Timely Comics was established in 1939, and in 1961 the company changed its name to Marvel Comics. Since its inception, Marvel Comics has been producing fantasy, action, and science fiction tales that are told through sequential art. Therefore, despite the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which, let’s not forget, has only a total of 23 films to its name so far, may occasionally give the impression that it is running out of Marvel Comics characters that could potentially be adapted into live-action media, this is not the case at all.
Because of agreements that have been in place with rival film studios for many years, Marvel was only recently able to incorporate some of its most well-known intellectual properties into the shared cinematic narrative. For instance, the intentions for the first Marvel Cinematic Universe Fantastic Four film weren’t revealed until the previous year. There is currently no other information available aside from the fact that Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) will be directed by Jon Watts. If what we know is accurate, the Marvel Cinematic Universe adaptations of powerful Fantastic Four figures like Galactus and the Silver Surfer won’t arrive for several more years at the earliest.
The X-Men, on the other hand, have maintained a movie franchise with 20th Century Fox for the past two decades, during which time it has been extremely profitable. If the rulers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) make the decision to give each significant X-Man a movie trilogy, similar to how they more or less did for the Avengers, then the MCU has enough raw material to continue well beyond the year 2050.
But before we get into that, let’s take a look at all the Marvel characters who, as of the time this article was written, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had no plans for. Get comfortable. This will take a few minutes, so please be patient…
The X-Men
We are grouping all mutants together for the sole reason that a list titled “X-Men Characters Not Yet Confirmed For the MCU” might contain absolutely every mutant and mutant-adjacent figure with the exception of Deadpool. At the very least, this is sufficient to serve as its feature list several times over.
We only recently found out that Deadpool 3 takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which is a little less than two years after the Disney-Fox merger brought the X-Men and its associated intellectual properties into the same corporate fold as Iron Man and Thor. But will the Merc with a Mouth run across any of the familiar faces from his first two flicks at any point in this one? Will fan favorites like Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Cable, or Domino make an appearance in Deadpool 3?
But if we’re being completely honest, how probable is it that Marvel executives will introduce any big X-Men characters in Deadpool 3? Can you even fathom what would happen if they introduced a character as well-known as Wolverine in the middle of an already-packed third film in a franchise that is led by a different, less well-known superhero? That is completely absurd, yet it is exactly what they did the last time they were in a situation that was essentially the same as this one.
Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and their pals
It is probably not correct to assert that Marvel has “no plans” to incorporate any characters who occupied Netflix’s former (and currently defunct) sector of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This is similar to the situation with the X-Men. There is talk that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil will make an appearance in the next Spider-Man movie, according to rumors. Do not hold it against us if Matt Murdock does not make an appearance in the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel (2021) to throw some punches at unsuspecting bystanders because this rumor has not been corroborated by any trustworthy source.
But the fact remains that, properly speaking, the Marvel Cinematic Universe does not have any plans stated for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher, Elektra, The Kingpin, or any other fictitious character who appears in one of their canceled Netflix episodes. It is safe to presume that we will see some or all of those characters in another live-action role at some point in the not-too-distant future due to the fact that those characters are all popular and Marvel likes to generate money.
Spider-People & Spider-Related People
The 2015 co-licensing agreement between Sony and Marvel Studios produced Peter Parker’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War, as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and the upcoming untitled third Spider-Man-centric Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, despite the fact that it almost didn’t happen.
However, what about the Venom (2018) movie? At first glance, it appeared to be a venture undertaken only by Sony. It was common knowledge at the time that the production company, which had purchased the film rights to Spider-Man and the characters associated with him in the 1990s, was developing its very own version of the Marvel cinematic universe by making use of Spider-supporting Man’s cast. Note that we intentionally spelled Marvel with lowercase letters in this sentence.
But wait a minute: if the upcoming film Morbius (2021), which stars Jared Leto as Marvel’s resident bat-man and is in no way connected to the shared timeline that led to Avengers: Endgame (2019), then what the heck is Michael Keaton, presumably playing Vulture, doing in the trailer for Morbius? If the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Vulture is tied to Morbius, and Morbius is connected to Venom, then does that mean that Tom Hardy is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Venom after all?
