMillar considered making Ultimate Captain America black, but Marvel vetoed the idea on the grounds that it conflicted with the "iconic" image of the character.
* American Dream from the ComicBook/MarvelComics2 line was originally going to be the daughter of Sam Wilson, before Ron Frenz decided to make her ComicBook/{{Agent 13}}'s niece instead.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Avengers]]
* Ronin from ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' was originally supposed to have been ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} in disguise, with early promotional material even strongly hinting at a connection between the two heroes. Creator/BrianMichaelBendis was forced to change his plans at the last second when Creator/EdBrubaker requested permission to start his ''Daredevil'' run with the title character in prison, which obviously made it impossible for Daredevil to be a member of the Avengers. Bendis ended up choosing Maya "Echo" Lopez as Ronin when he realized she [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute had all of Daredevil's martial arts skills and his knowledge of the Japanese underworld]].
* When Creator/JossWhedon had to put ''Astonishing X-Men'' on hiatus to go direct ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Marvel offered Bendis the chance to write a ''ComicBook/NewAvengers[=/=]Astonishing X-Men'' crossover to fill the gap. As the project began to take shape, it eventually became clear that it was too big a story to just involve those two teams, and thus ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' was born.
* ''Avengers'' #200, the issue featuring the infamous story where ComicBook/CarolDanvers was revealed to have been raped, was originally supposed to have a completely different conclusion. Carol's MysticalPregnancy was supposed to have been the work of the Kree Supreme Intelligence, continuing a [[LeftHanging dropped plot thread]] from the cancelled ''Ms. Marvel'' series, wherein the Supreme Intelligence had expressed the desire to use Carol to create a new race of Kree / Human hybrids. The problem was, Marvel had already published an issue of ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' where the Supreme Intelligence used the dead body of Rick Jones to create a Kree / Human hybrid. Not wanting to essentially [[RecycledScript rehash a story that had already been told]], the editor demanded that Carol's pregnancy arc be given a different resolution.
* After writing a storyline where ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} betrayed the Avengers and tried to kill them, Steve Englehart had wanted to keep the character as a villain and have him as a recurring menace. Editorial eventually pulled an AuthorsSavingThrow and revealed that Quicksilver had been {{brainwashed}} by Maximus, effectively nixing this idea.
* During his ''Avengers'' run, Creator/KurtBusiek had briefly considered giving ComicBook/CarolDanvers the new moniker of "Nemesis", in reference to her adopting a more vengeful attitude after her rape (Nemesis was a Greek goddess who was raped by Zeus). Busiek says he was never quite comfortable with the name, as he felt the explanation behind it would've been too convoluted, which is why he ended up renaming her Warbird instead.
* Busiek had toyed with the idea of making Triathlon gay, but ended up leaving that idea on the cutting room floor after the unexpected backlash the character received for being a "[[TokenMinority Token]]".
* ''Avengers: World in Chains'' was going to be a twelve issue series by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, exploring a world where Captain America had never been unfrozen. The story was replaced by ''ComicBook/AvengersForever'', with an EasterEgg featuring some of the character designs.
* After the original ''ComicBook/WestCoastAvengers'' mini-series, the original plan was to use the regular Avengers book to feature BOTH teams in alternating stories (as seen in issue #250). But the team's popularity put the kibosh on the whole idea. Also the Shroud would have been part of the team.
* According to Dennis Hopeless, ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' started out as a completely different series that was entirely focused on the Braddock Academy kids, but the higher-ups at Marvel felt that it had already been done. Supposedly, there was an arc where the kids fight each other, and that was the only part of the proposal that the executives found interesting, so Hopeless, seeking to salvage the project, expanded that arc into a whole mini-series, then threw in a bunch of other teen heroes who weren't being used in order to expand the cast.
* Roy Thomas wanted to use the original Golden Age version of the Vision in his ''Avengers'' run, but Stan Lee told him no. Thomas ended up creating the better known [[ComicBook/TheVision Vision]] as an {{Expy}} of the original.
* ''ComicBook/{{Princeless}}'' author Jeremy Whitley has said that at one point, he was slated to write a story starring America Chavez and ComicBook/KateBishop for the ''Secret Love'' one-shot from ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015''. The story was shelved due to the characters being used in ''Siege'', though a similar story starring America and the ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}} version of Kate was later published in the ''Secret Wars Too'' one-shot.
* Creator/JohnByrne wanted to have Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne get remarried while he was writing ''West Coast Avengers'', but editorial wouldn't allow it.
* ''ComicBook/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' apparently has an unreleased comic forcing the Avengers and Loki into an EnemyMine situation. The solicit synopsis for issue #12 promised one, but instead readers got a story which gave ComicBook/NickFury ADayInTheLimelight.
* ComicBook/{{Hulkling}} of the ComicBook/YoungAvengers was originally pitched as [[GenderBender a girl who posed as a guy when fighting crime;]] ComicBook/{{Wiccan}} was going to [[{{Gayngst}} struggle with the fact that his love interest was sometimes male.]] It's been speculated that creator Allen Heinberg thought this was as close as Marvel would let him get to putting an openly gay couple on the team. Eventually he had a change of heart and asked for permission to make Hulkling 100% male. Other speculations are that he changed his mind because "genderbender-gay" romance idea was being used in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''.
** On the other hand, Creator/BrianMichaelBendis and Tom Brevoort's steadfast refusal to allow Heinberg to outright overturn ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'' via bringing back Scott Lang as ComicBook/AntMan and redeeming [[ComicBook/ScarletWitch Wanda]] is why Heinberg bailed upon the title after the first 12 issues. Story notes however, such as Heinberg's plans for a rookie villain version of the original Masters of Evil led by an android version of Egghead were ultimately written by other writers, and the ''ComicBook/TheChildrensCrusade'' miniseries seems to have accomplished the goal of resurrecting Ant-Man and bringing Wanda back.
* Duncan Rosenblatt, the main character of ''ComicBook/{{Firebreather}}'', was originally conceived as part of a Young Avengers series. When plans fell through, his creator simply reused the concept at Creator/ImageComics. Had he been published by Marvel, Duncan's father would have been Fin Fang Foom.
* More specifically, the Young Avengers-type book would have been called ''The Crew'', with the cast consisting of teenage clones of Marvel heroes created by the A.I.M. organization.
* As ComicBook/MisterFantastic and the ComicBook/InvisibleWoman had recently been written out of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' at the time, Creator/WaltSimonson had thought it would be interesting to have them join the Avengers. The editors changed their mind at the last second, so Simonson was told he'd have to get rid of them. The experience (plus the ExecutiveMeddling he'd already experienced earlier in his run) pissed him off so much that he ended up resigning from the book.
* Dan Slott had wanted ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} to be part of the team in his ''ComicBook/MightyAvengers'' run, but Creator/MattFraction denied him permission to use the character.
* Both series that Creator/KieronGillen wrote with Kid Loki had this:
** ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMystery'' was supposed to be about adult Loki - Gillen claims that, while he was aware Creator/MattFraction resurrected the character as a kid, he thought it to be temporary. If he went with the original plan, the story would be a much darker SpiritualSuccessor to Literature/TheElricSaga.
** ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' vol.2 was supposed to have an all original cast and several new members from the start, but Gillen realized the opening story would be too crowded and cut it to the bare minimum. It was also supposed to be a SpiritualSuccessor to ''ComicBook/XStatix''. Gillen wasn't allowed to use Patriot, because another writer already pitched a story involving the character, and when looking for another teenage CaptainGeographic to fill the niche he thought of Miss America. Gillen also noted that with the addition of Loki and Miss America and their brash personalities, there would have been no room for Speed to stand out and with plot already revolving strongly around his brother it led to him being PutOnABus. Gillen also once said that he almost didn't took the offer to write ''Young Avengers'', fearing that Alan Heinberg's run would be too much of a ToughActToFollow.
* Way back in the 90s, Creator/RobLiefeld and Jim Valentino pitched a ''Young Avengers'' series, but it was rejected for being too similar to the then-in-development ''ComicBook/NewWarriors'' series. The series would have starred Namorita, Speedball, the teen version of Vance Astro (the character that eventually evolved into Marvel Boy and then Justice), Firestar, and [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]], who would have gone by the name "Torpedo" after having lost his Nova abilities. Several new characters named Brahma, Photon, Cougar, and Combat were also planned to appear, and would [[DivorcedInstallment later end up recycled]] for Liefeld's ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' series.
* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': In interviews, Joshua Hale Fialkov had said that his first arc ("Ultimates Disassembled") would lead to a brand new team of Ultimates, with the book now following these new characters as they tried to fill the void left by the originals. Because of the low sales on the Ultimate line, the book was cancelled as soon as "Ultimates Disassembled" ended, and was instead relaunched as ''All-New Ultimates'' after the ''ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand'' crossover.
* After his appearance in the first ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers'' story, the writers had plans to include ComicBook/{{Nova}} in more SA story lines. Unfortunately, Creator/DanAbnett and Andy Lanning called dibs on having the character and killed him off during ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative''.
* ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'' was originally supposed to have Brother Voodoo as part of the team, but Marvel refused to allow Rick Remender to resurrect the character. This is at least partially why the team ended up with such a [[MonochromeCasting white line-up]], according to Remender.
* After ComicBook/{{Ares}} got killed, Jonathan Hickman wanted to resurrect him on the pages of ''ComicBook/SecretWarriors'', but Tom Breevort stopped him, saying it would be too early. Similarly, Breevort stopped several attempts at resurrecting ComicBook/TheWasp, knowing that Brian Michael Bendis, who killed the character, planned to bring her back in a story few years after her death.
* The post-''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' relaunch of ''[[ComicBook/{{Champions 2016}} The Champions]]'' was originally going to be called ''Awesome Avengers''.
* Had ''ComicBook/AForce'' continued, the next arc would've been a team-up with an "A-list" Avenger, later revealed to be Black Widow, and would have seen Miss ComicBook/AmericaChavez join A-Force as the team's replacement for She-Hulk. The following arc would have revealed ComicBook/{{Dazzler}} was briefly the queen of an alien planet at some point, and her former subjects would now beg her to return.
* David Walker originally wanted the Native American member of ''Occupy Avengers'' to be Winona Wingfoot, the younger sister of Wyatt Wingfoot. However, his editors suggested that he instead use Red Wolf, whose book had recently been cancelled.
* ''Avengers, Featuring N.G.E.N. – Start Your N.G.E.N.S!'' was going to be a limited series about the Avengers teaming up with defense contractor Northrup Grumman. Issue #0 was published as a webcomic before being removed from Marvel's website. The rest of the series was cancelled due to protests over the nature of the comic.
* Creator/MarkWaid's ''Avengers'':
** An early teaser cover for Waid's first issue of the adjectiveless ''Avengers'' series (following his brief ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentAvengers'' run) showed ComicBook/DoctorDoom as part of the team. Not only that, but Doom's Iron Man armor looked ''completely different'' than the one he actually wound up wearing in the ''Infamous Iron Man'' series, including clawed fingers, a green and gold color scheme, and no cloak. By the time the book actually launched, Doom was not in the starting roster, but the "Coming this year" teaser at the end of the first issue showed Doom telling the Avengers that they worked for him now, strongly implying that he would be joining the book at a later date. While Doom did guest-star in two issues, he never actually joined, as the editorial decision to do the ''ComicBook/AvengersNoSurrender'' storyline before relaunching the series under a new writer (Jason Aaron) ultimately kept Waid from executing many of his longterm story plans.
** Speaking of the teaser from the first issue, it also hinted at a much more tempestuous crossover with the ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}, showing both teams shown fiercely fighting one another. While there was definitely some tension between the two groups when they eventually met during the "Worlds Collide" crossover, they never actually wound up fighting each other. The final issue of the crossover ''did'' have a very brief altercation where Nova blasted Hercules and the Hulk punched the Falcon, but things never escalated from there.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fantastic Four]]
* In the original proposal for the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', Susan Storm was supposed to be permanently invisible and had to wear a mask resembling her face in order to be seen, as well as being an InvisibleStreaker. Apparently having two heroes unable to depower is a bit much, and the proposal itself had this bit of reconsideration:
-->'''Creator/StanLee:''' I hope this won't seem [[RougeAnglesOfSatin to]] sexy in art work. Better talk to me about it, Jack-- maybe we'll change this gimmick somewhat[.]
** Likewise, the Four's costumes were originally supposed to include masks.
* Creator/JackKirby initially pitched ComicBook/BlackPanther as a similar hero called the Coal Tiger, but this was changed when Marvel became worried that a visibly African hero would alienate Southern retailers.
** When the Black Panther concept was decided on, Kirby came up with a slightly different design than the finished version. His mask exposed the lower half of his face (ala Franchise/{{Batman}}) and his costume sported UnderwearOfPower, but this design was once again vetoed after Marvel expressed concern. The Panther's iconic black mask ended up coming about as a way to essentially [[SuddenlyEthnicity trick retailers into ordering a book guest-starring a black superhero without them knowing the character was black until it was too late]].
** Black Panther and ComicBook/TheInhumans were originally supposed to debut in their own titles in 1965, but Marvel was constrained by a distribution deal with DC that kept them from publishing more than 8 comics a month. When this happened, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decided to debut them in the pages of ''Fantastic Four'' instead.
* There were plans for an ''Invisible Woman'' mini-series by John Byrne and Mary Wilshire back in the 80s. The series would have seen Sue's powers mutate so that she could now become intangible instead of just invisible, but with the caveat that [[PowerIncontinence she couldn't actually control the intangibility]]. This would have led to her falling into an alternate dimension where she could remain tangible, but where her only chance to return home would not come about for another 40 years. The series would have then chronicled Sue's life for the next four decades as she met a handsome warrior and battled a group of villains called the Shadow Knights.
