Unless you live in a cardboard box in the middle of the road, you've probably heard of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the current pinnacle of popcorn-crunching, adrenaline-pumping comic book action on the big screen. We have many superhero fans in our midst here at English Pleasantries HQ, myself included.
We're already aware of the entirety of the ever-expanding franchise's Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, The (supposedly-titled) Spectacular Spider-Man, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2, and finally the back-dated Inhumans.
That covers the next four years. But what will occur after that?
Here are my personal Top 10 movies that could just about work within the MCU, and have great potential in exciting and delighting cinema-goers of all ages in the years to come.
10. NOVA
One of the biggest hits in the MCU so far was Guardians of the Galaxy, which introduced us to the Nova Corps. The deal with Nova himself, for those who don't know, is that he is the sole surviving member of the Nova Corps after its near obliteration. As Avengers: Infinity War will see Thanos wrecking the universe, it would be likely to see the dissolving of the Nova Corps in Part 2, whereupon our faithful Nova can take up his mantle.
James Gunn has already confirmed a lack of Nova in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, so perhaps he is being reserved for future outings. The reason this character is so low on my list is due to the glaring similarities with the Green Lantern Corps, a movie for which will drop in 2020, just as Phase Four begins. The general audience would more than likely spot the resemblance.
9. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOLUME 3
We know that Guardians 2 will more than likely decimate any competition at the Box Office, and rightly so. James Gunn's vision of the previously-little-known Marvel property was a massive hit with audiences and critics alike. Guardians 2 was inevitable. Guardians 3 however could prove very interesting indeed. Gunn has already confirmed at least one new Guardian in the upcoming sequel, but there are so many more Guardians to see. They could easily be put on hold for Guardians 3. Also, if Marvel fear the idea of a Nova solo movie, they could potentially throw his origins into Guardians 3. Hit two birds with one stone as it were.
8. BLACK WIDOW/HAWKEYE TEAM-UP
I don't know about anyone else, but ever since we saw that clip of these two fighting in Budapest in Avengers Assemble (The Avengers), I've really wanted to see them team-up. Sadly, both characters have been pushed aside in favour of the big boys. Black Widow has had a fair bit of development, with her shaky introduction in Iron Man 2, her overshadowed performance in Avengers Assemble, her excellent outing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and her background check/doe-eyed attempts in Avengers: Age of Ultron. But what about poor Hawkeye? A pathetic cameo in Thor and being possessed for the majority of Avengers Assemble were followed up with an incredible kick-up-the-arse in Age of Ultron. Hawkeye was my star of the film! I feel that solo films for the characters would potentially struggle, but a team-up movie would work a treat, if not a Netflix mini-series.
7. THOR 4: EXPANSION DLC
I'll admit, when the Thor franchise began in 2011, I was disappointed. Like, that's it? I find Thor to be one of the weakest movies in the MCU. However, I rather enjoyed Thor in Avengers Assemble, I secretly love Thor: The Dark World, and forced-in Thor side-story in Age of Ultron aside, I loved his character more than ever.
Now, the title of this choice will be explained. We have Thor: Ragnarok approaching, which has many opportunities. Those opportunities are simple: expand the Thor universe. We've seen so little of it in the MCU thus far, but there's so much more they can do. Most notably, characters.
We've already seen many Thor heroes including Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, Heimdall and Sif. I would be up for seeing even more characters such as Valkyrie, Angela, Enchantress, hell even Beta Ray Bill! Yeah, get the Korbinites in there! We've seen very few planets of the Nine Realms, and if these characters aren't introduced in Ragnarok, then a fourth Thor installment could well prove a success.
6. MOON KNIGHT
Here we have one of the stranger, more out-there characters of the Marvel universe. Marc Spector, brought back to life by an Egyptian god to bring justice to the world, resulting in a fractured mind. I think the idea of multiple personalities is incredibly interesting, but may be too 'adult' for younger audiences. Essentially, it's schizophrenia. I feel that toning down Hank Pym's sanity was a bit of a missed opportunity in Ant-Man, though they covered their ground well and at least explained the suit's effect on the mind. Because of this, Moon Knight may work better as a Netflix series. Nevertheless, Moon Knight could provide the MCU with an all-new graphic, intriguing face of justice.
5. CAPTAIN AMERICA 4: THE WINTER CAPTAIN
Let's face it, one day Chris Evans has to step down as Captain America. And that greatly upsets me. To me, Evans IS Cap. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is still my favourite MCU movie and my second-favourite superhero movie of all time behind The Dark Knight. However, there are many MANY more Captain Americas to choose from, two of which are already in the MCU. Sam Wilson, alias The Falcon, will more than likely become Cap one day. However, the likely choice will be Bucky Barnes.
Evans will have been given the six-movie Marvel contract. The First Avenger is 1, Avengers Assemble is 2, his cameo in The Dark World is 3, The Winter Soldier is 4, Age of Ultron is 5. One could say that as the post credits scene of Ant-Man was shot during the filming of Captain America: Civil War that the Ant-Man scene and Civil War could come under one movie, making Evans' 6.
