The Avengers – who, of course, originated on the pages of Marvel comic books – have become one of the biggest things in cinema since their debut in their 2012 titular movie.
As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the team of superheroes has now had two of their own movies – 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron being the second – in a franchise that has seen twelve released to date.
On screen, the team has, thus far, included Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, War Machine and Falcon, while others like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and the Winter Soldier are expected to join in the future.
But which characters from other non-comic book franchises would make cool additions to the team and why? Let’s take a look, using only characters who, although they may have appeared in comic books, aren’t classically associated with the genre.
Illyria (Angel)
Illyria is arguably the most powerful character ever to appear in the Buffyverse – and that means she’s out of the league of the likes of Angel, Spike and Charles Gunn – so joining up with a big-league team like the Avengers would be far more fitting for her.
Of course, she’s extremely socially awkward, which would make for some extremely humorous interactions with the likes of Tony Stark, but she would be far more at home fighting alongside the likes of the Hulk and Vision than she would be with Buffyverse heroes.
Like Thor, Illyria is essentially a god, and he is proof that such characters can integrate in the Avengers’ world – and with powers like time dilation, she’d add some abilities that the team don’t currently possess, which could be very important to them.
Alice (Resident Evil)
A former security officer for the Umbrella Corporation, Alice was willing to expose their unethical experiments and became a target for them as a result. She became lost in a mad world and joining the Avengers would give her a new purpose – and she’d be a really cool addition to the team.
Having been exposed to the T-Virus, Alice has some cool powers that include improved physical attributes, psychic abilities and telekinesis – all of which could be important to the team.
Moreover, she’s a woman – and the Avengers could certainly do with more female representation in their ranks. Only Black Widow and Scarlet Witch are part of the team at the moment, and Captain Marvel will make it three very soon. Compared to the male members, however, even that will be a small percentage, so a fourth would definitely help (although you can guarantee Tony Stark would unashamedly hit on her).
Yoda (Star Wars)
Aside from Thor, the Avengers really lack prolonged experience in the art of combat. Granted, Captain America fought in World War II, but his experience pales in comparison to the ancient Jedi Master known as Yoda.
The Avengers are set to head out into space to fight Thanos in the Infinity War movies – and that could result in them encountering some alien races. It would be cool if they could encounter Yoda and encourage him to join their plight.
A skilled lightsaber user, Yoda also has incredibly force powers. And although he doesn’t fight much due to his advanced age, he’s useful when called upon and his experience means he’d e a great mentor regardless. Plus, seeing him fight alongside Hulk, in a Groot/Rocket Raccoon-esque manner, would be incredible.
Hancock (Hancock)
Will Smith’s Hancock character started his 2008 movie as a cocky, brash, lazy and insufferable “superhero” whose actions were often reckless and had dire consequences for the surrounding area. However, he ended the movie acting more disciplined and he would, therefore, be an exciting and useful addition to the Avengers roster.
An ancient god, Hancock would have something in common with fellow Avenger Thor and his super-strength, super-speed, incredible durability and flight would come in handy during a typical Avengers battle.
Although he’s never fought as part of a team before, that would make the dynamic more interesting and his cockiness would clash hilariously with that of Tony Stark – and he’d definitely hit on the female members of the team, giving Stark the kind of rival he’s never had in the team before.
RoboCop (RoboCop)
RoboCop certainly isn’t your typical Avengers member, but imagining him interacting with the classic roster of the team is reason enough in itself to want him to join the ranks (really, can you imagine him talking to Tony Stark? Hilarious!).
The cyborg police officer – who was made from both mechanical parts and the corpse of deceased officer Alex Murphy – is programmed to function in a disciplined but fair way, apprehending criminals in no-nonsense fashion.
Joining the Avengers would guarantee him some upgrades from the aforementioned Tony Stark – and that would be awesome to see – and seeing him heading out to apprehend villains and bringing them into the Avengers’ headquarters for punishment would be so cool to see.
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Prior to the inevitable arrival of Doctor Strange, the Avengers don’t really have anything in the way of pure magic in their ranks – the closest things are Thor and Scarlet Witch – and Willow Rosenberg would add some much-needed power on that front.
Willow is an extremely powerful witch who has teetered on the side of evil – just like some of the Avengers have, so she’d have something in common with them – but, when she’s good, she’s an extremely valuable asset for any team of heroes.
She also has the ability to imbue other with power, which could be important, and her intelligence on a variety of subjects could come in extremely handy when it comes to aiding the likes of Tony Stark in his work in the fields of science and technology.
Harry Potter (Harry Potter)
Harry Potter is one of the only characters in existence whose popularity rivals that of the Avengers as a collective, so to see the two entities teaming up together would be absolutely awesome for fans around the world.
Potter is a powerful wizard and, as stated in the Willow Rosenberg entry on this list, magic is something the Avengers are sorely lacking is, so having him join their ranks would give them something they don’t already have and will definitely need in the future.
After graduating from Hogwarts, the next step would naturally be to join the big leagues of being a hero – and it really doesn’t get much bigger than joining up with the Avengers! He could really come in to his own alongside the likes of Thor and Captain America.
The Doctor (Doctor Who)
Although he’s not a typical Avenger – in the sense that he doesn’t really get his hands dirty when it comes to combat – the Doctor would be an excellent addition in the team and would offer something very different to anything they’ve had before.
With an intellect that makes the likes of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner look like dimwitted little children, he could aid in the building of equipment, help to deduce difficult situations and counter the extreme intelligence of villains like Doctor Doom and Thanos.
Moreover, the equipment he would bring to the table – the likes of the TARDIS and the Sonic Screwdriver – could be invaluable to the team when it comes to defeating a wide variety of powerful opponents.
He-Man (Masters Of The Universe)
He-Man would make a fantastic Avenger, for a number of reasons – not least his incredible power levels. He has the strength and durability of the Hulk and a magical weapon on a par with Thor’s, making him a sort of amalgamation of two of the Avengers’ most powerful members.
Moreover, he’s a great leader with the kind of morals that would surely help them to avoid the kind of incidents that cause the inevitable implementation of the Sokovia Accords in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It would also give the hero a link to the home planet of his mother – Queen Marlena, who is an astronaut from Earth – which would mean he would have a valid reason to explore his ancestry while doing good at the same time.
Captain Planet (Captain Planet & The Planeteers)
Captain Planet would make an incredible Avenger, as nobody in the world cares more about the Earth than he does and his powers would be a fantastic asset to the team.
He essentially has all of the same powers as Superman and more – and no team would refuse those as an addition to their roster – and, like He-Man before him, his morals would help them to avoid the kind of situations that cause the public and governments of the world to turn against them.
Of course, with pollution being his weakness, that’s not a great thing to have in the modern age, but there’s no doubting that he would add some extremely valuable muscle to an already incredibly powerful line-up.
What do you think? Would these characters make great Avengers? Which other characters who aren’t classically associated with comics would be good for the Earth’s mightiest heroes? Have your say below!
