Category: Features

Charles Murphy Takes On The ‘BLACK PANTHER’ and ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequels

Note this article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on December 20, 2018.

As Phase 3 and the saga of the Infinity Stones comes to a close, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has begun to come into focus. Though Kevin Feige has stuck to his guns and made no official announcements about what to expect after Avengers: Endgame, it’s nearly impossible to hide things anymore and the post-Thanos slate has started to fill up.

Black Widow and The Eternals are set for 2020 and the gears are in motion for sequels to Black Panther and Doctor Strange to occupy two of the three 2021 films. While the first two have scripts and are in different stages of pre-production, the latter have only recently secured directors with Ryan Coogler and Scott Derrickson returning for their respective sequels. Coogler is set to write the sequel to Black Panther and the search for a screenwriter for a second Doctor Strange film is underway, but both directors have indicated in the past that they have plenty of ideas where their characters might go next. Of course, as fans, we all have our ideas too and that’s what this is all about…my takes on what I would love to see in the next installments of Black Panther and Doctor Strange. These are just some ideas that have been floating around in my head. You may like them or you may not. That’s how ideas work.

Black Panther: The Conscience of the King

Had I written this up 6 months ago, I’d have had an entirely different take on this one. For a long time, I’d thought that a Black Panther sequel would be an ideal time to introduce Namor. I don’t claim to understand the intricacies of his live-action rights, but I’ve always assumed that, like Hulk, it would be easier for Marvel Studios to include him in another film than to make a Sub-Mariner solo. That may or may not be true, I’m just explaining my thinking here. However, the impending arrival of the Fantastic Four has changed my thinking on Namor as has the evolving structure of the landscape of films happening post-Endgame. At this point, I’m not so sure we might not FINALLY see a Sub-Mariner film, but if we don’t, I’d love to see Namor come into the picture as a Fantastic Four antagonist and then develop over time. So that’s a long way of saying what the sequel won’t be about, so let’s move on to what I’d like to see.

Black Panther left things pretty well set up not only for Wakanda’s role in Avengers: Infinity War, but also for the sequel to take any number of routes. With Wakanda fully-revealed to the world and establishing a Wakandan outreach center in Oakland, any number of new issues could arise and I think that turning to Christopher Priest’s acclaimed run gives us an idea of what they might be.

Between 1998 and 2003, Priest wrote 60 issues of Black Panther for Marvel Comics and, to this day, they are considered among the seminal work done on the character. Priest’s run began with T’Challa in an interesting pinch: a girl who was a part of T’Challa’s Tomorrow Fund, an organization he founded in the United States to help clean up some inner cities, has been found murdered. Meanwhile, refugees flock to Wakanda’s border, led by the enigmatic Reverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-hajj Achebe. When T’Challa chooses to leave to investigate the murder of girl, Achebe makes his move to overtake Wakanda.

Achebe represents an entirely different type of threat to T’Challa and Wakanda. A master manipulator willing to go great lengths to remove T’Challa from the throne, his motives and means are vastly different than those of Killmonger’s. Achebe is a villain that many fans have longed to see brought to the screen and who has been described as the Joker to T’Challa’s Batman. It’s entirely possible that not only could Coogler make him a memorable villain, but also that he’s already set things in motion to work Priest’s arc into a sequel.

The Wakandan outreach center in Oakland could quite easily become the Tomorrow Fund. T’Challa’s descision to open Wakanda’s borders could very easily result in a refugee crisis (something that we are all too familiar with and that would allow Coogler to inject a measure of social commentary into his film). Achebe’s goal is to essentially destabilize T’Challa and Wakanda, allowing him to take over. He hits the King from all fronts, leaving nothing off the table. Unlike Killmonger and M’Baku, he presents no physical threat to the King which would allow for Coogler to show audiences what fans of the comics have known for years: T’Challa is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe. Of course we’d like to see him do some fighting too, so bringing in a secondary antagonist, like arms dealer Moses Magnum and his crew, would allow for some nice action, but if Coogler wants to separate this film from the last one, Achebe has to be the threat and he has to be as different from Killmonger as possible. If we stay with the Batman analogy, this would be Coogler’s chance to make the MCU’s The Dark Knight. For all Killmonger’s physicality and emotion, he didn’t stretch T’Challa to his breaking point: that’s what a man like Achebe could do.

There are plenty of other characters that could be added (Queen Divine Justice has already been rumored to appear) and plenty of twists and turns to take, but on the whole, I’d love to see this film end with T’Challa having reclaimed the country, handing the throne to Shuri and becoming the King of the Dead, living in the Necropolis.

Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme

Director Scott Derrickson has gone on record that his original Doctor Strange pitch included Nightmare, the first villain Stephen Strange faced in the comics. He was talked out of it by Kevin Feige who believed that if the first film took place partially in another dimension, it might require too much exposition and bog down the film. With the idea of alternate dimensions know established, it’s very likely that Derrickson gets to bring Nightmare into the sequel.

Nightmare is a fascinating character who lives in the Dream Dimension (aka the Nightmare Realm) where he has long tortured people in their sleep. While his appearance in the comics has changed over the years, he’s relatively terrifying to look at and would afford Derrickson the opportunity to push the film into some darker corners that he’s familiar with as a director of horror films. I have no inside info here, but I’d say the fact that Derrickson is back on board is a fairly good indicator that we will be seeing Nightmare in the sequel.

I’m 100% on board with Nightmare being in the film but I hope that Marvel Studios takes the opportunity to mess around within the dreams of people to introduce the Sleepwalkers, the protectors of yet another sleep-related dimension known as the Mindscape. Nightmare was long-considered an enemy of the Sleepwalkers in the comics and it wouldn’t take much tinkering to make things a little less complicated in the sequel. In 1991, Marvel Comics began a short-lived Sleepwalker series which focused on one of the guardians of the Mindscape who became trapped in the mind of a man named Rick Sheridan while protecting him in his sleep. One of the fascinating things about old school Doctor Strange comics is that he seemed to frequently be teaming up with other heroes. If Derrickson wants to make this an entirely quirky and unsettling horror film, the combo of Nightmare and Sleepwalker would do the trick.

Nightmare is the perfect villain to keep Strange busy in the sequel while the real villain of the piece does his work. When last we saw him, Karl Mordo was in a bad place and we can only imagine that things will have gotten much worse in the time that passes. Though Mordo walked away from Kamar-Taj and Strange after learning of what he considered to be a betrayal by the Ancient One, we all know Mordo is on a path to become Strange’s ultimate challenge.

Mordo is not only reducing the number of sorcerers in the world, he’s also stockpiling their power. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a changed Mordo here, perhaps one who has been mislead again and has entered into an agreement with Dormammu that would benefit them both: if he can deliver Strange to Dormammu, Mordo can take Strange’s power. Mordo enters into a deal with the Lord of Chaos that keeps him from breaking his vows. Though distasteful to Mordo, it serves his purpose. This scenario would require something to trap Stephen, someone in whom he doesn’t suspect evil intentions. This scenario allows for the introduction of Clea, the niece of Dormammu, and Stephen Strange’s one, true love…perhaps the girl of his dreams.

