Hi guys, JR here.
Since last weeks worst superhero origins list got a good response, I'm going to start doing a list series on Tuesdays. I may also try and get another weekly blog post going, but that's still a W.I.P at the moment. But anyway, this week I'm going to list the 10 comic book characters I'd most like to see appear in an upcoming Marvel movie, why I'd like to see them and how likely it is that we will see them, as well as 5 that I wouldn't and why.
See you after the jump.
10. Michael Korvac
Movie: Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
Who: For those of you who don't know who Michael Korvac is, when he was introduced in the 70's this guy was a big deal. Virtually all-powerful he took on and killed every single member of the Avengers (who at the time where as close to the most classic line-up of the team as you can get, Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Widow, Ms Marvel and Wonder Man all being on the team) and the original Guardians of the Galaxy, then brought them back to life, because why not.
Why: It brings into play a number of other factors that could be interesting in the MCU. The Brotherhood Of Badoon, who make Korvac into such a huge threat, are one of the few major villainous alien species Marvel have left to work with (they've done the Kree, the Skrulls are too associated with the Fantastic Four and the Shi'ar aren't all that evil and they're packaged with the X-Men), so bringing them in could be interesting, especially against the Guardians, who are their worst enemies. Korvac could also provide one good answer in how to introduce one of the remaining infinity stones (although there is a better one which we'll get to later). In the comics he gains the majority of his power from the Grandmaster, who Marvel are planning to use in Thor: Ragnarok I believe. But what if this Korvac gained his power from an infinity stone? It gives a nice juxtaposition against Starlord, a human who used the power for good, where-as Korvac would use it to try and gain power.
How Likely Is It?: At the moment- 0/10. All the speculation on GotG2 is focused towards a different villain that makes more sense. But maybe GotG3? Please.
9. Daredevil/ Kingpin
Movie: Spiderman: Homecoming
Who: The guy from that show on Netflix that's quite good and the guy who plays the main bad guy on that show on Netflix that is quite good. You know, because the show is quite good.
Why: So, Kingpin. This guy starts out as a Spiderman villain, then migrates over to being Daredevil's arch-nemesis. Daredevil is the centre-piece of this show on Netflix which is really quite good (and made by Marvel) and now there's a Spiderman movie coming out under the Marvel banner. Plus both heroes operate on street level crime in New York and have worked together in the comics on numerous occasions. Need I say more?
How Likely Is It?: 2/10. Marvel have said they want to keep their TV shows and movies separate for the moment and the Spiderman movie could become too crowded if another hero other than Iron Man were to show up. Still a cameo or a mention would be nice.
8. Egghead
Movie: Antman and The Wasp
Who: Antman's arch-nemesis and evil scientist. Egghead has been around making life difficult for all iterations of Antman since the 60's. He's been in the Masters Of Evil and part of the Intelligencia.
Why: Antman doesn't have many famous foes, so unless Marvel want to have him fight lower order Avengers villains like the Serpant Society or Radioactive Man, Egghead makes sense. He could be incorporated as an ex-research partner of Hank Pym, a move that would be reasonable considering how they've handled the character in the MCU so far. He also doesn't have to be a main villain, being the genius mastermind behind another bad guy, kinda like Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 only good.
How Likely Is It: 7/10. Like I said, Antman doesn't have too many baddies in his rogues gallery worth considering, so they might skip it altogether and pull some villains people may have heard of. But he is likely if they do go for Antman adversaries.
7. Kraven The Hunter
Movie: Spiderman: Homecoming
Who: One of Spiderman's oldest but less recognised foes (in the eyes of the mainstream audience), Kraven is the worlds greatest hunter and has made Spiderman his target to complete his career by hunting a truly unique adversary. He's also pretty freaking cool.