Beta Ray Bill
That’s the strange thing with Beta Ray. The reason for Bill’s absence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) thus far is because we are aware that the Korbinite thunderer exists in some form within the fictitious framework. Someone on Sakaar thought it would be a good idea to carve a portrait of Marvel’s other hammer-wielding and justice-distributing character into Grandmaster Palace, as we see in the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok. That’s pretty much Sakaar’s equivalent of the monuments that make up Mount Rushmore.
Beta Walt Simonson was the mind behind the creation of the comic book character Ray Bill, who made his debut in the early 1980s. He battles with a hammer that Odin bestowed upon him as a reward for being so freaking wonderful, and he does it while wearing a mask that makes him look a little bit like a horse. In recent years, BRB has been making frequent appearances in Donny Cates’ collection of series that are only tangentially connected to one another. He has joined the Guardians of the Galaxy 2019 comics and has stopped by to lend a hand in the currently ongoing Thor run that is being written by Cates and Nic Klein.
Chris Hemsworth will, at some point in the future, either make the decision to retire or come to the conclusion that he is worth more money than Disney is willing to pay him. When that time comes, there is a computer-generated horse monster from outer space that can’t wait to get its hands on the mystical hammer.
Squirrel Girl
The fact that we have not yet saw a film trilogy based on Squirrel Girl despite the meteoric rise in popularity she has had over the course of the past decade is, to put it mildly, baffling.
We had anticipated that she would make her live-action debut in a television series titled New Warriors for a while, but that project was canceled not long before Marvel Television ceased operations in 2019.
That’s too bad, but with all due respect to Night Thrasher and Speedball, it’s possible that the reason the show wasn’t picked up was because they called it New Warriors rather than the obvious choice, which was Squirrel Girl and The New Warriors. That being said, it’s unfortunate that this happened. That would be like removing “Spider-Man” from the title “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” and then expressing astonished when no network is interested in purchasing a show just titled “Amazing Friends.”
Doreen Green made her debut in 1991, but she didn’t become a bona fide headline superhero until Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl rocketed to unexpected stardom in 2015. Since then, Doreen Green has been a mainstay in the comic book industry.
The early Howard the Duck tales from the 1970s inspired Unbeatable’s blend of a kid-friendly, upbeat outlook with a wry self-awareness throughout the narrative. Kevin Feige and his colleagues haven’t found the proper time to combine the one-of-a-kind perspective of Unbeatable with the far less eccentric approach of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). At least Marvel isn’t leaving any of their Squirrel Girl media transfer money on the table by having the character Squirrel Girl feature frequently in animated ventures associated with Marvel Rising.
Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr)
Noh-Varr is already pretty much a movie star despite the fact that he has never appeared in a movie. He was conceived of by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones and made his debut in Marvel Boy #1 (2000). His abilities include the ability to control minds with his saliva, the ability to make explosive fingernail clippings, possessing superhuman strength and reflexes, and possessing a vast arsenal of space weapons, with which he is able to laser the face-off of virtually any cosmic or terrestrial danger. To tell you the truth, he is more likely to resort to using his fists, firearms, and punches rather than his saliva and fingernails. But having a large number of powers that are manifestly useless in everyday life must be kind of cool, right?
Because Noh-Varr is a Kree from a different universe, incorporating him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn’t be all that difficult. In Captain Marvel (2019), we get our first glimpse of the Kree, and it appears that Kevin Feige and his colleagues intend to stir alternate realities into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s conceptual soup with Doctor Strange’s appearance in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Therefore, if the rulers of the MCU feel the need for an arrogant weirdo from outer space to turn in and kick everyone’s stupid butt, they basically do not need to look any further than Thanos.
Nova
Richard Rider has not appeared in any Marvel Cinematic Universe films, despite the fact that his interstellar police squad appeared in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. This is despite the fact that he is the space officer who appears in the comics the most and that he is a member of the version of the Guardians that is still being written in ink and drawn on wood pulp. Similarly, the second-most renowned human to be counted among the Nova Corps, Sam Alexander, who is also the youngest human to be a part of the team, has not yet been registered for or expected to make a cameo in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Even though she is not a member of the Nova Corps and shares her name with another character, there is a third character in the Marvel universe who also goes by the name Nova. However, she is a herald for Galactus rather than a member of the Nova Corps.