SPOILERS: We know that in Civil War, Cap is assassinated by Crossbones. If this angle is taken in the movie, we may see Evans' last hoorah in the stars and stripes. However, the show must go on, and Bucky Barnes could well be the guy to do it.
4. MIDNIGHT SONS
We have already seen just how well the Guardians fared, and there may be a simple reason: variety. The trouble with superhero movies being billed on a solo hero is that the whole movie rests on the shoulders of the protagonist. Sometimes, it works well, with Robert Downey Jr. kicking the MCU straight up the arse and giving his flailing career a lick of paint. Sometimes, however, you get Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider. And we all know how that ended.
Speaking of Ghost Rider, have you ever heard of the Midnight Sons? No? Well here we go! As I said with Guardians, variety can make successful movies. If you don't like Gamora or Drax, you can like Groot or Rocket. There's someone for everyone. And the same can be said of the Midnight Sons. The success of the 'group' superhero movie may explain the choice of Suicide Squad so early in the still-establishing DCEU (DC Expanded Universe).
In the Midnight Sons we have Ghost Rider, the Son of Satan Daimon Hellstrom, sorceress Jennifer Kale, the living vampire Morbius and the AWESOMELY-named Werewolf by Night (whose character name by the way is Jack Russell. Genius).
With magic being introduced in 2016's Doctor Strange, and continued via the Netflix Iron Fist series, there's still plenty of room for more and Ghost Rider deserves a far better attempt that his previous outing. However, I feel the rest of the Midnight Sons may just give the character a boost while introducing plenty more players in the MCU.
3. RUNAWAYS
I've already explained the strengths of team-up movies so far, and this would be an excellent addition. Here we have an incredibly simple but incredibly brilliant team; the Runaways. The Runaways consist of a group of youngsters, each gifted with their own powers and abilities, that have 'run away' from home after learning that their parents are the members of an evil villain syndicate named the Pride. The teens must learn how to use their abilities and prevent their parents from causing chaos.
Included in this very different team are a witch that can only use her spells once, a girl that can summon solar flares, a powerhouse superhuman, a mechanic with a telepathic link to a dinosaur, and Ultron's son. This would be interesting, but in order to flesh out Ultron's son (Victor Mancha), if they choose to go down that route, this may be best kept for Phase Five/Six.
2. ANT-MAN: MICROVERSE
Ant-Man was an incredibly hit-and-miss movie, but for me it was a hit. I've seen it twice now on the big screen, and I actually preferred the second watch. I accepted the flaws of Hope's lack of screen time, Michael Pena's rather annoying performance and one of the weakest villains in the MCU so far. And when I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But where could they go for a sequel?
Well here's something that not many people know. When Ant-Man goes subatomic in order to destroy the Yellowjacket suit, and ends up in the LSD/2001: A Space Odyssey/Interstellar dimension, did you know there is an entire ecosystem that lives in there?
Welcome to the table the Microverse, an entire group of heroes and villains that are themselves subatomic. Notable characters include Prince Argon, Marionette, Arcturus Rann, Bug, Devil and Wayfinder, and notable planets (or micro planets) include Homeworld, K'ai and Spartak.
It seems as though they're setting up Scott Lang once again going subatomic to try and find Janet Van Dyne. It also seems as though Hope Van Dyne's Wasp will be joining him. How would you base a two-hour movie on a hunt? You'd have to throw something in there. Hence, the Microverse. Even as a one-off, seeing the Microverse would be incredibly fun and a real charm.
1. PLANET HULK/WORLD WAR HULK
2003's Hulk was a mess. 2008's The Incredible Hulk, I actually quite enjoyed. I'm even one of the few that prefers Edward Norton's take on Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo's. But still, as Norton isn't still the Hulk, the movie has faded into the most obscure region of the MCU. Not quite Iron Man 2 territory, but still.
I believe that currently the Hulk is the best he has ever been. He was a gem in Avengers Assemble and was developed far better in Age of Ultron. The one thing that the big green guy needs now though is a solo movie. Ruffalo is INSANELY popular in the role, especially with the Tumblr crowd. I understand why Kevin Feige has decided to keep the Hulk as a secondary character since The Incredible Hulk, as it was the least successful Marvel movie to date. But the Hulk is easily in the Top 10 most famous superheroes, and after two stellar outings in the Avengers movies, he deserves his spot.
Obviously, the choice has to be between Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. Either would do for me. They are by far the most famous Hulk storylines from the comics. In terms of publication, Planet Hulk came first and so would make more sense to be made first. However, the Illuminati needs to be established first. Illuminati members include Black Bolt, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Medusa, Captain America and Iron Man, all of which have been established or will be established definitely in the MCU. Due to certain rights, Beast, Professor X, Namor and Mr Fantastic wouldn't be able to get a look in, but a lot of core members are already there.
If the Illuminati can be established by the end of Phase Three, or at the beginning of Phase Four, I believe that a belter of a Hulk movie could be, and should be, on the cards.
Peace out,
Con Man
<3<3<3
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