Your Favorite Superheroes are Coming to YA

Before the What's Hot In YA? panel even started Sunday at this year's San Diego Comic Con, author Margaret Stohl was teasing something big. She remarked on Twitter that she may have "HAWT NEWS" for all attendees of the panel, which also included her Caster Chronicles co-author Kami Garcia, The Uglies' Scott Westerfeld, and Tahereh Mafi, the author of the Shatter Me series. Stohl couldn't say much even during the panel, calling the project "top secret," but she did let fans know that she would be publishing her next novel with Disney — and then she called it "super marvellous."

Well. We all know what that means. Marvel superheroes are coming to your YA lit shelves. And it's very, very exciting.

The announcement launched the hashtag #MarvelYA, and Twitter has been abuzz about what the project could entail. Stohl has worked in the Marvel universe before; before becoming a well-known YA author, Stohl worked designing video games. And two of those games were for Spiderman and Fantastic Four.

Other big names in the YA scene are coming out in support of Stohl, showing huge excitement for her secret project.

Unless you've been living on the rings of Saturn, you know that Marvel superheroes are so hot right now, with The Avengers being one of the biggest movies ever, Guardians of the Galaxy coming soon, and X-Men not doing too shabby either. So there will be pressure for Stohl to stay true to fans' beloved universe. But that doesn't seem to be a concern currently, with most people expressing their excitement for her news.

And we all know that women have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to comic book adaptations (Wonder Woman, anyone?). And though it won't make up for everything, maybe Stohl's #MarvelYA project can take a step in the direction of righting some wrongs, and showcase just how excited fans can be about women-centered comic book adaptations.

And luckily, there are some great female characters in the Marvel universe to work with.

Scarlet Witch

If you like your YA novels with a healthy dose of family drama, Scarlet Witch is the perfect character. She's the daughter of Magneto, and she's blessed with the power to shape and alter the universe, and vague but powerful ways.

Thundra

How does this sound for woman-centric? Thundra is from the United Sisterhood Republic, which is ruled by Femizons, Amazonian women warriors. Add in her superhuman strength, time traveling abilities, and her close ties to The Thing, and yes, more Thundra, please.

Maria Hill

Maria Hill is the kick-ass former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who has saved the lives of several of the Avengers along the way. She's probably one of the most capable characters in the universe, despite relying on her human skills and not superpowers.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, aka Psylocke

Psylocke is a member of X-Men who has the dual powers of telepathy and telekinesis, the latter she acquired from Jean Gray. Add to that that she also took on the persona of Kwannon, a Japanese female ninja mutant, and you've got one badass superheroine.

Elektra

Let's put aside the terrible Jennifer Garner movie for a moment and remember that Elektra is awesome. She doesn't have superpowers, but she is a trained ninja warrior and she is tough as nails. This violence and grit is what eventually pulls her apart from her love interest Daredevil.

Sersi

It's about to get more literary up in here. Sersi is an Eternal who is said to have inspired Circe from Homer's The Odyssey. Yes, she's that old and that inspiring. She met Captain America back when she was chilling out with Gilgamesh. Lit fans, we need more Sersi.

Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel

No list would be complete without Ms. Marvel, who needs a bit more love from the Marvel universe. It's right in her name, after all. Carol Danvers can fly, she has major strength, and she can shoot energy bursts from her hands. Basically, she's a true superheroine.

Rogue

I can't leave out my girl Rogue, whom I loved so much as a child that I asked if I could get her signature streak in my red hair. Rogue, whose superpowers can be a burden, is angst-ridden, which should fit right in with #MarvelYA.

There still aren't many details out about Stohl's Marvel adaptation, but with this much great material to work with, I'm certainly looking forward.

Images: Marvel.com