Avengers Assemble – Speculating on Marvel Studios Phase Two
It’s been a bit of a slow news week for Marvel movies this past week. Oh, there’s been rumour. Rumour everywhere you look, including the interesting titbit that Avi Arad has talked about trying to find some kind of deal which would bring Spider-Man, whose movie rights are still owned by Sony, into the Marvel movie universe, as well as all the characters which come with him, including Venom, who is currently having his own movie developed. Spidey in Avengers 2 or 3? I’d take it. Still, at this point, it’s nothing but Arad’s musings, so don’t expect anything to come of it any time soon. In the mean time, shall we continue guessing which of the following Avengers will put in a screen appearance in the next few years? As ever, there’s the potential for vague spoilers within.
Jack of Hearts (Jonathan “Jack” Hart)
First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 (1976)
Created by: Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen
Joined the Avengers: Avengers #43 (2001)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Jack of Hearts gained his powers from a “zero fluid” invented by his father, combined with alien genes from his mother. Unfortunately, as a result, the entire left half of his body was turned purplish-black in colour, though this was hardly the worst thing he went through. His powers were deeply unstable, and poor Jack had to spend fourteen hours a day locked up in a “zero room”, otherwise his body would overload and he would explode. Which is exactly what happened. Jack of Hearts decided to end his own life to ensure the safety of Cassie Lang, the daughter of his Avengers team mate, Ant-Man. Jack flew Cassie’s kidnapper into space and let himself explode, taking the kidnapper with him. Unfortunately for the Avengers, the Scarlet Witch, who had gone just a bit crazy at the time, brought him back as a zombie, and he exploded again on the steps of Avengers Mansion, destroying the building in the process and beginning the many tragic events which would befall the team during Avengers Disassembled. Jack’s an unlikely choice to appear any time soon in a Marvel movie, but could be an interesting character to explore somewhere down the line.
Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
First Appearance: Avengers #181 (1979)
Created by: David Michelinie and John Byrne
Joined the Avengers: Avengers #62 (2003)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
The second Ant-Man, who gained his powers by, yes, stealing a costume from Hank Pym, Scott Lang was a long time ally of both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, though it was a while before he became a fully fledged member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Killed during the events of Avengers Disassembled, Ant-Man has recently returned to life, snatched out of the time stream seconds before his death, during Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. Where he’ll appear next in the comics is currently anyone’s guess (unless he already has and I missed it). As for where we’ll see him on screen? Well, Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man movie is still due to go ahead soon, but we don’t currently know whether the Ant-Man we see there will be Hank Pym or Scott Lang. Early rumours suggested Lang, but more recent rumours would seem to indicate that the film will actually feature both Ant-Men, in some form or another. Either way, expect Scott to play a role somewhere in Marvel’s shared movie universe over the next few years.
Captain Britain / Lionheart (Kelsey Leigh)
First Appearance: Avengers #77 (2004)
Created by: Chuck Austen and Olivier Coipel
Joined the Avengers: Avengers #80 (2004)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Granted the powers of Captain Britain by the original Cap, Brian Braddock, while he was trapped in Otherworld, Kelsey Leigh joined the Avengers, fought alongside them against the Invaders, then left the team after Avengers Disassembled. She did show up later in the pages of New Excalibur, but you won’t see her in a Marvel movie. If Captain Britain ever does get a film (and he really, really should), it’ll be Braddock wearing the Union Jack, not Kelsey.
Cage (Carl Lucas / Luke Cage)
First Appearance: Luke Cage, Hero For Hire #1 (1972)
Created by: Archie Goodwin and John Romita, Sr.
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #3 (2005)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
The former Power Man joined the New Avengers when the group formed after the Avengers had disbanded in the wake of Disassembled. The new team was originally led by Captain America, but after Cap died at the end of Civil War, it was Cage who took on the leadership role, heading up a group of underground heroes who refused to register with the government, putting them at odds with Iron Man’s Mighty Avengers team. When Cap returned from the dead, and started trying to rebuild the Avengers, Cage was given command of a second group which operated out of the rebuilt Avengers Mansion, and told to recruit whoever he wanted onto the team. Not bad for a superhero whose costume used to include a tiara. Rumour has it that there is currently a Luke Cage film in the very early stages of development. If that is the case, hope for two things. First, that it also features Iron Fist, as the two operated as partners in the pages of Heroes For Hire for years and second, hope he makes the cut for a future Avengers movie. He’s a badass, and that would be cool. As long as we avoid the tiara.
