The Next Avengers: Who Should Be in Future Movies?

With the record-setting box office success of The Avengers making a sequel almost certain, the Comic Book Collectors Club is following up our Avengers character assembly timeline with a look forward to Avengers sequel ideas. We previously looked at Avengers that have already been introduced in Marvel movies. Now let’s look at some characters who might be candidates to debut in future films.

Below we consider some candidates for adaptation. In the poll in the right sidebar, you can vote for the characters you’d like to see featured in Avengers sequels and tie-ins. If there are any of your favorite characters not mentioned here, feel free to add them in the comments below and let us know who you’d like to see.

The characters discussed below are drawn from early issues of the comic and previous animated adaptations where they featured prominently. For quick reference, here’s a roll call of Avengers from the first two decades of the series, taken from the 1983 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A To Z – Volume 14

Ant-Man and Wasp

The founding Avengers most noticeably absent from the current movie were Ant-Man and Wasp. As discussed in our previous Ant-Man and Wasp article, Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige has stated that the main reason for the exclusion was the fact that a long-delayed Ant-Man movie is still in production. This, coupled with the number of characters already being introduced in The Avengers, led to the decision to leave Ant-Man and Wasp out. But, Feige added, “If Ant-Man had come out four years ago, it would certainly have been part of the puzzle.” The rumor from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, as reported by Ace Showbiz earlier this week, is that the Ant-Man film has been given the green light for production in 2012 or 2013. Given this, we may see Ant-Man and Wasp in an Avengers sequel.

Captain Marvel

The allusion to the Kree-Skrull story arc in the Avengers mid-credits scene suggests that one of the stars of that story, Captain Marvel, is another candidate to appear in a sequel. The Kree’s greatest warrior has already appeared in Disney’s Sunday morning Avengers cartoon, where he went by his proper name “Mar-Vell.” If Mar-Vell makes the movies, we’ll see how that plays out with DC’s ownership of the Golden Age Captain Marvel.

Ms. Marvel

The same cartoon episode that introduced Mar-Vell also introduced Ms. Marvel, in her alter ego as Carol Danvers. Ms. Marvel has since joined the team on the show. Marvel’s Joe Quesada was recently quoted as telling a Comic-Con 2012 panel that a Ms. Marvel script has been written and is awaiting an actress, a report which has been confirmed by some sources and disputed by others. Whatever the truth there, the foreshadowing of a Kree-Skrull angle in an Avengers sequel strengthens the odds of Ms. Marvel joining the Marvel movie universe.

Essential Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1)

Wonder Man

An early Avengers character who has already been introduced in animated adaptations is Wonder Man. Both the 1999-2000 Avengers cartoon and the recent Disney adaptation have featured Wonder Man, telling his origin as a villain and his transition to a hero. Wonder Man’s evil brother Grim Reaper also played a strong supporting role in early episodes of the current cartoon. Wonder Man is well-positioned to appear in future Avengers adaptations (which may prove controversial when a new Wonder Woman adaptation finally materializes!).

Vision

The story of Wonder Man is intertwined with that of his fellow Avenger and rival Vision. Vision also featured prominently in the 1999-2000 cartoon adaptation, and is scheduled to be introduced next month in the current animated series. Introducing Wonder Man and Vision could conceivably work well with an Ant-Man movie storyline featuring Ultron as a villain.

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver

A storyline with Wonder Man and Vision would also present an opportunity to introduce two other Avengers previously featured in cartoon adaptations of the series, Vision’s romantic interest Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have been featured in several previous Marvel cartoons, starting with The Marvel Super Heroes in 1966. The siblings also cross over with an existing Marvel movie franchise, the X-Men, posing some explosive box office potential if handled properly.

Avengers: Vision & The Scarlet Witch – A Year in the Life

Beast

Marvel’s X-Men franchise has already introduced the Beast, who joined the Avengers during the second decade of the series. In the Avengers comic, Beast played an important role in the team’s relationship with the U.S. government, a role he took up for the X-Men in cartoon and film adaptations of that series. In the same capacity, Beast could easily be used to build a bridge between the X-Men and Avengers movie franchises.

Black Panther

Black Panther, who joined the Avengers midway through their first decade, is a strong contender to receive a film adaptation. Marvel has been working on a Black Panther live action adaptation since 1992, when Wesley Snipes first expressed an interest. Over the past decade the Panther has been the subject of a full-length animated Avengers movie as well as his own BET animated series. In 2010 Iron Man 2 alluded to the Panther when Nick Fury showed Tony Stark a map pinpointing a superpowered human in Africa. In January 2011, Marvel hired documentary producer Mark Bailey to write a screenplay for a Black Panther live-action film. The Panther’s African kingdom of Wakanda plays a major role as a setting in the current Disney Avengers cartoon, setting the stage for future film development.

Ultimate Avengers 2 (Rise of the Panther)

Guardians of the Galaxy

In Avengers #167-177 (January to November 1978), the futuristic superhero team the Guardians of the Galaxy participated in an Avengers saga where they temporarily joined the team. Since August 2010, Kevin Feige has discussed the development of a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a project Feige confirmed in April 2012 is still going forward. The Guardians premiered in the Disney Avengers cartoon on May 6, 2012, the same weekend the Avengers movie was released.

She-Hulk

In Avengers #221 (July 1982), when the Avengers are seeking new recruits, one of the new members they settle on (along with reactivating Hawkeye) is She-Hulk. She-Hulk is a great character who could easily be added to the Marvel film universe through a storyline involving her better-known cousin.

Power Man and Iron Fist

Two newer Avengers who have appeared recently in both Avengers and Spider-Man cartoons are Power Man and Iron Fist. Since 2000 Marvel has been developing an Iron Fist live action film, with Phantom Menace and X-Men villain Ray Park hired to star. Hopefully if a Power Man and Iron Fist adaptation pans out, Marvel will not be going with the White Luke Cage version of the character.

Which Avengers would you like to see featured in new movies? Vote in the poll on the right sidebar, or add your comments below!