Yesterday, it was widely reported that Kevin Feige had confirmed plans to introduce a transgender character in an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. When he was asked specifically about it, he responded "Yes - absolutely, yes. And very soon. In a movie that we're shooting right now."
Sounds pretty clear cut, right? Well, a studio source has told
Variety that Feige was only responding to the first part of the question about LGBT+ characters and wasn't referring to a trans one.
That's bound to disappoint many fans, but as we pointed out yesterday, it seemed unlikely that Feige was referring to
Eternals as that was the only movie shooting at the time he made these remarks. After all, it's been confirmed that we'll see an openly gay character who is married with a family in that movie, but there's been no indications of a trans actor or actress being cast as any other heroes or villains.
Significant trans representation isn't coming to the MCU for the time being, then, but Marvel Studios is seemingly heading in a more diverse direction moving into Phases 4 and 5.
How do you guys feel about this news?
Which teams of Avengers could we see brought to the big
screen moving forward? Hit the "View List" button to find out!
The Ultimates
Marvel Studios appears to be setting the stage for The Ultimates to assemble on the big screen, as most of the team has been cast and the rest (aside from Blue Marvel) are either on the way or rumoured to have a role in a future MCU project.
This group didn't last for long, but their mission was to tackle cosmic foes who posed a threat to the Earth. With Thanos gone and Earth's Mightiest Heroes "disassembled," it would definitely be fitting for this powerful team to come together to try to protect the planet from alien threats.
Captain Marvel is way too overpowered to be part of a regular team of Avengers, so this might be the best possible place for her, especially if it ends up involving the Kree/Skrull War!
Young Avengers
The stage is clearly being set for the Young Avengers, and you have to believe we'll see them on screen at some point in the near future.
Avengers: Endgame aged up Cassie Lang and laid the groundwork for her to become Stature, while Hawkeye is coming to Disney+ in the next few years.
Speed and Wiccan, meanwhile, are expected to factor into
WandaVision, and while we've heard nothing about Patriot or Hulkling, there are a number of places they could show up (if
Captain Marvel 2 deals with the continuing Kree/Skrull War, that's definitely a place we could meet the latter).
The question is, will we see this team on the big screen or the small one?
New Avengers
There have been a few different iterations of the New Avengers and it would be no bad thing for Marvel Studios to take inspiration from pretty much all of them. Made up of characters you wouldn't necessarily associate with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, seeing the likes of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange assemble would be great fun, and a potential box office smash.
If the Dark Avengers are coming to the MCU (we'll get to them a little later), then the team of New Avengers who were fugitives on the run have the potential to be a unique new story for Marvel.
Either way, it's clear that something "new" has to be done with this team, so heading down this route and potentially giving some of those Netflix heroes another chance could be a really smart move.
Secret Avengers
The Secret Avengers were essentially a different version of X-Force but with members of The Avengers rather than the X-Men. Some fans loved the concept while others hated it. but it was definitely interesting seeing these characters tackle black-ops style missions rather than world-ending threats.
The issue with a group like this is that it somewhat robs the team of what makes them special, but a Disney+ series or movie featuring heroes like Blade, Moon Knight, and even the likes of War Machine and Shang-Chi would be a novel concept as they assemble to take on an enemy every bit as dangerous as Thanos, albeit in a different way (Dracula, for example).
This probably wouldn't be a priority, but it's something Marvel could consider exploring one day.
Dark Avengers
Now that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are playing nice again, you have to believe that there's a chance Norman Osborn could be introduced and that he'll end up leading the Dark Avengers.
It's hard to say which characters could fill out that team (the studio does have a habit of killing off its villains), but moving the MCU into a different era of storytelling where an opportunist like Osborn is able to make himself the world's greatest hero is very relevant to today, and something that would present a lot of new challenges to the
real heroes.
Rumour has it that Marvel has been sitting on a
Dark Avengers script for years, and a villain-led movie would be a refreshing change of pace from what we're used to seeing happen in this shared world.
All-New, All-Different Avengers
Another short-lived iteration of the team, the All-New, All-Different Avengers was made up of new versions of classic heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor along with younger heroes like the Miles Morales Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and Sam Alexander's Nova.
With Sam Wilson about to suit up as the new Captain America and Jane Foster's transformation into Thor on the horizon (along with those Young Avengers members we mentioned), the former Falcon trying to bring together a brand new team of Avengers would make a lot of sense.
This could lead to a myriad of spinoffs and would kick off a bold new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
A-Force
This week alone, Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, and Elizabeth Olsen have all talked openly about their desire for a female-led
Avengers movie (it's also something they've discussed with Feige).
After that
Avengers: Endgame moment, there's a clear desire among fans to see this happen, and with so many great female superheroes already in or coming to the MCU, this has the potential to be amazing.
Captain Marvel 2 could be a solid place to introduce them, but a spinoff of their own would surely be a guaranteed box office hit.
There are some "fans" who wouldn't like this, of course, but it would be cool to see it happen.
The Illuminati
Iron Man may be dead and gone but there's no reason the Illuminati can't still come together in the MCU. While it's hard to imagine an entire movie revolving around their exploits, introducing them as a controlling force from the shadows in Phase 5 could be really cool, and might just set the stage for a whole new wave of stories (while providing different perspectives on old ones).
Honestly, this could be a game-changer for the MCU, and their big screen debut is long overdue.
Professor X, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, and Namor the Sub-Mariner could all factor into Phase 5 in some way, shape or form, and fans of Jonathan Hickman's
Avengers work will know that this lot can be used to great effect. Black Panther could easily replace Iron Man.
Thunderbolts
When the Thunderbolts were first introduced, they were a group of villain masquerading as heroes who had a change of heart and ultimately decided to do the right thing. Now, it's entirely feasible that they'll basically become the Dark Avengers in the MCU, and we've obviously seeing Suicide Squad-style versions of the team since then.
Phase 5 would be a great place to introduce them, though, and there's already speculation that "Thunderbolt" Ross will recruit Yelena Belova in the upcoming
Black Widow movie.
Ultimately, it's hard to predict what direction a film like this could head in, but there are a lot of phenomenal ideas on the table from this team's many adventures and they could serve as a new rost of Avengers in many ways, even if they are ultimately outed as being the bad guys.
West Coast Avengers
This feels like the most logical next step for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. While it's unlikely that the roster will be exactly like the comics, seeing the likes of Wonder Man and Tigra on the big screen is a must, while a West Coast setting for the team would definitely help hit the refresh button on the franchise.
Black Panther set up a base in California, and that's also where Ant-Man and The Wasp are based.
Avengers Tower is no more and we've never been introduced to Avengers Mansion, so moving the team outside of New York City is a logical move. Whether the movie would actually be called "West Coast Avengers" is another matter, as that title is a little cheesy. Still, there's an awful lot of great adventures this team had which could end up inspiring a fantastic big screen outing.
Which of these teams would you guys like to see in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? As always, share your thoughts on that in the comments section below!