The Next Great Ideas Marvel Hasn't Thought Of Yet

Marvel has been on fleek when it comes to putting out great superhero movies and TV shows. But so far, it doesn't seem to have occurred to the company that they can also do stuff other than superheroes. Given that they have awesome stories and characters in just about every possible genre, we thought we'd help them out by presenting some of the next great ideas Marvel hasn't thought of adapting yet.

You may think you've seen every kind of zombie story possible, but you haven't seen Marvel's take on zombies yet. Simon Garth is murdered and brought back from the dead during a voodoo ritual. But unlike most zombies, he still retains a vestige of his soul—just enough to be aware of the horror he has become. Now a shambling monstrosity, Garth seeks not only vengeance, but something more precious: one final day with his daughter before he finds the peace of the grave. Cue the tears.

Take Outlander and cross it with The Lord of the Rings and you end up with The Black Knight. Dane Whitman is a scientist whose world is literally changed forever when he inherits a magic sword that whisks him back in time to the days of Camelot. Taking on the identity of The Black Knight, Whitman has to use both his mystical Ebony Blade and his knowledge of modern science to defeat the dragons and cursed armies that threaten ancient Britain—all while trying to find a way home. Sold.

Long before Django Unchained was even a twinkle in Quentin Tarantino's eye, there was Marvel's groundbreaking western The Gunhawks. Forty years ahead of its time, The Gunhawks tells the story of Reno Jones, an ex-slave who teams up with a white gunslinger named Kid Cassidy in order to find and rescue Reno's kidnapped wife. Sound familiar? We'd love to see how Marvel might approach this kind of adult material on a network like HBO.

Hey, remember the classic sci-fi series Quantum Leap? Well, imagine if the whole show took place in the middle of an endless war, with the lead character dying horribly at the end of every episode. That's the premise of War Is Hell, one of Marvel's darkest series ever. John Kowalski's immortal soul labors under a terrible curse, one that can only be lifted by helping a thousand doomed people fulfill their dying wishes—and then dying along with them once the deed is done. Yikes.

Alison Blaire is a mutant with a dream. It's not to save the world or defeat super villains, though. No, she just wants to become a pop star! Blessed with the ability to absorb sound and then emit it as light, Alison takes the stage name Dazzler, and uses her mutant gift to provide her own stage show. But is that enough to get her to the top of the charts? Add in some of Marvel's signature humor and action, and you've got a recipe even Empire can't touch. Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox's stranglehold on Marvel's mutants means it's unlikely we'll see this happen anytime soon.

Given that comic books were long considered just kid stuff, you'd think Marvel would have a bigger presence in kids' TV and movies. But beyond Big Hero 6, what exactly do they have to offer? Well, for starters, there's Power Pack: four young siblings who are given fantastic powers by an absolutely adorable alien horse. The Power family was a superhero gateway drug for young comic readers in the '80s—and would do even better now as a way to introduce kids to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yes, Marvel once had an ongoing comic book about nursing. And it was so darn awesome that Netflix poached one of its main characters for Daredevil last year. Now take Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple, add in all the drama of classic hospital shows like ER, and then ratchet it up to 11 with the chaos caused by city-wide supervillain mayhem, and ask yourself: wouldn't this be the best soap opera of all time?

In the comics, Patsy Walker and her friends are just typical teenagers trying to make it through high school, but with one twist: they're all internationally famous thanks to a series of books based on their lives. With just a little modernization—such as making those books a YouTube series or reality TV show—Patsy Walker could be Marvel's answer to Hannah Montana, and a perfect addition to Disney's sitcom lineup.

James Gunn already tried and failed to bring Rom to the big screen in Guardians of the Galaxy due to some pesky rights issues between Marvel and toy-manufacturer Hasbro, but it's time to get that sorted out, because Rom: Spaceknight is a sci-fi goldmine. Rom is a warrior from another world who comes to Earth to destroy a race of evil shapeshifters who have secretly infiltrated the highest levels of our government. So that explains it!