As I wrap up my coverage here on BSO, I thought it would be fun to cap things off with a look at Marvel characters we can hope to see in the future. Whether it was via film or streaming, Marvel Studios introduced a bunch of characters that we have seen neither hide nor hair of since their debut. Many of these characters were either fan favorites or special projects by executives at the studio. While we’ve been hearing talk that the studio would like to bring some of these characters back, there’s been little to no movement on the production front.
Before we begin, I want to highlight that I do understand Marvel can’t create a project for and include every superhero on their roster. It also becomes tricky when you account for the fact that not every cameo needs to be followed up by a solo project. While that is typically the route we’ve seen, cameos happen in comics all the time, and they are often one-offs. You use the characters you need to tell the story, but what happens to the characters who were promoted to solo projects? Wouldn’t it make some sense at least to find a coherent jumping-off point for the character in question? When does Marvel circle back around on these characters for some form of follow-up?
Moon Knight is a prime example of a wasted character. They introduced the character in a solo project, casting the tremendously popular actor Oscar Isaac, only to completely abandon it in the following months and years. We haven’t even heard him mentioned, I think. I could be wrong on this, but I genuinely cannot recall anyone bringing up one of his alter egos or, you know, the fact that the night sky was turned back two thousand years. Every single star, planet, asteroid, black hole, galaxy, and particle was put back where it was two thousand years in the past, and we don’t even get a mention in Daredevil: Born Again or in Thunderbolts*?
Before anyone mentions it, I do not care about What If…?, as I am referring to live-action shows. While there are rumors that Marvel wants to do a Midnight Suns film, I don’t see how that film would sell tickets unless Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine joins the cast, along with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. Midnight Suns was never a particularly hot seller for Marvel, but the Marvel Knights projects did do well enough. I think that if they select some of the better stories and aren’t afraid to put major characters on their lesser-known teams, it could work out well enough. It’s not that the lesser-known team-based movies can’t succeed; it’s just that they must be rounded out with major names to balance out the lesser-known ones.
Wolverine is a great candidate for this because he’s been on and led numerous different factions within the Marvel Universe. The Punisher has always paired well with Wolverine on these teams. Wolverine has been on the X-Men, Avengers, New Avengers, X-Force, Alpha Flight, Team X, Howling Commandos, Secret Defenders, and Savage Avengers. Those are just the teams I can think of off the top of my head. He doesn’t necessarily have to be on the Avengers or the X-Men for those projects to succeed, but he could be the difference between success and failure for a film like Midnight Suns.
Shang-Chi is another character that I look forward to seeing more of in the future. Simu Liu truly impressed in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel reintroduced the Ten Rings only to pretty much leave them on the back burner afterward. I don’t think any organization has been dropped or minimized as much as the Ten Rings. They were introduced in the very first Marvel film, but played a background role. Then they brought them back for Iron Man 3 to pull the rug out from underneath the character as a fake. While they were somewhat the villain in Shang-Chi, it was really Dweller-In-Darkness that was the film’s true antagonist. He is slated to return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Jimmy Woo is another character I would very much like to see return. Portrayed by Randall Park, Woo became a fan favorite in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and then he returned to acclaim in WandaVision. Woo is a really entertaining character, and fans have enjoyed him in numerous different roles. Park’s irreverent style of humor is a perfect fit with the more sarcastic members of the MCU. I would kill for a miniseries with him and Wong off on an adventure.
While we’re on the subject, please bring back Darcy Lewis, played by Kat Dennings. Darcy first appeared in the first two films featuring Thor. The last time we saw her was in WandaVision, where she helped the aforementioned Jimmy Woo solve the problem happening in Westview. While she did return for Thor: Love and Thunder, I think she’s a better fit for the field with either S.W.O.R.D., due to her having obtained a doctorate, or with S.H.I.E.L.D., as a special agent. Dennings is another actor who can easily play off the deadpan humor of characters like Deadpool, Wolverine, and Shang-Chi. In fact, I would love to see her and Awkwafina starring together in the next Shang-Chi film. I need to see the banter between Katy and Darcy. The two of them would be gold.
Before I wrap it up, I want to mention at least a couple of villains Marvel should bring back. The biggest name I want to see return is Justin Hammer, portrayed by Sam Rockwell. Hammer first popped up in Iron Man 2, but the last time we saw him was in the Marvel One-Shot “All Hail The King.” I will refer you to my earlier statement about What If…? regarding his appearance in that. I really think that H.A.M.M.E.R. Industries could play a significant role following the death of Tony Stark. It would make sense for Hammer to make his move after his biggest rival had passed away, as that’s the type of man Justin Hammer embodies.
The final villain I want to mention is sort of a cop-out, but I am being honest. The villain in question is less of a who and more of a what — Arishem the Judge. The last time we saw Arishem, he was whisking away what remained of the Eternals to an unknown destination. Celestials are some of the most important beings in the Marvel Universe. I would very much like to see them return and play a bigger role in the MCU going forward. I realize this is unlikely to happen, as the average MCU fan didn’t really seem to enjoy The Eternals. If I’m being 100% honest, I didn’t care much for it either, and I’m one of the few people who have read every Eternal comic ever written. Maybe they could find a way to tie Arishem’s future to something involving Galactus, since we know that won’t be the last time we see him in the MCU.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this article. I just wanted to talk about some of my favorite lesser-known characters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to see a major shake-up following these next two Avengers films, and I genuinely hope that they have a plan. While it seemed like they wanted to tell a Multiversal story, it didn’t seem to me like they had it all mapped out and were writing it project by project. That just wasn’t working when put up against the carefully crafted story they put together in the Infinity Saga. Whatever happens, I’m excited to see these characters brought to a satisfying conclusion, and I hope you enjoyed my little wishlist.