Why: Because he's a lesser seen villain. Everyone knows the Green Goblin, everyone knows Doctor Octopus, everyone knows Venom. They had the right idea with The Amazing Spider-Man series, using Lizard and Electro, but the execution lacked. Kraven is a character that matches Spidey in almost every department, despite not having any powers. He's strong, fast, agile and has a keen intellect. He's also been in some amazing stories with Spidey, Deadly Symmetry and Kraven's Last Hunt being standouts. It would also be a different type of superhero film, one more reliant on psychology than big action set pieces.
How Likely Is It?: 4/10. It'd be great to have a film with Kraven, but I just don't see it happening with Spidey having so many villains and many of them being more suited to the style of the MCU (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Mysterio etc. etc. etc.)
6. Black Widow 2 (Yelena Belova)
Movie: Black Widow solo film
Who: The second woman to take up the code name Black Widow, Yelena underwent the same training the Natasha Romanov did to become the Black Widow and was used by the Russians to try to take down the defecting Avenger (not before messing with the Inhumans and opening a Vibranium mine in the Savage Land).
Why: If there is going to be a Black Widow solo film, it will focus on Natasha's past as a spy and who better to act as the villain than someone who is her equal, possibly even a former friend, who underwent the training alongside the Avenger. Marvel have lots of Russian super-villains, but Yelena fits better because it has that emotional impact with the story that can be told.
How Likely Is It?: I dunno. If a Black Widow film is made then 10/10 Yelena Belova is the bad guy. But Marvel don't seem to want to pull the trigger on that particular project.
5. J. Jonah Jameson
Movie: Spiderman; Homecoming (last one I promise)
Who: Editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle and Peter Parkers boss. One of the most beloved supporting characters in any comic series and a man modelled after Stan Lee.
Why: It's J. Jonah Jameson. The fact he can be left out of a Spiderman movie is a travesty. He was a highlight in the comics, he was a highlight in the cartoons and god-damn if he wasn't a highlight in the Rami films too. With the current Spidey being a teen and the film set to be based around Peters highschool years, it only makes sense for him to be working the Bugle as a photographer. And where there's the Bugle there's a loud-mouthed, moustached editor waiting to launch into another tirade against everyone's favourite wall-crawler.
How Likely Is It?: 8/10. Jameson is a huge part of the Spiderman universe. The only way he's not in it is if they decide to have Peter take up his current job in the comics at a science lab. Which could happen, I guess.
4. Captain Mar-Vell
Movie: errr..... Captain Marvel (obviously)
Who: The original version of Marvel's eponymous Captains, Kree soldier and hero of Earth, he's the reason the current Captain Marvel (whom the film will be based around) gets her powers.
Why: Because he's got to be hasn't he? They've already introduced the Kree and used Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy so there's no excuse. If they weren't to include him, they'd have to find some other way of giving Carol Danvers powers, and that would probably be quite awkward.
How Likely Is It?: 10/10. I'd be shocked if he didn't show up, even if he dies very early on (which I'm expecting).
3. Klaw
Movie: Black Panther
Who: Andy Serkis. You know. The guy who got his arm cut off by Ultron in Avengers 2?
Why: Ok, this is technically a cheat, since he has been in the MCU, but that was Ulysses Klaue. I'm talking about Klaw, the guy with the sonic cannon on his arm. The guy who killed Black Panthers father. He's already canonically in the MCU, in Wakanda and he's lost his right arm. He will be in the Black Panther film and by god he'd better be the main bad guy, because they've got Andy Serkis and he is a legend.
How Likely Is It?: Guaranteed. He's already appeared. Now he just needs the arm cannon.
2. She-Hulk
Movie: ???
If they make another Hulk movie, that'd be my best guess
Who: Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters, who gets a blood transfusion from Brucie to become the Hulk's female equivalent. A.K.A the most popular Marvel character that hasn't yet show up on the big screen in any capacity.