There are other characters I’d love to see make their way into Strange’s life eventually (Rintrah chief among them), but if you could slap together a plot where Strange has grown comfortable following the events of Infinity War and Endgame, is distracted by Clea, weakened by his battle with Nightmare and has to somehow team up with Sleepwalker to overcome Mordo before losing his powers, that would be a super fun film full of opportunities to scare the hell out of anyone.

There they are. The two worst ideas for sequels that you’re likely to read today! It’s always fun to do this kind of thing, but also it’s a lunatic mission because the ideas I come up with are the least likely to end up in a film written by actual professionals. At any rate, thanks for reading and have a great holiday season!

December 20, 2018
Beyond Infinity: The Next 20 Films We’d Like to See in the MCU

Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy on MCU Exchange on December 1, 2017.

The recent Vanity Fair cover story about the past, present and future of Marvel Studios was loaded with wonderful information but one bit of text has spawned thought pieces just like this one all over the internet: Marvel Studios has 20 more films on their plate, taking them well into the 2020s (and Bob Iger added to the tease by saying they could have done more than that!). We really only know what two of these films are for sure, so we put together a list of those plus another 18 we’d like to see:

1.) July 5, 2019 – Marvel Studios Spider-Man 2

One of only two films we know are certainly happening, this could be one helluva roller coaster ride of emotions for Peter Parker. Marvel Studios sequel to its well-regarded Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to hit theaters July 5, 2019, making it the first film of a distinctly different post-Infinity War MCU.

We don’t know much about the premise other than it will feature Peter trying to return to a normal life (and school) following the universe-changing events of the Infinity War. Not too many people expect Tony Stark to come out of that war alive, so Peter’s going to be moving ahead with a heavy heart, but also with great responsibility. We assume the Mac Gargan/Scorpion set-up from the Homecoming post-credits will be explored, but there are plenty of other options to explore as well.

2.) May 1, 2020 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

This is the only other film that has officially been announced and director James Gunn has heavily hinted at the date, though it has not been confirmed. We know this is the final story for this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy (sad), but we also know that Gunn has been developing sequels and spin-offs that will use a mix of old and new characters (joy!).

We expect MOST of the original Guardians to be in the third film and we’ve heard some pretty crazy early rumors about where this is going and what it sets up, but it’s SO EARLY in the process that even if they were true, there’s no telling what will happen by the time production starts. We’d like to see Adam Warlock finally grace the big screen and for Gunn to continue the masterful job he’s done building Marvel’s Cosmic Universe, but with many of Marvel’s best Cosmic villains (and some heroes too) at Fox, we might be seeing Gunn do something brand new and we certainly don’t mind that idea!

3.) August 7, 2020 – Black Widow

Put this one in the mini-exclusive column. We know that Feige has talked about a Black Widow film. We know that Stan Lee said it was happening at a recent Con. We also know that Stan isn’t crazy. Our source (the same one that gave us Captain Marvel, Nomad, Ronin and more) has told us that a Black Widow movie IS in the works and they fully expect it to happen. Until things are officially announced (which would probably be sometime next summer), we can’t be sure and because of that we are going to hold on to the details of the plot we were given, but suffice to say it’s a film that will both shock and satisfy fans.

4.) November 6, 2020 – Doctor Strange 2

Scott Derrickson knocked it out of the park with 2016’s Doctor Strange. Derrickson created a fantastic world for Strange to inhabit and the guy gets horror (he’s also THE nicest guy and has always been responsive to communication with us!), so we are crossing our fingers that sometime soon he gets the sequel greenlit and gets to explore the idea he had for Nightmare and the Dream Dimension that he had originally intended to use in the first film. At this time, all signs point to him returning and we know he’s the guy!

5.) May 1, 2021 – Black Panther: Atlantis Attacks

Marvel Studios has been teasing Namor for a VERY long time. Wakanda is going to play a major role in Avengers: Infinity War and, from the looks of the trailer, there’s no way it can come out of the invasion in tip-top shape. Wouldn’t that be just the time for a prick like Namor to strike? Having Namor in a film provides Marvel Studios with a tough task (not that they’re not up to it) and it’s more than just showing Atlantis and following up Aquaman. The key to Namor is probably getting everyone to absolutely hate the guy, have him totally destroy Wakanda and T’Challa, but then still find a way to make you like him enough to bring him back and, eventually, make him a hero. We’ve been talking about this in our Slack chat for what seems like forever and we aren’t the only ones. Here’s to hoping Feige and company finally give Namor his time to shine.

6.) July 1, 2021 – Marvel Studios Spider-Man 3

If things go according to plan, this would be Peter’s senior year, right? It’s a long way off at this point and a whole lot of stuff will probably happen before this, but we are holding fast to the belief (hope?) that Spidey in the MCU is a long-term thing and that this film, and potentially many more, will get to happen. It would take some tinkering, but we’d love to see Spidey take on Mark Raxton, aka Molten Man, in this film. First appearing way back in Amazing Spider-Man #28 in an issue whose events nearly made Peter miss his high school graduation, Molten Man would be a fun villain and the kind of callback to classic comics that Feige and company have shown a knack for finding. Of course once he finishes high school, it’ll be time to move on to college where he can FINALLY meet Gwen and Harry and Harry’s dad…maybe Norman has moved up in the world and is building H.A.M.M.E.R. to replace the now defunct S.H.I.E.L.D. Eh, those are different movies.

7.) November 5, 2021 – Captain Marvel: Galactic Storm

Operation: Galactic Storm is a major Avengers crossover arc from the early ’90s that could make the Captain Marvel sequel the equivalent of Captain America: Civil War. A war between the Kree and Shi’ar (hurry up and make that deal already, Disney) spills over onto Earth and teams of Avengers head to space to negotiate peace. This arc involves all kinds of space shenanigans and could be a major event film if it’s something Marvel would like to explore. It could also be tweaked to be a companion piece to the next film on the list.

8.) New Avengers: Secret Invasion

Ever since the announcement that Skrull would appear in Captain Marvel, a film that is set in the ’90s, EVERYONE went on alert and the internet ran wild with fan theories about who has been a Skrull all along. Feige has calmed down some of the more intense theories, but in doing so he did NOT totally discount the possibility that there have been Skrulls on Earth. To some extent this film needs to take place at the right time: the new group of Avengers needs some time to come together; the public has to recover from the events of Infinity War and Avengers 4. We’re not really sure when that time is, but this is a film we fully expect to see at some point.

9.) Annihilators

We know from the Vanity Fair interview that there seems to be a priority placed on stories that take place in setting other than Earth and other than now. An Annihilators film seems like it could solve one or both of those problems. Maybe they’re not called the Annihilators; maybe the team isn’t the collection of individuals shown above (but man would that be cool); however, a new team of Cosmic champions assembled to carry on the work of the Guardians of the Galaxy (that’s the idea I always have when I hear Gunn describe what GotG 3 is going to be) would be a great idea and a way to make the fun, wacky spirit of the Guardians live on. Let’s get Cosmo some line, huh?

