Fans won’t have to wait much longer to watch the MCU venture deeper into their vast and weird cosmos. So far, only the surface has been scratched even with Thor: Love and Thunder introducing Eternity into the mix. While the entire saga will traverse the Multiverse, culminating in Avengers: Secret Wars in 2025, Phase Five in particular will be quite cosmic. From Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to The Marvels alone, the MCU is being primed to introduce more iconic space-faring heroes.
Some of these characters’ introductions could still take a considerable amount of time, with some being contingent on more prolific heroes like the Fantastic Four or the X-Men. Others could be coming quite soon or could already be here, in fact. Whatever the case may be, these powerful cosmic heroes would certainly be very welcome sights in the future as the MCU continues to expand.
Nova (Richard Rider)
One of the premier cosmic heroes from Marvel Comics, Nova, is set to make his live-action debut soon in his own project – although it's still unknown whether it will be a film or Disney+ show. Regardless, this is a long time coming after the Nova Corps was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy and the destruction of Xandar was described in Avengers: Infinity War. Richard Rider becomes the Human Rocket, Nova, and a warrior protecting the galaxy after being selected by his predecessor, Rhomann Dey, played by John C. Reilly.
His project will hopefully be one of the many Phase Six slots, thus allowing him to feature in Avengers: Secret Wars. Additionally, Richard Rider’s arrival could then entail the introduction of his protégé, Sam Alexander – a role Nope’s Brandon Perea has expressed interest in.
Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)
Another prominent space-faring and cosmically powerful hero already has some interesting links to the MCU. Wendell Vaughn was a SHIELD agent, but he gains use of the Quantum Bands, incredibly powerful weapons created by the being, Eon. Interestingly, many fans theorized that Kamala Khan’s bangles could’ve been the Quantum Bands in Ms. Marvel, but the finale makes it more likely that they are Nega-Bands.
Quasar is quite different from his fellow cosmic heroes like Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock because while they are primarily stoic and logical, Quasar is quite emotional and rash. Like Nova, he is someone fans have been expecting to see for a while, and he could be joined by his successor, Avril Kincaid, sometime down the line.
Captain Marvels (Genis-Vell & Phyla-Vell)
Wendell Vaughn and Avril Kincaid aren’t the only people who have gone by the moniker, Quasar. Phyla-Vell has used that name before, but along with her brother, Genis-Vell, they’ve also gone by Captain Marvel. Importantly, they are the children of the first Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, who was played by Annette Benning in Captain Marvel.
As such, both have a place in the MCU, and it really wouldn’t be that surprising to see either pop up in The Marvels – the time jump from the first movie would allow for them to be adults, and they’d both fit with the title. If this were to happen Genis-Vell would likely be known as Photon, unless Monica Rambeau uses that name, and Phyla-Vell can be codenamed Martyr. In her case, she could come into play as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special perhaps too.
Silver Surfer (Norrin Rand)
After the threat of Thanos dissipated, the fanbase was questioning who could end up being the big bad for the new saga. For a time, many believed it would be Mephisto, but now it’s known that Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror will largely fill that role. Galactus was also put forth as an idea, which would then logically also lead to the introduction of Silver Surfer. While that might’ve been pushed back to the next great Saga, his arrival is still something to look forward to.
Norrin Rand aka Silver Surfer is by far one of the most fascinating and compelling heroes from Marvel Comics, and he could surely helm his own Disney+ series. It could be interesting to see his story of coming under Galactus’ command and traveling across the cosmos before he interacts with The Fantastic Four and gains his freedom. Otherwise, a miniseries could also follow him on his adventures after Galactus is defeated.
Singularity
Thor: Love and Thunder ended quite unexpectedly for many viewers. Many believed Natalie Portman would be here for the long-haul as the new Mighty Thor – although that’s still out of the question – and no one expected Thor to adopt a daughter, let alone Gorr’s. Nevertheless, that’s what happened, and now Thor has a new and godly traveling companion, Love, conveniently played by Chis Hemsworth’s own daughter. She might be an original character, but upon further thought, she’s likely Singularity.
