Which Marvel heroes do you think we'll never see in the MCU?

[Dr. Evil]

After reading up on a bunch of Marvel characters online, I get the feeling we won't ever see in the MCU:

• Werewolf by Night
• N'Kantu the Living Mummy
• Frankenstein's Monster
• Manphibian
• Two Gun Kid
• Triathlon
• Silverclaw
• Living Lightning
• Darkhawk
• Thunderstrike (maybe that becomes an alias of Thor instead)
• Rage

 

[Dark Raven]

Weren't there rumours before of something to do with Werewolf by Night either appearing in another show or his own?

I'm fine if Marvel steers clear of classic horror monsters, even ones like Dracula. That just feels like they're tossing in everything from pop culture now, even though they were in the Marvel universe. To the general audience it would almost be like having James Bond show up.

 

[Dr. Evil]

How would Werewolf By Night work in the MCU?

 

[Bayne]

Honestly, I'm 100% sure there will be some characters who never make the leap to the MCU, but given the existence of Guardians of the Galaxy and Eternals, the willingness to fully embrace Knowhere the Snap and even the still continued official commitment to keep Deadpool rated R, I just don't think there's any reasonable basis by which to even try to guess which specific ones won't make it.

Regarding Werewolf by Night specifically, I haven't read a lot of the character but I have been reading the current ongoing series starring Red Wolf trying to mentor a young native american werewolf (who I assume is a new character and not the traditional WBN character) and that whole book seems absolutely perfect for an MCU D+ series.

 

[Dark Raven]

How do we know that N'Kantu is actually the living mummy's name and not that they couldn't hear him properly behind his bandages?

Someone could've asked: ""can you tell me your name?" to which he could've replied "no can do" but because it was rather muffled it sounded like N'Kantu.

 

[Fincher]

Honestly, I'm 100% sure there will be some characters who never make the leap to the MCU, but given the existence of Guardians of the Galaxy and Eternals, the willingness to fully embrace Knowhere the Snap and even the still continued official commitment to keep Deadpool rated R, I just don't think there's any reasonable basis by which to even try to guess which specific ones won't make it.

Are there any heroes that are offensive by their very nature? I know that characters like that exist, like Mandrill or (over at DC) Egg Fu, and we won't be seeing them. Then there's that guy that Captain Marvel gave birth to, and he was his father, and...whatever. I just can't name any heroes specifically.

 

[Dark Raven]

Are there any heroes that are offensive by their very nature? I know that characters like that exist, like Mandrill or (over at DC) Egg Fu, and we won't be seeing them. Then there's that guy that Captain Marvel gave birth to, and he was his father, and...whatever. I just can't name any heroes specifically.

Yellow Claw.

 

[metaphysician]

Yellow Claw.

Only we are still actually getting the guy, he's just getting renamed "The Mandarin".

 

[Dark Raven]

Only we are still actually getting the guy, he's just getting renamed "The Mandarin".

The Mandarin is the Mandarin though, and a separate character to Yellow Claw (who was sometimes an enemy of the Mandarin). I'm not talking about Fu Manchu who has been changed to the Mandarin in Shang Chi.

 

[Bayne]

Yellow Claw isn't a hero is he?

 

[Dark Raven]

Yellow Claw isn't a hero is he?

I took the thread to just mean characters after a while, hero or villain, because it wouldn't really make much difference which they were if they were still offensive.

 

[metaphysician]

The Mandarin is the Mandarin though, and a separate character to Yellow Claw (who was sometimes an enemy of the Mandarin). I'm not talking about Fu Manchu who has been changed to the Mandarin in Shang Chi.

The Yellow Claw/Golden Claw was invented to substitute for Fu Manchu, is the thing. And the Mandarin in Shang-Chi is *absolutely* being used as a renamed substitution for the Yellow Claw/Fu Manchu, in the role of "Mastermind of a criminal empire and Shang-Chi's father". Dollars to donuts he will have far more similarity with Yellow Claw/Fu Manchu than he will with the Mandarin, outside of strictly superficial elements.

 

[Dr. Evil]

I thought about adding Man Thing to my list, but I remembered his face on the Pantheon of Champions in Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok. So Man Thing is probably somewhere out there in the MCU.

 

[MarvelFan]

Hercules, Ares...I think it is unlikely they will get into the MCU (given the similar character already used in DC's Wonder Woman).

A street level criminal like Parker Robbins (The Hood) and The Wrecking Crew is also unlikely (though I love to see Wrecking Crew someday)

 

[psylockolussus]

Maggott of the X-Men.