10.) Ravagers

Gunn has teased the possibility of a Ravagers film and we would LOVE to see it. We’d be open to it taking place in the past if for no other reason than to give us more time with Michael Rooker’s Yondu. Would flashbacks with Yondu take away from the importance of his death in Vol. 2? That’s going to be to Gunn, but we’re on board for a Ravagers film past, present or future. If Disney and Fox could close that deal, perhaps the Ravagers could take on the Badoon, just like the OG Guardians in the comics or perhaps they could somehow finally incorporate Vance Astro into the MCU! At this point, if Gunn’s hands are on it, we are all for it.

11.) Shuri Solo Film

Letitia Wright is a great example of the kind of casting Marvel Studios is becoming known for. She’s 24 and about to be an absolute star

It’s time for a new Iron Man and you know who we want it to be: Shuri. What?!?!?! Yes, we want this film and we don’t think it’s totally crazy. She’s openly being set up as the MCU’s new tech genius. She’s been designing the Wakandan tech which makes Stark’s stuff look like it was made in a cave with a box of scraps…The Hulkbuster is in Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War which means she’ll have her hands on Stark’s baby and we won’t be surprised to find out that she somehow upgrades it. If Iron Man is going the legacy route it did in the comics, this is a way to make that happen with a character who already exists.

Of course, Shuri could always be the new Black Panther in a third solo film, especially if her brother is forced to leave the position following an Atlantean attack. Shuri had an absolutely fascinating turn as the monarch of Wakanda in the comics and we’d be up for an adaptation of that.

To be honest, we aren’t too picky here about how it happens, we just want Marvel to make it happen.

12.) Thuderbolts

Marvel Studios may have been assembling the pieces of this film right under our noses this whole time (not that many haven’t noticed). With Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo waiting in the wings, it won’t take much more pushing to get him a team. The Shocker lived to fight another day in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost would be another great addition. Starting with those pieces, you’re just a few characters away from having your very own squad of baddies out to do good and giving these underutilized actors time to shine.

13.) Nova

Another Cosmic film! We’ve heard time and again that there’s a heavy focus on developing Cosmic characters going forward and Nova may be the most iconic and unused character to whom Marvel Studios holds the rights. The destruction of Xandar that’s sure to come in Avengers: Infinity War would provide a great opening for the origin story of Richard Rider and could be done without much fuss. Sure it might be too late for the hero to help out in Infinity War or Avengers 4, but a young Rider could be tasked with rebuilding the Nova Corps in the wake of it’s central hub being wrecked by Thanos.

14.) Squadron Supreme

We’ve been championing this film for a long, long time and we aren’t backing down. With DC going forward with their own “Captain Marvel” in Shazam, we would love to see Marvel Studios go forward with their very own “Justice League” film. I’d love for this to be a major event film, seeing the comic book origins adapted as best as can be. The Grandmaster’s Squadron Supreme vs. (please let it be Kang’s) The Avengers! A group of heroes plucked from other dimensions and forced to fight Earth’s Mightiest! If Marvel Studios wants different, these characters provide a great opportunity. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie up against Thundra would be just one reason to make it happen, so let’s get this bandwagon rolling!

15.) Captain America: Sam Wilson

We hear a lot of stuff and not all of it makes a lot of sense. One thing we’ve heard several times over the past year, however, that makes a lot of sense is that Marvel Studios is leaning heavily towards having Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson take over the mantle of Captain America instead of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky. This isn’t anything we’ve been told has been set in stone, though we have heard that the studio does NOT have major plans for Stan moving forward. Time will tell on all that, but we already know that Mackie has made a major impression on us and we would love to see his story go on.

16.) Power Pack

This one is based off of a recent rumor, but the more we think about it, the more we like the idea. Based on that rumor, if Power Pack is happening, it’s still in its infancy, but it’s something that Marvel has been developing on and off for almost 10 years. It’s a very kid-friendly choice, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have stakes. I still think the film with some of the steepest stakes I’ve seen recently was a kid’s movie: 2015’s Inside Out. No reason that a group of kids can’t get in on the action and, if Disney closes that deal with Fox, this could be the kind of property that would align nicely with the Richards’ children.

17.) Shang-Chi

This one is a little meta humor. Despite the fact that we have been coming through on scoop after scoop after scoop for you guys, everyone still digs at us for the Shang-Chi in Iron Fist business. I can tell you without a doubt that they auditioned for the role of Shang-Chi for that show and for some reason, he didn’t make the cut. Why? Well, Marvel Studios has a fantastic relationship with China and we imagine they’d like to build on that. The Russo brothers went to China in 2015 to do an exclusive interview about Captain America: Civil War and are even opening their own studio over there. How cool would it be to see some sort of effort made to make Shang-Chi into a loosely-connected James Bond-esque property? Crazy, we know, but it sounded good.

18.) Moon Knight

As much as we think this property could be Marvel TV’s Legion, we are coming around to the idea that having Marc Spector on screen might be more important and, we’re told, so do the folks at Marvel Studio. One reason for the delay in a vehicle for the cult favorite character is that the issue of where he’ll appear isn’t quite settled. The character and content seem a little dark compared to typical Marvel Studios fare, but it’s hard not to imagine a fully-realized Moon Knight on the big screen.

19.) Champions

Marvel had to spend some cash to get the trademark rights to the Champions title back and while it’s been a solid comic, it’s possible they also had the bigger picture in mind. Champions is an interesting twist on what it means to be a superhero and it has found the Champions taking on not only powerful villains like the High Evolutionary, but also “championing” significant causes. The film could be the right vehicle for three of Marvel’s most important characters of late: Amadeus Cho, Kamala Khan and Miles Morales. Miles already exists; Cho’s mother survived Avengers: Age of Ultron; Captain Marvel could set up a potential Khan origin. Just a thought, but with Marvel always looking to the future, this is a title that could bring in a ready made crowd of young comic book readers.

20.) Young Avengers

One of Marvel’s great arcs from the mid-aughts, the Young Avengers is another film that should happen and that could already be in the works. With Cassie Lang the only character already in the MCU, some work needs to be done and recent rumors COULD indicate that it is. Speed and Wiccan could be on their way into the MCU and it wouldn’t take much for a Captain Marvel film to set up the events that would lead to Hulking joining the fray. Adding Bishop Publishing to a scene here or there won’t be too hard and then it’s a matter of deciding which other characters the studio wants to add. This was a story ahead of its time in 2005 and it’s time to bring it to the big screen.

We had a hard time stopping at twenty. We want more Thor and more Doctor Strange. We want Hercules. We really, really want to see Taika Waititi direct a Silver Surfer movie. In truth, there’s no end to the things we want and that’s great because it seems there’s no end in sight for Marvel Studios!

December 1, 2017
Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’ Might Have an Egghead After All

Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy on MCU Exchange on November 16, 2017.

It’s been a while since we’ve churned out a Connecting the Imaginary Dots feature, but this seems like the right time for one. For those of you that haven’t read these before, we’re basically taking a piece of information, making some deductions and taking an educated guess at something. We have no inside info; this isn’t a scoop; it’s just as likely to be wrong as it is right.