Singularity is a multiversal cosmic being with a still mysterious origin who was important to the 2015 Secret Wars run. When Love was revived her silhouette reflected the cosmos like Eternity, so all signs point to her truly being Singularity. However, if that isn’t the case, then Singularity should certainly be incorporated into the MCU soon ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear)
Many different Marvels could join Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan in The Marvels such as the villainous Ms. Marvel, Karla Sofen. However, one fantastic option would be Adam Brashear, aka Blue Marvel. Despite only being introduced in 2008, Blue Marvel’s in-universe history dates back to the 1960s. He was a Marine who partook in the classic experiment-gone-wrong, in which he was empowered immensely from the Negative Zone, which could link him with Ms. Marvel if the bangles do turn out to be Nega-Bands.
His story would align tragically with the struggles of Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Although he wasn’t imprisoned for being the hero, he was asked to step down by the President because the world was deemed not ready for a Black hero. He could serve on the Avengers or even the Ultimates with Captain Marvel, Photo, Miss America, and Black Panther. Whatever the case, Blue Marvel is a cosmic hero fans around the world deserve to be introduced to.
Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr)
Another Marvel who many are expecting to see soon is Noh-Varr aka Marvel Boy. In fact, some believe that Park Seo-Joon could be playing Marvel Boy in The Marvels. Importantly he is one of the few missing members of the Young Avengers, who have been steadily introduced throughout Phase Four. Noh-Varr has also been a part of the West Coast Avengers, Dark Avengers – although he didn’t know his teammates were truly evil – and most recently the Guardians of the Galaxy with his boyfriend, Hercules.
Interestingly, Marvel Boy isn’t even native to the main Earth-616 universe in the comics, being part of a mission that got him lost across the Multiverse. The MCU could surely adapt those origins, and he’d fit in well with the likes of Loki, Sylvie, and America Chavez in the Multiverse Saga. Another option could be to just introduce him as a normal Kree soldier in The Marvels without the multiversal angle.
Gladiator (Kallark)
While the likes of Captain Marvel, Nova, and the Guardians of the Galaxy get most of the attention when it comes to cosmic characters, many are actually heavily linked with the X-Men, including the Shi’ar. Their introduction to the MCU is largely contingent on the X-Men’s first, but that does happen, such characters as Lilandra, Deathbird, and Gladiator can be incorporated. Gladiator, specifically, is an incredibly powerful cosmic character and leader of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard.
He is incredibly strong and fast, even capable of flying, and would be a formidable adversary. As he acts in the interests of the Shi’ar Empire, which has both aligned him with other heroes and placed them as his enemies. Hopefully the wait after Avengers: Secret Wars isn’t too long to get Gladiator in the MCU.
Beta Ray Bill
Chris Hemsworth is still willing and eager to continue playing Thor in the MCU, but were he to hang up his hammer anytime, there’s already some foundation for who could take over for him. Of course, there’s Jane Foster, Love, and Valkyrie to consider, but many would love to see Beta Ray Bill finally arrive. He was first teased in Thor: Ragnarok as one of the former champions of Sakaar before the Hulk, along with Ares and Bi-Beast. Now that Hulk is returning to Sakaar as shown recently in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, perhaps Beta Ray will be there to greet him.
He is one of the few characters worthy of lifting Mjølnir, although he largely uses his own hammer, Stormbreaker. He also has some mysterious origins that could be clarified in the MCU, and given his four-decades worth of stories, there’s plenty to adapt. Whether in a future Hulk movie or Thor 5, Beta Ray Bill would be a welcome sight to many.
Starbrand (Kevin Connor)
Since Marvel’s cosmos are vast and weird in some regard, there are many great cosmic heroes fans are unaware of, including Starbrand. Kevin Connor was mistakenly chosen by the mysterious Star Brand, granting him godly powers. The Star Brand has gone through several cycles of interpretation passing from numerous other wielders, but it might be best for the MCU to go with the most recent run with Kevin Connor from 2013.
In this reality, the Brand acts as a defense mechanism to protect its planet, and thus Kevin Connor becomes a champion and protector of Earth, although he has difficult controlling his nigh-infinite powers. Were he to arrive in the MCU, he might be able to clinch the title of strongest avenger from Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, or Thor.