* During the late '90s, when Creator/ChrisClaremont was writing the Fantastic Four, he had planned to have Reed and Sue hire ComicBook/KittyPryde as a live-in nanny for Franklin Richards (taking place after the cancellation of ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}''), but then X-Editor Bob Harris wanted Kitty to rejoin the X-Men. Claremont intended to do this again during ''X-Men'' v. 2 #100, and during a cancelled Kitty Pryde mini-series with artist Lee Moder.
* In 2011, Nick Spencer and Becky Cloonan were slated to do a {{Prequel}} mini-series called ''Victor Von Doom'', which would have focused on a teenage ComicBook/DoctorDoom as he traveled to Hell to try and save his mother's soul. Unfortunately, the book was cancelled by Marvel right before the first issue was about to be shipped.
* One oft-repeated but seldom substantiated rumour which has floated around the Internet for decades suggests that John Byrne and Chris Claremont were going to "swap" books in the mid-1980s, with Claremont taking over Fantastic Four while Byrne would get the X-Men. Whatever its provenance, it most likely would have ended up being moot anyway, because Byrne jumped ship to DC for the opportunity to work on his dream project (Superman) around the time this switch supposedly would have happened.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:X-Men]]
* The most notorious "what might have been" in the history of the Franchise/XMen is that Creator/ChrisClaremont originally planned to end ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga with Jean being completely depowered, rather than killed. However, Creator/JimShooter declared that Jean had to die, as during her rampage as Dark Phoenix she had been seen to destroy an inhabited solar system, killing millions of harmless aliens. This was especially annoying to Claremont, as the mass murder had been something John Byrne threw in when he drew the passage in question, and in the original script there had been no hint that the solar system had sentient inhabitants.
** A lesser known detail is that death wasn't the original fate Shooter proposed for Jean. He originally wanted to have Jean be sent to an interstellar Shi'ar prison, effectively [[PutOnABus Putting Her On A Bus]] as well as having her pay for her crimes. Claremont and Creator/JohnByrne felt it would be extremely OutOfCharacter for the X-Men to just allow one of their comrades to languish in a prison for the rest of her days, so they came up with the idea to simply kill her instead.
* ''X-Men'' #12 was a "tryout" book for legendary artist Creator/AlexToth, as Creator/StanLee had wanted to see if he could get Toth to join Marvel. Toth ended up not liking the "Marvel Method," and thus declined to do more work for the series. Toth's original design for the ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} was also far different and much more over the top, complete with spiked nipples for some reason. He was asked to tone down and simplify the costume, and that's how we ended up with the iconic Juggy we all know and love.
* Early on, Creator/StanLee had considered revealing that ComicBook/{{Magneto}} was actually Charles Xavier's brother. He presumably recycled that premise for the Juggernaut.
* Banshee was originally going to be a woman, which explains why the character was named after a female spirit from Irish mythology. However, Stan Lee vetoed the idea because he thought it'd [[WouldntHitAGirl look bad for a group of young men to beat up a female villain]].
* Len Wein originally wanted to call ComicBook/MultipleMan "Zerox" as a play on the Xerox line of copying machines. Roy Thomas immediately shot down the idea and told him “Who’s gonna pay off the huge lawsuit, you?”
* In the early 70s, there were plans for a split-book featuring ComicBook/{{Iceman}} and Doctor Strange, but the book never came to fruition.
* ''ComicBook/XFactor'' #78 has the Mutant Liberation Front attacking a scientist who has developed a way to identify the X-Gene in unborn fetuses. The story was originally going to have the scientist ''performing abortions'' on said mutant fetuses, with Wolfsbane's religious pro-life stance factoring into the story. Marvel dropped that aspect due to the inevitable backlash that would have ensued.
* ''Giant Sized X-Men'' #1 gives the impression that right before the original X-Men series got canceled, both Havok and ComicBook/{{Polaris|MarvelComics}} were active members of the X-Men. However if you go back and read those issues (along with the X-Men's guest appearances while the comic was in reprints) you'll see that they never actually went out with the rest of the X-Men on missions. Which is unfortunate, since this is one of the few things that could have made the Thomas-Adams era even better.
* ''Giant Sized X-Men'' was also going to continue as a quarterly title, but the entire Giant Sized line was eventually cancelled due to poor sales. The contents of ''X-Men'' #94 and #95 were originally supposed to make up ''Giant Sized X-Men'' #2.
* FOOM magazine ran a "Create-a-Villain" contest in 1973, and the winning entry was a character called Humus Sapiens. It was announced that Roy Thomas would be incorporating Humus as a charter member of the new, international {{ReTool}} of the X-Men (which would eventually become the All-New, All-Different X-Men), but when Thomas left the book and was replaced by Len Wein, the character was dropped. Humus Sapiens finally made a proper debut decades later in an issue of ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}''.
* While everyone knows about Thunderbird's death, the original plan for the All-New, All-Different X-Men was to have three members "flunk" the test to become official members of the team. Thunderbird was going to be one of them, while Sunfire and Banshee were going to be the other two. However, this idea was abandoned, which is why Sunfire randomly quit the team in the very next issue.
* In the late 70s, there were tentative plans for a SpinOff called ''The Furies'', which would have seen ComicBook/{{Storm}} as the leader of a team of female superheroes. The group's other members would have been Tigra, Namorita, Clea, Dragonfly of the Ani-Men (explaining a [[AbortedArc dropped plot thread]] from ''X-Men'' #104 involving Dragonfly's escape from Muir Island), and a new alien heroine named Moon Fang. Dave Cockrum was supposed to launch the series, but never got around to finalizing the first plot.
* Long before Franchise/{{Wolverine}} became the poster-boy for the X-Men books, he just ''barely'' escaped being killed off soon after joining the team. An editor was annoyed that Wolvie was so similar to Thunderbird (the ''other'' rebellious bruiser who was introduced in revamped lineup), and demanded that one of them be killed off in the Count Nefaria mission. In the end, Claremont decided to kill off Thunderbird, as Wolvie had a more distinctive powerset and appearance. Three decades later, Thunderbird is barely remembered and Wolverine is one of the most iconic superheroes ever created. Go figure. Speaking of Thunderbird, Scott Lobdell and Aaron Lopresti did a two-issue ''Thunderbird'' mini-series to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ''All-New, All-Different X-Men''. However, this was right around the time Chris Claremont had returned to the franchise and introduced a brand new Thunderbird, and this, coupled with plans for a different 25th anniversary tribute, led to the mini-series being shelved indefinitely.
* Claremont had wanted Nightcrawler to be Jewish, but both John Byrne and Roger Stern argued that it was really unlikely that there were many Jews of Kurt's age group in Germany at the time. They also felt that him being raised by a Roma family was already an interesting enough background without having to bring Judaism into it. So instead of a Jew, Kurt became a [[ChristianityIsCatholic devout Catholic.]]
* ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' had a few:
** Creator/BillMantlo wanted to have ComicBook/{{Northstar}} die of AIDS in a VerySpecialEpisode. While Mantlo thought the AIDS epidemic was a serious issue that needed to be discussed, editor Andy Mangels (who is gay himself) thought the idea was rife with UnfortunateImplications:
--->Some people, including readers, believed we were making too broad a statement. We had never openly declared that Northstar was gay. Now we had the only fairly popular Marvel character generally acknowledged as being gay [[TragicAIDSStory and he was dying of AIDS]]. You shouldn’t equate one with the other.
** James Hudnall's run famously had an AbortedArc dealing with Zeitgeist, a serial killer obsessed with murdering superheroes. Had the story continued, Zeitgeist would have infiltrated Alpha Flight HQ and killed Goblyn before being taken down. The character was ultimately picked up in ''Captain America'' instead, where he became involved with a German team of superheroes, before being {{retcon}}ned into the character Everyman.
** In the 90s, John Byrne was approached to do a series called ''North and South'', which would have starred Northstar and Ironclad. The book would have been revolutionary for the time, as it would have treated Northstar's sexuality just like that of any straight character, which was a fairly radical notion back then. Higher-ups ultimately cancelled the project and cited budgetary issues, but Byrne has said he believes the fact that Northstar is gay also had something to do with it.
** A ''Northstar: Pink'' miniseries was proposed by an assistant editor to go with ''ComicBook/DaredevilYellow'', ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlue'', and ''ComicBook/HulkGray''.
** Writers mooted revealing that Northstar was actually one of TheFairFolk until it was pointed out that it might not be the best look for Marvel's one prominent gay character to be a literal fairy.
* An X-Men spinoff by Marc Silvestri was reworked as Creator/ImageComics' ComicBook/{{Cyberforce}}.
* ''ComicBook/{{NYX}}'' was originally conceived as part of the Creator/MarvelMAX line, and was to have been written by Creator/BrianWood and drawn by David Choe. The series was going to be a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of the X-Men books, focusing on young mutants and how their powers affected those around them. It would have starred ComicBook/{{Rogue}}, Gambit, ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics, and two new mutants named Angie and Purge. The whole project fell apart due to Marvel deeming ''NYX'' [[AudienceAlienatingPremise unsuitable for its audience]], and Wood ended up recycling the premise for his creator-owned series ''ComicBook/{{DEMO}}''.
* ComicBook/{{Mystique}} was going to be revealed as not Nightcrawler's mother, but ''his father'', having [[HomosexualReproduction impregnated Destiny]] while in the form of a man. Executive Meddling prevented this one, as it was expected to be controversial. Fans however seem to like the idea, and occasionally a writer will suggest retconning it into the truth (particularly since the reveal years later of Nightcrawler's actual father, who is ''literally the Marvel equivalent of {{Satan}}''[[note]]as if Marvel really needed ''yet another'' Satan figure, given that there were already three major and countless minor Satan {{exp|y}}ies[[/note]], has pretty much caused massive FanonDiscontinuity and is among one of the main reasons Chuck Austen has become a pariah among comics fans).
* Creator/ChrisClaremont, for [[KudzuPlot fairly obvious reasons]], is responsible for a ton of these in ''ComicBook/XMen''. Some of these were the result of ExecutiveMeddling, either directly or from moving him to a different book and his replacement following other ideas. For example...
** Comicbook/MisterSinister was originally supposed to be the psychic projection of a kid who started stalking [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} Scott Summers]] when they were both in an orphanage together, essentially making him a twisted pastiche of the Golden Age [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]. The fact that he was the invention of a child was the explanation for his (frankly) ridiculous name, and his entire look.
** Claremont had considered revealing that most of ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}}'s appearances prior to 1988 were [[ActuallyADoombot actually clones created by Mr. Sinister]], explaining the embarrassing defeats the character had suffered before he was revamped as a serious threat. He'd also wanted to reveal that Sabretooth was actually Wolverine's father, explaining why he was obsessed with proving Logan wasn't better than him.
** Related to that, John Byrne has said there were plans for a story where Mariko would have been brutalized by Sabretooth, resulting in her being rendered brain dead. Heartbroken, Wolverine would have cut her life support to let her die with dignity, leading to a final confrontation with Sabretooth. The fight was to have ended with Sabretooth being KilledOffForReal and Logan learning that Creed was his father all along. What makes this interesting is that this was all planned to occur in 1981, five years before Sabretooth and Wolverine met on-panel for the first time in the ''Mutant Massacre'' story arc.
** ComicBook/{{Gambit}} was supposed to be Claremont's TakeThat response on ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans New Teen Titans]]'' villain Terra, as far as being a spy Mr. Sinister hired to infiltrate the X-Men, right down to seducing Storm to get the X-Men leader's confidence. Also, back when Claremont was still going with the idea that Mr. Sinister was merely the projection of a mutant child, the plan was for Gambit to be another "creation" of that same boy. Just as Sinister was conceived as a little boy's idea of a scary villain, Gambit was supposed to have been a little boy's idea of a badass hero. Eventually, Gambit's love for Rogue would've caused him to develop a conscience and turn against his creator.
** He also planned on using the Fury, created by Alans Moore and Davis in ComicBook/CaptainBritain. The Fury would have merged with Nimrod, and ultimately been responsible for the Mutant Massacre, as well as teaming up with James "Mad Jim" Jaspers, another Moore/Davis creation, to destroy the X-Men. A dispute between Marvel and Moore over compensation [[note]] due to the differences in copyright law between the US and Britain.[[/note]] led to editorial nixing this version, and instead we got Mr. Sinister and the Marauders, and the Adversary, respectively.
*** Since Marvel UK existed in a murky position vis-a-vis the main series in America, Claremont's plan seems at various stages of the development of this story seemed to have been an ''adaptation'' of Moore and Davis's "Jaspers' Warp" storyline. Claremont envisioned this as a potential company-wide crossover which could function as Marvel's answer to ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', with the effects of Jaspers's reality warping powers appearing in other Marvel comics published that month. Although the plans fell through, Jim Jaspers ''did'' receive a cameo in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #200 as the chief prosecutor at Magneto's trial before the United Nations to set him up as a future participant in this story.
** John Byrne intended for Pyro to be gay, with the flamboyant civilian attire and effeminate mannerisms he displayed in his first appearance being a major hint. For whatever reason, Claremont decided against this and [[CampStraight made him Australian instead]].
** There was also the notion of a lengthy plotline where Wolverine is turned into the brainwashed minion of "The Hand"[[note]]This actually happened in a Creator/MarkMillar storyline decades later, only the Hand teamed up with HYDRA at the time[[/note]], kidnapping Jean Grey to become his "Queen of the Night", leading to Forge and Banshee having to rescue Jean.
*** This "Dark Wolverine" story was later repitched as the opening storyline for the 1991 X-Men series: rather than fighting Magneto and the Acolytes, the X-Men would fight the Reavers, of which Lady Deathstrike would kill Wolverine via ripping out his heart. But the Hand (revealed to be in league with the Shadow King) would obtain Wolverine's corpse and recreate his heart/resurrect him as an agent and have him reappear in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #294, as part of the rematch between the X-Men and the Shadow King and his army of minions, as the Shadow King (via Gateway) seeks to gain control over everyone's dreams.