Why: Because she's the most popular Marvel character yet to feature in a movie in any way shape or form. If Antman can have his own movie, if the Guardians of the Galaxy can have their own movie, if the Fantastic Four can still have their own movies despite being utterly ****, She-Hulk should get at least featured. She's been in the Avengers since the 70's, she's been in the Fantastic Four numerous times, she was in The Defenders, she's had her own title on numerous occasions and she's guest starred in pretty much every on going series Marvel have published. But no big screen debut for Jen.
How Likely Is It?: Not very. Unless Marvel give us another Hulk film (which they seem reluctant to do seen as how the last one tanked and the one before that was possibly 2nd to Batman and Robin in terms of worst superhero film ever), then her introduction into the MCU would feel awkward and from out of nowhere. So for now, 0/10, which is a shame, because She-Hulk is great.
1. Adam Warlock
Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or Avengers: Infinity War (either part)
Who: The guy you call if you need to deal with Thanos. An artificially created human, who's cocoon did a blink and you'll miss it cameo amongst the Collectors collection in the first GotG film, Adam Warlock is bonded to the final infinity stone, the Soul Gem.
Why: Because many, many reasons. One, his design is amazing. Two, he is hugely connected to both Thanos and the infinity stones. Three, Ayesha has been heavily speculated to be the villain for GotG2 and she was the second attempt at making the perfect human, the first being Adam Warlock. If this is confirmed then Warlock is go. Fourth: He is the deciding factor in the Infinity War storyline in the comics, which follows Thanos' attempts to collect the infinity stones and Earths heroes attempts to stop him (kinda sounds like something that may happen in the future).
How Likely Is It?: If Ayesha is confirmed for GotG2, then 1000/10. If not, then probably 8/10 for Infinity War. I've been calling for Warlock since Thanos was revealed at the end of The Avengers, so I'm kinda hoping I get vindicated here.
And now for 5 characters I don't want to see in the MCU. Well, when I say characters, I'm including groups as well.
5. The Runaways
Why Not: Because their story would fit much more easily into a TV show format rather than a movie. I would love to see this group realised on-screen, but I just don't think a movie would work. They wouldn't have time to build all of the characters properly in 2 hours (most of the Avengers have their own movies for that and can you honestly say that any other superhero team has had all of the characters properly developed, even with more than one film? X-Men? Cyclops. Angel. Shadowcat, all extremely undeveloped), whereas telling the story episodically they would.
4. Blade
Why Not: Marvel recently got the film rights to Blade back and apparently Wesley Snipes has expressed interest in bringing the character back in the MCU. However, even with Doctor Strange being around the corner, the MCU is mostly science based. Even Thor is an alien rather than a proper god. Vampires would be incongruous in the current MCU and plus, vampires have got a bad rap since Twilight, so maybe leave the fangs at home guys. Because as badass as Blade is, it has to cleave through a whole mountain of rubbish to make vampires cool again for the mainstream audience.
3. The Fantastic Four
Why Not: Once again, another series where rights may have reverted to Marvel. Unfortunately for Marvel's first family, they're no longer relevant. The comic is cancelled, the last movie was an abomination and the previous two weren't much good, despite starring Captain America himself. Plus, it would be hard to bring them in to the MCU anyway. In the comics they are the first of the second generation of Marvel heroes, they restarted the Marvel Universe. But in the MCU, they'd be arriving into an already established world with already established characters and a lot of already established events which makes the original Fantastic Four origin a lot harder to work. And the Ultimates versions of the characters never really worked anyway, plus de-aging the characters worked so well in the last movie.
2. Venom
Why Not: Spider-Man 3 should serve as a historical reminder of what happens when you don't do a classic character right. You can't do Venom in one film. Plus his origin doesn't work without Spiderman going off-planet, because an alien symbiote just crashing onto Earth to latch onto the closest living thing, which turns out to be Spidey, is just too convenient. So there is too much set up involved in getting Venom to the screen, it will take at least 2 films before the character actually appears if you want to build him properly. So no, how about we focus on some of Spiderman's other rogues, of which there are an incredible number.
