10 Characters Most Likely To Be Introduced To The Marvel Cinematic Universe During Phase 3
Civil War kicked off Marvel's Phase 3 in style by introducing us to Black Panther and Spider-Man. Which other characters should follow? These are the ten best and most likely possibilities!...
Marvel's Phase 3 is exciting for a lot of reasons, not least because we're going to meet a bunch of new characters, including Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, The Vulture, and almost countless others in both leading and supporting roles. Looking ahead, it's pretty obvious there are a lot of other heroes and villains who will be showing up over the next few years who Marvel has yet to even tease in any way.
So, with that in mind, what you'll find here are ten characters who should (and more than likely will) make their respective presences felt throughout Phase 3. This lot getting the Marvel Studios treatment is long overdue at this stage, and while there are several different ways and places they could first show up - including on TV - don't be shocked to see them all join this world before too long...
10. Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is one of those characters who no one seems quite sure about where the rights lie, but assuming Marvel owns Jessica Drew and Sony are the only ones able to use the "Spider-Woman" moniker, surely some sort of deal could now be reached in order to bring this character to the big screen. Despite the name, Jessica shares very few links with Spider-Man, and her history as both an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. AND Hydra makes her a potentially fascinating subject to further explore.
Delving into her complicated life as a double agent could be well suited to a movie like Captain Marvel given her friendship with Carol Danvers, though Marvel could really shake things up by making Jessica one of Peter's fellow high school students. Hell, given her history as an alien hunter for S.W.O.R.D., there are loads of directions they could head in!
9. Venom
Sony is reportedly forging ahead with their Venom spinoff, though it's been said that it won't be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That means it probably won't include or reference Spider-Man, a baffling and infuriating decision on Sony's part.
Of course, while Venom is unlikely to show up in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker is set to appear in the two-part Avengers: Infinity War, and Marvel would be wise to put their foot down and insist that the alien suit first appear there, mirroring the comic book origin story which saw Spidey discover the symbiote during a trip to another world. That would create a perfect opportunity to have Venom become the lead villain of the wall-crawler's next movie, with Marvel finally doing the villain justice and giving Sony the groundwork for their seemingly inevitable spinoff.
8. Moon Knight
Despite some obvious similarities to Batman, Moon Knight is a character whose live-action debut is long overdue. With a mythology stretching back to ancient Egypt and a split personality disorder which makes him one of the most psychologically complex comic book characters out there, Marc Spector can show up on the big or small screen, though he's probably better suited to the darker world of The Defenders.
Unfortunately, there's a very good chance that neither Moon Knight nor the rest of that superhero team will factor into Avengers: Infinity War, but Marc showing up in one of these shows would be great. Which one? Jessica Jones could be interesting, especially as that series could do with a costumed hero to satisfy the fans who were disappointed that the first season didn't really delve into that side of things.
7. She-Hulk
Marvel Studios can't make a solo movie for The Hulk because of some distribution rights complications with Universal, hence why he's taking on a supporting role in Thor: Ragnarok rather than starring in the film fans have been demanding since The Avengers was released in 2012. It's unlikely that Disney faces the same problem with his cousin She-Hulk though, and exploring her adventures as a lawyer by day and superhero by night as she transforms between being Jennifer Walters and She-Hulk has a ton of potential and could be great fun to explore.
This movie also gives Mark Ruffalo a potential starring role in yet another Marvel release, and with fans vocally demanding more female led superhero adventures, this is a story which definitely fits the bill (even if it ultimately ends up finding a home somewhere like Netflix instead).
6. Captain Britain
While some might dismiss Captain Britain as a cheap imitation of Captain America at first glance, there's a lot more to Brian Braddock than that. Bear in mind that his origin story is tied into the mythology of Merlin, so his movie could delve into just as many new areas of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Strange.
When you add the Marvel Multiverse and Captain Britain Corps into the mix, it's clear that the character's introduction (whether it's in a solo movie or elsewhere) could shake up Phase 3 in a major way. Captain Britain showing up in Avengers: Infinity War makes sense, especially as that sort of global threat would explain why Earth's Mightiest Heroes might enlist some help from overseas. There's been some speculation that Fox owns the rights to the character, but as he's not a mutant, that hopefully isn't the case.
5. Mephisto
Avengers: Infinity War looks set to wrap up the story which began when Joss Whedon first revealed Thanos' grinning face at the end of The Avengers, and so the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs a new big bad. Well, it's hard to beat the devil himself, and as a villain with so much mythology behind him, both Doctor Strange and Thor: Ragnarok feel like natural places to first bring him into this world.
Despite becoming best known for ending Spider-Man's marriage to Mary Jane Watson in recent years, Mephisto is definitely a character with the potential to be an effective big bad who pushes the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to their limits. Having him show up in a supporting role somewhere in Phase 3 would be a good start before a bigger role in Phase 4, but him getting the big screen treatment is most definitely long overdue now.
4. Thor
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may already have a Thor, but depending how close to an end Chris Hemsworth's contract is, the God of Thunder's franchise could be shaken up in a major way by introducing the popular new female version of the character. Natalie Portman reportedly isn't too keen to reprise the role of Jane Foster, so her being beneath the helmet is unlikely, so how about making it Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie?
Regardless, very briefly showing a woman's hand picking up Mjolnir at the end of Avengers: Infinity War after Thor's apparent death or decision to give up the mantle would be a great way to introduce this version of the character and sets up an exciting new status quo for Phase 4 where Hemsworth could take on a smaller role as a mentor of sorts to whoever is next to wield his hammer and prove themselves worthy.
3. Namor
It was back in 2010 that we first heard rumours about Namor the Submariner making an appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger, but those obviously didn't pan out. Since then, there have been a lot of conflicting reports about who holds the rights to the character and not really any sort of movement on a solo outing for the King of Atlantis.
The problem now is that Warner Bros. will beat Marvel to it with Aquaman, something which could have the unfortunate effect of moviegoers labelling Namor as a ripoff of that character when he does finally make his big screen debut. Regardless, it would still be great to see Namor show up at some point in Phase 3, and an introduction in Black Panther could definitely work given their history. If not there, how about the army of Atlantis joining the fight against a certain Mad Titan?
2. J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson being left out of The Amazing Spider-Man movies was unforgivable, but ultimately far from the worst thing those movies did. Despite how memorable J.K. Simmons' take on the editor of The Daily Bugle was, Marvel would be mad to make the same mistake when Spider-Man: Homecoming rolls around, especially as this is a character who can make an impact throughout the whole of Phase 3.
Jonah deciding to target The Avengers for bringing Spider-Man into the fold would be interesting, and there's actually precedent for that in the source material (alternatively, him being mayor could also work). The inclusion of this character obviously also opens the door to the likes of Robbie Robertson and Betty Brant being introduced, two fan-favourites who were definitely underused in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
1. Galactus
It's possible then that they offered them a similar deal for allowing the studio to move forward with those X-Men TV shows, and the studio could probably live without these two characters for the time being, especially as they're unlikely to green light a Fantastic Four sequel any time soon. Avengers: Infinity War ending with Galactus taking aim at a vulnerable Earth after Thanos' attack to set up Phase 4 would be epic.
Which of these characters would you most like to see in Marvel's Phase 3? Have we missed any others? As always, let us know your thoughts in the usual place.
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