** The infamous RaceLift for ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} was intended to be temporary, and was only supposed to last until the end of the ''Acts of Vengeance'' CrisisCrossover. The change proved so popular that Claremont decided to keep Psylocke Asian, and this became the character's default appearance in the movies, games, and TV shows until 2018.
** Related to that, Psylocke's death in ''X-Treme X-Men'' (see below) was only supposed to be temporary. The plan was to kill off Psylocke and then resurrect her in a form closer to her "classic" incarnation (meaning no more Crimson Dawn powers or facial tattoos), possibly restoring her original Caucasian appearance as well. Marvel vetoed this since the story was planned during a period when the company was trying to avoid bringing back dead characters, which led to Psylocke's return being pushed back until long after ''X-Treme'' had been cancelled.
** Claremont and Byrne almost did a ''What If...?'' issue about Magneto forming the X-Men after Charles is killed by Lucifer. The X-Men would have essentially been an expanded version of the Brotherhood, including Cyclops, ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}}, Iceman, ComicBook/{{Beast|MarvelComics}} (who would have had mechanical WolverineClaws), Archangel (who would have wielded a flaming sword), ComicBook/ScarletWitch and Jean Grey (who would have been called Psyke instead of Marvel Girl). The issue would have seen the mutants defeating the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom (with Magneto taking advantage of Doom's metal armor to kill him), only to be forced to save the world when ComicBook/TheComingOfGalactus occurred at the end of the story.
** ComicBook/KittyPryde was originally created as part of a group of young mutants, as Claremont and Byrne had wanted to bring back the school aspect of the Xavier Institute. Her teammates were to have been a young RealityWarper named Willie Evans (who had previously appeared in ''Fantastic Four'') and a monstrous hillbilly teen named Caliban (no relation to the Morlock who would later be introduced with that name), who would've had the power to project his life force into inanimate objects. The plans for the team were squelched by Jim Shooter, but ended up being recycled to some degree for the later ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' series.
** Claremont's return to the franchise in 2000 was supposed to feature a new mutant named Sketch joining the X-Men. Sketch actually did show up in a story, but Claremont ended up being forced off the books before he could make her an official member of the team.
** Beast was originally going to be part of the ''X-Treme X-Men'', and Claremont plotted out three years of stories featuring the character. This was scrapped when Creator/GrantMorrison pinched Beast for the ''New X-Men''.
** Though the idea was picked up in the ''X-Men Forever'' series, Chris Claremont had a started out with the idea of "mutant burnout", in which a mutant's power would effectively burn themselves out, leading to their death. This was seen in ''X-Men (1991)'', where Magneto was growing weaker and was warned that he was most likely dying from it.
* Claremont and Dave Sim plotted out a crossover between the X-Men and Comicbook/{{Cerebus}}, but Sim lost interest after seeing Jim Shooter's lack of enthusiasm for the project.
* Dave Cockrum designed an amphibious mutant heroine named Silkie, whom he'd intended to have join the X-Men in issue #150. However, he wanted to retain ownership of the character, something Marvel would not allow. He ended up [[DivorcedInstallment recycling the character]] for his creator-owned series ''The Futurians''.
* Chris Claremont's ''Phoenix'' mini-series pencilled by Rick Leonardi, further exploring the future relationship of Rachel Summers and Franklin Richards, later becoming the story "Days of Future Present".
* Chris Claremont's ''Excalibur Special Edition'' pencilled by Rick Leonardi, featuring Shadowcat and Phoenix, later becoming the mini-series "X-Men: True Friends".
* ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' #209 ends with Spiral abducting Rachel Summers. Rachel returns in ''Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn'', and [[TakeOurWordForIt references]] her time in the Mojoverse throughout the series. The story was planned to be shown in a limited series or graphic novel.
* ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'' #67 mentions a ''Technet'' limited series.
* ''ComicBook/XForce'' was going to be titled ''X-Terminators''.
* The division of the franchise into two books in 1991 might also have gone differently. A piece of original pin-up art by Jim Lee shows Wolverine, Beast, Forge, Strong Guy, ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics, Psylocke, Storm (in an unused costume) and Rogue, with Magneto looming in the background. Another shows Xavier, standing up, with Jean in an updated Phoenix costume, Storm (in the familiar '90s costume, suggesting this one was drawn later), Wolverine, Colossus, Gambit and Beast. There is a similar piece by Whilce Portacio that includes Cyclops, Jean, Archangel, Iceman, Gambit and Colossus with Xavier behind them. It's also been said that at some point Xavier would have been killed and Gateway, of all people, would have mentored some of the mutants. Also, let's not forget Jim Lee's "Things to Come" illustration with a creepy Skrull woman and Selene alongside Matsu'o, Omega Red, Longshot and Dazzler. Selene was there because she was the leader of the Upstarts, Lee's replacement for the Hellfire Club. Unfortunately, Selene was put on a bus when Lee left Marvel, as far as Bob Harras and Fabian Niceza deciding to use Gamemaster instead as the Big Bad.
* The X-Men villain ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} had been suggested as both the mastermind behind the Weapon X program (a plan fitting an immortal mutant with advanced technology and a penchant for playing god), as well as the third Summers brother who was sent back in time (explaining his and Mr. Sinister's obsessions with the Summers bloodline). Instead, Weapon X became part of Weapon Plus (with Captain America and Nuke being part of said program, as Weapons 0, 01, and 07) and the third Summers brother was sent to his death by Professor X, who then wiped Cyclops' memory when he got upset about it, but that brother came back to life with super-charged powers and conquered a galactic empire.
** Speaking of Apocalypse, he was almost never invented at all. The first issues of ''ComicBook/XFactor'' featured a mysterious master of the group known as the Alliance of Evil; writer Bob Layton was fired after five issues, and was replaced by Louise Simonson, who, along with editor Bob Harras, decided to create a new villain to be that mysterious master, and gave us one of the most dangerous X-Foes. Layton's original choice for the shadowy figure, however, was...uh...the ''[[BigBadWannabe Owl.]]''
*** And speaking of ''X-Factor'', ComicBook/{{Dazzler}} was originally supposed to have been the fifth member of the team. The final issue of her solo series even ended with Beast suggesting that she join the group. She was cut from the roster when John Byrne decided to bring back Jean Grey instead.
*** Additionally, Chris Claremont had suggested Jean's sister Sara Grey as the fifth member of X-Factor, pointing out that a scene where the Phoenix had altered Sara's genes in ''Bizarre Adventures'' #27 could be used to retroactively make her a mutant. Jim Shooter apparently liked the idea, but was already committed to bringing back Jean by that point.
* Whilce Portacio and Karl Altstaetter originally wanted ComicBook/{{Bishop}} to be Filipino, but before they could lock down his ethnicity, Bob Harrass suggested that he be black, since the X-Men have historically had a large number of black fans.
* Joe Kelly had wanted to have Jean become the Phoenix for real (since the original "Dark Phoenix Saga" had been {{Retcon}}ned to establish that it had never really been Jean), which would have caused tension with the X-Men who remembered what happened the last time Dark Phoenix showed up. The plan was to have Jean fight and struggle with her Phoenix persona, but ultimately win out and gain control, thus granting the readers the happy ending they were denied in the original tale.
* The seminal graphic novel ''ComicBook/GodLovesManKills'' was originally going to open with ComicBook/{{Magneto}} being KilledOffForReal [[TheWorfEffect in order to establish William Stryker as a serious threat]]. As the graphic novel wasn't supposed to be considered canon at the time, the creators were allowed more leeway than usual.
** Neal Adams was the original artist for the project, and even drew up the first six pages (including the aforementioned Magneto death scene) before being informed that Jim Shooter couldn't come up with a contract for him. He ended up being replaced by Brent Anderson.
** Angel also appeared as part of the team in the pages Neal Adams drew.
** As was mentioned, the book wasn't supposed to be canon, and in Chris Claremont's own words, William Stryker was never supposed to appear again. The villain's major role in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'' motivated Marvel to officially declare ''God Loves, Man Kills'' canon and bring Stryker back to the franchise. He's since become a popular character [[ShortLivedBigImpact despite his small number of appearances]].
* Creator/GrantMorrison, [[ComicBook/NewXMen during his time writing]] ''ComicBook/XMen'', had planned to use Rogue and have her killed, setting up a brand new Rogue that would be a mix of her ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' self and the version played by Creator/AnnaPaquin. However, Creator/ChrisClaremont called dibs on Rogue for ''X-Treme X-Men''...and ended up killing ''Psylocke''.
** Adding to that, the scene in "Assault On Weapon Plus" where Logan consoles a drunken Cyclops was originally going to be Logan consoling a drunken Gambit after Rogue's death.
** The original cast of the book was going to be different as well. In addition to Rogue, Morrison had wanted to use Storm, Colossus, and Moira [=McTaggart=] as part of the team, but had to change his plans when editorial informed him that Rogue and Storm were being used by Claremont, while both Colossus and Moira had recently been killed off. He ended up choosing ComicBook/EmmaFrost and Beast to replace Colossus and Moira as the team's bruiser and scientist, respectively.
** The U-Men were originally going to be called the Black Kross and Xorn was going to be called Experiment X.
** Magneto was planned to be KilledOffForReal.
* ''ComicBook/{{Dazzler}}'' [[http://unpublishedxmen.blogspot.com/2013/07/dazzler-as-grace-jones-by-john-romita-jr.html was originally modeled after Grace Jones]], but Filmworks representatives wanted Creator/BoDerek to play the role in the (failed) live-action adaptation, so she was redesigned to be a blonde white woman. Casablanca Records and Filmworks would then wind up backing out of the record and movie deal over financial concerns.
* M in ''ComicBook/GenerationX'' was intended by Creator/ScottLobdell to actually be the twins Nicole and Claudette, with there being ''no'' real "Monet St. Croix" in sight (as it was only an alias they'd use in their merged form). Penance was also meant to be a Bosnian refugee by the name of Yvette. When Lobdell left and Creator/LarryHama took over the title, he went with the idea of the twins merging but also opted to have there be a real ComicBook/{{Monet|StCroix}}, who was trapped in the form of Penance. He explained away the "Yvette" references to Penance by stating that it was simply one part of Monet's overly long name [[note]]Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix[[/note]]. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150303043237/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/08/16/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-116/3/ A rundown of the situation can be read here]].
* ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' (vol. 2) #8 and #9 had to be completely rewritten and redrawn at the last second over the controversial subject matter. The original story had Anole's parents get offended by the sight of Karma kissing her girlfriend during Parent's Day at the Xavier Institute, causing to Anole to come out as gay. After his parents reacted poorly, Anole would've gone to Hellion and Elixir for support, only to be shunned by them. Feeling alone and friendless, Anole was supposed to kill himself, cementing Hellion as an irredeemable JerkAss and causing Elixir to undergo some serious CharacterDevelopment out of guilt. Bill Jemas was very antsy about the story, and it was ultimately pulped, leading to Nunzio [=DeFilippis=] and Christina Weir having to hastily write a new one in its place.
* Creator/MarkWaid's original suggestion for ComicBook/{{Onslaught}} was that he be the personification of Professor Xavier's long-suppressed dark side. He's since said that he feels the origin they went with instead was needlessly confusing.
* The original ''The X-Men Vs. The Avengers'' mini-series (not to be confused with ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'') was supposed to end with Magneto (who at the time was an AntiHero and acting as the leader of the ComicBook/NewMutants) falling from grace and returning to villainy. Editorial changed their minds at the last second, resulting in the ending being hastily rewritten and a new creative team taking over for the final issue.
* Gambit's [[http://www.gambitguild.com/repository/concepts.html concept art]] shows outfits with varying placement of belts, boots and pants, Gambit and a younger Storm working together as thieves, and a simpler uniform design by Igor Kordey for ''X-Treme X-Men''.
* The much hated Joseph was intended to actually be a de-aged Magneto, as was heavily implied in the comics. However, when it was decided that Magneto would be brought back as a villain, Scott Lobdell considered revealing that Joseph was actually a resurrected and amnesiac Proteus. In the end, he simply revealed that Joseph was a young clone of Magneto.
* "Magneto War":
** The story was originally going to be about Magneto tilting the Earth on its axis, sending the world into an ice age. Concept art by Leinel Yu shows the X-Men wearing winter gear in Egypt for this event.
** The original concept for "Magneto War" was also bigger and far darker. The story would've seen Magneto trapping the X-Men in a mutant concentration camp as a warning of what was to come if mutantkind didn't stand up and fight back against humanity. The X-Men would've been divided over the issue, with some of the heroes siding with Magneto against their former teammates. Perhaps most shockingly, ''Storm'' was supposed to have been the big death instead of Joseph, as she would've pulled a HeroicSacrifice to fix the planet after Magneto had tilted it on its axis.
* Creator/BrianMichaelBendis was offered the job of writing ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' from issue #1. While he eventually declined the job, he did sketch out a script for issue #1. If you want to read it, you can find it at the end of ''Ultimate X-Men Ultimate Collection'' book 1.
* Had ''ComicBook/{{X 23}}'' continued, Marjorie Liu had plans for ComicBook/BlackWidow to become Laura's new mentor at the ComicBook/AvengersAcademy.
* Artist Declan Shelvey had plans for a Banshee-led X-Men series that had interest from the higher-ups, but ultimately went nowhere. It would have had Sean Cassidy, mysteriously and suspiciously healed from the Death Seed put into him during ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'', deciding to retire in Cassidy Keep and stay away from everyone else. However, his daughter Teresa would approach him looking for help and ultimately return to action, making his home a new safe haven for mutants. Sean's team would comprise of him, his daughter (who would also retain the Banshee name), Marrow, Chamber, Artie and Leech.
* Rick Remender pitched a title called ''ComicBook/ExtraordinaryXMen'', which would have seen the X-Men struggling to rebuild the team after the school was destroyed by ComicBook/TheInhumans. Fantomex, Jean and Professor X (now known as Professor X-orn) all would've had major roles in the series, with a returned Mastermind serving as the BigBad. The plans were axed when Remender left the company due to his dissatisfaction with the [[ExecutiveMeddling editorially-mandated]] Inhumans plot.
* Relatedly, in 2019, Marvel approached Remender about possibly revamping the X-Men line, which he declined. The job instead went to Creator/JonathanHickman, who revamped the line with ''[[ComicBook/JonathanHickmansXMen House of X/Powers of X]]''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Spider-Man]]
