Marvel Studios has gone back to the drawing board with the MCU, returning to a quality-over-quantity approach which we anticipate seeing come into effect starting with Deadpool & Wolverine this summer.
Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars are still on the horizon, but which comic book storylines can Kevin Feige and company adapt both before, after, and potentially in those movies?
In this feature, we're taking a look at some Marvel Universe events which are perfectly suited to the big screen. From epic team-ups to massive crossovers and storylines which put specific characters front and centre, all of these could have a positive impact on the MCU in the years ahead.
To find out which comic book events we've singled out (and when/where they could happen), tap the "Next"/"View List" button below.
8. Spider-Island
When The Jackal and Spider-Queen target Manhattan, the entire population was infected with spider-powers. Many succumbed and transformed into monstrous spiders, though plenty of familiar faces gained amazing abilities akin to Peter Parker.
This was a batsh*t crazy tale, and one we'd have a blast seeing the MCU's version of Spider-Man (and perhaps even a few of his Multiversal doppelgangers) forced to deal with.
As well as some high-profile cameos, we'd expect to see Spidey forced to step up and protect his home from a threat not even The Avengers can counter. However, Earth's Mightiest Heroes could still appear, albeit as some of the spider-creatures we mentioned above. With a few key changes, this has all the makings of an epic send-off for Tom Holland's wall-crawler.
7. War Of The Realms
Thor: Love and Thunder introduced Jane Foster as The Mighty Thor, and if we're lucky, she'll return in the not-too-distant future. What could justify Jane's resurrection? Well, how about a story as epic as War of the Realms?
With all Nine Realms under attack from the sinister Malekith (who might need to be recast or even replaced with, dare we say it, Mephisto here), Earth's Mightiest Heroes join Thor (and Thor) in her battle against his Dark Elves, not to mention the likes of Dario Agger, Frost Giants, and various other Asgardian baddies.
"War of the Realms" was an exciting, epic, action-packed story, and could be a great place to either end the God of Thunder's story or shake up his status quo in a meaningful way. Would we want Taika Waititi to helm that? After his last effort, it's time to let a different filmmaker adapt Thor.
6. House Of M
If Marvel Studios is looking to introduce the X-Men in a big, game-changing way, then a House of M adaptation that reshapes the MCU for a time makes sense to us (it could even be combined with what we'll see in Avengers: Secret Wars).
Manipulated by her brother, the Scarlet Witch uses her reality-altering powers to reshape the world into one where mutants are the majority and rule over the planet. However, some realise what's happening, and embark on a quest to restore things to how they used to be.
This poses something of a moral quandary for the X-Men; do they really want to go back to a world where they are feared and hated or stay in a reality where Magneto rules with an iron fist? This could serve as one helluva send-off for Wanda too...
5. Siege
After one heroic act puts Norman Osborn in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. (now renamed H.A.M.M.E.R.), he goes about reshaping the world in his image and assembles a team of Dark Avengers.
The former Green Goblin even suits up as the Iron Patriot, and in one final bid to cement his power as Earth's Mightiest Heroes begin to fight back, he launches a devastating attack on Thor's home of Asgard. In the MCU, we'd bet on someone else filling in for Norman (he doesn't exist on Earth-616, for starters) but this story feels like the basis of a great Avengers-sized Thor movie.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine could take Norman's place, though so too could someone like Doctor Doom is Marvel Studios bides its time and turns this into a huge crossover event.
4. Blood Hunt
The Blood Hunt event is still taking place as we write this feature, but it's one we'd love to see adapted by Marvel Studios. In the story, we've seen a villainous Blade lead various vampire factions, united for the first time in millennia, as part of a global attack to block out the sun.
Having lurked in the shadows of the Marvel Universe since its very beginning, they're freed to feed on humanity as heroes and villains alike fall prey to their overwhelming bloodlust. The twists and turns have come thick and fast, as have the sort of unhinged violence which only an R-Rating could do justice on screen.
With that in mind, why not make this the premise of an eventual Midnight Suns feature team-up which pits the likes of Moon Knight, Doctor Strange, and Werewolf by Night against Mahershala Ali's Daywalker?
3. Annihilation
Had this event never happened, then James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy likely would have looked much different. Annihilation reignited the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe and rebooted the Guardians to great success.
Earth doesn't factor into this story in any way (the Avengers and X-Men are completely absent), with the likes of Nova and Quasar instead getting the chance to shine as they take on the Annihilation Wave, a large armada of warships, under the control of classic Fantastic Four villain Annihilus.
This feels like the most epic direction possible to take the Guardians franchise in after Vol. 3, and would hopefully lead to several spin-off movies being launched to expand the MCU's cosmic side. It could even be expanded to encompass Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
2. World War Hulk
In the comics, Iron Man and an "Illuminati" of some of the Marvel Universe’s most intelligent heroes (including Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Mister Fantastic) decide that the best way to protect the Earth is to send Hulk into outer space.
After arriving on a distant planet, the Green Goliath is forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena, but eventually escapes and finds love...until the capsule he was sent in explodes and kills her. It’s then that the Hulk returns to Earth with an army to declare war on the heroes he holds responsible.
After he takes them down, only the super-powered Sentry can stop the Green Goliath, and rumours have persisted for a while now about this story bringing The Hulk back into theaters. Some changes would inevitably have to be made for the MCU, but this would be seriously epic.
1. Avengers vs. X-Men
Honestly, this event wasn't Marvel's strongest effort, but the concept was a strong one. As you might expect, seeing Earth's Mightiest Heroes battle the X-Men led to a lot of great fights we'd kill to see in live-action.
On the page, when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes interfere in the affairs of the mutant team, they fracture the Phoenix Force, leaving Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, and Namor possessed by the cosmic entity. Under its sinister influence, the X-Men go about reshaping the Earth in their image with disastrous consequences.
This, of course, pits the two factions against each other and the fallout for the Marvel Universe was massive. In the MCU, this could happen 10 years from now or as soon as Avengers 5 when Earth-616's heroes battle those from Fox's X-Men Universe.