Avengers: Endgame was the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while
Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to serve as the final chapter of the Infinity Saga, Comic-Con is probably where we learn more about what comes next for this shared world.
Based on what we know about Marvel Studios' Phase 4 plans, sequels will be a priority over the next few years as the stories of characters such as Doctor Strange and Black Panther continue to play out. However, there should also be plenty of room for some new faces to make an impact.
While there are some obvious suggestions (pretty much everyone in
The Eternals and
Black Widow's Yelena Belova, for example), there are a fair few lesser known heroes and villains from the comics who could be the MCU's next breakout stars.
So, to check out this look at ten characters we believe could steal the show in Marvel's Phase 4, simply hit the "View List" button!
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is, of course, a classic Avenger, but he's faded into obscurity in recent years and is far from a household name even among the most hardcore of comic book fans.
Created by Baron Zemo, Simon Williams was meant to help the Masters of Evil take down Earth's Mightiest Heroes but he later switched sides and has since battled some pretty serious mental issues and had to balance being a superhero with his career in Hollywood.
Nathan Fillion was supposed to make a cameo appearance on some posters in the Earth-set scenes in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but that was scrapped so here's hoping Kevin Feige does actually have
something in mind for Wonder Man.
U.S. Agent
John Walker is a very interesting and complex character, and following Captain America's apparent death/disappearance, it's understandable that the US Government might want a Cap of their own - and one who will follow the rules that Steve Rogers broke when he refused to abide by the Sokovia Accords.
Plus, Sam Wilson is probably still considered a criminal after Steve broke him out of The Raft, so would they really be happy with The Falcon becoming the new Captain America?
The most obvious place for U.S. Agent to appear would be the
Falcon & The Winter Soldier TV series on Disney+, and recent rumours have actually pointed to that being the case.
The Sentry
The Sentry is a very divisive character who was given a huge role in the Marvel Universe around the time
Civil War was playing out. It didn't take long for Marvel's Superman to disappear, but he has made a number of appearances since and there's no denying that his split personality issues are interesting, especially when The Void makes itself known.
Marvel Studios could even make him a cosmic character or a full-blown villain if they so choose.
Ultimately, though, it's hard to say where The Sentry might appear, but Marvel Studios could reimagine him in a lot of very exciting ways. Just like Mysterio is seemingly trying to fill the void left by Iron Man, this hero could easily step forward to try and replace Thor now that he's in outer space with the GOTG.
Ares
If you're at all familiar with The Sentry, then chances are you'll be well aware that he literally tore Ares in half during
Siege. Well, that R-Rated moment is unlikely to make it to the big screen, but there's really no reason why this powerful God can't be given the chance to shine.
The son of Zeus and the Olympian God of War, Ares is also Hercules' brother and has served as both a hero and villain over the years (though he was misled by Norman Osborn as a Dark Avenger).
Marvel Studios would have a lot of freedom to do whatever they like with Ares in many respects given the way his allegiances often changed, but it would be fun to see this unique take on the God, especially if
The Eternals is going to introduce Hercules and change this shared world's mythology as we know it.
Black Knight
Rumour has it that Marvel Studios is considering introducing Black Knight in the next
Ant-Man movie by revealing that he's been trapped in the Quantum Realm for hundreds of years.
Time will tell on that front, but as the wielder of the Ebony Blade and a member of The Avengers, Black Knight is actually one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful superheroes and someone who would definitely bring a different feel to whatever we're going to see throughout Phase 4.
Ultimately, it just depends whether we're getting a third
Ant-Man movie, but fans are anxious to see more of The Wasp, so there is a decent chance that will happen. With any luck, though, Marvel Studios will consider getting a new director to take the helm in order to shake things up a little.
Hercules
Hercules has a lengthy history in the Marvel Universe and, as you can see above, there have been a number of iterations of the character. He's been an Avenger, a replacement for The Hulk, and even Wolverine's boyfriend in an alternate universe, and rumour has it that he will be the MCU's first openly gay superhero as part of
The Eternals.
That would definitely be cool to see, while him making his presence felt in the present day would also be fun. After all, Hercules has always been one of the most entertaining members of The Avengers and some team-ups with Thor would definitely be appreciated.