* The [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] was originally intended by Creator/StanLee to be an [[SealedEvilInACan actual demonic goblin-thing released from an Egyptian sarcophagus]]. Creator/SteveDitko apparently convinced him that a human psychopath in a costume fit the tone of the Spidey series better. This idea was repurposed in the ComicBook/{{Ultimate|Marvel}} Universe, where that universe's ComicBook/NormanOsborn mutates into an actual goblin due to an experiment.
* Stan Lee originally wanted the Vulture to be a fat, physically imposing villain, using actor Sydney Greenstreet [[ComicBookFantasyCasting for inspiration]]. Ditko didn't like the idea, arguing that a character like the Vulture should rely on speed and maneuverability to be a threat. Lee's original idea for the Vulture would later be recycled for ComicBook/TheKingpin.
* Creator/SteveDitko being a ReclusiveArtist that makes Creator/ThomasPynchon look accessible abruptly quit working on Spider-Man on Issue 38. Since Ditko in his long life never gave interviews to fanzines and others, and pointedly refused to discuss his past work in detail, it's a source of wonder among fans what direction Spider-Man could have taken had he stayed around. He and Lee fell out and weren't even speaking to each other by the time of the final ten issues which Ditko entirely plotted out and drew on his own with little feedback from Lee. Some of the rumors for his departure[[note]]i.e. that he disagreed with Norman being the Goblin, which happened in the issue following his departure[[/note]] [[YMMV/NormanOsborn have been debunked]] by Ditko himself. Others argue that Ditko who later took to UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} wanted to make Spider-Man into a more objectivist and right-leaning direction. Ditko himself mentioned as did others, that it stemmed from personal dissatisfaction for not getting proper remuneration and respect for his contribution to Spider-Man (namely the fact that Ditko was paid for his work as an artist when as per the Marvel Method he was actually the co-writer of the entire thing with Lee contributing mainly as dialogue writer), that he wasn't given remuneration for redrawing pages whenever Lee asked him to, burdened by the fact that Spider-Man's runaway success left him little means to profit from it.
* Tom [=DeFalco=] had intended to reunite Peter and Mary Jane with their daughter at the end of his run on Amazing Spider-Man, but his successors, Howard Mackie and John Byrne, wanted to bring Spidey back to his classic everyman roots and requested his long dead Aunt May be brought back to life instead. As luck would have it, Mackie and Byrne's stint on ASM was a critical and commercial disaster, and Tom was given the opportunity to produce a one-shot "What If?" based on the premise of the daughter being alive and well inheriting her father's legacy. The "What If?" was a success and led to a twelve year run for Tom on the ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' book, which fast became the longest running female-led superhero book in the history of Marvel Comics.
* Rob Kirkman pitched two separate mini-series focusing on the Spider-Man villain Cardiac.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderManChapterOne'' was going to be followed by a ''Spider-Man: Chapter Two'' miniseries. The rebooted ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' was already using elements from ''Chapter One'' like Captain Power, and newer stories would have continued treating ''Chapter One'' as the official version. The backlash towards the reboot and initiative however nixed this quickly.
* ''Spider-Man vs. Wolverine'' was originally supposed to end with Wolverine actually defeating Spider-Man, but the outcome was changed to a stalemate after some Marvel staffers complained about the result.
* ''ComicBook/{{Venom}}'':
** Instead of Eddie Brock, the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote was originally supposed to go from Parker to a woman who had a grudge of her own against Spider-Man. The story was to be that a cabbie watching Spider-Man as he was driving hit and kills her husband trying to flag him down, she was also pregnant at the time, but lost the child. Marvel at the time, also felt that readers would not view a woman as a physical threat to Spidey (nevermind the fact that a woman with the Venom symbiote would by definition be physically ''stronger'' than Spidey, just like scrawny Cletus Kasady is with the Carnage symbiote), and in turn became something of a SelfFulfillingProphecy in that Spidey doesn't have many memorable female villains [[https://web.archive.org/web/20061030045458/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/05/11/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-50/ For kicks, here's the article]].
** Similarly, ComicBook/{{Venom}} was intended to be killed off in issue 400 (he first appeared in issue 300), so the symbiote could move on to other characters, like J. Jonah Jameson. It was swiftly killed when Venom gained popularity.
** Had the Flash Thompson ''Venom'' series not been cancelled, Cullen Bunn would have brought back Anti-Venom, with the new host being the unnamed soldier ([[TheGhost a character that had previously been mentioned, but never actually shown]]) who had bonded with the Venom symbiote before Flash. There were also plans for a "War of the Symbiote" arc where every still-living former Venom host (Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, Mac Gargan, ect.) would have battled for control of the suit, with Flash finally learning Peter was Spider-Man in the process.
* When Creator/JMichaelStraczynski thought up his ridiculously controversial ''[[ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan Sins Past]]'' storyline which revealed that [[spoiler:ComicBook/GwenStacy had a child with Norman Osborn]], he planned for Peter Parker to be [[spoiler:the childrens' father]], but Joe Quesada, the EIC of Marvel, [[ExecutiveMeddling felt that]] this would [[NotAllowedToGrowUp age the character]] too much and suggested Norman Osborn instead.
* Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, [[ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan then still the writer of]] ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', originally planned a very different version of ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', in which many events in Peter's life were changed by his helping Harry Osborn through his drug addiction. This would result in Norman Osborn never returning to being the Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy never dying, Harry and MJ never breaking up, and, in effect, Peter never marrying MJ. This was vetoed by other writers even if Quesada was actually open and on board with the idea. They disliked bringing Gwen Stacy back because it was part of a classic storyline and Quesada didn't want to make all the stories of the past 35 years moot, being okay with making the 21 years of the Spider-Marriage moot. In either case, Harry Osborn was brought BackFromTheDead.
* Another Franchise/SpiderMan example, and possibly the best-known; [[ILetGwenStacyDie Gwen Stacy]]:
** Stan Lee has said several times that he originally intended Gwen to be Peter's one-and-only, and that MJ was created as [[RomanticFalseLead competition]] for Gwen. On account of the fact that ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson was a BreakoutCharacter and immediate success, and regarded by fans (and later Lee himself) as the more interesting character, this ultimately didn't take. Lee and Romita did many things to make Gwen interesting, including changing her character several times, making her resemble MJ (including doing a blonde PaletteSwap of MJ's hair-style while giving MJ a bad hair-do and having her go out of state for many issues), having her work as a bikini model (to show she's not all prim to compete with the sexy MJ), and even giving her a dramatic arc (the death of her father George Stacy who she wrongfully blamed Spider-Man for), and having her talk smack to Aunt May as a way to make her cool. Most readers saw all of this as CharacterShilling and rejected it. Had things been different, i.e. had Lee come up with a decent way to make Gwen cool and interesting or if readers really cared for the Peter/Gwen romance, she would probably have remained alive and become the OfficialCouple with Peter. By the time Lee wrote the Newspaper strip several years after stepping down as writer at Marvel, he settled on Mary Jane as Peter's true love, with the newspaper strip never even having a Gwen Stacy, and never looked back. According to Conway, Lee's reaction on hearing the proposal to kill Gwen was merely a shrug as he walked away to a business trip.
** Creator/GerryConway, who wrote the now iconic comic ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' after Lee had stepped down decided to kill Gwen Stacy, because he, like most readers (he was ''19 years old'' at the time and had the unique distinction and claim to actually belong to Peter Parker's generation in chronological terms and [[RunningTheAsylum was definitely far in tune]] with the readers' opinions than Lee and Romita were) felt MJ was the more interesting character, and that she and Peter had better chemistry and potential (being both as Conway put it, "damaged people").
** [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/08/28/comic-book-legends-revealed-538/ The story was almost]] ''The Night Aunt May Died'' or ''The Night Mary Jane Watson Died.'' Shortly after Gerry Conway joined the comic, John Romita convinced him that one of their storylines should involve killing off a main character. Aunt May was the original choice, but the two would later shoot this idea down because of how predictable it would be. After more considerations, they narrowed the victim down to either Mary Jane Watson or Gwen Stacy. The latter was ultimately chosen because she was the Love Interest, and therefore considered more "bullet proof" and unexpected by the readers and so far more shocking, and Conway in any case was against killing his favorite character, whose untapped potential he wanted to explore. [[http://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-golden-age-webshooters/ The final page of #122]] was also different. Gil Kane's original page would have Mary Jane returning to Peter's side and holding him as he mourned. Gerry thought it didn't work right and allowed John Romita Sr. to redraw it.
** The initial response to Gwen Stacy's death was considerable, especially among younger readers and audiences as opposed to long-time ones. Stan Lee, ever the crowd-pleaser, then suggested that Marvel undo Gwen's death and bring her back. Neither Conway nor Romita were okay with this (since at the time, Marvel had certainly not done the BackFromTheDead thing very much) but they settled on a compromise which led to the notorious first Clone Saga which teased the idea that Gwen Stacy had returned at a time when Peter and MJ were developing strong feelings and the former was moving on from Gwen. If readers disliked the Peter MJ hook-up then Gwen would have been back then and there, without any of the cloning baggage of later stories. As it happened, readers did like MJ more than Gwen so it stuck.
* ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' nearly happened a year or two earlier. Many at the staff wanted it to happen after ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'', but Dan Slott thought it was too early to pull it off (he wanted to do the switch over at 700) and, thus, created ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth''.
** ''Superior Spider-Man'' was also supposed to have lasted longer, according to Dan Slott. However, between ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'', it was decided to stop and put Peter back in control.
* Prior to writing ''ComicBook/RenewYourVows'' for the ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' event, Dan Slott had repeatedly pitched for the return of the Spider-Marriage to editorial, and was shot down at every turn.
* ComicBook/TheCloneSaga was going to be revealed as the work of ComicBook/{{Mephisto}}, but it was decided that [[HilariousInHindsight it would be stupid for Mephisto to get involved with Spider-Man.]]
** The one-shot ''101 Ways to End ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'' showcased a number of other ideas that were shot down, including killing Ben during ''ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}'', having one of the two Parkers come down with short-term amnesia after an explosion, confusing him as to if he was Ben or Peter due to the fact that his hair would be brown again, putting Peter through a StableTimeLoop, etc.
** Harry Osborn was originally going to be revealed as the mastermind behind the Clone Saga. The idea was that Gaunt, a mysterious armored villain that had menaced Spider-Man, was actually Harry, whose body had been ravaged and withered by the Goblin serum. Bob Harras vetoed the idea, as he thought Harry was a poor substitute for the real Green Goblin.
** The mini-series ''Spider-Man: The Final Adventure'' was originally going to end with Mary Jane giving birth, but this was changed to a miscarriage after it was decided that Peter would be brought back as Spider-Man.
* When he was writing ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'', Creator/PeterDavid had intended for the Goblin (a LegacyCharacter of the Green Goblin) to be Father Jennifer, the sister of his love interest Dana D'Angelo. However, when he left the book during the WriterRevolt following the removal of Joey Cavalieri as the ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'''s editor, David's replacements, Ben Raab and Terry Kavanagh, revealed it was Miguel's brother, Gabriel. It was later {{retcon}}ned to be an impostor, but it was ironic, considering Peter David was the one who "revealed" that the Hobgoblin was Ned Leeds, which went against Hobgoblin Roger Stern's original intention and that "reveal" was itself retconned.[[note]]Stern had intended for it to Roderick Kingsley and with the ''Hobgoblin Lives'' mini-series, he revealed that this was indeed the case and Kingsley had used Leeds as a patsy.[[/note]] However, much like Stern and Kingsley, David revealed in the 2014 series that Jennifer was indeed the Goblin.
* Speaking of which, Tom [=DeFalco=] had wanted to reveal that the Hobgoblin was Richard Fisk, the son of ComicBook/TheKingpin. His other idea was that Roderick Kingsley (Stern's original choice for the Hobgoblin) would turn out to be another villain, the Rose. Ironically, this ended up going the complete opposite route; Kingsley was ultimately revealed to be the Hobgoblin (years later), while Fisk was revealed to be the Rose.
* The legendary storyline ''ComicBook/KravensLastHunt'' was originally a story between ComicBook/WonderMan and his brother, the Grim Reaper. Marvel didn't like it, so it was sent to DC, repurposed as a storyline between Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/TheJoker. DC didn't like it either, so it was repurposed ''again'' as this. Likewise, J. M. [=DeMatteis=] originally wrote the story before the decision was taken to marry Peter and MJ, and once that happened, he changed the story again which ended up becoming the first story of a married Spider-Man, a decision that Matteis welcomed and celebrates since according to him it gave the story the emotional center it would not have had otherwise.
* According to Creator/BrianMichaelBendis, the ending of ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'' was supposed to have led to the introduction of an Earth-616 version of ComicBook/MilesMorales, who would have then joined the cast of ''Amazing Spider-Man'' as Peter's new friend, but Marvel wanted their Miles to remain consistent with his original appearance and story. Miles's Earth-616 counterpart would not be introduced until the ''Spider-Men II'' miniseries.
* Sean [=McKeever=] pitched a SpinOff of ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'' that would have starred Firestar, but Marvel was more interested in a continuation of the original series, something that [=McKeever=] didn't want to do. Two years later, he changed his mind and pitched a new ''Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane'' story that would have been set in winter and featured MJ and Peter in a LoveTriangle with a teenage [[ComicBook/GhostRider Johnny Blaze]]. Unfortunately, by that point, Marvel no longer had any desire to revive the series.
* In 2018, there were plans to have Miles Morales abandon the Spider-Man name in favor of a new identity, rumored to be "Spy-D" (which wound up being used as his codename in the ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' cartoon). Despite the seeds for this change clearly being set up in Miles' own book and the ''Comicbook/{{Generations}}'' event, a combination of Brian Michael Bendis jumping ship from Marvel to DC and the success of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' led to these plans being dropped.
[[/folder]]

