The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful movie franchise of all time, having grossed around $8.5 billion worldwide to date with its eleven instalments (with a further eleven set for release between now and 2019). It has expanded in an unprecedented manner – an expansion that has also seen it spin-off onto television with a number of series.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Daredevil will soon be followed by A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders, allowing for the introduction of countless new characters and plots based on Marvel’s comic books.
But which other characters and concepts could be turned into MCU television shows? This article will list some ideas for you to ponder.
Howling Commandos
After the success of Agent Carter, if Marvel wanted to do another period series they could do a lot worse than an episodic adventure involving the Howling Commandos.
They are an elite group of World War II soldiers who are often sent on dangerous missions. They have already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first in Captain America: The First Avenger – when they were led by Steve Rogers himself (Chris Evans) and included the likes of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), Gabe Jones (Derek Luke), Montgomery Falsworth (J. J. Feild), Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi) and Jacques Dernier (Bruno Ricci) – and then in both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter – when they also included Happy Sam Sawyer (Leonard Roberts), Junior Juniper (James Austin Kerr) and Pinky Pinkerton (Richard Short).
A series following their missions after the war ended could be extremely interesting and could incorporate the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D. from a different perspective to that shown in Agent Carter. It also would provide another opportunity to introduce a number of additional World War II characters from the comic books.
Seagate
Seagate Prison is a facility in Marvel comic books that has also been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Up to now, it has only been seen in the One-Shot All Hail the King, where it was shown to be the place that both Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) had been sent, following their crimes in Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 respectively.
It is due to reappear on both the big and small screens in Ant-Man (as the place where Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, was held) and in Luke Cage (where the titular character, played by Mike Colter, will be held).
In the comic books, it is known for holding a number of villains and notable characters, including Beetle, Comanche, Crimebuster and Plantman and a television series set in the facility could be extremely interesting, as a number of recognisable characters from the source material come and go (with possible cameos from the likes of Ben Kingsley along the way).
Ravagers
The Ravagers are an interstellar group of thieves who have only been seen in Guardians of the Galaxy to date. Led by Michael Rooker portraying Yondu, they travel the universe looking to make money in any way they can.
However, in spite of their name, audiences really didn’t see an awful lot of “ravaging” in Guardians of the Galaxy and a television series would be an ideal way of portraying their adventures more thoroughly.
By their very nature, the Ravagers do a lot of travelling, so they’re rarely in the same place twice and an episodic adaptation of their universal exploits would surely be very varied and interesting as a result. It would be an ideal way to introduce countless alien species from the comic books to the Marvel Cinematic Universe too.
Nobody in the Ravagers is above television work, with the most famous actor in their ranks being Rooker – who is, of course, famously a very recent former regular on The Walking Dead. Other living members include Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri.
Agents of S.W.O.R.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is obviously a television series that already exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It follows S.H.I.E.L.D. (or at least what is left of it), led by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) as the organisation attempts to keep the Earth safe from powered threats.
In the comic books, however, there is also a space-based counterpart to the organisation know as S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department) and, now that the MCU has expanded into the cosmos, wouldn’t it be cool for a television series based on them?
S.W.O.R.D. is also notably a Joss Whedon creation, so if the brilliant director was looking for a less demanding role than the likes of the Avengers movies (he has famously said they’re too much hard work), perhaps he could get involved in the show. It would be a brilliant way to add more space-based characters to the MCU and, given the similar concept, it would surely be just as successful as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Daily Bugle
Now that Spider-Man is officially heading to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that inevitably means that The Daily Bugle – the newspaper that Peter Parker works for – will be making an appearance too. An interesting television show could surely be made based on the goings-on in the offices of the publication.
It could follow some reporters and photographers for the newspaper as they investigate and look for scoops on emerging superheroes and villains – allowing for the introduction of countless new characters from the comic books.
It could also be a unique way of letting fans know some of the things that are going on in the MCU without having to depict them on screen – perhaps as Easter eggs in the form of newspaper covers informing them (for instance, a headline in the background could say “Avengers Defeat Circus Of Crime!”).
If J. Jonah Jameson is to be portrayed by a top actor in the movies, he might not be a major part of the show, but references to “the big man” or “him upstairs” could easily be made and cameos in the mould of the cameos Samuel L. Jackson has made as Nick Fury on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could definitely be a possibility.
What do you think? Have you got any ideas for potentially great MCU television shows? Have your say below.
