I agree with some of the points above, especially the part about things being a bit overwhelming to many. In here we have die-hards, but my brother-in-law is that casual player who logs in 3-4 times a week and my 8-yr old son isn't far ahead of him. While both are FTP, having multiple new toons in a 2 week period with events around each may be a bit much. However, for those of us that love the game and research it regularly, we will be fine. Crunched for gear, but fine.
In these events, is it possible to up the gear you get when you unlock the characters? For example, opening Nihilus was a huge bummer when I needed like 30 of the Mk III MS Thermal Detonators to get him to gear 7 I think it was. Maybe a bit of a gear boost on the events associated with that specific character?