10 Marvel Characters Most Likely To Make A Surprise Appearance In CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
The cast of Civil War is already massive, but it's going to get even bigger thanks to the surprise appearance of some new and familiar faces. Which heroes and villains are most likely to appear? Find out here.
There's no reason to believe that Captain America: Civil War will be any different then, and you can bet your life that despite all of the character's we already know about - including Spider-Man - Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers have a few others they've yet to reveal and likely won't until the movie reaches the big screen. Now, don't get me wrong, not every hero and villain listed here will show up in this highlight anticipated release, and that's why I've ranked them from the least to most likely.
However, I strongly believe that we'll get to see at least a few of those mentioned here, and there's even evidence to support that belief in some cases. Captain America: Civil War is going to change the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever, and the ramifications of some of these guys making an appearance will just go one step further in making that a reality. So, what are you waiting for? Click on the NEXT button and find out which Marvel characters you should expect to see appear...
10. Norman Osborn
We already know that Aunt May will be making an appearance in Captain America: Civil War, something which seemingly confirms that we'll be spending quite a bit of time in Peter Parker's world.
With that in mind, could this movie be used to bring in a new MCU big bad like Norman Osborn? I'd say it's relatively unlikely, but stranger things have happened, and bear in mind that there rumours of an Oscorp mention in Ant-Man. The Amazing Spider-Man franchise completely dropped the ball on Norman Osborn anyway, and while there are definitely better choices of villain for the reboot (Scorpion!), Marvel's take on the Green Goblin would be a lot of fun to see.
9. Thor
It's been stated repeatedly that the God of Thunder won't factor into Captain America: Civil War, but considering the fact that he played such a huge role in the comic book version of this story (well, his clone did), I can't help but wonder whether Thor might make his presence felt in some way.
Could the unknown figure in that yellow tube - which Iron Man is battling Captain America and Bucky besides - be housing Ragnarok, an evil version of Thor who will somehow factor into the character's next movie? Probably not, but there are clearly a lot of surprises in store for us here, so at least some sort of reference to what the hero is up to will no doubt make it into the final cut.
8. Nick Fury
Samuel L. Jackson has said that he's not in Captain America: Civil War, but I'm not buying it. The fact he's on the run makes a public appearance at an event like Peggy Carter's funeral (or even Cap's if the movie plays out the same way as the comics) admittedly unlikely, but the former head of S.H.I.E.L.D. not weighing in on this conflict would be a baffling decision by Marvel.
After all, they arguably shoehorned him into Avengers: Age of Ultron, and THIS is just the kind of story he should be utilised in, especially with General Ross and the government becoming so involved in superhero business. I would bet money on him showing up somewhere, but those denials were pretty believable...
7. Thanos
Another character who those involved with the movie have said won't be in any way involved (are you noticing the pattern here, yet?), some sort of hint of what's next for Thanos would be a good way to kick off Phase 3, especially if the Mad Titan really is sitting out Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
An after-credits scene being reserved for the villain seems most likely, and while there are almost countless different directions that could take, I have a hard time buying into the Russo Brothers not taking the opportunity to set up their next Marvel movies here to at least some extent. On the other hand, Avengers: Infinity War is a long way off, so maybe they were telling the truth!
6. Hank Pym
In the Civil War comic book, Hank Pym was a major part of the conflict, siding with Iron Man and helping him do everything from constructing Prison 42 to programming that Thor clone. The MCU version's disdain for the Stark family makes me think that almost certainly won't be the case in Captain America: Civil War, and while Kevin Feige has said we won't get The Wasp, why wouldn't Hank still be in Scott's ear?
Perhaps Marvel wants to show the new Ant-Man standing on his own two feet, but the former superhero providing his protege with some intel makes perfect sense, and I would guess it's him who frantically warns Scott not to mess with the regulator to go...big!
5. J. Jonah Jameson
Those of you who follow me on Twitter may recall me predicting that Marvel would secretly bring back J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson for Captain America: Civil War. Well, some recent (and f***ing amazing) Justice League casting news pretty much kills that theory, but I still think this will be the movie which introduces us to The Daily Bugle.
Whether it's an after-credits scene depicting JJJ declaring Spider-Man a menace or a glimpse at the newspaper publisher at an earlier point in the movie as we see parts of Peter's life before being suited up by Tony Stark, Marvel secretly casting this role admittedly feels far-fetched, but they'd surprised us like this in the past!
4. The Hulk
For months, there have been conflicting reports about The Hulk showing up in Captain America: Civil War, and while it currently doesn't seem as if that will be the case, we do have enough evidence at this stage to at least suspect that he might.
One of the teams unleashing the Jade Giant as a secret weapon of some sort makes sense, as would a possibly betrayed Tony Stark later banishing his former friend to outer space at the insistence of General Ross. Alternatively, I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility that he ends up becoming Red Hulk, a rumour which has been doing the rounds for years now. Either way, I think we're going to see the Green Goliath!
3. Howard Stark
Since his first appearance in Iron Man 2, Howard Stark has continued to make his presence felt in the MCU, with Dominic Cooper now a regular presence in Agent Carter and the John Slattery version reappearing in Ant-Man last year.
The latest trailer for Captain America: CiviI War kicks off with what looks like a flashback to the days Bucky was under the control of HYDRA, and as we've now seen Tony clashing with the former Winter Soldier on a number of occasions, I would place money on us getting a flashback to the night that he assassinated Howard and Maria Stark. After all, actually showing us that would certainly make it easier to sympathise with Iron Man's actions.
2. Daredevil
We keep hearing that a crossover between the big and small screen parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is damn near impossible because of scheduling issues, but there's no way the movie division will have been able to ignore the massive success of Daredevil last year.
Having The Man Without Fear make some sort of brief appearance (even if it's to tell Captain America or Iron Man that he has no interest in becoming an Avenger as his comic book counterpart has done on so many occasions) would be a huge treat, and potentially opens the door to ol' Hornhead and the rest of The Defenders making their presence felt in a bigger way in Avengers: Infinity War.
1. Red Skull
As of right now, we know pretty much nothing about what to expect from Daniel Bruhl's Baron Zemo. Could it be that he's not Zemo after all and is instead a new version of the Red Skull? Honestly, we know so little you could come up with a billion different theories at this stage, but I definitely think that his character's plan could be to resurrect that bad guy in some way.
It makes perfect sense after all; distract the heroes by getting them to fight each other while attempting to bring back the only man who can restore HYDRA to its former glory! Regardless of how or when it happens in Captain America: Civil War, I'm convinced that we're going to see the Red Skull again.
Tell us, do you think any of these characters will appear in Captain America: Civil War? Have we missed any who should? As always, let us know your thoughts in the usual place.