Wolverine (James Howlett / Logan)
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #180 (1974)
Created by: Len Wein, John Romita, Sr. and Herb Trimpe
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #7 (2005)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: Vague reference in The Incredible Hulk (2008)
C’mon, who doesn’t love Wolvie? He’s awesome. The issue with Fox owning the rights to the X-Men characters means they can’t appear in Marvel’s own films at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never happen. He was referenced (albeit very subtly) in The Incredible Hulk, so it seems that Marvel are keeping their options open for the day they get the X-Rights back, or Avi Arad forges some kind of deal like he apparently wants to for Spider-Man. If the X-Men do get folded into the shared universe at any point, then Wolverine will be everywhere. Seriously, X-Films, solo films, Avengers films… He’ll be there. After all, the berserker X-Man appears in X-Men books, solo books, Avengers books, miniseries, one-shots and guest appearances in other books every month. As the man himself once said, his mutant power is multi-tasking.
The Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
First Appearance: The Sentry #1 (2000)
Created by: Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee and Rick Veitch
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #10 (2005)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
One of the most fascinating and complex characters in Marvel’s rich history, to go into much detail about the Sentry would take more space than I’ve taken over every entry in this series so far. But to get down to the bare bones, the Golden Guardian of Good has the power of a million exploding suns, suffers from a series of personality disorders, is also his own arch enemy, the Void, likes to throw things into the sun, and is actually one of the first heroes of the modern age in the Marvel universe, though no one can remember him. The Sentry won’t appear for a long time on screen, and when he does, you don’t want the him in an Avengers sequel. There’s far too much to deal with for it to work. You want the Sentry in his own solo film outing. That said, you need a writer at the very top of their game to make it work. The Sentry is a tricky proposition to write properly, as many of today’s best comic writers have discovered.
Ronin / Echo (Maya Lopez)
First Appearance: Daredevil #9 (1999)
Created by: David Mack and Joe Quesada
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #11 (2005)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
When Captain America needed an Avenger who was familiar with the Hand, the Japanese ninja cult, (and while Wolverine was out of town) he approached Daredevil. DD said no. But he did point Cap towards Echo, a deaf woman with photographic reflexes, meaning she can mimic any move she sees. And when you consider she’s fought alongside or against Daredevil, Wolverine, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, the Black Widow and Elektra that makes her pretty formidable. With Fox still owning the film rights to Daredevil and related characters, it’s not currently clear who owns Echo’s movie rights. She’d be a good character to explore on screen, especially if Marvel could get the DD rights back somewhere down the line and have Echo appear alongside the Man Without Fear, but don’t expect to see her any time soon.
Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange)
First Appearance: Strange Tales #110 (1963)
Created by: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #27 (2007)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
The Master of the Mystic Arts (sorry Doctor Druid), Stephen Strange was once a gifted surgeon whose hands were badly wounded in a car accident. Damage to the nerve endings meant he was no longer able to operate as he once had, ending his career. He travelled to the home of the Ancient One, hoping his hands could be healed through mystical means. Instead, the Ancient One took Strange as his disciple, and trained him to take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange is awesome, if difficult to write due the nature of his powers (magic is too easy to use as a get out clause without strict rules to govern it). However, Marvel do seem keen to get him on screen, and rumours keep appearing that Doctor Strange is one of the three other movies Marvel are currently prepping. That said, if Strange does appear on screen before Avengers 2, I still wouldn’t bank on him being in the sequel to the third biggest movie of all time. Still, we’ve talked about the possibility of a Defenders film in the past. If that were to happen, and it’s a big if, then Strange would be front and centre.
Iron Fist (Daniel “Danny” Rand-K’ai)
First Appearance: Marvel Premiere #15 (1974)
Created by: Roy Thomas and Gil Kane
Joined the Avengers: New Avengers #27 (2007)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
Basically, go back and read the Luke Cage entry again, but ignore all the stuff about leading the Avengers and exchange “tiara” for “yellow slippers”. I love Iron Fist and really want to see him on screen kicking people in the head in some fashion. Make it happen Marvel!
Ares
First Appearance: Thor #129 (1966)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Joined the Avengers: Mighty Avengers #1 (2007)
Marvel Studios Film Appearances: None
A former enemy of the Avengers, the Greek god of War (and half brother to long time Avengers member Hercules), Ares agreed to join the team so that he would be better able to provide a good life for his son. He was also promised many opportunities to hit things. He served on Iron Man’s Mighty Avengers team, before joining the Dark Avengers (more on them next time), with whom he reluctantly joined in the Siege of Asgard. It was during the Siege event that Ares was killed, when he attempted to battle the Sentry and was ripped in half for his troubles. If Marvel end up doing anything with Hercules, either in his own film or in a Thor sequel, that’s where you should look for Ares. He won’t be showing up anywhere else.
To be continued…
About the Author
PJ Montgomery Writer of various things, lover of comics, films, books and computer games, loveable rogue and proud Sidekick.
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