With characters like Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk coming to Disney+, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting bigger and bigger and we're going to see characters in a live-action setting who we never expected to make the leap from page to screen. However, there are still a lot of great comic book heroes and villains who have yet to get their due in film
and television.
That's bound to change as the MCU continues to expand, but we still can't believe the characters listed here haven't been introduced yet. After all, it's nothing short of a missed opportunity not having Captain Britain help out Spider-Man in his latest movie, while Beta Ray Bill's existence deserved more than a wink and a nod in the Grandmaster's arena!
Hundreds of new characters will, of course, arrive in the MCU thanks to the Disney/Fox merger, but we're not actually taking a look at most of them here as there are still plenty of others worthy of an appearance.
Who are they? Well, to find out who we think should be added to this shared world in the not too distant future, click on the "View List" button below.
Spider-Woman
The rights to Spider-Woman are more than likely held by Sony Pictures, but it's still strange that Marvel Studios hasn't jumped at the opportunity to bring Jessica Drew into the MCU. Given her powers by HYDRA, she's been a double agent for them
and S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as a member of The Avengers.
She could easily be part of Spider-Man's world (in the Ultimate Universe, Jessica is Peter Parker's female clone) or an entirely different franchise, but this is a character definitely deserving of a big screen appearance and she could easily hold her own in a six-part Disney+ television series.
Kang The Conqueror
There are a lot of villains from the
X-Men and
Fantastic Four franchises Marvel Studios now has the opportunity to make the MCU's next big bad (Galactus is an obvious choice), but following the introduction of time-travel, common sense says that it's time for Kang the Conqueror to get his due.
Kang has pushed Earth's Mightiest Heroes to their limits on many occasions and a movie revolving around a battle through time would be a tremendous amount of fun based on what we saw in
Avengers: Endgame. We can't only hope he's someone Kevin Feige has plans for down the line.
Hercules
There were rumours that Hercules would be introduced in
Eternals as the MCU's first openly gay superhero but there have been no indications that there are any plans for the character there. As a result, it's now difficult to imagine where Marvel Studios could choose to use this iconic Avenger.
It's always going to be tricky using a real-life figure like Hercules, especially when we've seen so many iterations of the Greek demigod on film over the years. The
Thor franchise could be a good fit but Taika Waititi may not have room for him there, so who knows which franchise he'll call home.
Namor The Submariner
Namor the Submariner is someone we've been hearing about potentially seeing in a Marvel movie since
Captain America: The First Avenger but, like The Hulk, some complicated rights issues have pretty much sunk our hopes and dreams. He is, however, rumoured to appear in
Black Panther II in 2022.
Needless to say, that clash would be downright epic and the success of
Aquaman just goes to show that moviegoers will buy into the concept of an undersea superhero. Namor is a different enough character to ensure this wouldn't feel like a ripoff and, as he's a mutant, he could even join the X-Men!
Nova
Kevin Feige has indicated that there are plans for Nova down the line and rumours continue to swirl that he will appear in either Phase 4 or Phase 5. We know that James Gunn doesn't have much interest in using him in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but there are other places he could show up.
Avengers: Infinity War set the stage for Nova to make his live-action debut and the movie's writers recently confirmed that he very nearly had a role in
Avengers: Endgame. It's simply a matter of time at this point and when Nova does arrive, it could have huge ramifications for this shared world.
The Sentry
Perhaps the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe, The Sentry also has a split personality and a darker side capable of leaving the world at the mercy of the evil Void. As a result, he's a truly fascinating character and someone who could prove to be a game-changer for the MCU.
Strong enough to go toe to toe with the likes of Captain Marvel and The Hulk, The Sentry is someone we could easily follow as he descends into madness and ultimately becomes a villain Earth's Mightiest Heroes have to assemble against and reluctantly put an end to before he destroys everything.
Red Hulk
Red Hulk is, well, an evil version of The Hulk with red skin. However, he also has a unique powerset and the smarts of one General "Thunderbolt" Ross, someone many fans are convinced is going to wind up leading the Thunderbolts (a movie supposedly in the early stages of development).
Red Hulk would not only make a great foe for the Jade Giant but with a
She-Hulk series on the way, he would certainly be a fitting choice for Jennifer Walters' first challenge on Disney+. After all, it's easy to imagine Ross going to extreme measures to stop another Hulk from becoming a "superhero."