!!Other

[[folder:Marvel ''and'' DC]]
* During various points in time, DC and/or Marvel have had opportunities to buy or license the rights to each other and/or some of their characters.
** There has long been a rumor, for example, that during the 70s, Marvel had an opportunity to buy DC's stable, but decided not to when they were told they wouldn't be getting Superman, Batman, and possibly Wonder Woman.
** Again, but during the 80s, Marvel had a chance to license the DC Superheroes, and in fact [[http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/08/superman-first-marvel-issue.html probably would have if not for legal problems]].
** In the 1990s, while Marvel was in bankruptcy, Warner Brothers (and by extension DC) had a chance to buy Marvel, but, of course, it never happened.
* ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC'':
** An early proposed title was ''Marvel/DC: Super-War''.
** A number of ideas for the resulting Amalgam line of comics were proposed but unproduced, including one called ''Giant-Size Man-Servant'', which would've starred a combination of Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth and the Avengers' butler Edwin Jarvis.
** During the planning stages, there were discussions between the two companies about potentially swapping certain characters at the end of the crossover. While it was rumored for years that ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, Daredevil and even Wonder Woman were among the heroes who would've been traded, editor Mike Carlin has denied this, with Paul Levitz saying the characters considered were ones of lesser importance who didn't have their own titles and could be removed from their respective universes without causing too many problems. Ron Marz, who co-wrote the crossover, claims that ComicBook/SheHulk and ComicBook/MartianManhunter were the proposed trades, saying that because both characters were somewhat redundant in their own universes (with She-Hulk being the Hulk's DistaffCounterpart and Martian Manhunter having many of the same powers as Superman), they were seen as having potential to fill a more unique niche at a different company. However, the idea was quickly abandoned due to the massive legal headache that would've ensued.
* In a special feature of the ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers'' hardcover edition, it was revealed that the original plan for Issue #3 was for the DCU to be portrayed with 60s era Marvel aesthetics (more soap opera elements and character conflicts) and the Marvel U portrayed a la [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] DC (more bombastic and light-hearted). This was nixed by DC in favor of the eventual darker Issue #3.
* There was to be a second X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover that involved the Hellfire Club teaming up with Brother Blood, but the falling-out between DC and Marvel, due to Creator/JimShooter's [[ExecutiveMeddling temper tantrum]] that was "It should have been X-Men/Legion of Super Heroes", nipped the idea at the bud.
* Shortly after the announcement of ''JLA/Avengers'' in 2001, some of the higher-ups from both companies had lunch together to see about possibly continuing Marvel/DC partnership in additional projects. While an idea for a crossover involving President ComicBook/LexLuthor launching an invasion of Doctor Doom's home country of Latveria was proposed, the meeting fell apart due to the rude and disrespectful behavior of Marvel's Bill Jemas.
* After Jemas' firing, Creator/BrianMichaelBendis pitched an idea for a crossover between Batman and Daredevil. While his editors liked the idea, DC refused the offer due to Creator/JoeQuesada (who had publicly bashed DC in a controversial interview with ''The New York Observer'') still being employed at Marvel.
* Jim Shooter also nixed a much earlier ''JLA/Avengers'' crossover that was going to be published back in the 80s. According to Creator/GerryConway, the plot would have seen the Lord of Time and Comicbook/KangTheConqueror vying for possession of a powerful gemstone, causing the villains to pit the Justice League and the Avengers against one another. The heroes would have battled each other across various eras of history, with Captain America facing Batman, Green Arrow facing Hawkeye, She-Hulk facing Martian Manhunter, the Atom facing Ant-Man, the Flash facing Quicksilver, and so on. Jim Shooter was very unhappy with the proposed plot, and the project kept stalling until it was eventually shelved entirely.
* Creator/JackKirby's ''ComicBook/NewGods'' were originally going to debut in Marvel, and would have either tied in with ComicBook/TheMightyThor or ComicBook/TheInhumans. However before plans had taken their final shape, Kirby got fed up with his situation at Marvel (being co-creator of at least half their money-makers with no creative custody of them) and jumped ship to DC, taking them with him. Likewise, Jack created ComicBook/{{Kamandi}} because DC failed to get the license to do a ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' comic.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Watchmen]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' was originally penned to be about a group of Creator/CharltonComics characters DC had recently acquired. But since the plot Creator/AlanMoore wrote had many of them killed off and thereby unusable in future story lines, it was suggested he make up his own characters.
** That's not all. The second Silk Spectre was going to be a teenage runaway simply named Silk, the world would actually be TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, with no disease and easy genetic modification. Antarctica was going to be a huge resort for the rich and wealthy, an idea which ended up trickling down to ultimately being ''only'' Ozymandias' lair.
** Not only would the Charlton characters be unusable, but it would have a profound affect on the DCU, so it was then to have the story take place in alternate version of Earth-4.
* There was supposed to be a legitimate prequel series to ''Watchmen'', ''The Minutemen'', which would have been of equal length and created by Alan Moore and David Gibbons. Moore's falling out with DC ended the prospects of this. Stranger still, going by comments made by Gibbons and Moore at the time, the tone would have been very different, attempting to recreate Golden Age comics as realistically as possible (if not an actual {{Reconstruction}}). This would have had far-reaching effects, since imitation of ''Watchmen'''s style was responsible for some of the worst excesses of the Dark Age of Comics.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sonic the Hedgehog]]
* Lots of storylines from the ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' comics end up like this, most notably an alternate version of the "Endgame" series where Sally ''was'' actually killed instead of put in a coma, a storyline involving a secret romance between NICOLE and A.D.A.M, and the very start of the "Mobius: X Years Later" storyline, dealing with the crisis that Locke [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke "prepared" his son Knuckles]] to defend against, as per prophecy (hint: it involves an alien Eggman {{Expy}}). Oh, let's not forget the comic's recent WordOfGay reveal...
** In fact, the sheer amount of this trope in the comic, combined with the demand by fans to know about it, has pushed former head writer Ken Penders to work towards revealing all of these dirty little secrets on his webpage. Thus far, plot details announced include the death of Snivley in a HeroicSacrifice against Eggman, Sonic gaining a higher rank than Sally, conflicting with their relationship, and an alliance between Knothole and Station Square.
*** Ken also planned to have Bunnie and Antoine married as well. However, unlike Ian who blasted through the engagement and wedding in under three issues, Ken would of had the proposal in issue 175 and the actual wedding in 200.
*** Speaking of Antoine, he wasn't supposed to have been replaced with his EvilTwin, Patch, either: Karl had wanted Antoine to actually [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]] and end the Bunnie/Antoine relationship, but Ken hated it.
** And Karl Bollers wanted to: do a story arc where Knuckles and Monkey Khan get brainwashed by the Iron Queen and Eggman (respectfully) as part of a three-way battle between the Queen, Eggman and Mammoth Mogul over a power source equal to the Master Emerald; turn Snively into a PoweredArmor-wielding AntiHero who allies with Shadow against Eggman; and have the Source of All return, being controlled by Ixis Naugus.
*** After Sonic and Sally went through the highly controversial break-up, Karl had plans for Sonic to date Amy Rose. However, Fiona Fox would end up developing feelings for Sonic and the two would become rivals for his affections. Though both girls would have a chance with Sonic, it never came to the level of Archie-Betty-Veronica fighting.
*** Given the reveal that the comic is practically being crushed under layers of ExecutiveMeddling, it's hardly surprising.
** The "Anonymous" storyline was originally supposed to reveal that the one acting as Anonymous was actually the original Robotnik (the one killed off in issue #50), but the plan fell through.
** Oh, and the alien Knuckles was supposed to fight in the prophecy? It was supposed to be a man named Dr. Ian Droid, the bad guy who appeared when Sonic teamed up with the Creator/ImageComics characters.
** The aforementioned Sally incident would of had started the same way the normal story began, with Sonic waking Sally from her supposed slumber. However, Sally would start acting more and more out of character before being revealed as a robot replacing the KilledOffForReal Sally.
** ''Sonic Universe #50'', the last issue before the jump to the upcoming crossover with ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', was originally billed as the conclusion to the ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' series during one of the recent [=ComiCons=]. However, it was revealed that it was now a story involving two versions of Metal Sonic and no word on what has happened to this story.
* After ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' went reprint-only, writer Nigel Kitching posted some of his intended ideas for stories on the STC mailing list. Some of those ideas were later adopted by the [[WebComic/SonicTheComicOnline STC-Online]] FanWebComics.
* According to writer Ian Flynn, there was supposed to be two fusion characters in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''. The comic showcased the first, Chaos Devil, a fusion of the water creature Chaos and Wily Base boss Yellow Devil. The other was supposed to be "Metal Bass", a fusion of Metal Sonic and Bass. However, someone (he forgot who) nixed it, and we have Sonic and Mega Man battling Metal Sonic and Bass.
** Ian Flynn also wanted the CosmicRetcon that would happen at the end be completely and utterly clean-cut, with no one remembering the old universe. However, he reigned on it when the editor asked him to, not wanting to alienate the older readers.
* The original origin for future EnsembleDarkhorse NICOLE was actually much more humorous in nature - Robotnik revived the Universalamander, a robot that forced Sonic to go [[SuperMode Super Sonic]] for the first time. When the attempt to reshrink him failed, Sally whips out NICOLE, here called "NICOLE 7000", and uses her help to help Rotor build a new shrink ray that shrinks him to a molecular level. Ian Flynn says that the story happened "to a point" - they fought the Universalamander and he was shrunken, but NICOLE's involvement was non-canon.
* The infamous storyline "Endangered Species" was a completely different story than what was written. Among the things noted:
** The original solicits mentioned the Dark Egg Legion also fighting against Thrash the Devil. This would have meant that it would be a MeleeATrois between the Dark Egg Legion, Thrash the Devil and Team Fighters for the fate of the Echidna species instead of [[TheBadGuyWins Thrash outright winning right then and there]].
** The cover to the second part had Julie-Su [[BackToBackBadasses back to back with Amy Rose]]. Julie was removed from the final cover.
** The cover to the third part had half of it changed three times. The original cover had Lien-Da having her whip binding Sonic. The almost finished cover replaced Lien with metal tendrils and the final added in leaves to represent the returning Krudzu.
** As Ian Flynn has [[https://web.archive.org/web/20131222041844/https://www.bumbleking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7231&start=75 stated]]: [[spoiler:The arc was originally supposed to have a ''happy'' ending]].
** Someone obtained one of the original pages from Sonic #243 and, from clues gathered from it as it was already heavily altered, revealed that the Death Egg II would have actually been over Avalon, suggesting that Eggman was supposed to have invaded the village.
* According to artist Ben Bates, had Ken Penders not tried to sue everyone and ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'' not interfered, issue #250 would have ended the Mecha Sally storyline. Interestingly, Sally's redesign for the reboot was already set up for her return in that issue.
** "Shadow Fall", the first storyline involving Team Dark after the reboot, was meant to involve [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Black Doom]] and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Mephiles]]. However, those were shot down because Black Doom would have been dead and Mephiles wiped out by the wonders of time travel.
* Nigel Kitching, writer for ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'', actually offered Ian Flynn usage of the Brotherhood of Metallix, the army of Metal Sonics from the series. However, while Ian was flattered for the offer, he admitted he couldn't do it - [[ScrewedByTheLawyers the red tape involved in it would have been enough to choke a bear.]]
* With the release of ''Lost Hedgehog Tales''' first chapter:
** The big story would have went from #225 to #275, with the intention of putting the Freedom Fighters through their DarkestHour, delivering them a loss that they couldn't just easily pick back up from.
** Sally would have been roboticized in #225, but Sonic's 20th Anniversary scuttled that, leading to "Genesis".
** Antoine was originally planned to have died, but fan outcry over Sally's fate and Antoine's sacrifice saved him.
** Hershey would have been revealed to be alive and undercover as a member of the Dark Egg Legion. When told of Geoffery's actions, she would have left to confront him.
* Johnny from ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' was once supposed to have unrequited feelings for Amy.
* When SEGA finally pulled the plug on the franchise, a few stories were left untold as they were solicited prior to the lengthy hiatus that led to the cancellation. In ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', the Freedom Fighters would have went their separate ways for a vacation, with Sonic dropping in on Honey the Cat and later, Mighty and Ray for a flashback issue retelling ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog''. ''Sonic Universe'' would have focused on the individual Freedom Fighters in solo stories. Antoine's story would have given him a new look, possibly a SuperMode, while Sally's would have had her and Tails approach Dr. Elidy to help save Nicole.
** There was also the planned Metal Virus arc, which would have kicked off in the 300th issue and would have introduced the titular virus as a replacement for the Roboticizer. After Archie's cancellation and the subsequent announcement of [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW the IDW series]], Ian Flynn [[RefittedForSequel rewrote the story to fit with IDW's new setting and characters,]] becoming that book's second major arc.
* For ''Sonic the Comic'', it was originally planned for Freedom Fighter Johnny Lightfoot and the Robotnik supporter, Agent X, [[spoiler:to be the same person]], but it didn't go through.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Transformers]]