Comics are a separate category. However, Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige recently suggested to Comicbook.com that Nova might play a role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s even gotten within a hair’s breadth of it once or twice. However, if Disney spends millions of dollars to shoot Richard Rider and/or Sam Alexander flying around space and blowing stuff up, the company is going to want to limit the possibility that someone in the audience will think, “Hey…Isn’t this sort of like Green Lantern?” That’s a difficult order, especially considering that the Nova Corps is essentially Selina Kyle’s Felicia Hardy vs the Green Lantern Corps’s Hal Jordan.
Amora The Enchantress
When you search for “Enchantress, Comics,” all of the first images that come up depict the DC villain that Cara Delevingne portrayed in the movie Suicide Squad (2016). Therefore, there is a pretty obvious reason why one of Thor’s most significant foes does not appear in any of the existing or announced Thor movies. You might expect a sorceress with bedroom eyes for the Avengers’ Norse God of Handsomeness to fit into the next Thor: Love and Thunder, which is set for release in 2022. However, the name “Amora the Enchantress” does not appear anywhere on the cast roster.
On the other hand, if we go to the IMDB page for the upcoming Loki series that will air on Disney+, we can see that Sophia Di Martino and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have been announced as cast members for the show. Both actors are of an age that would be suitable for the role of Amora, and neither has a character that has been announced to the public as of yet. On the other hand, let’s not get too far into the realm of speculation here, should we? From what we can tell, none of the fictional inhabitants of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have ever come across the name “The Enchantress,” and it’s possible that they never will.
Leap-Frog
Leap-Frog is a great example of a character who can be as silly or as gut-wrenchingly awful as the storytellers decide he needs to be. Although Leap-Frog was not the most celebrated creation that Stan Lee and Gene Colan from the 1960s came up with, he is still a fantastic example of such a character.
The springs that are attached to Vincent Patilio’s boots enable him to leap incredible distances when he is in character as a frog. He commits larceny using this disguise and the accompanying gadgetry in order to cover his tracks. Leap-Frog is insignificant when compared to other characters who pose a threat to the planet and/or the cosmos, such as Galactus and Doctor Doom. However, in the Daredevil story arc titled “Wake Up,” written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by David Mack, we see Patilio from the perspective of his little kid, whom Patilio habitually abuses. This gives us a unique insight into Patilio’s character. From this perspective, Leap-Frog is easily on par with the threat posed by the most popular bands in the Marvel Universe. From the standpoint of the youngster, he is inferior in a number of respects. At least after being beaten unconscious by Victor Von Doom, you won’t have to face him at the dinner table the next day.
However, comic book sociopaths in ridiculous outfits have a pretty good track record when it comes to successfully transferring to other mediums. Wake Up might be too gritty for the generally Disney-friendly Marvel to adapt directly, but on the other hand, comic book sociopaths in ridiculous outfits have a pretty good track record.
Moondragon
The stories that circulate on the internet about Heather Douglas’s potential future in the film industry are somewhat inconsistent. The star-hopping telepath has, in the past, been written off as being too queer for Disney’s red state-friendly tastes, but this is no longer the case. Now, however, there are whispers that Drax the Destroyer’s daughter from the comics may make her debut on the big screen in the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Regarding the Marvel Publishing Line’s second-most famous bald mind reader, Marvel Studios hasn’t even uttered a single word about the character. However, if you believe the rumors, she will either never be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) under any circumstances, or she will most likely appear in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film. There is even the potential that there is a third solution that nobody has even considered yet!
However, it is important to keep in mind that the Mantis character from the comics, who was initially portrayed as a human prostitute, a master of martial arts, and a racial caricature, is quite different from her counterpart in the movie. In the meantime, Moondragon has always been shown in the comics as a telepathic character who favors the color green, and she spends the most of her time in space. Even though Moondragon has never made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s possible that she had an indirect impact on the cinematic version of Mantis.
Stilt-Man
The Owl and The Gladiator, both of which are produced by Netflix, have been given a gritty and realistic-ish makeover, but it appears that some of the Daredevil antagonists may not translate well to live-action streaming television in the year 2015. One of them is called Stilt-Man, and he is a scoundrel who wears an outfit that makes him extraordinarily tall. When you stop to think about it, his massive metal legs are capable of doing significant damage. Furthermore, the possibility of somebody with his skills picking you up and then throwing you causes a true feeling of unease. Since his introduction in the late 1960s, we haven’t seen Stilt-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), despite the fact that we’ve come across Spider-Man, Daredevil, Thor, Iron Man, and other members of the Marvel superhero roster.