We like doing this, not because we sometimes get them right, but because it gives us a chance to tell you something you may not already know and then let our fanboy imagination run wild. So let’s get to it, shall we. First of all, here’s the bit of information that got us all started; it appears that actor Michael Cerveris may have joined the cast of Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and The Wasp! You may recognize Cerveris from his role as The Observer on Fringe or from his recent work on The Tick. The IMDB listing (yes, we know it can be totally wrong, that’s why this is a Connecting Imaginary Dots piece) for Ant-Man and The Wasp was recently updated and lists Kent De Mond as a stunt performer for Cerveris:

Operating under the assumption that De Mond jumped the gun in updating his own profile and Cerveris is in the film, we started considering who someone like Cerveris, a VERY singular looking man, could be playing in the film. We reached out to our source to confirm, but at the time of publication, we had not been able to get word.

To be honest, it didn’t take a lot of deliberation to settle on Elihas Starr, aka Egghead. A genius-level atomic scientist, Starr was caught smuggling government plans with the intent to sell them. From there, Starr went on to begin his career as a villain in the service of the criminals who helped him out of prison. Starr first appeared in Tales to Astonish #38 and for most of his time in the comics served as an antagonist to Hank Pym. While much of the plot of the film is still being kept secret, we could see room for a genius like Starr to be in the film working to take on the Ant-Man team.

There really aren’t a lot of great, iconic Ant-Man villains (are there any?) but Egghead would have to be counted among them, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see Reed add him to the film. While you might ask, “Why didn’t we see him in any of the character breakdowns/casting calls?”, that’s actually pretty normal. For a character actor like Cerveris, it’s possible that Reed either had him in mind from the beginning, or picked him from a small group that didn’t require an auditioning process. Either way, we could definitely see Cerveris in the role and hope we hit this nail on the (egg)head.

Source: IMDB

November 16, 2017
4 Things We’d Love to See In Future ‘Thor’ Installments

Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy on MCU Exchange on November 6, 2017.

Thor: Ragnarok certainly revitalized the franchise and the character. Not only did it bring some of the more fantastical elements of the Thor comics to the screen, it also saw the character make some bold choices that lead to some major repercussions for him and the people of Asgard. We know we’ll see the God of Thunder again in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 and expect him to play a significant role. While it seems that those films will be the swan songs for stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, it is possible that Chris Hemsworth could continue on in the role; after all, Asgardians age awfully slowly, making Hemsworth one of the few MCU stars whose aging could work out just fine. Furthermore, Tessa Thompson’s turn as the Valkyrie did nothing other than continue her ascension as a star and leave us all wanting much, much more of the character. If Marvel Studios is so inclined, they could potentially use the massive success of Thor: Ragnarok as a springboard to launch not only more Thor films, but also films centered around the Valkyrie. The source material certainly provides enough great stories for several films so we put together a sampling of some that we think would look great on screen!

To Wake The Mangog!

One of the great Thor villains that we’ve still yet to see on screen is the great and immortal Mangog! Seen above in concept art from Thor: The Dark World. the Mangog is a villain for whom the time may actually be right given some of the dark revelations about Odin’s past. In the comics, the Mangog was the sole survivor of his kind with the rest of his race being killed by Odin as he is imprisoned in the depths of the Realm Eternal. Fueled by the their combined rage (“the hatred of a billion, billion beings) the Mangog is released by Ulik the Troll (another Thor baddie we’re dying to see!) and proves an equal in battle for the Odinson.

The Mangog is returning to the comics and the events of Thor: Ragnarok could actually have set the stage for his entry into the MCU. The destruction of Asgard by Surtur could be used to explain how the Mangog escaped prison and a film featuring him could give us some more of the true history of Asgard, one of the juiciest and underserved plot points in Thor: Ragnarok. Of course the Mangog would turn his rage on the new King of Asgard, giving Thor a foe that not only challenges him physically, but threatens his burgeoning rule as well.

Journey Into Mystery

If they are going to give Tessa Thompson her own franchise, and I REALLY think they should, I love this as the title. This is the title that introduced Thor to the Silver Age of comics and told young readers the “Tales of Asgard.” Interestingly enough, any movie featuring the Valkyrie, or Asgardians in general, doesn’t need to take place in the present day, giving Marvel Studios a plethora of options for Journey Into Mystery films. While the title might evoke images of Lady Sif for loyal readers, it’s pretty clear that the studio has larger plans for Thompson than for Jamie Alexander; however, that wouldn’t stop them from making an absolutely fantastic team up film with the two badasses!

We know that Thompson has pitched an all-female film to Marvel Studios and, at this point, we have to think the studio is open to it. This may not be the story she had in mind, but we’d love to see the Valkyrie team up with Sif. A couple of classic Thor villains come to mind as wonderful antagonists for such a film and while their team up would clearly be short-lived, we’d love to see Karnilla, the Norn Queen and Amora finally grace the big screen!

The Undying Ones

Outside of being an absolutely fantastic individual character, one of the great things about the Valkyrie being introduced into the MCU is that we are now just one character away from being able to assemble the comic book Defenders on screen. With Doctor Strange, Hulk and the Valkyrie in the mix, we just need Namor and we have the non-team many of us grew up reading about. It seems like the issues surrounding a Namor solo movie are similar to those associated with the Hulk, so introducing him in a team-up film is probably the only way to go. It also seems that the future of the MCU is in team ups of “unexpected combinations of characters” and this idea certainly falls under that umbrella.

First appearing in Doctor Strange #183 and Sub-Mariner #22, the Undying Ones, a group of inter-dimensional demons who used to rule the Earth, were the threat that brought the Defenders together. Whether it’s in the first Valkyrie film or a Doctor Strange sequel, this Lovecraftian horror movie is the type of genre-bending experiment that Marvel Studios seems more and more comfortable attempting. Thompson’s character already showed a fantastic rapport with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and would definitely be an interesting foil to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. Additionally, her irreverence would certainly grind Namor’s gears, cementing her as the centerpiece of this team up.

Gorr, The God Butcher

I’m aware that Thor: Ragnarok already introduced some facets of Jason Aaron’s incredible run on Thor: God of Thunder. While I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to which comics should be adapted into Marvel Studios films, I believe that Aaron’s Gorr arc is one of the finest Thor stories ever told. Those things considered, I feel that this is a story that can be told and told well at some point down the road, if Hemsworth chooses to stick around in the role (or if they recast someone else at some point).

In order for this story to be told, it probably makes sense that we are introduced to some other gods from other pantheons at some point. If future films introduce heroes such as Hercules and other characters like Ares and the Eternals, a story taking place in the future featuring an aged King Thor could be the fitting farewell to the character. The story of Gorr transcends time and space and would be perfect for the final, epic Thor story.

November 6, 2017
EXCLUSIVE: Details About Thanos’ Black Order In ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Revealed

Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on June 12, 2017.

“You are a disappointment sister; out of all our siblings, I hated you least.”

Brutal beatings at each other’s hands. Each loss made a permanent memory by Thanos as he rebuilt them to make them better. It’s safe to say that James Gunn has created a relationship between sisters Nebula and Gamora that went a little beyond the usual sibling rivalry, but the two daughters of Thanos seem to have come to an understanding and have chosen very different paths from the one their adoptive-father intended. However, as Nebula indicated, there are other siblings, other children of Thanos, whom we haven’t yet met and if Nebula and Gamora are any indication, they could be pretty nasty.

We can tell you that when Avengers: Infinity War rolls around, we will meet the other children of Thanos and, in fact, we’ve already seen them on set!