* Due to ExecutiveMeddling, the grand finale to Simon Furman's long-in-the-making saga for IDW's ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Transformers]]'' comic series was cut from 12 issues down to 4. Readers therefore missed out on epic battles featuring big bruisers like [[PersonOfMassDestruction Sixshot]] and [[CombiningMecha Monstructor]], while the long-awaited confrontation between Optimus Prime and Nemesis Prime was reduced to a poorly-explained affair that lasted around three pages. It also resulted in many storylines and character arcs being shortened or even ruined. One character arc involved Sideswipe trying to get to Earth in order to save his brother Sunstreaker who had been kidnapped. The original ending had them being reunited and Sideswipe learning an important lesson, the new ending completely erases any potential brotherly relations between the two and Sideswipe learning the lesson that he doesn't give two craps about his brother or any suffering he experiences. One wonders just how much action readers missed out on by the story being reduced to a third of its planned length.
* ''Techno-X'', a proposed 90s revamp of Circuit Breaker and the Neo-Knights by Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman, set outside the Transformers universe and integrating the team more fully into the Marvel universe.
* We nearly got a Creator/DCComics[=/=][[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Transformers]] crossover, which would have involved Optimus Prime becoming a Franchise/GreenLantern and Transformers being made out of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s Batwing and Franchise/WonderWoman's Invisible Jet. But by the time the story was pitched, DC was getting ready for its ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' reboot, so the idea was nixed.
* James Roberts planned to introduce Ravage as a stoway and spy aboard the Lost Light during the early issues of ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', but abandoned this when he realized that Ravage had already appeared in ''ComicBook/TransformersRobotsInDisguise''. He eventually brought Ravage on post Dark Cybertron.
* A mini-series titled "Legacy of Rust," centering on the double agent Punch was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010 and four issues were written by Stuart Moore, but were shelved with the conclusion of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW''. The end of the wider Transformers IDW continuity in favor of establishing [[ComicBook/Transformers2019 a reboot]] makes it unlikely that it will ever see the light of day.
* After writing prequels for the first Film/{{Transformers}} movie over the course of eight issues, British publisher Titan Comics decided to create [[ComicBook/TransformersTwilightsLastGleaming an alternate universe story where Megatron had won the battle of Mission City, claimed the AllSpark, and dominated the Earth]]. The story was only supposed to last five issues - it ended up lasting until the entire comic was rebooted for Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen seventeen issues later.
* The ''ComicBook/{{Gobots}}'' miniseries had a twist ending where it was heavily implied the [=GoBots=] were precursors to Transformers, in particular hinting that Road Ranger and Bug Bite are the respective fathers of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and showing a jet colored similarly to Starscream's alt mode constructed from the remains of Leader-1 and Cy-Kill, but the trade paperback includes a couple of page layouts suggesting that the connection to ''Transformers'' was originally intended to go the other way (Cy-Kill calls Road Ranger a "son of an Autobot" and talks of his own father, who is shown to be the Junkion Wreck-Gar, while Leader-1 sees a stasis-locked Megatron amidst the ruins of a crashed Ark and refers to the Decepticon leader as his great-grandfather).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:My Little Pony]]
* Andy Price originally wanted everything to be hand-done, including the interior colors, similar to how his covers are done. That would have taken far too much time, however, so the interiors are digitally colored.
* On page 3 of Issue #1, there was [[http://comments.deviantart.com/1/332168960/2781664661 originally]] going to be a pony version of Creator/SergioAragones among the NoCelebritiesWereHarmed ponies at the mustache kiosk, but Andy Price ran out of room.
* [[http://fav.me/d5hrj7k Unfinished versions]] of page 3 of Issue #1 had the pony [[AnvilOnHead partly under a 100 weight]] use SymbolSwearing instead of saying "OUCH!"
* Thom Zahler (creator of ''Webcomic/LoveAndCapes'' and also did the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyMicroSeries Twilight Sparkle spotlight issue]]) seriously pitched ''My Little Pony'' for IDW's Film/MarsAttacks CrossThrough event. The plot would involve Princess Celestia casting a spell to disable the Martians' weapons, causing them to find hilarious new ways to attack ponies only to fail and eventually [[DefeatMeansFriendship learn the magic of friendship]]. The Martians would return to their own dimension to spread love & tolerance, only to confuse their fellow Martians that didn't visit Equestria. Alas, the CrossThrough came and went, and no ponies...
* According to [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2015/02/fiendship-is-magic-2interview-with.html Christina Rice]], an early draft of the issue #2 of the upcoming ''Fiendship Is Magic'' mini-series originally had Lord Tirek ''[[MoralEventHorizon kill a unicorn]]'', but it was eventually scrapped as too dark for an all-ages comic.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Archie Comics]]
* The last two pages for issue 6 of ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' had to be edited due to it being deemed "too dark". Note this is a ZombieApocalypse comic and the finalized pages [[spoiler:feature Sabrina being forced to become ''the bride of Cthulu'']].
* The pilot to ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' features several aspects unused in the comic itself. For example Sabrina's {{familiar}} Salem was black instead of red, though in TheNineties he was changed back to having black fur thanks to the popularity of the ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' LiveActionAdaptation.
* The series that would eventually become ''ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats'' was originally pitched as a newspaper strip named "Here's Josie" but that didn't work out, so it was pitched to Archie's and renamed "She's Josie".
* At the same time Creator/ArchieComics was pitching possible comics towards Capcom, leading to the creation of ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', they also approached Creator/{{Nintendo}} with possible comics ideas. ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Sonic]]'' artist Tracy Yardley sketched up a number of concept arts using characters from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''. Sadly, Nintendo turned them down.
* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' had a storyline where Archie and his friends went on a world tour, going to various places. One stop was supposed to be in Russia, however this was changed when [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Putin's controversial anti-LGBT laws took effect]] and they sent the gang to another location in its stead.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* ''Film/{{Alien}}'':
** The UK Magazine ''Aliens'' vol. 2 had issues #23-25 canceled, leaving the last two parts of the story ''Aliens: Crusade'' and the story ''Aliens: Matrix'' unpublished.
** An ''Aliens[=/=]ComicBook/MarshalLaw'' crossover was seriously planned, but negotiations fell through. This explains why the aliens in the eventual non-crossover ''Marshal Law'' story "Secret Tribunal" behave [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong exactly like Aliens]], but [[CaptainErsatz have a totally different look]].
** ''Star Trek: The Next Generation/Aliens: Acceptable Losses'' was a crossover to be published by Dark Horse and IDW, canceled in April, 2017.
* Creator/ImageComics was notorious for its [[ScheduleSlip scheduling slips]], leaving several books to remain unpublished. ''[[ComicBook/NineteenSixtyThree 1963]]'' Annual and ''1963'' #½ were announced but never published. ''Darker Image'' #1 was supposed to be the first in a four part miniseries, but only the first issue was published. ''Doom’s IV'' #2 mentions an unpublished “Doom’s IV Sourcebook”. During the "Images of Tomorrow" event, ''Bloodstrike'' and ''Brigade'' skipped ahead to issue #25, with the intention of having stories leading up those issues, but both series were cancelled before making it.
* Creator/RobLiefeld's ''Executioners'' was going to be a Malibu Comic modeled after ''ComicBook/XForce'' before being reworked into ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''.
* [[Creator/WilliamSBurroughs William S. Burroughs]] spent much of the 1970s collaborating with art student Malcolm [=McNeill=] to make a "Word/Image Novel" of Burrough's story ''Ah Pook Is Here''. The book would have been one of the first graphic novels, but due to issues with publishers, the book went into [[DevelopmentHell development hell]] before being scrapped and unfinished. ''Ah Pook'' was eventually published as a short story without any of [=McNeill=]'s artwork, with an animated adaptation (with no input from [=McNeill=]) being released decades later. Eventually, [=McNeill=] published his ''Ah Pook'' art as well as a companion book detailing the obstacles that he and Burroughs faced during their collaboration. The surreal, disturbing and detailed nature of [=McNeill=]'s art leaves one to speculate the impact a completed ''Ah Pook'' book would have had on the comics industry and would have arguably catapulted Burroughs and [=McNeill=] as comic book icons.
* The ending of ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' was open-ended enough to admit a continuation, to say the least. In the first printing of Squee!#4, Creator/JhonenVasquez mentions his burning desire to get to work on the new JTHM series, and also recalls a mention in I Feel Sick of how {{Satan}} (who had been providing Rikki Simons and Vasquez with emotional support and sandwiches)was still hoping for a new Johnny series. From all appearances, the Prince of Lies is destined for disappointment, as are a good number of JTHM's fans...
* ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'' provides another Neil Gaiman example. A bit of the story of the fold of Eclipse Comics and the subsequent abbreviation of the comic is rehashed on the Miracleman page, but it doesn't mention that the series practically ended in the middle of a sentence. The frustrating lack of closure, tantalizing hints of what was coming provided in the unpublished pages so easily found online, and Gaiman's immense talent made the demise of the series agonizing.
** But with Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} now owning the series and Gaiman being on decent enough terms with them, things might change - as was revealed in the New York Comic Con 2013 as Marvel plans to rerelease all of the stories released by Eclipse Comics culminating in the release of the final issue.
** However, by the end of 2018, the uncollected final Gaiman issues and the promised continuation had not been published, with rumours that some kind of renewed rights dispute was involved.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', [[BigBad The Adversary]] was [[spoiler:Gepetto, the puppeteer.]] However, Willingham actually had a much different plan for The Adversary's identity beforehand. Originally, he wanted the Adversary to be revealed as ''Peter Pan'', who would come to the human world and kidnap children so they would remain young and corrupt. There would also be a hero attempting to save the children, and this would be none other than, of all people, ''Captain Hook''. (Given the fact that Captain Hook was, in the original tales, a former SadistTeacher, that's ''definitely'' irony) However, this was changed to Gepetto because Peter Pan wasn't public domain in the UK, and the characters of Fables all have to be public domain.
* ''ComicBook/StarRaiders'': [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/17/comic-book-legends-revealed-278/ was originally intended as a 120-page-long limited series.]] Unfortunately, due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, Creator/{{Atari}} canceled the deal with Creator/DCComics midway through development. With 40 pages of painted art already completed, DC decided to cut their losses by commissioning an additional 20 pages to finish the story, then released it as a graphic novel. Needless to say, the story suffers from the compressed story arc, and many characters and plot points are LeftHanging as a result.
* Creator/HeroicPublishing:
** Around 2006 or 2007, it was trying to get people interested in ''ComicBook/FantasticGirl'', a planned multi-media sensation who would diversify their line-up by being a TokenBlack heroine that would appeal to the old-school Blaxploitation fans. Fan reaction who totally negative, due to the limited info of her seemed to establish her as an EthnicCounterpart of their ComicBook/{{Flare}} character, and as a result the character was quietly dropped. ComicBook/FantasticGirl was SavedFromDevelopmentHell, and debuted as the back-up feature in ''ComicBook/HeroicSpotlight'' #10, released in September 2012.
** The original six-issue adaptation of the ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' role-playing game was originally going to be 48 pages per issue and was going to feature solo stories of the individual heroes on the team as well as subplots ultimately cut out of the actual books: The search for the new Giant, The Winter Wonderlass, and many others.
*** The first four issues would introduce the heroes individually, with the fifth issue revealing many of the menaces being connected, gathering the heroes together.
*** Also, ComicBook/{{Flare}} was originally not going to be part of the team.
** ComicBook/EternitySmith was considered for Eclipse's line of 16-Page 50-cent bi-weekly comics, but creator Dennis Mallonee declined. DC was also interested in it, but Mallonee took the book to Renegade Press for five issues before becoming part of Heroic Publishing.
** ''ComicBook/{{Icicle}}'' got her solo title by accident: Heroic was planning to use League of Champions as an anthology book for most of their characters, but Creator/GeorgePerez was interested in doing the book, so they slapped together Icicle on short notice.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Not a comic book, per se, but the ''Star Wars'' daily strips were nearly cancelled and taken off the LA Times at the end of 1980. The Star Wars fanclub managed to convince them otherwise via a letter. The response also mentioned that they attempted to do something similar with Ziggy.
** Creator/PeterDavid was initially tapped to write the first ''Star Wars: Infinities'' mini-series, which would have adapted ''Film/ANewHope''. The comic would have seen Uncle Owen buying R5-D4 instead of R2-D2, which would have set off a chain of events that ended with Princess Leia usurping Darth Vader and the Emperor, and becoming a Sith Lord and the new ruler of the galaxy. She also would have taken on Luke as her apprentice and lover (since neither of them knew they were related). Understandably, Lucasfilm objected to the dark tone and the depiction of BrotherSisterIncest.
** As mentioned above, ''Dark Empire'' was nearly published by Marvel.
** During Creator/WaltSimonson and David Michelinie's run on ''ComicBook/StarWarsMarvel1977'', the two came up with an idea for a plot where the Empire would build a second Death Star. Lucasfilm vetoed the idea and refused to give an explanation in order to avoid spoiling the plot of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Simsonson and Michelinie altered the story slightly to replace the new Death Star with a different Imperial battle station called the Tarkin.
* At one time, there could have been an ''Film/AustinPowers'' comic series. All that is known about it is [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/09/15/the-j-scott-campbell-austin-powers-comic-that-never-was/ a poster by J. Scott Campbell.]]
