A Babylon 5 Reboot Would Need To Make 1 Big Change To A Fan-Favorite Character

cnnradionews staff

February 20, 2025

One of Babylon 5‘s biggest fan-favorite characters could be a major figure in a potential reboot of the series, but the creatives would need to make one big change to the character. The sci-fi epic Babylon 5 has a sprawling cast of characters, hailing from several different planets and societies. This means that fans had plenty of options to choose from when it came time to pick their favorites, including some of sci-fi’s most underrated heroes.

While the original series may have concluded decades ago, the animated film Babylon 5: The Long Road Home showed that there’s still life in the franchise. With talk about a potential reboot of Babylon 5 potentially setting up a new take on the premise, it’s worth considering which characters might get a greater amount of focus than what they got in the original show. One fan favorite would be perfectly suited for an expanded role in the story, but there’s one dated element of the character that would need to be changed for him to work in the present day.

Marcus Would Need To Be In Any Babylon 5 Reboot

Marcus Became A Fan-Favorite For A Reason

Marcus would need to be in any proposed reboot of Babylon 5, but a modern take on the show would need to change his unrequited love for Ivanova. Played by Jason Carter, Marcus Cole debuted in season 3’s “Matters of Honor” and quickly became one of the most prominent Rangers in the show, an alliance that served at the behest of the heroes in the Shadow War. A charming and noble agent, the soft-spoken Marcus quickly became a fan-favorite, which makes sense given he was portrayed as a handsome and witty hero who would do anything to help others.

This Epic Babylon 5 Story Remains One Of Sci-Fi TV’s Best 27 Years Later

The central driving conflict of Babylon 5 was a massive and surprisingly complex take on many sci-fi tropes, leading to a genuinely unique epic.

Over the course of the show, Marcus becomes close friends with Dr. Franklin, positions himself as one of Delenn’s biggest supporters, and frequently throws himself into dangerous situations for the sake of others. This eventually led to his tragic fate, sacrificing his own life force to restore a fatally wounded Ivanova in the penultimate episode of season 4, “Rising Star.” As one of the few purely heroic characters in the morally grey world of Babylon 5, as well as the show’s most important Ranger character, any prospective reboot of Babylon 5 would be well served to incorporate him early.

A Babylon 5 Reboot Would Need To Change Marcus’ Love For Susan

Marcus’ Romantic Pursuit Of An Uninterested Woman Doesn’t Work As Well In Modern Times

There is one notable element of Marcus that would need to be changed for modern audiences, though. Over the course of his two seasons on the show, Marcus fell deeply in love with Susan Ivanova. A romantic at heart, Marcus made this attraction clear, but Susan didn’t share his feelings. Despite this, Marcus’ long-term pining for the character persisted throughout the show, was commented on frequently, and motivated his sacrifice to save her life. While it can be seen as romantic, it can also be seen as disrespectful of Susan’s lack of reciprocal feelings. She cares for him, but not in the same way.

Public perception of that kind of persistent romantic pursuit has changed over the years, meaning any modern version of [Babylon 5] would have to address that aspect of the character.

Public perception of that kind of persistent romantic pursuit has changed over the years, meaning any modern version of the show would have to address that aspect of the character. It’s a more interesting dramatic turn that the pair never get together, especially as Susan quietly deals with the emotional fallout of her storyline with Talia set against the backdrop of season 4’s epic battles. Marcus remains restrained about it, but at its worst it can also feel passive-aggressive. Any reboot of the series would need to address that aspect of the character.

How Babylon 5’s Reboot Could Modernize Marcus

A Minor Tweak To Marcus’ Love Story Could Make It More Modern

Marcus is an important enough character with plenty of good qualities, making his inclusion in a prospective Babylon 5 reboot an exciting prospect. There are also plenty of minor tweaks that could reduce or even remove his somewhat uncomfortable unrequited love story. If Marcus still does have feelings for Ivanova, he could admit them but then drop the subject after being shot down. The romance could be cut entirely, or his romantic interests could be more widespread among the cast and not just directed at one person with little interest in that sort of relationship.

Babylon 5: The Long Road Home introduced many multiple timelines, many of which could become the primary setting for a proposed Babylon 5 remake,

Babylon 5 could use the same story of unrequited love, but make it clear that the moral is to accept other people’s feelings. While Marcus does accept that Ivanova isn’t romantically interested in him, it would be better if the character then stopped expressing his romantic feelings until his dying breath. Marcus is a great character in Babylon 5, a charming hero who helps solidify the Rangers as a concept for audiences. If there’s a Babylon 5 reboot, he could be a major force in it, but the show should reconsider one of his most unfortunately enduring qualities.

Babylon 5

Release Date: 1993 – 1997
Showrunner: J. Michael Straczynski

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