It's interesting, given what you said regarding Marvel, especially since DCUO did just fine pushing the DC brand...BUT the whole Luthor-steals-exobytes-from-the-future thing was a solid way to introduce all those characters we want, and not take away from DC's core. All in all, I think DCUO did very well on it- the problem lies in the fact that DCUO still feels like a MMO half-finished. As a long-time SOE gamer, I really want to like it more, but it needs work.
Well, we're hijacking the topic here - so I'll keep it brief and we can pick this up in another thread somewhere.
But my point is that DCUO does only push the DC brand, and not the genre itself, which is in large part where it fails as an MMO and getting that feeling.
I think Mercedes and others have said, far more brilliantly than I ever could, that the community of CoH is what has kept it alive all this time. Thats because it is a true MMO. It's massive in scope because it doesn't force us into origins. We can be werewolves or villians, scientists, mutants whatever we wish - and remain within this very inclusive family. If you browse the shelves in comics stores the books there cover almost any possible venue from horror to heroes, fantasy to hard core sci-fi... but they all seem to fit there don't they?
This is what COH managed to do so well, in large part because of us. We made that. That's US in the game and that's why even if NC did create a new hero game, or anyone else does... it won't be CoH. Marvel could completely buy up CoH and add all the functionality to it... but without our input it will never be a truly massive multiplayer online game.
Because it may be massive, and it may be online, but that multiplayer aspect - which is us - which is what you experience at the comic shop - that all concepts are openly welcome feel... comes from us.
We're the real IP which needs to be sold. Everything else could be replicated. That's what Disney, or any other buyer will be looking to purchase. Something they can't just buy anywhere or have copied. We let Disney know they have us... they know they have a long term prospect.