* When Creator/ImageComics gained the rights to create comics based off of ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'', they had also plans to cross it over with ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''. However, all that came out of it was a small advertisement at the end of the only issue of the ''Zeo'' comic and a blurb in an issue of ''Wizard'' mentioning what would happen in the first issue.
* Apparently, there were plans for a ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' SpinOff that was to follow a cadet class from day one to graduation.
* In one interview, Creator/AlanMoore once claimed that he'd originally envisioned the titular team in ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' being led by Irene Adler, of the famous Literature/SherlockHolmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia", but eventually replaced her with ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'''s Wilhelmina Murray because he worried that not enough readers would have heard of Adler.
* Creator/AlanMoore planned to end his Creator/ImageComics series ''ComicBook/NineteenSixtyThree'' with an Annual drawn by Jim Lee that would pitted the Marvel Silver Age expies from his series against the more morally ambivalent characters from the Image partners. He got about halfway through the script when Lee announced that he was temporarily retiring from drawing comics, and project was shelved.
* ''[[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse Star Trek]]'':
** The Creator/GoldKeyComics series would have included issue #62, [[http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Trial_By_Fire "Trial By Fire"]], but the series was cancelled before the issue was published.
** The Creator/GoldKeyComics ''Key Collection'' omnibus would have included two final volumes, collecting issues #44-61.
** ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/Doctor Who - Domination'' was going to be an IntercontinuityCrossover around the time of the Dominion War.
** ''Star Trek: Realities'' was going to be a set of ''What If?'' style stories by Creator/MarvelComics.
** ''The Needs of the Few'' and ''The Barber of Seville'' were two stories to be included in the Creator/{{Wildstorm}} comic ''Star Trek: Special''.
** [[Creator/IDWPublishing IDW]] was going to publish "What if" stories in a ''Probability Factor'' miniseries based on episodes from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
** The [[Creator/IDWPublishing IDW]] omnibus series ''Star Trek Archives'' was going to include ''Best of Klingons'' and ''Best of Spock''.
** ''ComicBook/StarTrekEarlyVoyages'':
*** The character designs contained in the ''Early Voyages Sketchbook'' at the end of the fourth issue "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" include an illustration of Chief Petty Officer Garrison, a minor character from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage The Cage]]". However, he does not appear in any of the series' seventeen issues, making him the only named ''Enterprise'' crewmember from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage The Cage]]" who is entirely absent from ''Early Voyages''.
*** The writers Creator/DanAbnett and Ian Edington noted in the Subspace Chatter letters page of "Nemesis", the seventeenth and final issue, that they had planned a flashback story, related by Captain Pike's father Admiral Josh Pike, concerning the Federation's disastrous first contact with the Klingon Empire.
* ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'' was originally meant to have a tragic conclusion, but after 9/11, Creator/TerryMoore choose to go with a more uplifting ending where [[spoiler: Francine and Katchoo end up together]].
* A ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Little Mermaid]]'' comic written by Peter David was scrapped for being [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath too dark]]. It was supposed to be a backstory into what happened to Ariel's MissingMom. In ''Portrait Of Life'' Queen Atlanta befriended a [[InterspeciesFriendship human artist]] named Duncan. She would often pose for his portraits. A rival artist named Kole attempts to kill Duncan by setting off an avalanche; however, Atlanta pushes him out of the way, only to be [[HeroicSacrifice crushed herself]]. Triton goes into a rage at his wife's death, accidentally causes Kole to [[DisneyDeath fall off the cliff]], and attempts to kill Duncan but is stopped when he hears the voice of Atlanta telling him to spare Duncan. The comic [[DownerEnding ends]] with Triton leaving with an unfinished portrait of Atlanta. It wasn't until over a decade later that Creator/{{Disney}} gave an official backstory to Triton's wife. In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIIArielsBeginning'' she is named "Athena" and died [[spoiler:rescuing her oldest daughter Attina from being hit by a ship, an event that contributes to Trition's grudge against humans in the original movie]].
* ''ComicBook/QuantumAndWoody'' made a TimeSkip to issue #37, and intended to fill in the rest of the issues, but only made it to issue #21 before being cancelled.
* ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'' went through a few changes during its DevelopmentHell.
** It was initially going to be a work of literature, but when Dynamite asked Sanderson if he has any unpublished works they could turn into a graphic novel, he took the opportunity to publish ''White Sand'' this way.
** Before naming conventions of Darkside were figured out, Baon was supposed to be called Bowen.
** Rather than a TidallyLockedPlanet, Taldain was supposed to be a world stuck between a regular sun and a "darklight"-emitting star. Some parts of this idea seem to have made it to the finished product, as there's said to be a UV-heavy, visible-light-less "star" shining on the Darkside.
* Creator/TakeTwoInteractive's Double Take comic company was supposed to start off with a massive SharedUniverse between ''VideoGame/XCom'', ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' and ''VideoGame/BioShock'', but the game division was so protective of their franchises, they forced them out of them.
* The Creator/ValiantComics ''Unity 2000'' mini-series was going to cross over and merge the [=VH1=] and [=VH2=] universes, and a third universe would be introduced and destroyed, showing potential ideas from before the [=VH2=] era. The mini-series was CutShort before its resolution.
* The company Papercutz had a third ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' graphic novel mentioned at the end of the second one, "Going Green", called "By Bug, Betrayed", but was never released due to the company losing the license to Creator/BoomStudios.
* Donatello of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' was originally going to be called Botticelli.
* The ''Literature/ExtremeMonsters'' children's book series by Penny Candy Press/Brighter Minds Media was to have a graphic novel adaptation called ''Saving Steiner'', but lack of availability and online stores giving contradictory information concerning the book's number of pages and publication date make it doubtful that the graphic novel was ever published in the first place.
* ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' comic books
** ''ComicBook/TheMuppetShowComicBook'':
*** Before Creator/BoomStudios obtained the comic book license for ''The Muppets'' and released ''The Muppet Show Comic Book'', writer and illustrator Roger Langridge was to do comic strips of the Muppets for ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures''. The cancellation of ''Disney Adventures'' in 2007 resulted in only one strip seeing publication in the magazine's final issue, though other material intended for ''Disney Adventures'' eventually saw the light of day via inclusion in the preview issue of ''The Muppet Show Comic Book''.
*** Instead of "Muppet Mash", the third story arc of ''The Muppet Show Comic Book'' was intended to be "Guest Stars", which would've had Dr. Bunsen Honeydew create an invention that could bring historical figures and literary characters to life for 24 hours and featured appearances by Theatre/{{Hamlet}}, Literature/SherlockHolmes, [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Victor Frankenstein]], Cleopatra and Galileo Galilei.
** ''ComicBook/MuppetClassics'':
*** ''[[Myth/RobinHood Muppet Robin Hood]]'' was originally intended to have Gonzo play the Sherrif of Nottingham, Rizzo play Guy of Gisbourne and Sam the Eagle play Will Scarlett. Instead, Sam the Eagle plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, Gonzo plays Guy of Gisbourne, Rizzo plays Arthur a Bland and Janice plays Willa Scarlett.
*** An early draft of the cover to the first issue of ''[[Literature/PeterPan Muppet Peter Pan]]'' indicated that the part of Michael Darling was originally to be played by Robin the Frog rather than Bean Bunny.
*** Jesse Blaze Snyder, writer of the ''[[Literature/SnowWhite Muppet Snow White]]'' miniseries, originally wanted Beard from ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'' to play Dopey and for other characters from ''The Jim Henson Hour'' to appear in cameo roles, but was told that he couldn't use them. Beard does, however, make a cameo in the third issue.
*** An early version of the cover for issue one of the miniseries ''Muppet Sherlock Holmes'' had Kermit portraying Sherlock Holmes. Instead, the final comic has Gonzo as Sherlock Holmes and Kermit as Inspector Lestrade.
* Following ''ComicBook/YoungbloodJudgmentDay'', Creator/AlanMoore had a lot of ideas how to reshape the ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' universe and bring back the spirit of UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} via a lot of {{Reconstruction}} - turn ''Allies'' into a modern-day ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' and ''Youngblood'' into an equivalent of ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', write mystical-themed adventures of ''ComicBook/{{Glory}}'' and ''Maxi Mage'', make Suprema and Big Brother a couple and introduce a ComicBook/MartianManhunter-esque character to the universe. Sadly, he only managed to publish few issues of his ''Youngblood'' project before the company was closed, and later published three issues of ''Glory'' at Creator/AvatarPress. Elements of these plans did influence some of his later Creator/AmericasBestComics works - in particular his intended mystical reworking of Glory being reworked as ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}''.
* Happened a lot in ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'':
** In the case [[BizarroEpisode you didn't get the rant the author does in the first issue of the Shanda Fantasy Arts version of the comic at the end of it in 2004]], here's the whole story: SFA originally planned to write a crossover between ''Albedo'' with ''Katmandu'', one of their main franchises, who was also planned as an "ending" of sorts for Albedo, without Steven Gallacci's permission.[[note]]That crossover planned to do the following: Solving all the remaining loose ties regarding with the Creators, giving Tavas Ikalik the punishment he deserved for [[spoiler:letting the ILR bomb Erma's homeworld and killing her boyfriend]], giving Erma another lover, [[spoiler:who was an human being]] and creating another, unrelated enemy, named the Zorion Empire, an empire made of [[spoiler:human cyborgs who are using the technology from the Creators from the past]], who are trying to conquest both the ILR, Enchawah, EDF and the Katmandu's home planet.[[/note]] Needless to say, Gallacci was pissed off of this, since the whole idea clashed with many aspects of the established canon,[[note]]Just to beginners, the ILR was planned to be depicted in that story in a ''even worse'' light than in canon, basically as a bunch of genocidal psychos. The ending of that story planned to finish with Erma and that human lover having a son between them, something impossible biologically and just plain stated in stone in canon.[[/note]] but rather than sue them, he decided to continuing to comic after a long hiatus, and included a short rant comic as a big TakeThat against SFA and also against anybody who tries to mess with the canon of the comic by other means.
** Also, according with an interview he did in the 80s and also in the prototype issue, Gallacci planned to include [[{{Mecha}} Mobile Suit-like giant robots]], but decided no to include them due to being too unrealistic for the setting. Oddly enough, [[http://www.stevegallacci.com/archive/edf/2016/04/28 the prototype mecha looked like a furry-shaped version]] of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original RX-78-2 Gundam]].
** Gallacci was toying with the idea of an animated adaptation for years (both American or [[{{Anime}} Japanese-made]]), but he changed his mind, partly because he wanted to avoid AdaptationDecay and also because he wanted to retain creative control, and that without going into the point any potential animated project involving ''Albedo'' will probably be negatively compared with ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', despite ''Albedo'' predates ''Zootopia'' by ''three decades''.[[note]]Even with this, Gallacci doesn't hold any grudge against Disney, and he even draws many ''Zootopia'' fanart as well.[[/note]] [[HypotheticalCasting He even suggested the voice cast]]: Gallacci suggested Creator/PatrickStewart as the voice of Itzak Arrat[[note]]Keep in mind he suggested this at the end of the 80s, when Stewart was younger and when he was still playing [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Capt. Picard]] in the peak of the show's popularity.[[/note]] %%and for the titular heroine, his suggested voice actresses were
** Dr. Elaki Kalahahaii was planned to have a bigger role in the following planned issue, [[CutShort if Gallacci's wife hadn't died and forced him to put the story on hiatus]]: [[spoiler:after very possibly the EDF failed to kill her with a bomb in her lab, they planned to send assassins to get rid of her for good, except she fights back by killing one of them with a literal [[Radio/TheFrantics boot to the head]] [[FullFrontalAssault while being naked]]]]. By WordOfGod, that scene possibly will not going to be included in the revival, because it was possibly very out of character for her, albeit at September 2018 Gallacci explained he is planning to include the unfinished draft of that issue after he finish with the uploading of the remaining back issues of the comic.
** Regarding that unpublished issue, [[http://www.furaffinity.net/view/24629371/ this cover]] was planned to be used, and according with Gallacci, [[spoiler:the ILR fleet led by Barlahan attacked that EDF planet led by a Canine (Pomeranian) governor and her family]].
* ''ComicBook/GIJoeReloaded'' was originally intended to last at least 15 issues, but instead completed its run and wrapped up the story after 14 issues.
* In 2017, publisher Joe Books released a one-shot Comic Book called ''Harvey Hits''. The anthology-based comic was intended to be a revival of various Creator/HarveyComics characters such as ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' and ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost''. There were plans for more issues, but they never came to fruition.
[[/folder]]