There's a lot that could be done with Hercules and it wouldn't be that hard to imagine him carrying his own franchise, even if the "Hercules" label has been soured somewhat in recent years thanks to movies like the one directed by Brett Ratner starring Dwayne Johnson!
Moon Knight
Fans have made it clear that they would like to see Moon Knight on the big screen, and Kevin Feige has hinted that he does have plans for the emotionally unstable superhero, who has a number of different personalities. Well, that hopefully will indeed be the case because there's more to this guy than just being Marvel's Batman.
Marvel Studios arguably dropped the ball by allowing Marvel Television to use Daredevil, so this is Feige's chance to introduce a vigilante character to the MCU in the right way.
Moon Knight definitely deserves his own movie, but Marvel Studios could also take a slower approach to introducing him by using Marc Spector first and having his origin story play out elsewhere. He's an awesome character and one who deserves to grace the big screen sooner rather than later.
Eric O'Grady
With the
Ant-Man franchise seemingly heading down a more fantastical route, it now seems unlikely that Eric O'Grady, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who becomes a villainous version of the size-changing hero, is a priority for Marvel Studios for the time being.
That's a shame, though, as it would be great fun seeing him and Scott Lang square off, especially when they arguably have a fair bit in common. Throw in the fact that Eric misusing his powers would be downright hilarious, and he could help breathe some new life into the
Ant-Man movies after the sequel ended up being a tad underwhelming.
If those rumours about a
Dark Avengers movie are correct, then it would definitely make sense for Norman Osborn to recruit this "evil" version of Ant-Man for his team.
Taskmaster
Taskmaster has been used a lot more in recent years, both in the comic books and in video games. Unfortuantely, there's been no sign of him on the big screen and that's genuine surprise when a) he's one of Marvel's most visually unique villains and b) also one of the most exciting in terms of how he fights (he can remember his opponent's moves at the cost of his own memories).
While he's often used as a henchman or someone who targets lower tier superheroes, there's no real reason why Taskmaster couldn't be portrayed as the big bad of an upcoming movie.
Personally, I think it would be awesome to see him square off with someome like Black Panther, while he would definitely make a very interesting opponent for the MCU's new Captain America!
Captain Britain
Everyone knows who Captain America is, but what about Captain Britain? Marvel Studios has spent a lot of time in the UK (everything from
Guardians of the Galaxy to
Spider-Man: Far From Home were shot on that side of the pond) so it's honestly surprising that he's yet to appear.
There really is a lot of potential with the character, especially as his powers are mystical in nature and tied into British mythology. Brian Braddock is also a badass, and not just Steve Rogers with a British flag plastered across his chest.
Looking to Alan Moore's work would be a smart move, as he took things in some very weird and unexpected directions. Meanwhile, newer adventures tying into the Multiverse would also be fun to see explored. The question is, will moviegoers be interested in a
Captain Britain movie after spending so many years following Captain America?
Continue reading below for 10 announcements we
want Marvel Studios to make during Comic-Con!
Give Nova His Due
I'm not the world's biggest Nova fan, but it's pretty clear that many people want to see the character brought to the big screen and Comic-Con would be a great place to shed some light on the hero's future.
Whether it's something as simple as his logo appearing on Hall H's massive screens as the panel ends or confirmation that we'll see him in a movie like
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, this would be an amazing way to make fans happy and would be something else to get excited about moving into Phase 4.
Kevin Feige has said he has plans for Nova, so why not reveal them on this grand stage?
The Full Phase 4 Slate
While I'm sure Marvel Studios will announce the movies we're getting in 2020 and 2021, I can't help but hope that they'll actually reveal the entire Phase 4 slate similar to what happened at that "Marvel Event" way back when.
They have release dates set in stone for years, so knowing what the next
Avengers movie will be called or even when the likes of
Black Panther and
Doctor Strange will return to theaters will finally clear some things up and get fans seriously excited about the future of the MCU.
We already have a good idea of many of the movies on the way (
Shang-Chi,
The Eternals, etc.), but here's hoping Marvel Studios brings some huge surprises that none of us could have seen coming.
One Final Captain America Adventure
As I've mentioned a few times on the site, there's a pretty interesting theory doing the rounds on social media which claims that the Russo Brothers might have shot a secret
Captain America movie while working on
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame.