Silver Surfer
It would be crazy to think that Silver Surfer will be left on the shelf for very long following the Disney/Fox merger because he's a character who would not only make for a great lead in a TV series or movie but who also opens the door to the arrival of a certain world eating, unstoppable villain.
Feige has been desperate to get his hands on the Silver Surfer for years (he once offered Fox the chance to keep Daredevil in exchange for him and Galactus) so he's bound to be a priority and like many of the other characters listed here, there are again rumours of a project starring him.
Jocasta
Ultron's story in the MCU appears to be at an end but you have to believe it's possible that the villainous android may have found some way to survive. Regardless, his "bride" Jocasta is still a character ripe with big screen potential and a powerful and loyal member of The Avengers in the comics.
With a personality based on the brain patterns of Janet Van Dyne, there are many ways she could be changed in the transition from page to screen and even with The Vision set to be resurrected in
WandaVision (probably temporarily if it's all in the Scarlet Witch's head), there's room for a new, female android.
Mephisto
While it's definitely surprising that Mephisto has yet to make an appearance in the MCU, in fairness, it's also hard to imagine where he could have shown up before now.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one possibility, of course, but Nightmare seems a far more likely candidate for that film.
Essentially the MCU's version of the devil, it's fair to say that Disney might not want to go down this route as it could cause some controversy but given the camp nature of this villain (depending on who's writing him, that is), it could be a huge amount of fun seeing him toying with our favourite heroes.
Norman Osborn
There have been rumblings for a long time that Marvel Studios has plans for Norman Osborn, Oscorp, and the Dark Avengers and now that Disney and Sony Pictures have patched up their differences, surely it's time for a new version of this iconic villain to make his presence felt in the MCU?
As both an enemy to Spider-Man and The Avengers, Osborn is a character with perhaps even more potential than everyone else on this list and after
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we deserve a comic accurate take on the Green Goblin. We just have to hope it happens before the studios fall out again!
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill was vaguely referenced in
Thor: Ragnarok when we learned from a statue that he once competed in The Grandmaster's arena. That movie would have been the perfect place to introduce the hero but it didn't happen and fans remain as anxious as ever to see him on the big screen.
Whether Taika Waititi can find room for Bill in
Thor: Love and Thunder is another matter but it would be a lot of fun seeing this alien butt heads with the God of Thunder. Sure, he's a pretty weird character but that's part of his charm and he's definitely worthy of being used in a movie one day.
The Beyonder
Both insane and insanely powerful, The Beyonder makes reality his plaything and is responsible for
Secret Wars, an epic battle between the Marvel Universe's heroes and villains which the Russo Brothers have expressed an interest in bringing to the big screen on a number of occasions now.
It's surprising he's never even been alluded to but if Marvel Studios is looking for its next bit event movie, then this should be it and it's then we could see The Beyonder come into play. In terms of casting, you have to believe Marvel could have a lot of fun finding an actor to play this unhinged powerhouse.
Miles Morales
Miles Morales obviously took centre stage in Sony's animated
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse but the fact we still haven't seen a live-action version of the character is a great shame and something that already feels long overdue despite Peter Parker only having two solo adventures in the MCU.
There's room for another Spider-Man now that he's been established, of course, and there was even a reference to Miles in
Spider-Man: Homecoming. With the signs all pointing to the Young Avengers assembling, perhaps this version of the wall-crawler could find a home with them on Disney+?
Abigail Brand
S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded pretty soon after we started getting familiar with the iconic spy organisation thanks to HYDRA but following the events of
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame, it's clear the world needs a group like that to keep an eye on what's going on in the world.
Well, maybe not in the world but outside of it! That's where S.W.O.R.D. comes in as it's essentially the space version of S.H.I.E.L.D. and led by Abigail Brand, a badass woman who would make for a great new ally and foil to Earth's Mightiest Heroes as she tries to avoid another Thanos-level disaster.
Captain Britain
When Feige was asked about Captain Britain some time ago, he said that it's a character Marvel Studios has contemplated using in some fashion. It's easy to see why too, especially as not only is Brian Braddock an awesome hero but also someone with ties to the Multiverse and British mythology.
As someone who protects the Multiverse, it could be that Brian will be granted his powers after Doctor Strange's next movie explores the existence of that but even if he's just used as a supporting character somewhere, Captain Britain definitely deserves to have a place on the big screen.
Which of these characters do you think deserve to be brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Have we missed any other prime candidates? Share your thoughts in the comments section!