* A mini-series titled "Legacy of Rust," centering on the double agent Punch was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010 and four issues were written by Stuart Moore, but were shelved with the conclusion of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW''. The end of the wider Transformers IDW continuity makes it unlikely that it will ever see the light of day.

* Priest's ''The Ray'' series was originally going to be about an entirely original character named the Avenger. His editor liked the pitch, but asked for a name change due to the obvious legal issues "Avenger" presented. Priest ended up revamping the character into a new version of the Ray, a character he remembered from the ''ComicBook/FreedomFighters''.

[[/folder]]

* ''ComicBook/{{NYX}}'' was originally conceived as part of the Creator/MarvelMAX line, and was to have been written by Creator/BrianWood and drawn by David Choe. The series was going to be a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of the X-Men books, focusing on young mutants and how their powers affected those around them. It would have starred ComicBook/{{Rogue}}, Gambit, ComicBook/{{Jubilee}}, and two new mutants named Angie and Purge. The whole project fell apart due to Marvel deeming ''NYX'' [[AudienceAlienatingPremise unsuitable for its audience]], and Wood ended up recycling the premise for his creator-owned series ''ComicBook/{{DEMO}}''.

* The division of the franchise into two books in 1991 might also have gone differently. A piece of original pin-up art by Jim Lee shows Wolverine, Beast, Forge, Strong Guy, ComicBook/{{Jubilee}}, Psylocke, Storm (in an unused costume) and Rogue, with Magneto looming in the background. Another shows Xavier, standing up, with Jean in an updated Phoenix costume, Storm (in the familiar '90s costume, suggesting this one was drawn later), Wolverine, Colossus, Gambit and Beast. There is a similar piece by Whilce Portacio that includes Cyclops, Jean, Archangel, Iceman, Gambit and Colossus with Xavier behind them. It's also been said that at some point Xavier would have been killed and Gateway, of all people, would have mentored some of the mutants. Also, let's not forget Jim Lee's "Things to Come" illustration with a creepy Skrull woman and Selene alongside Matsu'o, Omega Red, Longshot and Dazzler. Selene was there because she was the leader of the Upstarts, Lee's replacement for the Hellfire Club. Unfortunately, Selene was put on a bus when Lee left Marvel, as far as Bob Harras and Fabian Niceza deciding to use Gamemaster instead as the Big Bad.

* Kate Leth and Joe Quinones pitched a mini-series called ''Batman '89'', which would have been set in the universe of [[Film/Batman1989 the]] [[Film/BatmanReturns two]] Creator/TimBurton ''Batman'' movies, while [[CanonDiscontinuity ignoring]] ''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. The series would have included unused ideas from the films, like an African-American Robin modeled after Marlon Wayans, and a Two-Face who resembled Creator/BillyDeeWilliams. It also would have introduced "Burtonized" versions of characters who didn't appear in the first two movies, like Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Additionally, Harley Quinn would've been Alicia, the Joker's scarred girlfriend whom he claimed committed suicide. One could draw that conclusion due to the similarities in their masks. While this comic was ultimately never made, Williams would later voice Two-Face in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', with the character designed to resemble him, and the concept of Duke Thomas ensured that there would eventually be a teenaged African-American in the Bat-Family like Wayans' Robin. On February 16, 2021, ''ComicBook/{{Batman 89}}'' was formally announced with Joe Quinones working alongside screenwriter Sam Hamm.

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' went through a few changes before publication. One of the big ones was ComicBook/NicoMinoru's source of power. Originally, she found a book of dark magic hidden in a shed in her backyard. Being heavily Christian, she hated it but sacrificed her beliefs to use one of the spells during the first fight with the Pride. Some aspects of this were left, including her being a former altar girl and a comment when she first sees her parents as dark magicians ("This isn't like you, Mom! We go to church every Sunday!") Also, Chase's name was originally "John".

* ComicBook/DisneyKingdoms was supposed to have a third ''Figment'' series but it never saw the light of day for unknown reasons.

* ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' would have had a different ending had ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' not intervened. In the original ending, Batman's battle with Superman would have had the Man of Steel regain his full power and beat Batman into submission and capturing him. Batman would then fake a ''suicide'', leading to the normal ending. As Watchmen already had an ending with the villains achiving victory, it was changed to its more iconic ending.

* The ''ComicBook/{{Gobots}}'' miniseries had a twist ending where it was heavily implied the [=GoBots=] were precursors to Transformers, in particular hinting that Road Ranger and Bug Bite are the respective fathers of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and showing a jet colored similarly to Starscream's alt mode constructed from the remains of Leader-1 and Cy-Kill, but the trade paperback includes a couple of page layouts suggesting that the connection to ''Transformers'' was originally intended to go the other way (Cy-Kill calls Road Ranger a "son of an Autobot" and talks of his own father, who is shown to be the Junkion Wreck-Gar, while Leader-1 sees a stasis-locked Megatron amidst the ruins of a crashed Ark and refers to the Decepticon leader as his great-grandfather.

* The 'ComicBook/{{Gobots}}'' miniseries had a twist ending where it was heavily implied the [=GoBots=] were precursors to Transformers, in particular hinting that Road Ranger and Bug Bite are the respective fathers of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and showing a jet colored similarly to Starscream's alt mode constructed from the remains of Leader-1 and Cy-Kill, but the trade paperback includes a couple of page layouts suggesting that the connection to ''Transformers'' was originally intended to go the other way (Cy-Kill calls Road Ranger a "son of an Autobot" and talks of his own father, who is shown to be the Junkion Wreck-Gar, while Leader-1 sees a stasis-locked Megatron amidst the ruins of a crashed Ark and refers to the Decepticon leader as his great-grandfather.

* In 2017, publisher Joe Books released a one-shot Comic Book called ''Harvey Hits''. The anthology-based comic was intended to be a revival of various Creator/HarveyComics characters such as ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' and ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost''. There were plans for more issues, but they never came to fruition

* In 2017, publisher Joe Books released a one-shot Comic Book called Harvey Hits. The anthology-based comic was intended to be a revival of various Creator/HarveyComics characters such as ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' and ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost''. There were plans for more issues, but they never came to fruition

* When the ''DC You'' initiative was announced in 2015, there were two magic-based titles called ''Dark Universe'' and ''Mystic U'' included in the line-up. James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle were working on the former and reportedly left the title, and Alisa Kwitney was writing the latter. While ''Mystic U'' (under the title ''Mystik U''), after a lengthy delay, was later announced for a November 2017 release during ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', aside from Tynion and Doyle leaving the project no other news has come to light regarding the ''Dark Universe'' title, and it's entirely likely said book is officially dead.

* Jim Shooter also nixed a much earlier ''JLA/Avengers'' crossover that was going to be published back in the 80s. According to Creator/GerryConway, the plot would have seen the Lord of Time and Kang the Conqueror vying for possession of a powerful gemstone, causing the villains to pit the Justice League and the Avengers against one another. The heroes would have battled each other across various eras of history, with Captain America facing Batman, Green Arrow facing Hawkeye, She-Hulk facing Martian Manhunter, the Atom facing Ant-Man, the Flash facing Quicksilver, and so on. Jim Shooter was very unhappy with the proposed plot, and the project kept stalling until it was eventually shelved entirely.