It’s not even that Stilt-Man takes a particularly unique method to fighting supercrime that makes him so intriguing. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko are credited with the creation of virtually all of Marvel’s characters that appeared during the publisher’s golden age in the 1960s. Stilt-Man, on the other hand, was the brainchild of Wally Wood, making him maybe the only known figure from his time period for which none of the three luminaries named previously can claim any credit.
Cosmic Ghost Rider
When we think of Disney, our first thought is that the company’s primary goal is to amass a lot of wealth. But it could have mysterious hidden motives, and we should all spend a lot of time trying to figure out what those hidden motives could be. We should also do things like searching for Satanic messages hidden in Winnie the Pooh cartoons, filming ourselves doing this, and posting the footage on YouTube, just like any completely sane person would do.
The executives at Disney would like us to believe that their primary motivation is to increase their wealth. But if that’s the case, why haven’t they started production on the first of what will probably be a series of films based on Cosmic Ghost Rider?
In 2018, we got our first look at this new take on certain old classics, which had been conceived up and brought into being by the author Donny Cates and the artist Geoff Shaw. This version of Frank Castle, who originated in a another universe, offered his soul to Mephisto in exchange for the ability to become the Ghost Rider in that world. After that, he agreed to serve as a herald for Galactus. Therefore, he is a combination of the Punisher, Ghost Rider, and Silver Surfer all rolled into one. Cosmic Ghost Rider descends to the lowest possible level of idiocy, then continues to go deeper until reaching the point where he breaks ground on the status of “So Stupid He’s the Most Awesome Ever.” The possibilities for use in filmmaking are virtually unbounded here.
Alpha Flight
Although we are trying to save space by stationing the entire team in this location, it almost seems as though we are doing the only Canadian crime-fighting unit a disservice by doing so. Both Puck and Sasquatch possibly have as much or more durability and impact on the Marvel Comics continuity than some of the characters on this list that are currently more prominent in popular culture. In the meanwhile, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) cast does not include any native American characters at this time; Snowbird, Shaman, and Talisman have the potential to change that.
Alpha Flight is an important part of Wolverine’s superhero career during the time before he joined the X-Men, and the team frequently includes the mutant siblings Aurora and Northstar. It is also important to note that Marvel readers were introduced to Alpha Flight for the first time in issue #120 of Uncanny X-Men (1979). It’s possible that Fox’s claim to the X-Men movie rights made it impossible for the Knights of the Maple Leaf to ever visit Stark Tower and say “Eh.”
Although that licensing contract is no longer in place, Marvel has stated that it has no plans to adapt Alpha Flight into a live-action film.
Wonder Man
Imagine if someone at DC accidentally fills out the erroneous copyright registration form, which then paves the way for an enterprising writer at Marvel to create a character called “Superwoman” without DC having any grounds for legal action against Marvel. Let’s imagine that throughout the course of the years, Marvel’s Superwoman garners a devoted fanbase, but her fame is never able to compete with that of the publisher’s flagship brands. If nothing else changes in the world between now and 2021, will it be difficult for us to comprehend why Marvel Studios might not be in a hurry to turn their intellectual property, Superwoman, into a movie?
Obviously, Princess Diana of Themyscira and Simon Williams have nothing in common; Williams is a former businessman and occasionally works as a professional actor-stuntman. Williams also possesses powers based on ions. However, in order to offer a possible explanation as to why Williams has not yet appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is possible that the similarity in sobriquets may be too confusing for the average moviegoer who does not enter the theater with a ton of comics trivia already preloaded into their brain. However, that did not prevent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn from considering giving him a cameo appearance in the film. The scene in which Nathan Fillion portrayed Robin Williams on a series of movie posters was almost included in the movie but was ultimately scrapped due to pacing concerns. Nevertheless, it is comforting to be aware that Wonder Man does indeed exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Rick Jones
If Rick Jones is never at Bruce Banner’s bomb testing site acting like a clueless hippie, then Bruce Banner will never be subjected to the gamma rays that cause him to transform into the Hulk. Because of this fact alone — let alone his affiliations to Captain America and Captain Mar-Vell — Rick Jones is a resident of the Marvel Comics continuity who is rarely brought up in conversation. His name flashes up on a computer screen in The Avengers (2012), so we know he’s out doing his thing someplace in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His MCU presence is similar to that of Beta Ray Bill and Man-Thing in certain respects. But we still haven’t seen him.
