So by now we all know about the Marvel/Netflix universe. Right now, it consists of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. After that, they will all team up in a Defenders show. Even though these series will likely take up a couple of years of programming, I'm wondering what will happen after the Defenders. There are so many places to go and so many great characters that deserve their own show. So here is what I'd like to see from Marvel and Netflix after the Defenders.
Season 2- The one thing I was worried about when they announced the Defenders team up show was that we might not see a second season for any of the series. I was worried that each show was intended as a mini-series, to be concluded with the Defenders. I really hope that that is not the case, and that Marvel/Netflix are planning on continuing the stories of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. Now, they have said that if the characters are popular on Netflix, that they could get their own movies. If the shows are in fact mini-series, I would love to see the stories continued in film.
Punisher- Frank Castle is the perfect character for a television series. The budget wouldn't have to be too big, there wouldn't have to be too many special effects, and if you've ever read a Punisher comic, you know how well the stories could be adapted to television. The fact that you can get away with a lot more on Netflix helps, too. Personally, I would love to see the Garth Ennis "Welcome Back, Frank" story arc adapted for the first season. While parts of it were adapted for the 2004 Punisher film (in particular the Russian fight sequence), if they actually adapted the storyline as the first season of a television show, it would be the perfect way to reintroduce Frank Castle.
Ghost Rider- Another character that would fit perfectly into this darker, more mature part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the universally negative reception of 2012's Ghost Rider 2, I could see why Marvel would be hesitant to give the Spirit of Vengeance another chance. But like I said, the Netflix shows look to be darker and more adult than the superhero films they are connected to, so this would be the perfect place to reintroduce Ghost Rider to the general public. And I have an idea on how to do it, too.
If you're a Ghost Rider fanboy like me, you know that Johnny Blaze is not the only person to take the mantle of Ghost Rider. Another notable character was Danny Ketch, who was introduced in the early 90's. The Johnny Blaze series had ended a few years ago. While that book had horror elements to it, it was still a relatively kid friendly series. The Danny Ketch relaunch was darker, and aimed more at teenagers and adults. While not as dark Ghost Rider would later become under the direction of writers like Garth Ennis, it was still fairly adult, and leaned more towards Miller's Daredevil as opposed to other books like Spider-Man or Fantastic Four.
So I think that the early Danny Ketch issues would be the perfect source material for a dark, mature Ghost Rider show. You could bring in villains like Blackout, and even have a Kingpin cameo. Later in the series, they could introduce Johnny Blaze as a supporting character. This could eventually lead to a spin-off/prequel film about Johnny Blaze as the Ghost Rider. Finally, since Ghost Rider is a supernatural character, you could have a Blade cameo, which brings me to my next subject.
Blade- Blade has previously had a film trilogy starring Wesley Snipes, so the general audience is already aware of the character. But instead of doing a reboot movie, I think they should reboot Blade as a Netflix series. Even though he fights vampires, Blade is a pretty street level character, and would fit in perfectly with the likes of Daredevil and Luke Cage.
Man-Thing- I know he has been mentioned in Agents of SHIELD, but I think the character would be better portrayed on a Netflix show, as opposed to a prime time ABC show. Man-Thing's a pretty dark character, and most of his comics lean more towards the horror genre as opposed to the superhero genre. And that's how I think his show should be. The tone should be more like an Evil Dead type horror movie, instead of being forced to fit in with the lighter tone of Agents of SHIELD.
Well, those are the characters that I want to see as Netflix shows. I'm pretty excited about the Marvel/Netflix partnership, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us. Thanks for reading!