With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) now entering Phase Four, a lot of changes can be expected. Some of the famous heroes from earlier films and television programs are no longer with us, and a few have retired or are no longer active for one reason or another. Still, looking ahead to the schedule line-up for the next few years, there are not a lot of new heroes joining the MCU, at least not with their own titles for movies or shows. For instance, there’s a Black Widow movie, a Thor movie, another Spider-Man flick, a Captain Marvel film, and another tale or possibly two from the Guardians of the Galaxy. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of new names there. Fortunately, there also are a few projects in the works which might provide us with some live-action viewing of some famed Marvel super heroes who have yet to appear in the MCU.
All that being said, below are my top ten picks for Marvel heroes who deserve their fair share of time on the screen. I’ll admit right off the bat that some of these characters are already in discussion stages (and possibly a little beyond) to make appearances, but since we’ve not seen them yet, I think it’s fair of me to list them. So, you’ve been warned I’m going to cheat a little.
FANTASTIC FOUR
And I begin by cheating twice. First, I’m cheating because this isn’t a singular hero but a group of super heroes, and second, I’m cheating somewhat because a director, Jon Watts of Spider-Man films, has already been approved for a Fantastic Four movie. When is this moving coming out? No one knows. A date has not been set as of yet. But that doesn’t matter. This movie needs to happen. The Fantastic Four is the oldest team of super heroes from Marvel comics, even predating The Avengers. Ben Grimm as The Thing, Johnny Storm as The Human Torch, Sue Storm as The Invisible Woman, and Reed Richards as Mister Fantastic, are beloved figures within the Marvel universes and have appeared in major story lines for more than fifty years. At least four films have been made of this super group, all of them quite bad and none of them part of the MCU, so hopefully Marvel and their overlords at Disney can get it right this time.
SHE-HULK
No movie, but a television program based upon the She-Hulk is scheduled for 2022. Filming is supposed to begin next month, so hopefully that will happen. As of right now, Tatiana Maslany will play the role of Jennifer Walters, who will become She-Hulk. Mark Ruffalo is also supposed to appear as Bruce Banner and The Hulk, which should please many a fan. The She-Hulk has gone through a few transformations over the years, at times savage and at other times quite intelligent, not unlike The Hulk himself, so we’ll have to wait and see which version appears on our televisions and computer screens, probably both if the show is popular and around long enough. I’m glad this one is happening. The She-Hulk’s popularity has come and gone over the years, but she has always proven an interesting character study.
NOVA
The Nova Corp, sort of intergalactic cops, have made an appearance in the MCU, specifically in the first GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie, and it was mentioned in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR that Thanos had wiped out the Corp. Still, that could easily be used to set up an appearance of the Richard Rider character who would become Nova. Rider was originally a human teen who gained the powers of a Nova Corp member and then became the super hero Nova on Earth. In the comic books he had plenty of solo adventures but was also a member of The Avengers and of The New Warriors. Much like She-Hulk, Nova’s popularity has waxed and waned over the decades, but he’s often been a big player in Marvel tales since the mid-1970s. He’s worthy of at least a movie.
MOON KNIGHT
The actor Oscar Isaac has already been signed to play the TV role of Moon Knight and the several personalities which live inside this character. Yep, Moon Knight has more than one personality, if you didn’t know. The interesting possibilities there, plus the fact Moon Knight can kick tail much like a certain dark DC cowled figure, means there is plenty of fertile ground here for storytelling. So, yeah, I’m cheating again since this one is close to happening and is expected to hit our screens in 2022. Still, it has taken far too long for Moon Knight to appear on screen, let alone in the MCU.
SILVER SURFER
Admittedly if Silver Surfer appears, that means Galactus can’t be far behind, but that’s beside the point. This silvery figure who sails across the stars is deserving of his own television show or movie, or at the very least he should make an appearance in a Fantastic Four film. He did appear in an earlier Fantastic Four movie, but as with all FF movies so far, the film wasn’t very good and wasn’t part of the MCU. Now is the time to correct that.
X-MEN
Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Professor X, yeah, they are in a whole slew of movies. But none of those movies are part of the MCU. It’s time to bring them over. We also need Magneto, Deadpool, and all the other characters who are considered mutants in the Marvel universes.
GHOST RIDER
Nicolas Cage appeared as Ghost Rider in a movie more than a decade ago, but the movie wasn’t all that strong (though it had it’s entertaining aspects) and, as always, wasn’t part of the MCU. With magic now becoming more common in the MCU films, the time is right for one of the versions of Ghost Rider to make an appearance.
SUB-MARINER
Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, is sort of Marvel’s version of Aquaman. He’s been around since the early days of Marvel comics and even fought alongside Captain America and others during the Second World War. He’s also in love with Sue Storm and has been a foe to the Fantastic Four at time, so maybe he could first appear in an FF movie. Though he’s got enough background and power to stand on his own.
UNION JACK
This is a personal favorite. Union Jack isn’t the most common or even popular of Marvel super heroes, but I’ve always loved him. He also fought along with Captain America during World War II, but younger versions of the character have shown up from time to time in more modern eras. Strapped with a handgun and knife, and an excellent combatant at hand-to-hand fighting, Union Jack is awesome. If you aren’t familiar with this character but enjoy super heroes who don’t really have any powers, you should look up Union Jack.
THE INVADERS
This is another personal favorite. The Invaders were a super team during the Second World War. Captain America was a member, as was Union Jack, Sub-Mariner, Bucky, Spitfire, and an early version of the Human Torch. Fighting on the side of the Allies, this team kicked a lot of Axis butt, and they even faced off against the mighty Thor at one point. Seriously, some of their tales were my favorites growing up, so I’d love to see them on the big or small screen. Besides, wouldn’t a super hero tale set in WW2 be awesome?
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Captain Britain, Beta Ray Bill, and Rom all deserve to be part of the MCU. Okay, okay, the ownership of Rom (originally a toy action figure in the 1980s) probably means he will never show in the MCU, but if the rights could ever be borrowed or even bought, Rom the Space Knight was an awesome addition to Marvel comics back in the ’80s. And Beta Ray Bill, the alien who took Thor’s place for a while, come on, there’s an interesting story to be told on the screen. Captain Britain, he’s beloved by many, and though not the most common of Marvel characters, he would make an excellent addition to the MCU.
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