1. Namor
Why Not: Does anyone else remember how much of a tool this guy actually is? Arrogant, aloof, short-tempered and as likely to act as the villain as he is to act the hero. Plus his look isn't great either. Yes, they probably would go with the black tights and jacket look, but when your most iconic look is a green, scaly speedo, you know you're doing fashion sense wrong. And he has wings on his feet, let's not forget. Plus, he has the same problem as Blade. Atlanteans are just too fantastical for the MCU as it is now. And then Marvel have the problem of DC actually beating them to the punch at something when it comes to movies, as Aquaman has already been revealed, striking a huge blow at Namor and his stupid speedo.
So that's y list. What did you think. Tell me if you agree or disagree with any of my choices in the comments below and if there are any characters you think I've missed out on either list, let me know.
The runaways as a TV show? Awesome idea! And She-Hulk could definitely get the Deadpool treatment. Not necessarily the R rating, but the jokey, braking the 4th wall style. I seriously don`t get why the studios are so finicky about putting out a female led superhero movie.
Let’s just hope MODOK isn’t in any Marvel live-action films, as he’d fall into the Uncanny Valley.
Dude, are you kidding? Korvac? Yes, I remember him! Dull as toast, more powerful than anyone would ever believe, and utterly lacking in redeeming features? And, the Badoon? Lizard-like aliens who’d require a spitload of special effects, and were the arch -enemies of the ORIGINAL Guardians of the Galaxy, who seem to have NO relation to the current crew? {Nope, haven’t watched the movie, and I’m not going to… but there’s, like, ONE member who’s the same…}
No. Just… No!
Egghead I kind of like, but he was a Henry Pym villain, and the MCU Ant-Man is Scott Lang, only he’s a thief, and not a Scientist who worked with Hank. You could work him in, though few people would recognize him, and the rest might confuse him with Vincent Price’s character from the Adam West version of the Batman TV series…
I’d certainly love to see a version of everyone’s favorite Gamma-Irradiated Lawyer in the MCU. Even if she’s just defending one of the Avengers, when Matt Murdock isn’t available. Part Hulk, Part Deadpool, yet actually smart and capable… What’s not to like? 😉
The Runaways would make a cool TV show, but, right, they really don’t belong in the MCU, as yet.
And I think the TV series might be a little complicated for the average viewer (who tends to have trouble keeping up with TWO characters at once)…
All Blade would have to do to redeem Vampires in the public’s eye is to kill that sparkling one… 😉
But, yeah, that’s another TV series, not a movie…
Or, at least, not a movie IN the MCU.
Yes, Fox has very nearly destroyed the Fantastic Four… but, come on, it’s Fox!
If it’s got anything to do with Superheroes, Fox couldn’t empty water out of Namor’s
non-existent boots if you told them the directions were printed on the heel!
Forget retelling the Origin story every single dang movie!
Don’t try to reboot them, like they have never been here before!
They’re Marvel’s First Family!
So, Reed has gone a little gray around the temples, and Sue is mature enough in appearance
to have raised a child or two. They’re STILL the ones the President calls when Galactus shows up (and let’s leave HIM out of the movies for awhile!), and they’re WHY the US of A didn’t need the Avengers, until recently… Work from there!
@Worf- Why are Hollywood so reluctant to give a female a lead role in a superhero movie? Because sexism. Women are meant to be rescued and make the men look good, not run around saving the day. What are people thinking when they say that women can look strong and be independent?
@Drinkfluid- MODOK is one of those characters that they should never touch with a barge poll. They’ve already done A.I.M (badly) in Iron Man 3, so that’s gone. Plus he’s in the same category as Blade and Namor, too unrealistic (he’s a giant floating head). So I don’t think you’ll have to worry.
@William Peterson- I’d think the Chitauri required as much sfx as the Brotherhood of Badoon would. Anyway you should watch GotG, it’s a fantastic movie, probably up there with The Avengers and Iron Man.