Earlier in the year, actor Terry Notary revealed that he was working alongside Josh Brolin and 3 other actors in Avengers: Infinity War and that his character, the “right-hand man” of Thanos, was “truly evil.” Set photos from Scotland seemed to indicate that we might be seeing some of Thanos’ generals, known in the comics as the Black Order, when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters.

Our source indicated to us that this iteration of the characters, first seen in Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers #8, won’t be referred to as the Black Order, but instead will be the siblings mentioned by Nebula! When Thanos goes looking for the Infinity Stones, he’s going to send his children and they’ll be bringing bad intentions with them.

While we can’t confirm which of the characters are being used and which is being left out, we feel confident with our previous prediction that Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight will be among them. We also feel pretty confident that if Nebula and Gamora are the well-adjusted children of the Mad Titan, that the Avengers are in for some serious trouble.

With the inspiration drawn from Hickman’s work and the recent set photos indicating Wakanda will play a role in the film, we are hoping to see something along the line of the Black Dwarf’s Wakandan invasion. In the comics, while Thanos’ other generals had defeated the Avengers around the globe, Wakanda, led by T’Challa and his sister, Shuri, turned back the army of the Black Dwarf, helping stem the tide of the invasion and give hope to Earth.

It’s interesting to see which Infinity-related events the Russo brothers have been using for inspiration and it’s becoming very clear that we are not going to be getting a straight adaptation of any one Infinity story. It’s exciting to see the Russos pull what was a solid concept from Hickman’s recent work and fit it into an opening already established by Gunn. While we don’t know if we’ll get much background on how the Mad Titan collected his children, they will undoubtedly provide an incredible threat to the Avengers and we expect that they may even prove to be too much in some instances!

June 12, 2017
A ‘Blue Marvel’ Film Could Be The MCU’s Platform for High-Concept Sci-Fi

Note: This post was originally published by Charles Murphy on MCU Exchange on May 18, 2017.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is just a few weeks into its global run but it’s clear that it will be another feather in Marvel’s cap. A massive financial success and another critical success, it also, based on my conversations, seems to be trending as a Top 5 film with many MCU fans. With the success of the two Guardians films, it’s easy to forget that this was far from a sure thing when Kevin Feige gave it the green light in 2012, but James Gunn has done an incredible job of bringing his vision to the screen and given us a couple of science-fiction gems. With a highly-anticipated third film on the way in 2020, which Gunn says will conclude the story of this version of the Guardians, Gunn has a chance to direct one of the first great sci-fi trilogies of the 21st century. While there will always be room for more Guardians films, Marvel Studios would also like to expand their universe and to do so, it might be time to take another chance on a lesser known property, but one that could, like Guardians, attract a visionary director to a high-concept sci-fi film. The story of Adam Brashear, Blue Marvel, could connect the science of the MCU to the extra-dimensional adventures of Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and Thor and could be the next underdog powerhouse franchise for Marvel Studios.

Dr. Adam Brashear, the Blue Marvel, was introduced in 2008 in a 5-issue mini-series, Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel, written by Kevin Grevioux. You might recognize Grevioux from his work as Raze in the Underworld films, which were originally conceived by him and the first of which he also co-wrote with director Len Wiseman, but Grevioux has appeared in dozens of shows and films in addition to working on other comic book projects including New Warriors. Grevioux is also a distinguished man of science, holding a degree in Microbiology and having dabbled in chemistry, psychology and genetic engineering. Grevioux’s scientific interests clearly influenced his writing and were especially clear in his work on Adam, when he fully developed the character of the Blue Marvel which he had created during his teens.

Grevioux’s Blue Marvel origins as a hero are rooted in classic Marvel archetypes and though written in 2008, took place in the 1960s alongside so many other Marvel characters. A former Marine and brilliant scientist, Brashear’s work on harnessing the energy of antimatter from a parallel universe went sideways, exposing him, and his best friend and colleague, Conner Sims, to an unimaginable amount of radiation when the machine keeping the spacetime boundary between the two universes stable exploded. Brashear’s exposure left him a living antimatter reactor capable of producing massive amounts of energy, flight and just about any superpower imaginable; Sims, however, was transformed into pure energy and soon found himself incapable of sustaining a human form for long. His inability to maintain a stable physical manifestation of himself contributed to a break in his psyche and he became the villain known as Anti-Man. For a time, Brashear served as the masked hero the Blue Marvel, retiring at the request of President Kennedy after a rip in his mask during a battle with Sims revealed him as an African-American hero, something the culture of the time wasn’t ready to accept. The battle, which apparently destroyed Sims, was the end of the Blue Marvel, and Brashear went back to work as a scientist.

Brashear married, had children and became a physics professor. Despite being retired, Brashear saved the Earth on many occasions, defeating aliens and keeping a multiversal being known as the Infinaut from creating a massive breaching reality and manifesting at such a size as would cause the complete destruction of our planet. Following the death of his wife and along side his oldest son Kevin in their undersea labs at the Marianas Trench, he continued work on antimatter and other dimensions, ultimately discovering the space between realities called the Neutral Zone. Here, matter and anti-matter co-existed leaving endless possibilities for energy. Adam and Kevin’s exploration of the vast space when on until a villain, Doctor Evald Skorpion, attempted to use the Neutral Zone to destroy reality. Skorpion sabotaged the Brashear’s portal, causing it to expand and allowing extra-dimensional energies to begin destroying everything. To save all reality, Adam had to destroy the portal with his son Kevin still in the Neutral Zone, trapping him there forever. Brashear attempted several times to bring his son home, failing at every turn. Angry at his father for sacrificing his brother, Adam’s youngest son Max began his own research, funded by terrorists, into the Neutral zone under the name Doctor Positron.

The Blue Marvel has recently been a part of Luke Cage’s Mighty Avengers and currently serves as a member of the Ulitmates, solving multiversal (and potentially even bigger) problems. His work has brought him into contact with Galactus, reunited him with his friend Conner Sims and seen him go head-to-head with other Cosmic entities and forces. He has reconciled with and worked alongside his son Max and recently entered into a relationship with fellow Ultimate member Monica Rambeau, aka Spectrum.

As Marvel Stuidos shifts its sights to the future of the MCU post-Infinity War, we hope that the story of Adam Brashear is one that they are ready to tell. A powerful and intelligent hero, Brashear will mesh nicely with the existing science-based heroes and help further explore the concepts of extra-dimensions and what really goes on in space. With the rights to the Fantastic Four seemingly set to remain at Fox, Brashear is the perfect character to take on the role as the explorer of the unknown. His origin story reads like so many of Marvel Studios’ best films and plays to the trope of the villain’s powers being tied to the heroes. His family ties will help create interest and tension to add some drama and his interracial relationship with Marlene Frazier, the woman who ultimately becomes his wife, would allow Marvel Studios to tackle some very real issues we’ve yet to see in one of their films. Adding Blue Marvel to the docket also allows Marvel Studios to continue to address the lack of diversity in their films, something Feige has said they intend to do well beyond Black Panther and Captain Marvel.

