MCU: 10 Ideas for the Next 10 Years
6. Bring Back A Villain
Loki and Thanos are exceptions to Marvel’s cinematic treatment of villains. Marvel needs to bring another villain back in a major capacity like they do in the comics. Abomination could be used as a tool by a new villain in anything. Who doesn’t love the tough fight with a bad guy’s tough henchman? Ultron can always pop up somehow. Villains could comprise the Thunderbolts (the closest analogue I could find to DC’s Suicide Squad). There’s also the possibility of someone like Shocker or Prowler recurring in the Spider-Man films if not someone else’s. Of course, part of the problem is Marvel’s lacklustre villains, but this can be fixed by giving them a better written role in a new movie.
7. B-Cast Crossover Events
Kevin Feige has mentioned that production on Marvel’s X-Men films may begin within the next couple of months. You think the Marvel Universe is big now? Have you seen the last few X-Men films? We better hope half the universe stay snapped or Marvel is going to have to release more than three films a year, though that could be possible with Disney+ as it does seem to offer Disney a rest from cannibalizing itself at the box office. The 18-34 age group is turning to streaming faster and faster and we see the vast amounts of content newly available every week. The obvious solution is to include the secondary characters in their own crossover streaming films. Teams like Thunderbolts, X-Force, or maybe even the Avengers one day, could have their own films with various characters filling the team roles like in the comics.
8. As Many Spider-Man Villains As Possible
If you’re of a certain age, then there’s a large chance you grew up playing the Spider-Man games from the early 2000s. Those games were packed to the brim with villains, and I loved it. Once Spider-Man: Far From Home has premiered, we’ll have seen at least twelve live-action Spider-Man villains on film since 2002 (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom, Harry’s New Goblin, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, Vulture, Shocker, Prowler, Scorpion and Mysterio) and I want more from Spider-Man’s sizable rogues’ gallery. Carnage, Kraven the Hunter, Kingpin, Black Cat, Rhino, Hobgoblin, Hammerhead, Hydro-Man, Morbius, Chameleon… plus Marvel hasn’t given us its iteration of the first seven villains in the ones we have seen. I’ll take quantity over Marvel’s average villain quality any day. If they can get Sony on board, they should just go ahead and announce the Disney+ animated series.
9. Good Versions of Another Studio’s Movie
While a Fantastic Four reboot and solo Wolverine movie seem likely for the future, there are a few stinkers from the recent past that I would be happy with Marvel remaking in the next decade. X-Men: Apocalypse was a mediocre mess, so imagine if Marvel had the opportunity to properly build to it like an Avengers movie. I like Ghost Rider for all the wrong reasons, but there’s no reason to limit him to TV cameos. Last year’s Venom may have succeeded at the box office, but it wasn’t good and all the hardcore Marvel fans I know are desperate for a good film that has Venom in it. Marvel probably won’t straight remake too many films so soon, but animation and Disney+ do provide an opportunity.
10. Continue to Innovate in the Superhero Genre Film Catalogue
Lots of people have picked up on Marvel’s incorporation of classic genre elements into their films. Winter Soldier is a political conspiracy/spy movie, Ant-Man’s first film is a heist movie, Homecoming is a coming-of-age film, and so on. I don’t think every Marvel film fits into a separate genre of film (Iron Man, The Avengers and Ultron all seem to be pretty standard action/adventure films), but it’s a trend I’d like to see utilized as much as possible.
What should they make next?
Morbius gives the opportunity for a vampire film, and I’d be interested in other horror genres but I’m not sure where they’d fit in. I’m a huge Western fan, but Solo might have stepped into that lane too much, and while Guardians is the obvious fit for the genre, I’m not sure James Gunn would go down that route. I’d also want to see a sword-and-sandal historical epic. I don’t know which character fits, but why not make one up? Is Gilgamesh Marvel or DC? After a quick Google, turns out he’s Marvel, so go ahead and fire that one up.
The more creativity the better, and more genre pieces give a wider range of directors a chance to make a film their way.
[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]
