This week’s biggest piece of news revolves around the fact that 20th Century Fox recently bought Disney. Gotcha! Obviously, it’s the other way around. Mickey Mouse bought up that studio with cold hard cheddar. There’s a lot to be discussed about Disney’s acquisition, but the best part for comic book fans is the addition of new Marvel characters.
Specifically, this means audiences will finally see the X-Men and The Fantastic Four. Hopefully, they’ll cross paths with The Avengers if all goes well. Check out the list to see which Marvel team-ups we can’t wait to see in the future!
Dark Avengers
No, this isn’t the name of a mid-2,000’s emo band. The Dark Avengers are actually a team comprised of Marvel super villains. However, there’s a catch. Norman Osborn comes up with an idea to create a new Avengers team that can potentially change the public’s perception of a select group of bad guys. Think of it as Marvel’s Suicide Squad. The team features Venom, Daken (Wolverine’s evil son), Bullseye, Skaar, and The Sentry. A few of those characters had been previously owned by Fox.
The Dark Avengers also has a lot of interesting storylines that would be great for an adaptation. Specifically, the team’s complicated relationship with the supremely powerful Sentry opens up an entirely new psychological corner of the Marvel Universe. Going up against The Sentry is equivalent to fighting a really insecure and sensitive Superman.
The Young Avengers
Now, this is the name of a mid 2,000’s emo band. Not really. Although The Young Avengers are a fairly new team in the Marvel canon, they nonetheless have plenty of storylines that could bridge the gap between the X-Men and current MCU characters. Specifically, Magneto plays an important role in a lot their missions.
The comic books feature a storyline where Magneto’s daughter, Scarlett Witch, mysteriously goes missing. Magneto discovers his grandkids, Wiccan and Speed, are part of The Young Avengers. He ultimately enlists the help of The Young Avengers in an attempt to find his daughter and reconnect with his grandchildren. What’s really fun about The Young Avengers is that it really digs into the familial aspect of Marvel’s heroes. A lot of these characters are related to the older generation of heroes and they feel the pressure to carry that torch. Also, how scary would it be if Magneto was your dad? One would be especially nervous to open their mouth around him if they wore braces.
Spider-Man & Deadpool
This might be morbid, but we just want to see how many jokes Deadpool can make about Spider-Man turning into dust. There’s been an ongoing comic book series for the past three years titled Spider-Man/Deadpool that proves the two characters make for an amazing duo. One can imagine how the two characters both collide and get along at the same time. Spider-Man is always the optimist while Deadpool is full of pessimism. Moreover, the two guys love to throw hilarious verbal jabs at each other. What’s great is that they always end up putting aside their differences in order to save the day.
There’s a few different directions the Spider-Man movies and Deadpool films can go after Avengers: Endgame. The first two Deadpool movies have proven that the Merc with the Mouth works best when he bounces off of other characters. Spider-Man would make for a perfect companion. Plus, the wall-crawler could use a more light-hearted adventure after the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
New Avengers
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a universal rule to put the word “new” in front of literally every sequel? New Dogs could be the sequel to the 2009 classic Old Dogs. How about No Country For New Men? More seriously, the point is that The New Avengers would be a perfect team to join the MCU.
The main reason that The New Avengers can seamlessly fit into the MCU is due to the fact that they are formed as an act of rebellion to the government’s superhero registration act. The team’s introduction would make sense considering that the MCU films are more or less still dealing with the ramifications of Captain America: Civil War’s registration act. Also, The New Avengers have historically been made up of Marvel heroes from both the MCU and 20th Century Fox. Iron Man, Wolverine, The Sentry, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage have all been apart of the team at some point. Maybe The New Avengers will become Earth’s Mightiest Heroes after Avengers: Endgame.
A-Force
Isn’t it peculiar that there are so many green people in the Marvel Universe, yet only one of them has their own team? That team is She-Hulk’s A-Force. The most unique aspect of the team is that it’s comprised of Marvel’s strongest superwomen. A-Force consists of Captain Marvel, Jessica Jones, Phoenix, and Spider-Woman to name a few.
What’s also unique about the A-Force is that they are formed during an event called Secret Wars. That event revolves around Dr. Doom (a newly acquired character by Disney) conquering the entire world and creating different factions. One of those factions is the A-Force. However, the team ends up rebelling and becoming an - ahem - a “force” for good. If the A-Force were to be brought to the big screen, it wouldn’t be too far fetched to hope for a Secret Wars adaptation.
The MCU has been attempting to expand its roster of super-powered girls for a long time. It’s only a matter of time before audiences get to see Marvel’s first female-led superhero squad. There A-Force could be that team.
Illuminati
It must be fun being buff and smart. Those seem to be the qualifications to join the Illuminati. The team includes all of Marvel’s leaders. This stacked group of super powered hunks is made up of Iron Man, Namor, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic, and Professor Cue Ball, er, Xavier. Although the Illuminati was not part of Marvel’s older comic books, they’ve been a major part of various storylines for the past fifteen years. They essentially function as the ultimate judge and jury within Marvel’s superhero society.
Moreover, the group is introduced after the events of Civil War and a major Skull invasion. The Illuminati should be brought into the MCU considering the fact that there’s already been a Civil War movie. Also, the Skrulls were introduced in Captain Marvel. Just a P.S.A. Let’s never forget that there’s a scene in Captain Marvel where a Skrull wears a blazer while drinking a soda. Anyway, Tony Stark is going to need something to do after Avengers: Endgame.
X-Men
Fun Fact: The original concept for X-Men was supposed to revolve around a couple of average looking guys who had just gotten dumped by their girlfriends. The Astonishing Ex-Men! That joke needed to be said. There’s been a few X-Men movies made over the years. Okay, maybe a lot of films. People’s opinions on that cinematic franchise varies, but something everybody can agree on is that the X-Men should’ve been part of the MCU from the beginning.
The X-Men have always been an essential component to the larger Marvel Universe. Although the X-Men grapple with pretty complex themes of social isolation, the comic books traditionally have a similar tone to the MCU. They’re fun and hopeful without ever forgetting to deal with compelling drama in the process. Bring on Avengers vs. X-Men.
The Fantastic Four
We’re just going to go ahead and describe the scene everyone wants to see. The inevitable scene where The Avengers mistake Mr. Fantastic for a piece of blue taffy is the moment we’ve been living for. It feels so good to address the elephant in the room. Weird candy comparisons aside, the MCU is absolutely the best thing that could’ve happened to the The Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing are the beating heart of the Marvel Universe.
The group represents the very best of what superhero comic books have to offer. They’re a reminder that we can achieve greatness through the humility of allowing ourselves to trust others. That we can be a little bit like Mr. Fantastic and choose forgiveness in the face of chaos. Or learn from The Invisible Woman’s unrelenting love for her husband. Maybe someone can take after The Human Torch’s confidence. Perhaps we can all let our guard down like The Thing. The MCU needs to quickly make a Fantastic Four movie so we can all learn a thing or two from Marvel’s first family.