Depending on how Marvel chooses to play it, a Blue Marvel film could either continue to add some depth to the history of the MCU or take place in the current day. If Marvel Studios chose to make Brashear and older, more experienced hero similar to his comic book self, they could place the origin story in the 1980s, making Brashear a contemporary of Hank Pym. In this instance, reaching out to gauge the interest of Denzel Washington would seem a no-brainer. Should Marvel choose to have the origins occur in real time and grow the story of Brashear over time, maybe we see Disney employ some more inter-company synergy and give John Boyega one of the meatiest roles in their new universe.

Regardless of the timeline, having Brashear and Sims investigating the types of extra-dimensional energies used to create portals in Doctor Strange. Even though we’ve only recently seen them in the timeline, the existence of magic and the Ancient One in the MCU predates the film. Brashear and Sims could crack the science behind the magic and open up a portal, unprepared for the events unfolding on the other side. To some extent, you can imagine the film following some key beats from other sci-fi horror films like The Fly or Event Horizon and becoming a little introspective on the dangers of exploring the unknown. With that theme in mind, the dream director is Alfonso Cuaron, though I know that Marvel Studios often tends to look for up and comers. Perhaps someone like Jordan Peele (Get Out) or Colm McCarthy (The Girl With All the Gifts) could put something together that would catch Feige’s attention.

Truth be told, none of us have any idea in what direction Feige intends to take the MCU. However, outside of some longtime favorites like Richard Rider, Monica Rambeau and the Squadron Supreme, I can’t think of a character I would like to see more. What are your thoughts about the possible inclusion of Dr. Adam Brashear to the MCU?

May 18, 2017
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Sterling K. Brown Was Just Cast as Erik Killmonger’s Dad

This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on January 6, 2017.

Yesterday the already stellar cast of Black Panther grew by one with the addition of rising star Sterling K. Brown. The official press release from Marvel revealed that Brown would play N’Jobu, a character from T’Challa’s past. The character of N’Jobu wouldn’t turn up in any Google searches of the Marvel Universe, but that wouldn’t stop us from digging a little deeper and connecting some imaginary dots. After some thinking, I believe that Brown’s N’Jobu is the father of the film’s presumed primary antagonist: Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger.

In the comics, Killmonger’s hatred for T’Challa comes from a long-held grudge against the Wakandan Royal Family. During an attack on Wakanda by Ulysses Klaw, Killmonger’s father (a native of Wakanda) was forcibly enlisted into Klaw’s invading army and forced to fight against his own country. In the conflict, Killmonger’s father was killed and when Klaw’s army was defeated, Killmonger’s remaining family was exiled from their home country. Taking up residence in America, Killmonger began his path of vengeance against the Wakandan Royals, setting his sights on T’Challa, the new king.

In a tremendous case of me really stretching some already thin fabric, I believe the beginnings of this conflict have already been seen in the MCU and that the Black Panther film will fill in the blanks with some flashbacks. How do we get there from here?

Erik Killmonger is a native Wakandan, so, as you may have guessed, he probably wasn’t born Erik Killmonger. In fact, his birth name was N’Jadaka. I’m no expert on Wakandan naming traditions (the only experts on the subject were busy at the time of publishing and had not returned our calls), but it seems an easy thing to draw a parallel to other Wakandans and their names. T’Challa, son of T’Chaka. So, could it be N’Jadaka, son of N’Jobu? In my mind, he will be.

I’m guessing we will see a flashback to Andy Serkis‘ Klaue’s time in Wakanda (referenced in Avengers: Age of Ultron), see the death of Brown’s N’Jobu and the subsequent exile of his son, giving us the necessary exposition for the main conflict of the film which should pit Killmonger against T’Challa. Framed in this way, you can really see Jordan in the role. In some ways, he’ll be able to channel some of the same things that made his performance in Creed so memorable and will become more than another one-note villain. Jordan’s Killmonger will be the equal of T’Challa in every way and may just make for one of the MCU’s best villains to date.

What do you think about this entirely ridiculous speculation? Let us know in the comments and be sure to share this with your friends!

January 6, 2017
Things We’d Like to See in a ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on November 9, 2016.

The huge $85+ million dollar opening weekend domestic box office has made what was already a near certainty an inevitability: we will get a Doctor Strange sequel. Taking into account the global box office, the film has already recouped its production cost and the critics and fans alike have responded very well to the mind-bending action and Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead character. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see Marvel Studios announce a place-holder date for a sequel before the end of the year, we got a bit of jump start on our wishlist for future installments. Given the many years of comic back story and the richness of the character, there’s no way one sequel is enough for all this, so here’s to hoping Derrickson and company get the chance to put several more adventures together.

Nightmare

Fortunately for us, this one may be the most likely on this list as director Scott Derrickson has said he would like to use Nightmare as the villain for his sequel. Nightmare was Doctor Strange’s first challenge and Derrickson seems to love the idea of exploring the Nightmare Realm, in fact, it was revealed that Nightmare was the original villain in the film before giving way to Dormammu. Given Derrickson’s filmography, which features several horror films, and his detail-oriented approach, exploring the impact of nightmares on the human psyche could give Marvel the type of genre-bending film they seem to try to produce and seems like something that Derrickson would love. Such a film could also allow Marvel Studios to further expand their universe by potentially also exploring the Mindscape and introducing the Sleepwalkers, characters who act as defenders of the Mindscape. My God…this movie, Doctor Strange: The Final Curtain, sounds amazing.

More Mordo

Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE..Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor)..Photo Credit: Film Frame ..©2016 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

The tag at the end of the film indicates that not only will we see more of Karl Mordo, but that it’s almost impossible for comic book fans to predict much of what he’ll do. This Mordo is a dangerous, damaged man who has now become disillusioned with the way of life that he thought had saved him. The revelation that the Ancient One had been using the very powers against which Mordo had been defending the world sent the Master on a different, darker path. Unlike the comic book Mordo who became jealous of Strange’s accelerated ascension, this Mordo feels he’s been duped to live a life in which only those who make the rules can bend them. When last we see him, he’s seemingly ripping the magic away from Ben Bratt’s Pangborn in an effort to begin reducing the number of sorcerers on Earth, seemingly taking on some of the characteristics of Strange’s comic book foe Silver Dagger. This obviously puts him on a collision course with Strange, but just when they’ll meet again seems uncertain. I love Ejiofor’s characterization of Mordo and I want to see it continue to develop over time. This Mordo seems like the solution to Marvel’s much talked about villain problem but only if Derrickson and crew take their time and develop him alongside Strange, perhaps saving their showdown for the end of a trilogy in Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (my title, not theirs).

Shuma Gorath

A massive, million-year-old demon, Shuma Gorath is one of Doctor Strange’s most iconic and unique looking foes. The immortal Lord of Chaos ruled over Earth in pre-historic times, Shuma Gorath has conquered hundreds of dimensions and routinely set his one, big, gross eye on Earth. Given that he is indefatigable and immortal, defeating him always proves quite a challenge, so his presence could invite many of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to the party. Alternately, Shuma Gorath could, as he has done in the comics, use an agent on Earth to do the damage. It’s not unthinkable that a movie involving Nightmare could ultimately reveal Shuma Gorath at work behind the scenes. It’s also possible that Shuma Gorath and others like him could show up in the Cosmic corner of the MCU down the line as well. However, if Derrickson and crew are looking to make their monster movie, Shuma Gorath might be the answer in Doctor Strange: A Separate Reality(my title, not theirs).