 

[Hannibal75]

Hercules, Ares...I think it is unlikely they will get into the MCU (given the similar character already used in DC's Wonder Woman).

They are going to include Zeus in Thor 4, so I don't see what's the problem with the other Olympian Gods and Hercules.

 

[SirStrangefolk]

I think most of the heroes listed in the original post and others in this thread could absolutely show up.

The only characters I really think will probably never show up are the ones that are either inherently problematic/offensive or are no longer owned by Marvel.

And out of the offensive characters I can't think of any heroes that are necessarily like that inherently from the top of my head, though there definitely exist some characters that are too problematic. Some characters have bad elements, but often these could be worked around or used in proper context.

For example
- Big Bertha has some very fatphobic and eating disorder related elements. She has the power to control the amount of fat in her body so she became famous as a skinny model but also started superheroing by adding a lot of mass to her body. And then later they added that in order to shrink down again she has to vomit up all the extra fat. They're never going to include the character like that. But recently they made her become a plus size model who doesn't throw up to lose weight, so a version of the character that's like that from the start could exist.
- Characters with pheromone or mind control powers that have used them for love or sex like Eros/Starfox, Amora/Enchantress, Stacy X, etc. could still exist but would probably be made considerably less rapey.

Licensed characters Marvel doesn't have the rights to anymore would be those such as
- ROM Spaceknight
- Micronauts
- NFL Superpro
- Godzilla
- Shogun Warriors
- Conan the Barbarian
- Red Sonja

 

[Dr. Evil]

I can't see how Two Gun Kid shows up and fits into the MCU unless they do time travel again. Or he could be a modern day character: such as a actor who is best known for only doing Westerns or even a Wild West Stuntman or Wild West Re-enactor.

 

[SirStrangefolk]

I can't see how Two Gun Kid shows up and fits into the MCU unless they do time travel again. Or he could be a modern day character: such as a actor who is best known for only doing Westerns or even a Wild West Stuntman or Wild West Re-enactor.

There are a multitude of ways it could happen. You yourself mention not one but two possibilities already:
- Timetravel
- Modernized

Other options include things such as:
- Appearance along characters who have been on Earth for a long time (for example, one of the Eternals is shown on a ranch wearing a cowboy hat in the teaser. Not a stretch they may have met cowboys at some point in the past few centuries they've been there)
- A flashback to showcase an event in history. For example, we saw Bor Burison in the far past to show past events. We could see someone like Two Gun Kid in a flashback showing Carter Slade in a Ghost Rider movie or something else.
- We at some point get a Marvel Western adaptation in one form or another. Be it a movie, a show, a short or a single episode of an anthology. (I've personally been interested in at some point having an anthology Disney+ show like Twilight Zone that explores corners of the Marvel universe that wouldn't otherwise get a chance to shine. Something along the lines of the classic anthology comic lines such as "Marvel Presents", "Marvel Premiere", "Tales to Astonish", "Amazing Fantasy", "Journey into Mystery", "Strange Tales", etc. They could easily do one episode focussed on Two Gun Kid, Carter Slade, Red Wolf, Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt and the other Western characters.

Two Gun Kid's contemporary Kid Colt was having a movie made about him funded by Howard Stark in Agent Carter, which was said to be based on a real person. So there's at least some indication that those folks had some presence in the MCU's past.

At this point I have no reason to believe he'll show up in the near future, but I also have no reason to believe Marvel won't find a place for him. I wouldn't necessarily have predicted an obsure character like Kaecillius would become a main villain. Or characters from alternate future timelines like Hope Pym/Van Dyne or Yondu and the Guardians from the 31st century would become main characters in the contemporary MCU but here we are.

 

[Dr. Evil]

So would the Great Lakes Avengers ever work in the MCU?

 

[Dr. Evil]

There are a multitude of ways it could happen. You yourself mention not one but two possibilities already:
- Timetravel
- Modernized

Other options include things such as:
- Appearance along characters who have been on Earth for a long time (for example, one of the Eternals is shown on a ranch wearing a cowboy hat in the teaser. Not a stretch they may have met cowboys at some point in the past few centuries they've been there)
- A flashback to showcase an event in history. For example, we saw Bor Burison in the far past to show past events. We could see someone like Two Gun Kid in a flashback showing Carter Slade in a Ghost Rider movie or something else.
- We at some point get a Marvel Western adaptation in one form or another. Be it a movie, a show, a short or a single episode of an anthology. (I've personally been interested in at some point having an anthology Disney+ show like Twilight Zone that explores corners of the Marvel universe that wouldn't otherwise get a chance to shine. Something along the lines of the classic anthology comic lines such as "Marvel Presents", "Marvel Premiere", "Tales to Astonish", "Amazing Fantasy", "Journey into Mystery", "Strange Tales", etc. They could easily do one episode focussed on Two Gun Kid, Carter Slade, Red Wolf, Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt and the other Western characters.