I don’t see how Egghead being a Hank Pym villain affects him being in the MCU. Hank Pym is in the MCU, he’s the guy who gives Scott Lang the Antman suit. Either he’s an old enemy of Hanks, come to try his luck against the new Antman (a dynamic we have never seen in a comic book film before) or he used to work for Hank and left acrimoniously (like Hank did with Howard Stark at the start of Antman) and that’s the dynamic. It still works. Dunno about the idea that people might confuse him with the Vincent Price Egghead, a lot of people who see the film won’t have watched Adam West’s Batman, it has been off air for nearly 50 years now (sorry if that makes you feel old). Also, name an Antman villain people will recognise. I can’t think of one.
MCU NEEDS SHE-HULK!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry, just had to put that out there).
Funny thing about the Runaways, and why there on this list (apart from the fact I’m still praying for them to get a TV show) is that they have been considered for an MCU movie. I reeeeeeally want to see them on the screen, but a movie wouldn’t work. And as you said, it may be too early for even a TV show (Cloak and Dagger need time to bed themselves in first and they haven’t even got going yet).
Blade, yes, TV show would be nice or a movie, but as you said, not in the MCU. Unless you want him to cameo or something in a Doctor Strange sequel, but even then…
Only problem I have with them introducing the Fantastic Four without the origin is, what the hell were they doing all that time? a) Tony and Reed surely would have known each other, Tony knows everyone in the science and technology world apparently, and he would have got a mention for, you know, being a freaking genius above and beyond either Tony or Bruce. b) Alien war fleet appears above New York and the Fantastic Four aren’t involved? Where they in Latveria or something? It’s just too much retconning and filling in the gaps to work. It may work with Spiderman because he doesn’t operate on the level of The Avengers, but the F4 do. You can’t just insert something that big into an already established world. If Marvel had got back the rights after Iron Man came out, it might have worked, but they’re too deep now for the 4 to appear. Although, doing an origin for them when they’re all already adults with a similar set up to the Ultimates version of the characters (an on Earth scientific accident rather than in Space solar radiation) could work.
Overall, I like your list, JR. I would love to see “Kraven’s Last Hunt!” One of the best stories in all of comic-dom. Heck, let the people who produced “Daredevil” have a go. They could put it on Netflix because, as JR rightly notes, the story is psychological not action-packed.
My personal choice would be “Alien Legion” which has been stuck in development Hades for almost a decade. That’s also a random tangent and better suited for animation. The MCU is trying to create a cohesive world, largely built around The Avengers. She-Hulk needs to muscle in there.
Not familiar with the Runaways, but I would like to see more Marvel series. I’m really enjoying what they’re doing with “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”. A deal with Netflix could bring the obscure heroes to a larger audience. Off the top of my head: Cloak and Dagger, Dazzler, and Squirrel Girl. (On a DC note, smart move to bring Supergirl over to the CW.)
Most importantly: No more Ryan-freaking-Reynolds!
@Atomic Punk: SQUIRREL GIRL!!!! You freaking genius AP. Give Squirrel Girl a TV show, heck give her a movie. Make Doctor Doom the bad guy, because she beats him all the time anyway and they hopefully ain’t using him in the Fantastic Four any time soon. Cloak And Dagger are getting a show, gonna start in 2017 I believe and it’s going to share continuity with the films and other TV shows, so thumbs up on that one. Dazzler, not to sure on, she’s very closely associated with X-Men so Fox could have rights to her. Besides, her powers aren’t the best (converting sound into light).
And what’s wrong with Ryan Reynolds? He was amazing in Green Lantern. (Sorry, I couldn’t keep a straight face whilst typing that).
Atomic Punk beat me to it! So I’ll second Cloak and Dagger 🙂
I’m 100% with you on Kraven the Hunter. I’d love to see more of Spidey’s villains that aren’t as well-known in the mainstream anymore. It would be darker, but if you wanted to go the symbiote route, I’d rather see Carnage than Venom again. I’m still holding out for the Vulture, one of my favorites (the other is Electro, but the old green & yellow one). I also recall a story arc from the 90’s cartoon that had Blade show up, so something like that could be a way to introduce him back in a small way, but a TV show might be better. Michael Morbius was also involved in that, and you could expand that aspect of the MCU through those two.