The Defenders…no, not those ones, the other ones

The original comic book Defenders were a group of traditionally solo heroes that came together to battle foes of a more supernatural nature. The roster, like many Marvel teams, changed over the years but the original team consisted of Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Valkyrie and Namor, the Sub-Mariner. With Valkyrie being introduced to the MCU in Thor: Ragnarok, that leaves Namor as the only Defender left off the board. It seems that Marvel has the option to put Namor in a film, but that much like the case with the Hulk, if it is a solo film they may have to let Universal distribute it, costing them some cash. If that’s the case, throwing Namor into team-ups, as they are doing with Hulk, seems to address the issue. Certainly, the minds at work behind the scenes at Marvel Studios can devise a situation big enough to draw Namor to the surface to meet up with the other Defenders. Cue the Nameless One and the Undying Ones. If you’re going to team-up with the Hulk, it’s because you need him to do some serious smashing and having him smash an extra-dimensional demonic race sounds rad. Of course, if you have the Undying Ones running around, that means their leader, a conqueror known as the Nameless One is close behind.

An Entirely Extra-Dimensional Setting co-starring the Hulk

If I can’t get the entire team of Defenders, then at least give me this team-up. Please, please let me have the Hulk going somewhere with Doctor Strange and just smash the hell out of some extra-dimensional creatures. Nothing would make fans happier than giving the Hulk an opponent he could destroy just about everything while saving the Earth. The options seem myriad and fun. I could go for Hulk smashing some Mindless Ones. I could go for a rift about the time Strange banished Hulk to the Crossroads and seeing the two of them stuck there together, Strange using his magic to fight while Hulk uses his fists. If Marvel Studios is intent on keeping the Hulk front and center, they’ll either have to pay the piper and lose some cast to Universal on production OR they can keep teaming him up with other characters like they are with Thor. I’d love to see that next team-up be with the Doctor and see what they can do.

Brother Voodoo

When Daniel Drumm died defending the Sanctum Sanctorum, his story may not have ended. Comic book fans will know that Daniel’s death pushes his brother, Jericho, further into the realm of magic where he becomes known as Brother Voodoo. Derrickson has already said there’s a good chance we’d see Jericho down the line and given the character’s rise to prominence in the comics over the years, fans will be waiting. Jericho provides the opportunity for an alternate story of magic to be told, given his Voodoo practices and dealings with the spirit of his dead brother. Though he and Strange have often worked together, the two practitioners of the mystic arts don’t always see eye to eye. Certainly, Voodoo’s dealings in possession could open interesting doors to other avenues of the supernatural and it’s always important to have an extra Sorcerer Supreme on your roster in case one dies suddenly. While introducing Jericho through a Doctor Strange sequel makes sense, we’d hope that he’s not relegated to superhero sidekick duty because his ample comic history says this mystic could even step out on his own.

Clea

We saw Dormammu and found out a little bit about the Dark Dimension. Fans of the comics know that there is likely no way that we’ve seen the last of The Dread One and theories are already out there that range from him taking the place of Galactus in the MCU to him being the boss battle of Phase 4. If we are to see more of Dormammu and his realm, it’s likely that at some point we might see one of the few well-known Doctor Strange supporting characters that was not introduced in the origin film: Clea.

Clea, a humanoid extra-dimensional being, is the princess of the Dark Dimension and the niece of Dormammu. She has a long history with Strange as his apprentice in the mystic arts and as his lover. Fueled by the energies of the Dark Dimension, Clea is a powerful sorceress and more than just a window-dressing female to add into the script. While her origins might certainly need some touching up, her inclusion into an MCU ever looking to add to its powerhouse lineup of female heroes seems to make her a good possibility. Not only will she give Strange an extra-dimensional ally, but a powerful partner on Earth to help with what’s sure to be an increase in the number of mystically powered foes. While fans may want her to join the MCU ASAP, it seems like Strange may have a little more of a journey to make before he encounters Dormammu again.

Wanda Maximoff

When last we saw Wanda in Captain America: Civil War, she had an existential conversation with Vision about their shared power source. While I don’t know that we’ve ever gotten a great explanation of how Wanda’s powers work, I think it’s safe to say she, like Strange, is channeling some sort of energy. If we are ever going to get an explanation and see Wanda continue to master her powers and/or become more unstable and dangerous, a Doctor Strange team-up might be the key to that lock.

If they were to run the comic route, an explanation into Wanda’s powers could include a trippy flashback and a story about Chthon, one of the Elder Gods of the Marvel Universe and add help to flesh out the origins of the MCU’s entire cosmos. It seems certain that Wanda and Stephen will cross each others’ paths at some point; it’s just a matter of how their interactions serve the larger narrative that will dictate the story.

November 16, 2016
FEATURE: Team-Ups We’d Love To See In Phase Four Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on November 16, 2016.

From the early 1970s until the mid-1980s, Marvel comics published a one-shot series called Marvel Team-Ups in which characters from across their universe came together for one issue. The vast majority of these team-ups (especially the first volume) featured Spider-Man pairing up with someone, but also allowed other, non-A-list heroes to work alongside some heavy hitters.

As a kid, this was one of my favorite titles, allowing me to see pairs like Spider-Woman and Hulk or Spider-Man and Valkyrie work together. As an adult, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is allowing me to experience the same sort of joy, seeing Ant-Man meet Captain America and soon seeing the Hulk and Thor go on a Cosmic road trip. According to Kevin Feige, people like me who love seeing these characters interact might really enjoy Phase 4 where he says we may see more “unexpected combinations of characters.” While Feige is fired up to see facial hair bros Tony Stark and Stephen Strange pair up, we had a few team-ups of our own that got us feeling excited:

Doctor Strange and Hulk

The Defenders are coming to Netflix in 2017, but to longtime readers of Marvel Comics such as myself, the title of Defenders belongs to a group otherwise typically self-serving heroes who occasionally teamed up to save the world from attacks more supernatural in nature. I’ve already talked about my hopes for the original comic book Defenders to assemble in a Doctor Strange sequel, but I’m not convinced we will get that. It’s easier to convince me that rather than the whole team, we get to see Doctor Strange team-up with Hulk, however. Given Marvel Studios is keen to team characters up into odd pairs and the fact that their best bet to continue making the most out of Mark Ruffalo‘s Banner/Hulk is to put him in other characters’ solo films, this really seems like a near no-brainer. Strange and Banner/Hulk have a long comic book history that should not be ignored.

Spider-Man and Doctor Strange

This happened several times in the comics and while I’m not sure we’ll see Spidey or Strange taking on a full co-starring role in either one’s solo film, I think that paying homage to some of the classic team-up books is a great idea. Also, given Spidey’s youth and Tom Holland‘s genuine innocence, I can imagine them sharing a few scenes could produce some absolutely incredible moments. Given Holland’s contract still has quite a few films left on it, it seems reasonable to believe that these two will team-up at some point.