There appears to be a pattern here. Rick Jones does not make an appearance in any of the currently released Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and Jimmy Olsen’s head gets blown off in the beginning of the DC film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). The movie studios just do not see the need or want to use teenage or adult male children as superhero sidekicks (typically) because these characters do not have their own unique sets of abilities or alter egos that combat crime. However, Jones is able to exercise his powers on occasion. Therefore, it is possible that when he finally makes his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he will do so assuming the identity of A-Bomb or The Abomination or another of his previous names.
Gwenpool
The possibility of Gwenpool becoming a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe raises a lot of problems. To begin, if she began her fictitious life as a combination of Deadpool and Spider-Gwen from an alternate reality, does she belong in the category of characters linked with the X-Men or the category of characters affiliated with the Spider-Man franchise? Does it make a difference if she finally revealed that her real name was actually Gwendolyn Poole and not Gwen Stacy? In order to determine whether or not Sony possesses the film rights to Gwenpool, we would pretty much have to ask Marvel’s lawyers, but those individuals no longer return our phone calls. However, we believe that Gwenpool’s existing position as a live-action property that is not being utilized in any way should be changed.
Do you remember the scene in Avengers: Endgame (2019) where all of the female characters come together to show their support for whatever Captain Marvel is doing with the Infinity Gauntlet at that exact moment? Unintentionally, it draws attention to a significant issue. The majority of the male heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are known for making quips and jokes in the middle of intense combat. In the meantime, none of the female heroes, with the exception of Mantis, Okoye, and Shuri — who are both proficient at the dry sense of humor that is typically associated with Wakandan comedy — have any pre-existing reputation for being hilarious. Mantis is the only exception to this rule. If Gwenpool were to appear in this same movie universe, it would very immediately alleviate the issue of hilarious female characters. (This is assuming that Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, and/or Ms. Marvel do not find a solution to the problem on their individual Disney+ series first, which is certainly a possibility.)
Hulkling
In modern Marvel Comics, Hulkling is depicted as Dorrek VIII, Emperor of the Kree-Skrull Alliance. This identity is more commonly known among readers. You may get a fair notion of what the son of Mar-Vell has on his plate by thinking about how powerful and important the president of the United States is, then multiplying that power and importance by the magnitude of space. Alongside his Young Avengers teammate Wiccan, who is also a member of the LGBTQ community, he is also notable for being one half of one of Marvel’s most recognized LGBTQ couples.
The Skrulls, as depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), did not make their debut appearance in the MCU until Captain Marvel (2019), making them a relatively recent addition in comparison to other elements of the MCU. Kate Bishop makes her debut in the Disney+ Hawkeye series, and America Chavez is set to premiere in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but it does not appear that either of those projects have finished filming yet. Other members of Hulkling’s generation of Young Avengers are even more recent arrivals, which may or may not be a coincidence. Fans of Hulkling who are looking for a live-action adaptation of the character will likely have to be patient, given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as an organization appears to be moving towards the Hulkling side of the Marvel canon.
Wiccan
Caution: The following paragraph contains spoilers. WandaVision has adapted one of the most well-known and depressing plot lines from the comics featuring Wanda Maximoff, and that is the birth of her twin sons, Tommy and Billy. At the time of this writing, the boys have aged ten years in the span of just two episodes. Even though we don’t quite know how much of the lads’ comic book past will be exploited for the program just yet, it’s probably safe to say that their path is going to be a difficult one.
Despite this, both boys (or versions of them) eventually became superheroes in the Marvel canon and served with the Young Avengers. This took place at some point in the history of the Marvel universe. To answer the question of which character has the best chance of remaining in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I would have to say Speed (Tommy), despite the fact that numerous superheroes who possess the ability to run quickly have already achieved widespread recognition. But Wiccan (William) might offer a fresh chapter to the Scarlet Witch’s storyline in the MCU, and the fact that he wears a hakama makes him an instant hit with Naruto fans.
