Superheroes Marvel Should Take A Risk On
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, hate it or love it, is nothing short of a filmmaking miracle. Over and over again, we've seen the studio push the envelope with projects that simply shouldn't work, all while building a shared universe full of an ever-increasing stable of characters that seems to get more eclectic and outright weird with each movie.
From the relatively grounded man vs. man action of Iron Man, we now have the Scarlet Witch running around shooting hex magic out of her fingers, an Ant-Man shrinking far enough to explore the Quantum Realm, and soon Doctor Strange, who can manipulate the very fabric of reality. (And you thought a Hulk was weird.) Not to mention the Guardians of the Galaxy, an unknown-to-mainstream-audiences quantity that was developed in the face of skepticism and ended up being one of the best superhero movies to date—Marvel or otherwise. The proof is in: Marvel can go weird. With that said, here are five superheroes from the comics that they should finally feel confident enough to bring up to the big leagues.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Yeah, we said it. Squirrel Girl. What are her powers? Her powers are exactly what you'd think. Her sidekick, Tippy-Toe, is exactly what you'd think. (A squirrel.) But don't assume that just because her skillset seems so small that she can't take on the biggest bad guys: in the comics, she defeated Thanos. Yeah, the purple guy coming to kill everyone on Earth in the MCU—Avengers included. And lest you think the adventures of Doreen Green are kiddie fare, you'll be happy to know that the Squirrel Girl comics, particularly the newest ones written by Ryan North, are remarkably witty adventures told with tongue firmly in cheek. In short, Squirrel Girl is hilarious. The other Avengers love her. And judging from how well-received Tom Holland was as the quippy new Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, a precedent has been set for the wisecracker in the group. Give her a TV show, or load her up on the spaceship to take on Thanos. Bring her to the big screen, Marvel. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl will never let you down.
Adam Warlock
Of course, not all heroes are as fancy free as Squirrel Girl. Some are gravely serious. Godlike in power, Warlock is an enigmatic character in the Marvel comics mythos, born from a cocoon found in an issue of Fantastic Four. For a short time, he was simply known as "Him," drifting through space with untapped, immense power before landing on Counter-Earth, a mirror version of his homeworld. There, on the other side of the sun, Adam became a figure not unlike Jesus Christ, piously protecting his adopted world as a sort of man-god. He later took to the stars, forming his own group of pseudo-Avengers called the Infinity Watch, tasked with keeping the Infinity Stones away from sources of evil, ultimately leading the fight against Thanos in what would come to be known as the Infinity War. Sound familiar yet? The story of the Infinity Gems, and the saga of Thanos, has been the major throughline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and in the comics, it was was hugely tied to the leadership of Adam Warlock. Since that battle's looming large for the theatrical versions of our heroes, it's hard not to think Adam Warlock might make his MCU debut sooner than we think. Another fun fact: Warlock's cocoon is clearly visible in the Collector's hold in Guardians of the Galaxy. Wonder what that could mean...
Nova
Nova is the only hero on this list we're surprised hasn't made his way into a film yet, especially since he's such a major player in the Marvel Cosmic, and a frequent friend to the Guardians of the Galaxy. You may remember the Nova Corps from Guardians of the Galaxy, the fleet of elite (and seriously cool-looking) pilots who banded together to protect their planet from invasion and summary destruction at the hands of Thanos' emissary, Ronan the Accuser. Nova himself (Richard Ryder, as he's otherwise known) is one of those pilots, imbued with enhanced strength and defensive capabilities, as well as the power of flight. In the comic books, Nova was introduced as the last surviving member of the Corps, so depending on how things go for the robust air squadron in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, we may well get to see him in action in the very near future.
Ms. Marvel
No, not Captain Marvel, the Air Force pilot and soon-to-be star of her own film with Brie Larson in the title role. Ms. Marvel was indeed the moniker that Danvers adopted for some time in the early days of her comic, and Captain Marvel was another character entirely, an alien man named Mar-Vell. (Confused yet?) When Mar-Vell hung up his cape, the title of Captain passed, quite rightfully, to Carol, in a run of truly great comics written by Kelly Sue McCormick. But the Ms. Marvel name didn't stay out of commission for long, as teenager Kamala Khan soon gained the power to change the size of her body at will, stretching, twisting, growing and shrinking her way past opponents as she learns what it means to be a superhero. Kamala, a Captain Marvel admirer, couldn't resist reviving the old name, and the new Ms. Marvel is one of the most exciting characters to come out of the comic books in years. Imagine the shapeshifting adventures she could have with, say, Ant-Man. Picture her trying to raise the hammer of Thor. She's a spunky hero, strong and funny. If you ask us, she'd fit right in.
Beta Ray Bill
Fans have yearned for Beta Ray Bill on the big screen for a very long time now, believe us. And why not? An alien being who came into contact with Thor in his adventures and was first regarded as a villain, Beta Ray Bill proved himself quickly to be an immensely capable hero. How capable? At the time, he was the only being besides Thor who had the ability to lift Thor's hammer Mjolnir, a near-impossible achievement only matched in the movies by the cyborg Vision. He's an ally of Thor and his home of Asgard, and we all know those Thor movies could use a little more flavor. A space alien with a battle axe would be a pretty great start. Let's do this, Marvel. It'll look so cool.