Two Gun Kid's contemporary Kid Colt was having a movie made about him funded by Howard Stark in Agent Carter, which was said to be based on a real person. So there's at least some indication that those folks had some presence in the MCU's past.

At this point I have no reason to believe he'll show up in the near future, but I also have no reason to believe Marvel won't find a place for him. I wouldn't necessarily have predicted an obsure character like Kaecillius would become a main villain. Or characters from alternate future timelines like Hope Pym/Van Dyne or Yondu and the Guardians from the 31st century would become main characters in the contemporary MCU but here we are.

That's interesting. I think right now its a longshot. I think that the MCU version of the Western characters are probably going to be modernized as "actors in a long running Cowboy/Western TV show" and that the modern version of Kid Colt could be the grandson of the 40's film version of Kid Colt that was funded by Howard Stark. By making them modern day, they can have easier access to modern weapons and technology than they would if they were time travelers. Could also modernize their backstories, such as some of the cast might have been child actors and studied formal acting in places like Los Angeles, New York and London. Others could be US Military vets who see acting as a way to deal with any trauma that might have happened in the military. It would be those actors that have connections to modern weapons and technology.

 

[SirStrangefolk]

That's interesting. I think right now its a longshot. I think that the MCU version of the Western characters are probably going to be modernized as "actors in a long running Cowboy/Western TV show" and that the modern version of Kid Colt could be the grandson of the 40's film version of Kid Colt that was funded by Howard Stark. By making them modern day, they can have easier access to modern weapons and technology than they would if they were time travelers. Could also modernize their backstories, such as some of the cast might have been child actors and studied formal acting in places like Los Angeles, New York and London. Others could be US Military vets who see acting as a way to deal with any trauma that might have happened in the military. It would be those actors that have connections to modern weapons and technology.

Note that the Agent Carter version of Kid Colt was an actor portraying a historical figure, not the actual Kid Colt.

I'd say making the Marvel Western characters into modern actors and soldiers with modern weapons misses the point of their appeal and putting them alongside the modern Avengers makes them stand out less, making them into just some more guys with guns.
Their strength imo comes from them being actual regular 19th century Western characters with revolvers and horses who may occassionally run into supernatural or sci-fi stuff because they happen to be part of the Marvel world.

Another interesting way they could appear is if they do something like American Horror Story: basically a series where every season is its own miniseries with an overarching theme. In this case about historical settings in the MCU. This way the history of the MCU could be explored and it can still have ties to some modern characters. For example:
- A 19th century Western season could have a focus on Two Gun Kid, Kid Colt, Rawhide Kid, Red Wolf, etc. And then they could have an episode about the mysterious 'Phantom Rider' (Carter Slade) that could have ties to Ghost Rider, an episode where a stranger (Ajak the Eternal) shows up in town and the main characters help her with something she needs to do, etc.
- An Arthurian Britain season could have Sir Percival of Scandia and the Ebony Blade, Morgan Le Fay, the Celtic sorcerer who would later become known as "The Ancient One", set up a bunch of lore for Captain Britain and such.
- An ancient Egypt season could tie in to Kang/Rama-Tut or Apocalypse/En Sabah Nur, it could have relevance for gods relevant to modern MCU heroes like Bast (Black Panther) and Khonshu (Moon Knight), it could have an appearance by Gilgamesh, etc.
- You could do a WW2 season which could have appearances of Peggy Carter, Howling Commandos, Union Jack, Wolverine, all the golden age heroes like the OG Human Torch, Whizzer, Miss America, Blazing Skull, Destroyer, etc.
- You could do a season set in Wakanda during the time of Bashenga, the first Black Panther
- You could do a season in Ancient China with ties to the Mandarin
- You could do a season set during the Jogunn/Asgardian war in Norway

 

[Dr. Evil]

I don't think we'll see any of the Western characters until the X-Men are well established in the MCU anyways.

The cowboys we see in Eternals other than Ajak will likely be random characters

 

[psylockolussus]

Well I don't think many people eXpected to see the Eternals five years ago, so.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider. All Ghost Rider's past the year 2000 have his abilities and look, but none of them will be Danny or Noble Kale. This really disappoints me. Johnny Blaze is cool, but Danny was the Ghost Rider that defined a decade, and decades to come.