Man-Thing
The vast majority of notable superhero characters and storylines published in the last 60 years were conceived of and penned by a small group of authors and illustrators who all worked for the same two publishing houses, Marvel and DC, and were familiar with one another socially. The full narrative is complicated, but in a TL;DR sense, we can say that high-level professional and creative incest is the explanation for why Man-Thing is mucking about in the swamplands of the Marvel Universe. The actual story can be found here. In much the same way that the name “Wonder Man” conjures up images of a more well-known DC character in the minds of casual moviegoers, a film based on the character Man-Thing would have a difficult time distancing itself from comparisons to Wes Craven and Adrienne Barbeau’s poorly received Swamp Thing (1982).
But that hasn’t stopped the creature who was originally known as Dr. Ted Sallis from making an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the planet Sakaar, the GrandMaster Palace pays homage to Beta Ray Bill, Ares, and Bi-Beast, and it also features a portrait of this character from the film Thor: Ragnarok.
But wait…if Man-Thing, Beta Ray Bill, Ares, and Bi-Beast are all hailed as champions of Sakaar’s contest, doesn’t that suggest that in order for Hulk to become the current champion, he had to have defeated and maybe murdered one of those fan favorites? But the Hulk didn’t end Man-life, Thing’s did he?
Speedball/Penance
When people talk about superhero comics from the 1980s and 1990s, they usually center their attention on the grimdark, violent, and “realistic” knockoffs of Watchman and Dark Knight that were widely available at the time in comic shops and in the action figure aisles of toy stores. While this is going on, we have a tendency to ignore the sardonic self-parody that was also spun out of Watchmen. Nite-Owl may not have had an effect on anyone despite the fact that Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan were more successful in making a name for themselves than Nite-Owl.
Robbie Baldwin was first seen in 1988 and was developed by Tom DeFalco and Steve Ditko, who were also responsible for the design of Spider-Man. Robbie Baldwin possesses powers connected to kinetic energy that enable him to bounce off of things. He is also capable of creating the illusion of colorful balls floating in the air, comparable to the plastic spheres that are typically used to fill the so-called “ball pits” that make us all smile.
After the disastrous events that led to the beginning of the “Civil War” plot, Baldwin decided to adopt the alias and costume of Penance, but he finally came to his senses and reverted back to his previous identity, Speedball. In the same way that Squirrel Girl did, Speedball was supposed to make his first appearance in the New Warriors television series. Because it didn’t work out, Marvel will very certainly give him another shot at some point in the future.
The Shi’ar
We couldn’t help but observe that Fox uses a less well-known extraterrestrial race to play the role of the Shi’ar in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, despite the fact that this multi-solar system society of technologically powerful humanoids is historically intertwined with X-Men lore (2019). Does the lack of clarity surrounding the Shi’ar’s licensing rights play any role in this decision at all? We have no notion what to do! However, it is a hypothesis that is just as plausible as any other.
Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe draws a significant amount of its source material from the cosmic section of the comics, we have every reason to expect that Majestrix Lilandra, Deathbird, Gladiator, and the rest of the cast will make their presence felt once the MCU starts rolling with the X-Men. However, there are a variety of valid explanations as to why we have not yet observed them. In a setting that isn’t based on Jean Grey being possessed by an all-powerful and demonic firebird, the Shi’ar are described as being Kryptonians who come from a home planet that hasn’t been destroyed by the destruction of Krypton. Originality is not one of their strong features, at least not when viewed in isolation.
Darkhawk
First, let’s check that our understanding of the scenario is accurate: Darkhawk is similar to Iron Man in that he dons a suit of armor and can fire lasers from it. This outfit features retractable claws, which are remarkably similar to the claws that extend from Wolverine’s forearms when he needs them. And this outfit is generated by an amulet that he discovered when he was being hunted by thugs affiliated with organized crime, similar in the way that Danny Ketch accidentally discovers the enchanted motorcycle that turns him into Ghost Rider. If all of these things are true, then one has to wonder why Marvel hasn’t already sued itself for infringement of its own copyright. In this instance, it is quite clear that Marvel stole a large number of its own finest ideas and, as a result, the company is entitled to financial compensation for the intellectual wrong it has committed.
In all seriousness, despite the fact that it is evocative of another dark-colored vigilante with a winged-animal theme, Darkhawk’s costume is one of the most memorable to emerge from the crazy early 1990s. Even if a revamp of Darkhawk’s power set and origin story could be necessary for a Marvel Cinematic Universe adaptation of the character, the concept of doing so is not intrinsically flawed.