Black Widow, Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter, Maria Hill and Nick Fury

When Marvel Studios was first founded, it had plans of making a solo Nick Fury film. Later, rumors about an S.H.I.E.L.D-centric film made the rounds. While neither of those films ever got the green light, Feige’s comments about making smaller, more intimate films might give it life again. Samuel L. Jackson isn’t going to live forever, so putting together a feature role for him in a Mission: Impossible-esque, espionage-heavy film starring a few of Marvel’s finest spies would be a trip. Such a film could certainly have some space to fill in some more of the past of the MCU while giving Marvel Studios the type of genre jumping they seem to have been happy to do. If such a film were to be made, I’d hope Marvel would knock on the door of Christopher McQuarrie to write (maybe with his Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation collaborator Drew Pearce) and direct.

Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel

When Carol Danvers joined the cosmic heroes for a brief spell in the comics, it seemed like the team found something they’d always been missing but didn’t know it. Many potential characters are missing from the Guardians in the MCU and it’s possible we may never get to meet many of them (Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, Moondragon, Starhawk, Vance Astro…the list goes on). However, there is one recent member of the team that is about to enter the MCU in Captain Marvel, making it possible that she teams up with the ragtag band to help…guard the galaxy. Certainly casting Brie Larson as Carol shows that Marvel Studios has big plans for the character in its post-Infinity War plans. With Robert Downey Jr. aging, we could start to see actors like Larson and Benedict Cumberbatch take on a bigger role in the MCU, meaning seeing more of them more often as we did with Tony Stark. And when it comes to the possibility of more Danvers, I don’t think anyone will complain if they get to watch Larson and Chris Pratt interact over the course of 2-hour space adventure.

Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch

This one has to happen at some point, right? The two primary magic users on Earth have to meet. When we last saw Wanda in Captain America: Civil War, she and Vision were pondering some existential questions and Wanda was just beginning to accept who she was now. A team-up with Doctor Strange could go a long way towards helping Wanda grow more comfortable and could help with some much-needed exposition about the way her powers work. Kevin Feige referred to her spell-casting as chaotic, which really couldn’t have been coincidence, right? So could Strange and Wong come to learn as much from her as she from them? Could their investigation into her powers lead to a confrontation with Chthon, the Elder God of Chaos? That sounds like it could get fun and potentially send Wanda off on the path many of us are expecting her to follow.

Spider-Man and Hulk

It worked well in the comics. It worked well in cartoons. Do you have any reason to doubt that putting these two together as a pair won’t work in live-action? The thought of Holland’s Spider-Man cracking wise with the Hulk sounds like a fun of an idea as Marvel could put into action. The question then becomes why would Hulk and Spidey team-up? What would bring them together? Someone worth smashing, I’d hope. Well it probably isn’t true, it seems like Spidey and Hulk were the most frequent pairing in the old Marvel Team-Up books, maybe Marvel Studios could mine those for some good quality ideas, maybe something that could finally bring Rick Jones into the MCU?

November 16, 2016
One-Shot: Captain Britain And An Expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe

This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on March 28, 2016.

Last week, rumors of a Captain Britain show began swirling when artist Ciara McAvoy showed off some artwork she’d done in preparation for the show. Over the next few days, other information came to light and, as it turns out, the show is not, at present, in development. Through a series of tweets, it became clear that the project is something that producer Chris Lark is putting together, presumably on his own, to take to Marvel in hopes of them moving forward with the project. I reached out to inquire if Marvel had actively been searching for pitches, but was unable to receive clarification. So at this point it seems increasingly unlikely we’ll be seeing Brian Braddock in the MCU anytime soon, but the possibility of him joining the crew certainly got us talking and thinking and, as we do here at the MCU Exchange, we are going to share some of those behind the scenes thoughts with you guys and see if we can’t continue the conversation.

Great Britain has a long and wonderful mythology which Stan Lee decided to adapt into Atlas Comics in 1955 with the original Black Knight. The story of the Black Knight, steeped in the folklore of Camelot and King Arthur, introduced the fantastical elements of the UK and helped grow the Marvel comics universe. Over the years, the number of characters with connections to the mysticism of the British Isles grew, including the creation of Britain’s defender in 1976 when the legendary Chris Claremont penned Captain Britain #1. While Captain Britain isn’t the only British superhero, he might be the one that would fit in the best with the existing characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While the bulk of the powered folks in the MCU are on U.S. soil, Captain America: Civil War is going to introduce the Black Panther, the leader of Wakanda, a fictional African nation, revealing to the rest of the world that heroes aren’t just an American thing and expanding the reach of the MCU. Speaking of expansion, while the bulk of Marvel’s heroes are either science or tech based, Marvel has also begun dabbling with mysticism through The Hand in Daredevil and will be adding the Sorcerer Supreme to the lineup of MCU heroes this fall. With this type of expansion in mind, Captain Britain actually becomes a perfect fit for the MCU. Brian Braddock is a practicing physicist who gains his powers through the mystical Amulet of Right. While Doctor Strange will be opening the door for extra-dimensional adventures, Captain Britain could potentially go beyond that, expanding Marvel’s reach into the multiverse.

Adding Captain Britain to the MCU would also allow Marvel to make some interesting connections to several other characters from the British Isles. One day, Shang-Chi could make an appearance in Iron Fist and his ties to MI-6 as a British spy could help grow the MCU and even intersect with some of Captain Britain’s allies. If they follow the comics and make Shang-Chi a British spy, it cements the involvement of the British government in superhero affairs. From there, it really doesn’t become much of a stretch to introduce MI-13, a covert government group that deals with all the strange and supernatural happenings in the UK. While MI-13 first appeared in an X-Men spin-off (Excalibur), it’s entirely possible that it’s a property to which Marvel holds the live-action rights or, at the very least, could adapt in ways to make it work. For a long time now, I’ve been hoping for an MI-13 show in the mold of the X-Files that opens the doors to many of the supernatural elements currently absent from the MCU.

Most notable among those supernatural elements that could be introduced via an MI-13 series is a property that has been rumored to be in some stage of development at Marvel for some time now: Blade, the Daywalker! While Wesley Snipes‘ Blade films were among the first Marvel properties developed into films, they are not canonically connected to the MCU. However, the popularity of the films could help relaunch the property as a part of Marvel’s Netflix partnership. While Snipes’ Blade was an American, creator Marv Wolfman‘s Eric Brooks was born in London and weaved his way throughout the Marvel universe. Blade has been a part of MI-13 at times and could easily be a part of that series or his own, but Blade means vampires and vampires means werewolves and zombies and the devil…and maybe his son? Maybe Blade means Hannibal King can get a second chance, erasing whatever version of him Ryan Reynolds was supposed to be and if Blade and Hannibal King can be around, maybe we can see the Midnight Sons… And trust me, this just scratches the surface of the type of connectivity that can be dug up here.

So, in typical One-Shot fashion, there’s a bunch of babble that sounds a lot like how you could draw a straight line from Captain Britain to Blade! Of course there are dozens of other incredible UK-based characters this One-Shot didn’t explore at all, such as the Black Knight, Union Jack and Spitfire to name a few, but this is the part where I stop and have you guys join the conversation. While we aren’t sure we’ll ever see a Captain Britain series, we can sure think of plenty of good reasons why we should. What about the rest of the MCU Exchange community?

March 28, 2016