The 21st Century Valiant Universe In Five Seasons, Season 2: The Eternal Warrior

Valiant Comics was a small comic book press founded by one of the most hated editors in the history of Marvel comics, Jim Shooter. After a successful run in the 90s, it eventually shut down when its parent company,  Acclaim, restructured. Not everybody has DC’s Time Warner money or Marvel’s Disney backing.

In 2012, Valiant started relaunching series, and about a year ago, they revealed that they were going to create a movie universe modeled after Marvel’s successful cinematic universe.

Here’s how I would structure a TV series that handled their properties, should they have gone the television route, as opposed to the movie-verse. I’m only doing ten episode seasons, without the serial approach that I’ve done with the DC and Marvel properties because most of what’s available in trade format is their modern stuff, and that goes back almost four years, as opposed to DC & Marvel’s nearly 80 years apiece.

Season one was about gathering small teams. Season two gives us even more players for the chessboard. It does look like there’s no more X-O Manowar for the moment, but don’t worry, he’ll be back in a big way next season.

Season 2: The Eternal Warrior
(Showrunners: Josh Dysart and Fred Van Lente)

Episode 1: Eternal Warrior Sword Of The Wild
(written by Greg Pak, art by Trevor Hairsine and Clayton Crain)

If X-O Manowar is Valiant’s Iron Man, Bloodshot is its Captain America, Harbinger Foundation is its X-Men, and Ninjak is its…ninja James Bond, then The Eternal Warrior is its Wolverine. He’s not a pint-sized Canadian, he’s an immortal warrior who, after millennia of war, has decided to go into seclusion. It doesn’t quite work out for him.


Episode 2: Archer & Armstrong : The Michelangelo Code
(written by Fred Van Lente, art by Clayton Henry and Mico Suayan)

An immortal drunk named Armstrong is being hunted down by a bow-and-arrow wielding kid who would have just graduated high school, if he hadn’t grown up in an amusement park run by a cult. Then it gets weird.


Episode 3: Archer & Armstrong Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior
(written by Fred Van Lente, art by Emanuela Lupacchino and Guillermo Ortego)
Didn’t take long to get to the crossover this time, did it? It turns out that Armstrong and The Eternal Warrior are brothers, but The Eternal Warrior’s new mission is to kill Armstrong’s new partner, Obadiah Archer.  Friends before family?

Episode 4: Harbinger Perfect Day
(written by Josh Dysart, art by Clayton Henry and Barry Kitson)

The Renegade crew is having The Best Day Ever! Happiness reigns, as the Harbinger Wars are now behind them forever. What could possibly be wrong?


Episode 5: Harbinger Death Of A Renegade
(written by Josh Dysart, art by Clayton Crain and Khari Evans)

Project Rising Spirit and The Harbinger Foundation still want the renegades dead, and it looks like they’re going to partially get their wish.


Episode 6: Archer & Armstrong Far Faraway
(written by Fred Van Lente, art by Clayton Henry and Pere Perez)

The not so dynamic duo encounter aliens, dinosaurs, anal probes, and questionable sexual encounters in this decidely weird, even for them, tangent from their battle with The Sect.


Episode 7: Bloodshot H.A.R.D. Corps
(written by Josh Dysart and Christos Gage, art by Emanuela Lupacchino)

The Harbinger Active Resistance Division joins Bloodshot as he must first escape, then return to Project Rising Spirit.


Episode 8: Archer & Armstrong Sect Civil War
(written by Fred Van Lente, art by Chriscross and Khari Evans)

Archer & Armstrong have been friends-at-odds since they first met but now that they’ve gotten closer to taking down The Sect, they realize that they really are fighting for two different sides. Project Rising Spirit factors into the adventure, as well.


Episode 9: Archer & Armstrong Mission Improbable
(written by Fred Van Lente, Christos Gage, and Joshua Dysart, art by Pere Perez and Tom Raney)

Archer. Armstrong. Bloodshot. H.A.R.D. Corps. Project Rising Spirit. Drama.


Episode 10: Bloodshot Get Some
(written by Josh Dysart and Christos Gage, art by Bart Sears)
This whole team dynamic can’t last forever, can it? Three different eras of Bloodshot, Project Rising, and H.A.R.D. Corps come together into one massive climax.


Season 2 is 10 episodes


Interseason Special: Harbinger Omegas
(written by Josh Dysart, art by Lewis Larosa)
The surviving renegades force Toyo Harada into the public eye. And change The Valiant Universe in the process.