Marvel flicks have a long future
There’s a lot to choose from. We made you a list.
Avengers: Infinity War continues to tear it up at the box office, cementing the fact that Marvel movies aren’t going away in the foreseeable future.
But as next year’s fourth Avengers film (in theaters May 3, 2019) wraps up Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many superheroes who may or may not be returning, it’s time to start thinking about what comes next. In an earnings report conference call last week, Disney CEO Robert Iger said Marvel has plotted films “that will take us well into the next decade.” Which means lots of opportunities for new comic-book characters and teams to hit the big screen.
Here are 10 projects we’re hot to see in the mighty Marvel landscape sooner rather than later:
She-Hulk
The Hulk’s cousin, attorney Jennifer Walters, potentially brings courtroom drama, along with a powerful presence as another green-skinned muscular action figure. Both Infinity War CGI villainess Proxima Midnight and what Marvel has done with the Hulk in recent years show that a character like SheHulk could be rendered on screen in believable fashion, existing between normal woman and raging behemoth.
Nova
Guardians of the Galaxy introduced the cosmic cops of the Nova Corps, and that mini-franchise could easily spin off the adventures of Sam Alexander, an Arizona youngster who learns his father was in the corps and takes on dad’s mantle (and cool helmet).
Kamala Khan
Spider-Man: Homecoming proved there was an audience for teenage heroes. The next step would be introducing Kamala, a spunky PakistaniAmerican girl who’s also Jersey City’s resident do-gooder. Though the character known as Ms. Marvel might need a name change after next year’s Captain Marvel, the possibilities of introducing her are endless: Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers could be the perfect mentor (Kamala’s a big fan of Captain Marvel in the comics) or Peter Parker could run into her in Queens.
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four rights are tied up with Fox, but if Disney’s able to buy the studio, Marvel could bring to its “First Family” into the expanding stable, paving the way for the story of four explorers with extraordinary abilities to finally be told right onscreen.
Moon Knight
Is Marc Spector a masked vigilante gifted with the powers of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, or a deranged man haunted by his twisted thoughts and past personas? Or perhaps both? If Marvel wanted its own One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, here it is.
The Eternals
Thor: Ragnarok destroyed Asgard, The Inhumans was cancelled by ABC, but here’s a race of superpowered beings just waiting for an adaptation. The Eternals were created by the alien Celestials (mentioned in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies) to defend Earth, and their film conceivably has the ensemble intrigue and epic world-building of Game of Thrones.
Thunderbolts
DC’s Suicide Squad doesn’t need to be the only show in town where villains work for the government and walk the fine line between heroism and evil. In the comics, the anti-heroic team has been led by dudes already onscreen for Marvel — meaning maybe a new gig for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier or Mike Colter’s Netflix powerhouse Luke Cage.
Miss America
If Captain America gets put on ice for a while after being one of Marvel movies’ main men, why not unleash a young Latin-American lesbian superhero in his place? America Chavez is crazy-bulletproof, packs a punch that can literally shatter dimensional barriers, takes no guff from anybody and, like Black Panther, appeals to a broader audience than just superhero movie fans.
Dazzler
Marvel made Rocket Racoon and Groot work, so a movie musical wouldn’t be that out of bounds. Again, it depends on if Marvel can get the rights — since Dazzler is an X-Men heroine — but the character started as a disco queen, has recently been in the underground punk scene, and no doubt could spawn a great soundtrack.
Brother Voodoo
Doctor Strange gave us some freaky visuals, although it’s not quite a horror film. For that, there’s Jericho Drumm, a Haitian hero ensconced in voodoo and all sorts of black magic. His brother Daniel appeared (and was killed) in Strange, so that subfranchise is the place to debut this righteous Brother.