We’ve had our fill on Marvel’s most iconic heroes not just once or twice, but through the span of several films. But with Marvel heading to Phase Four and its continued expansion via its Disney+ streaming service, now is the right time to start showcasing their lesser known characters.
Yes, we’re going to see the likes of She-Hulk, Miss Marvel, and even the enigmatic Moon Knight get their own mini-series on Disney+. But we want more! Marvel has a wealth of characters they can create rich, compelling, and most importantly, unique content with.
With the MCU having the market share on entertainment, so much so you can bet on them from books like BetDSI, Marvel can go any kind of direction. What’s there to lose?
Here are five characters—who haven’t been officially announced, teased, or shown—that we NEED in the MCU.
1. Namor the Sub-Mariner
You’d think given the huge success of DC’s Aquaman that Marvel’s writers would roll up their sleeves and ask you to hold their proverbial beer. Namor is Marvel’s Aquaman but with a bit more sass and a bit more wife-stealing tendencies.
The amount of character and history Namor brings is wider and deeper than all the oceans he commands. He’s one of the “OG’s” of Marvel and by that, I mean he was one of the first three characters they published back in 1939.
But what could be most intriguing about Namor is his ability to flip between hero, antihero, and villain giving Marvel plenty of opportunities to use him maybe as a villain-turned-hero in the Fantastic Four reboot or his own show. Why not both?
“Sub-mariner” by ComicBook is licensed under CC BY 3.0
2. Mr. Sinister
This is cheating a little as FOX already hinted at Mr. Sinister during the X-Men: Apocalypse post credits and the ill-fated New Mutants film, but alas. Arguably the most popular X-Men villain, Mr. Sinister is a mad scientist dressed up for Halloween.
The man originally known as Nathaniel Essex is the Marvel Universe’s twisted take on Charles Darwin. He’s transformed by Apocalypse and becomes a supervillain for the X-Men, namely against Cyclops and Jean Grey.
With the X-verse “merging” with the MCU or whatever Disney’s plans are for that side of their universe, Sinister should start getting involved. We’d even bet he’ll be a major villain in the next X-Men film.
3. Mojo
Sticking with the X-verse, Mojo is a close runner-up to Sinister as the next big baddie for the good guy mutants to go against. Creator Ann Nocenti’s interpretation of a big bad network exec as inspired from her musings on the works of Marshall McLuhan and Noam Chomsky.
Mojo runs Mojoverse, a world where the denizens are addicted to his reality TV shows in the form of gladiator battles with humans. Introducing him would also mean bringing in Longshot, who is both his star attraction and archnemesis.
He could be the next big X-Men villain, but we wouldn’t mind seeing him have his own mini-series. Mojo brings incredible potential for the MCU to flirt with satire and social commentary, something great shows tend to have.
4. Nova (Sam Alexander)
With Miles Morales and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) already a part of the MCU, it’s only a matter of time when Nova completes the hat trick and debuts. The son of a Nova Corps member, Alexander is the youngest person to ever don the prestigious title.
Beyond his out-of-this-world powers and potential for expanding the MCU’s intergalactic universe, Alexander will team up with Morales and Khan and form the leading teenage superhero group in superhero pop culture. Their multicultural backgrounds are a bonus.
Alexander will undoubtedly become part of the MCU. It’s just a question of when and if he gets his chance to have his own show, to which we say, DO IT.
“Nova” by Williams is licensed under CC BY 3.0
5. Squirrel Girl
There aren’t enough words to describe how awesome and adorable Doreen a.k.a. Squirrel Girl is. No, she’s NOT a joke character or a meme, although she can definitely be an A-tier character at doing that.
She almost made it to a small screen somewhere. Unfortunately, Marvel’s New Warriors got cancelled after going through development hell. Nuts!
We’re confident that Squirrel Girl will eventually grace our queues on Disney+. She’ll not only be the most family-friendly hero the MCU releases, but will also be a great hero young girls and the like can look up to.
Honorable Mentions: Kang, Beta Ray Bill, Darkhawk, Nova, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
