The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has featured hundreds of great comic characters over the last 14 years. Given the numerous movies and TV shows that have been released so far, it might feel like every key character has already been used in some capacity. However, that's hardly the case.
A couple of iconic Marvel comics characters are yet to make an appearance in what is undoubtedly one of the best movie franchises of all time. With most of the projects receiving great reviews, it's unlikely that Marvel Studios executives will be pumping the breaks any time soon. But which characters would make great additions? Redditors have some suggestions.
Doctor Doom
Sequelsuck declares it's time for Victor von Doom to show up because "he is responsible for the Secret Wars event." The villain is traditionally associated with the Fantastic Four but has affected many worldly events too.
As one of the best Marvel villains of all time, Doom sure deserves a place in the MCU. While it would be possible to make him face off against other heroes, introducing him as a Fantastic Four villain works too as it gives the MCU a chance to make a better movie about Reed Richards and his buddies than the critically-panned one that came out in 2015.
Captain Britain
LR-II proposes one of the most powerful, Excalibur members, Captain Britain because he is very much different from Captain America. They explain that he is " Basically, a man who hates the current state of his country being made into a symbol of it."
Brian Braddock, aka, Captain Britain is an excellent MCU fit because his tenure as a hero isn't a smooth-sailing one. Fans won't see a perfect hero that easily obliterates baddies but one who gets corrupted by the likes of Morgan le Fay. His rivalry with his twin sister, Betsy, would lead to great arcs too since she takes over the mantle from him at some point.
Spider-Woman
Since Spider-Man has appeared many times, Uncanny_Doom feels it's time for the female version of the web-slinger. They write, "I think she would benefit from live-action and having an opportunity to tell a focused origin."
In both Marvel and DC comics, male and female versions of the same character tend to wear similar costumes but that isn't the case with Spider-Woman and Spider-Man. Jessica Drew won't have to worry about being compared to Peter Parker too much because her appearance is different. Instead of a red and blue webbed costume, she has a red and yellow one. Her origin story is different too as she was initially a brainwashed HYDRA agent.
Annihilus
According to LW8702, it's time for the interdimensional conqueror, Annihilus, to show up. They write, "He is everything a Marvel movie loves, especially that he comes with a horde of nameless punching bags."
Fans would probably have to wait for a Fantastic Four movie before Anihilus shows up because it's Reed Richards and his team that always keeps foiling the villain's plans to have the same kind of control over Earth as he does over the Negative Zone. As the Redditor points out, Annihilus would be a great villain because he is more like a "final boss" in a video game. Heroes normally have to go through several of his henchmen before getting to him.
Northstar
Redditor potrap calls for the inclusion of "a popular LGBTQ hero in the MCU." They name Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka, Northstar, who was the first-ever mainstream superhero to come out as a member of the LGBTQ community.
A movie about the person that paved the way for most of the fan-favorite LGBTQ superheroes would go a long way in advocating for better treatment of members of the community. There aren't any notable French heroes at the moment either, hence Jean-Paul can fill that void. Like Black Panther, he'd help break the American superhero monotony.
Ghost Rider
Jonathan Blaze, aka, Ghost Rider, has appeared in live-action projects before but having him appear in the MCU too wouldn't be a bad thing, according to some Redditors. For example, anakmager describes him as "one of the most visually striking heroes."
Since Blade would be showing up soon despite previously being portrayed by Wesley Snipes, Ghost Rider's inclusion would thrill fans. Very few marvel characters look as cool as Blaze. Moreover, a good number of the MCU's action sequences involve chase scenes and Blaze just so happens to love motorcycles.
Hercules
Hercules isn't always associated with fictional superheroes but he does make quite a few appearances in the Marvel comics. PaperPhoneBox feels he would be a great addition to the MCU since "being interested in finding further adventures on Earth" in the comics.
The mythical figure could work well as a Thor ally or as a Thor replacement in case the Phase One hero finally dies. After all, the two are alike, with both coming from special kingdoms and having abilities that are beyond those of humans. Pitting him against Hulk as is the case in Tales To Astonish #79, could make for a great contest too.
Galactus
Another character that would be perfect for the MCU is Galactus, the cosmic entity who enjoys consuming planets to sustain his life force. That's according to Dz568, who adds that they "would be fine with any Galactus storyline that they chose for the MCU."
The MCU will be looking to top what Thanos did and Galactus is an ideal replacement for the Mad Titan. A villain that feeds off planets would be indestructible, giving Earth's heroes a harder time as they try to vanquish him. There's also the fact Galactus isn't malevolent. He just wants to survive.
Black Cat
Marvel's answer to Catwoman has always been an important person in Peter Parker's life. Redditor mcrookedy feels "it makes sense that she'd be a part of his moonlighting as the web-slinger."
Given how similar Felicity Jones is to Selina Kyle, it would be interesting to see how Marvel depicts her without drawing the ire of DC fans. Just like Selina, Felicity wears black too and likes to steal. She has also been Peter Parker's love interest, the same way Selina has dated Bruce Wayne. Nonetheless, the inclusion of Quicksilver, who is similar to The Flash, proved that the MCU can maneuver the imitation territory perfectly.
Namor The Submariner
Namor is rumored to be the villain of the upcoming Black Panther movie though this is yet to be confirmed. Fozyt87 states that since he is mostly an antihero in the comics, "he could mesh well with the avengers while still having his own motives."
Yet another marvel hero that's modeled after a DC character, Namo shares many traits with Aquaman. Still, he is a unique character as he is the only hero to have served in most of the key groups, namely: the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Defenders, and the Invaders. In the comics, Namor goes to Wakanda in Rise of the Black Panther #3, hence the rumors are probably not far-fetched.