The Dark Universe may have failed to develop an Avengers-style shared universe for its horror classics, but once upon a time, Rick Remender would have filled the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes with monsters, mayhem and more.
The writer of such comics as Deadly Class and Uncanny Avengers pitched Marvel a mini-series entitled Hearts of Darkness, a supernatural story that would have brought dark horror to the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Set on an alternate Earth where the supernatural is commonplace, the Avengers are comprised of of the Legion of Monsters with supernatural versions of Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, Thor, and Hawkeye.
Rick Remender recently posted his Hearts of Darkness pitch on similar to Cap-Wolf in Captain America #405). Unfortunately, Ghost Rider has just been killed, and the Spirit of Vengeance has taken a new host - Franken-Castle, a reanimated, stitched-together Punisher, who now lords over a Mayan temple killing all who oppose him. Cap-Wolf encounters a vampiric Wolverine who believes Cap-Wolf is responsible, but after a brief battle, Cap-Wolf reveals the true culprit, as all the victims have the Punisher skull burned into their skin. This is where the pitch ends, but presumably, the rest of the Avengers are cued into Castle's new status and brought in to confront the rising threat.
Monster teams are nothing new for Marvel. In addition to the aforementioned Legion of Monsters, there are also countless others, including Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, the Midnight Sons, the Nightstalkers, and more. What is unique is the alternate-reality setting which finds supernatural beings have seemingly taken over every facet of the Marvel Universe. Remender uses his underrated Franken-Castle concept, but interestingly enough, makes him the supposed villain of the piece. Then again, it's possible there was another villain waiting in the wings. After all, Daimon Hellstrom, literally the Son of Satan, is the President of the United States. It's possible another villain benefited from Franken-Castle getting the Spirit of Vengeance, and of course, the pitch doesn't mention who killed his predecessor, the original Ghost Rider.
While the pitch never materialized, some of the elements have appeared elsewhere in the established continuity. Though probably not intentional, Frank Castle gaining the Spirit of Vengeance bears some resemblance to the Cosmic Ghost Rider who first appeared in Danny Cates' run on Thanos. That said, there is nothing stopping Marvel from pursuing this pitch in the future. With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness set to explore the darker corners of the multiverse, a team of supernatural Avengers from an alternate reality would be an easy fit.
Source: Rick Remender
