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Marvel Studios are celebrating 10 years of movie making magic this year, as well as the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). In 2019, Captain Marvel and the still untitled Avengers Four are set to introduce new characters to the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In this article we will take a look at the characters that have yet to appear in the MCU.
We have narrowed the list down from hundreds of characters, including Squirrel-Girl, to our top 12 picks for the characters we would love to see on screen alongside the Avengers.
12: Nova
First Appearance: The Man Called Nova #1 (September 1976)
Nova was created by Marv Wolfman in 1966 in an issue of his fanzine called Super Adventures, the character was originally called The Star, before being redesigned and later developed into Nova/Richard Rider by John Romita, Sr. when Marv worked for Marvel Comics.
In a homage to Spider-Man, Richard Rider was a high school student from New York, but when a character called Rhomann Dey, the last surviving member of the Nova Corps from the planet Xandar, selects Richard as his replacement, he is bestowed with a uniform and the powers of a Nova Centurion.
Nova has the power to fly, and like most characters, has superhuman strength, speed and durability. He’s also in possession of something called the Xandarian Worldmind, which allows him a near infinite control over the Nova Force, granting him the ability to absorb and project energy.
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, Nova’s origin would be well suited to the MCU, with Xandar decimated by Thanos and his army for the Power Stone. This leaves the door open for Rhomann Dey to survive and travel to Earth in search of his replacement.
11: Man-Thing
First Appearance: Savage Tales #1 (May 1971)
Created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, Man-Thing/Dr. Theodore Sallis is a young biochemist living in the Florida Everglades but is transformed into a large humanoid swamp monster after a car accident.
Working alongside his team, including a pre-Lizard Dr. Connors, Theodore was attempting to recreate the super-soldier serum that helped to create Captain America. But when he learns that the technological terrorist group A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) are operating in the area, he destroys his notes and escapes with the serum, which he injects into himself before the car crash.
Though difficult to communicate with, Man-Thing is still sentient, but has a few abilities too. He is much stronger and more durable, he also secretes a highly corrosive and poisonous chemical whenever someone becomes angry or fearful. This is due to his empathic ability in which he can sense how people feel, similar to Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but without physical touch.
Man-Thing has been referenced a few times in the MCU, with his head appearing on the Grandmaster’s tower in Thor: Ragnarok. We have also met his wife, Ellen Brandt, in Iron Man 3 after she’s been injected by A.I.M. with Extremis to repair her arm and scarring, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe that one day, we may actually see Man-Thing in the MCU.
10: Beta Ray Bill
First Appearance: The Mighty Thor #337 (November 1983)
One of the few characters worthy to wield the mighty hammer Mjolnir, Beta Ray Bill was created by Walt Simonson and has been a fan favourite character to appear for many years.
Bill is part of a near extinct race called the Korbinites and was in suspended animation aboard a ship called Skuttlebutt after his galaxy exploded. When the ship travels towards Earth, the God of Thunder, Thor, is despatched by SHIELD to investigate and is perceived as a threat. The ship releases Bill, who battles Thor and claims Mjolnir for himself.
Bill is a very powerful character who is gifted his own hammer, known as Stormbreaker, which made its debut in Avengers: Infinity War, by Odin. Like Thor, he can manipulate electricity, fly and manipulate the weather.
Like Man-Thing, he too has been referenced a few times, including his head appearing alongside Man-Thing on the Grandmaster’s tower. He was originally a big part of the Planet Hulk story, which Thor: Ragnarok partially adapted, switching Bill for Thor in the battle arena against the Hulk.
It is entirely possible that Beta Ray Bill will appear after Avengers Four, possibly taking over from Thor if Chris Hemsworth decides to move on. Bill is a fantastic character who would fit in extremely well with a more cosmic focused MCU.
9: Spider-Woman
First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight #32 (February 1977)
Continuing the trend for bug-related characters, Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew was created by Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin and is the original character to have the name “Spider-Woman”, after then-publisher Stan Lee wanted to copyright the name before a rival company could in a one-off appearance, but the response was so positive, she has gone on to become a much loved character.
In the original story, Jessica moves with her family to Transia from England after becoming gravely ill. To save her, her father injects her with an experimental serum based on irradiated spiders’ blood. Years later she is captured and brainwashed by HYDRA, turning her into Agent Arachne. After an encounter with Nick Fury, she breaks free and becomes a private investigator.
Like Spider-Man, she can stick to walls and has superhuman speed, durability, and reflexes. She can also fly using the collapsible wings under arms, but later issues showed she doesn’t actually need them. She is also able to project “venom blasts” from her hands to stun or kill and can even manipulate pheromones that attracts men and repulses women.
With both HYDRA and SHIELD still operating in the MCU, this leaves the door open for Spider-Woman to appear. The upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to be located in Europe as Peter and his friends are on summer vacation, which would seem like a good opportunity to introduce her and allow the character the big screen appearance she deserves.
8: Blade
First Appearance: The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973)
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Blade is a vampire hunter who possesses the same abilities as any regular vampire, but is able to walk about during the day, earning him the name of ‘Daywalker’.
Born in England in 1929 as Eric Brooks, his mother, a prostitute, experienced complications during labour. Her Doctor, who turns out to be a vampire called Deacon Frost, feasts on her during Blade’s birth, which passed on certain enzymes from his own blood to the infant. Deacon was scared off by his mother’s co-workers before he could kill Blade.
The partial transformation left Blade with all of the strengths of a vampire and none of the weaknesses, including superhuman strength and speed, enhanced senses, an accelerated healing factor that slows down his aging. He’s also well equipped with weapons such as guns, stakes and of course, his sword.
The character is now officially back with Marvel Studios after starring in his own movie trilogy and TV spin-off, created by The Dark Knight co-writer David S. Goyer, with Wesley Snipes as the vampire slayer. This would be an interesting side to introduce into the MCU, with the supernatural not really touched on to this extent, apart from Ghost Rider in Agents of SHIELD, and Doctor Strange.
With Blade being a character aimed at older audiences, this opens the possibility for him to star in his own Netflix series, alongside Daredevil, the Punisher and Jessica Jones, rather than the more family friendly movies.
7: Moon Knight
First Appearance: Werewolf by Night #32 (August 1975)
Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin, Moon Knight/Marc Spector was initially a villain hired to capture the Werewolf, in whose story he debuted. By the end of the two-part story, he has a change of heart and helps the Werewolf escape.
Marc Spector was a man with a varied career, from boxer, to marine, to mercenary. While working in Egypt for Raoul Bushman alongside his friend “Frenchie”, he stumbles across an archaeological dig here they discover an ancient Egyptian temple and statue of the moon god Khonshu. But after losing a battle to Bushman, his heart stops, but a vision of Khonshu offers him a second chance as the “Fist of Khonshu”.
Moon Knight has a few similarities to DC Comics character Batman, firstly by being an expert detective and proficient in all types of martial arts and armed combat. But with his ties to Khonshu, he also possess enhanced strength, endurance and agility, but this depends on the lunar cycle. He also has access to a variety of vehicles including the Mooncopter and the Angel Wing.
Similarly to Blade, Moon Knight is a character that would be better suited to the Netflix section of the MCU, with his stories tending to be darker with elements of the supernatural. His detective side would be ideally suited to match Jessica Jones, whereas his martial arts skills would open the door for encounters with Iron Fist, so he could be introduced in either show in different ways.