It sounds pretty far-fetched if we're being honest, but there's a clear demand for Marvel Studios to delve into what happened to Steve Rogers when he travelled back in time and while it seems as if Chris Evans is 100% finished playing the hero, surely he could be convinced to come back for one final adventure with the Russos at the helm.
This would be a shock announcement for sure, but stranger things have happened.
What's The Deal With Disney+?
Some concept art from
Loki was recently shown off to investors, so you have to hope Marvel Studios will finally set the record straight on what is and isn't coming to this streaming service.
Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Loki, and WandaVision are all confirmed, but rumours have swirled about other shows and it would be good to get some clarification, story details, and premiere dates.
If these new shows are truly going to have an impact on the MCU, they should be included in a slate reveal!
New Concept Art
Back when Marvel Studios attended Comic-Con on a regular basis, a highlight would be the concept art reveals we would get throughout the panel. The
Captain Marvel artwork wasn't officially released until around the time the movie arrived in theaters, and it feels like a million years ago that they hyped up
The Avengers movies with those epic banners.
Well, with
Black Widow and
The Eternals on the way next year, you have to hope we'll see something, especially as a first look at the latter would really generate a lot of buzz about characters that even a lot of comic book fans aren't overly familiar with.
We know that Loki concept art exists so Marvel Studios must have plenty to show off, and it now remains to be seen whether we'll actually get anything new. As for footage, I can't imagine that they have enough from
Black Widow to have put together any sort of sneak peek for Comic-Con. We'll see.
The Eternals Cast Reveal
A number of actors have been linked to
The Eternals, including Richard Madden and Angelina Jolie.
Unfortunately, we've heard nothing official and if Marvel Studios hopes to make this 2020 release a
Guardians of the Galaxy sized hit, then bringing them out on stage seems like a smart move.
Even if it's just a handful of them, the buzz that would be generated would definitely pay off.
Clarify Spider-Man's Future In The MCU
It's hard to imagine that Spider-Man won't remain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it would be good to have it 100% confirmed, especially as it looks like Marvel Studios is setting Peter Parker up as one of the new faces of the MCU.
With so much talk about a crossover with Venom and Avi Arad's obvious desire to get his hands back on the wall-crawler, there's some concern that Sony Pictures is now confident enough to move forward with
Spider-Man movies that don't include Marvel Studios' involvement, and that's obviously cause for concern given their track record.
So, here's hoping we get an official announcement about a third movie in 2021!
Anthony Mackie Suits Up As Captain America
This could come in the form of concept art, Anthony Mackie appearing on stage, or a photo from a costume test, but a first look at Anthony Mackie as Captain America would be significant for a number of reasons. For starters, it would help usher in a new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but, perhaps even more importantly for Marvel Studios, it would get everyone talking.
After all, a reveal like this would be huge and would show that the studio is determined to do something new with Captain America after Steve Rogers passed the mantle on to Sam Wilson.
Right now, the character's future is up in the air; Anthony Mackie has talked about being the new Captain America, but the fact that he's going to star in a series with "Falcon" in the title on Disney+ has made some fans worry that it's going to be a while before he properly wields the shield.
Tell Us Something About The X-Men And Fantastic Four
The Disney/Fox merger is a done deal, and Marvel Studios has been free to develop new movies based on the characters for a few months now. While it's still a little too early for release dates to be set or concept art to be revealed, it would be nice for Kevin Feige to at least offer some insight into what he plans on doing with the heroes.
For example, what version of the X-Men and Fantastic Four are we getting?
Will they be experienced heroes or teenagers like in the Ultimate Universe? Even details as small as these would be appreciated, while a logo reveal for both teams would also be significant.
What About Some New Characters?
I mentioned Nova at the start of this post, and while we're all keen to see more of familiar faces like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, it would be nice to learn that The Eternals aren't the only new characters we're going to see make an impact in Phase 4.
Whether it's Black Knight, Captain Britain, the Young Avengers, or even Norman Osborn, some hints about a few new faces in the MCU moving forward is a must and would be beyond exciting. Honestly, it depends how much Kevin Feige wants to reveal here.
With any luck, though, we will indeed get some sort of Nova-sized reveal in Hall H.