One I would like to see, and am actually GETTING to see, is Valkyrie, in Thor: Ragnarok. I want to see her and Sif kicking serious butt!
Edit: Just a thought: If Carol Danvers is going straight to being Captain Marvel, why not do Kamala Khan for Ms. Marvel? Especially when you could have a dynamic between her and Spider-Man as heroes that are much younger than the rest?
I just read on the upcoming “Cloak & Dagger” series! But it’s still a ways off, so I’m not going to speculate. Have to put it in park and idle the engine. Vroom… vroom… dang it, 2017, get here!
@melmo44: Morbius… YES! There’s a short film out there from 2014. But it didn’t go anywhere. YouTube it. I especially like the Thomas Jane “Punisher: Dirty Laundry” vignette. Where was THAT movie?
I’ve been so out of it that I didn’t know there was another Thor movie in the works. Valkyrie is in it? Even better.
Good call on Kamala Khan!
@JR: Green Lantern is dead to me now. 🙁
But, I can’t wait for which DC characters you pick. *cough* Etrigan *cough*
JR, yes, putting in the REAL FF would be a late drop-in…
But, if they ‘disappeared’ into the Negative Zone, came back, and found that
Colonel Fury had arranged the Avengers in their absence, well, they’re not going
to complain about getting a little help, now are they?
Yeah, sure, Reed and Tony would KNOW about each other…
In about the same way Tony would know about Doctor Viktor von Doom,
or about anyone else who’s not been in one of his movies, yet.
How often do you see them getting together over coffee in the Comics?
About once every three nevers?
Reed would think of Tony as a talented Engineer, and a decent businessman.
Tony would think of Reed as an incredible researcher, but far too concerned with
esoteric minutiae to ever produce anything of real use…
I mean, a Pogo Plane? Really?
I’m NOT saying it would be EASY…
Only that it would be possible, the right thing to do,
and a much more interesting Movie than re-hashing their Origin Story
ONE… MORE… TIME!!!!
@Atomic Punk- The new Thor film has Jeff Goldblum in it as The Grandmaster.
@William Peterson- “How often do you see them getting together over coffee in the Comics?”
Once every five minutes, maybe three . Have you seen how many crossovers Marvel have done in the last 15 years?
Oh, sure, JR, they have a LOT of cross-overs, where they get together to fight Earth-shattering menaces that no one team can handle, et cetera…
But, coffee? Brunch? Just a little office party?
No, I haven’t been reading a LOT of Marvel over the last 15 years, and none at all for the last
5 or so, but I don’t think those stories would have done much to improve the brand…
Of course, letting us all know that Captain America has ‘always’ (Cough!) been a Hydra Agent hasn’t improved much, either!
I agree with all of that except Venom!
I completely agree that Venom needs to be done over multiple movies, like giving spidey the suit then losing it and brock finds it, but I think it can be pulled off fairly well.
I always remember the animated TV show when I think Venom, a shuttle goes into space on an asteroid, shuttle comes home from asteroid. Symbiote has hitched a ride on shuttle and BAM spiderman runs into it saving the people on the shuttle, or something similar.
Either way hes one of my favorite characters, loved the Eddie Brock version and I love the Flash Thompson version too.
On top of that id like to see Black Cat done right in later spiderman movies. Not some stupid Vulturess idea.
I’ll have to look that Morbius one up! And a Dirty Laundry film? Oh, if only. I loved that one so friggin’ much. Thomas Jane is a great Punisher, despite the movie they DID make with him in it (which I didn’t think was terrible).
@CKnap- Black Cat! She would be great and I’d love to see her built up through more than one film to really get the complexity of her character and relationship with and to Spider-Man.