For years now, fans have been complaining that for as much fun as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is - well, fun until a space despot snaps away half the universe - there's still a blockbuster movie formula which has to be honored. As such, those characters we most want to spend time with or fun conversations scenes revealing new depths of pathos and humor eventually give way to third act orgies of CGI action and world-threatening stakes. "I would watch an entire movie of just them talking" and "Why not give that character his/her own Netflix show so we can learn more about them?" are two phrases I've seen used repeatedly.
Well, I doubt we're ever going to truly get My Dinner with Iron Man, but now we are officially on our way to those Netflix shows we wanted. They just won't actually be on Netflix; they're going straight to Disney's streaming service, unofficially known as Disney Play.
According to , Disney and Marvel Studios (but not Marvel TV, who are being left out of this) are currently developing several big budget, 6-8 episode limited series events focused on Marvel Cinematic Universe side characters as well as several entirely new ones. Loki and Scarlet Witch are directly named as being eyed for their own shows. Should they make it all the way to Disney Play they will again be played by Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olson respectively. So, this isn't going to be a "recast and shoot a prequel" kind of thing ala Solo: A Star Wars Story. Whoever gets their own show will be played by the same actor from the movies.
In addition to Loki and Scarlet Witch, who are some other characters you think they should consider? The only stipulation is that anyone who has already had their own solo movie is not being considered for a TV series nor are they expected to cameo in any of these shows.
Well...
We can't really answer this with any certainty because until after Avengers 4 we have no idea what the MCU is going to look like (other than Spider-Man being alive again and kicking around England). Beyond that, if the ever-so-dead Loki is getting his own show then who knows who else might be eligible.
That all being said, here are some options:
- Falcon - Other than being Captain America's new best friend, an Ant-Man frenemy, and his basic military background, we don't know much about Falcon. Anthony Mackie has proven in other projects to be capable of far more range than the MCU films have asked of him so far, and there is a rich history in the comics of Falcon-centered storylines, especially during the runs when he's tried to become the new Captain America.
- Hawkeye - Jeremy Renner has been pitching his own Hawkeye solo TV series for years. Last year, he told Comic-Con, "I'd be open to it. I've really enjoyed getting to explore the character more recently. The Netflix model is where all the character drama goes to now, you're doing a superhero movie or a Netflix or HBO kind of model. So I'd be open to it. Not up to me, though." While Hawkeye is arguably no one's favorite Avenger - Honest Trailers made that same joke, years ago - he's also a character who has had a celebrated run in the comics in recent years which could easily serve as inspiration for a fascinating TV show.
- Cassie Lang as a Teenage Superhero, that is if they don't already do that storyline in Avengers 4. Scott "Ant-Man" Lang's daughter has already been established as having superhero ambitions, and at various points in the comics she has indeed gained powers of her own. In one recent run, she did it as an act of youthful rebellion and it backfired on her in a big way, forcing Scott to eventually take the fall for her and go to prison for her crimes. Obvious downsides here are that such a storyline could best be saved for an Ant-Man and the Wasp 3 down the road, and it'd be hard to do a Cassie Lang show without Paul Rudd cameoing as Ant-Man, which might not be an option.
- Valkyrie, Korg and Miek having their own outer space adventures, possibly defending the last of the Asgardians, or perhaps just a Valkyrie solo series about her life before Thor: Ragnarok
- Peggy Carter - Agent Carter: Season 3 seems like a no-brainer. Only problem might be that Agent Carter was a Marvel TV production, and all of these Disney Play shows will be Marvel Studios-produced. Thanks to complicated behind the scenes politics, Marvel TV and Marvel Studios are basically divorced.
- Howard the Duck? - Consider this your "any good list has to end on a joke" choice, but, hey, it could happen. Howard is technically a MCU side character, and those who know the harder-edged, more satirical comics have long railed against the bizarre, disappointing live action film from the 80s. And a talking animal technically fits right in Disney's wheelhouse. Plus, if they do make a Howard the Duck series they already have an annoyingly catchy theme song:
Your turn. Throw out your suggestions in the comments.
