Writer J. Michael Straczynski made pop-culture history with the epic TV series Babylon 5. In 1999, Straczynski penned Top Cow's Rising Stars, leading to an offer from Marvel to write Amazing Spider-Man, a title he revolutionized. "JMS" went on to write Supreme Power, Fantastic Four, Bullet Points, The Twelve and a fan-favorite revival of Thor. The latter helped inspire Marvel's Thor feature film, on which he shares a writing credit. JMS' screenplay for Changeling was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Angelina Jolie, while his other movie credits include Underworld: Awakening and World War Z. For DC Comics, he has written iconic characters Superman and Wonder Woman.

Joe Quesada became Marvel's editor in chief in 2000, instilling an excitement and buzz that had been lacking for years. He is now Marvel's chief creative officer. Quesada began as an artist at Valiant and DC during the early 1990s and soon co-founded Event Comics, introducing original characters Ash and Painkiller Jane. By 1998, Quesada's reputation as both artist and publisher led to the founding of Marvel's groundbreaking Marvel Knights imprint, with Quesada illustrating the flagship book, Daredevil. Marvel Knights' critical and sales success led to Quesada's appointment as editor in chief. In addition to overseeing Marvel's creative output, Quesada remains an active writer and artist on projects including the Daredevil: Father miniseries and the Spider-Man "One More Day" crossover.