With 20 unannounced MCU films apparently in the pipeline over the next decade or so, Marvel Studios are going to have to dig deep to find some unused heroes to bring to life on the silver screen. One potential place they can start though is the expansive cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, and who better to act as guide to that weird and wonderful place than Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn?
Today, Vanity Fair published a fascinating profile on studio head Kevin Feige, complete with a wide-ranging interview about the future of the MCU. It was here that Feige talked about the need for the franchise to stay fresh and keep introducing new characters and concepts. After all, if we’d stuck with earth-level conflicts, we’d have never gotten the wonderful Guardians films and the breath of fresh air that was Thor: Ragnarok.
While it wasn’t explicitly laid out exactly what Marvel’s planning, both Feige, and Disney chairman Bob Iger hinted that Gunn would be expanding the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in some exciting new directions, which possibly includes spinoffs for several characters from the series. As for who could get their own solo outing, well, we already know Star-Lord and co. will be gone after Vol 3., but there are still tons of cosmic characters that Gunn could explore.
One prime candidate is Richard Rider, who fans have been desperate to see ever since the Nova Corps popped up in the first Guardians film. He’s sort of Marvel’s equivalent of a Green Lantern – a regular dude who has great cosmic power thrust upon him and must learn how to use it. On a similar level, Adam Warlock was directly teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so it’s likely that he’ll show up at some point, too. There’s also Grant Morrison’s Noh-Varr as an example of untamed alien power! Really, the possibilities are endless.
But the big thought on my mind is if Marvel Studios could ever convince 20th Century Fox to let them use Galactus and/or the Silver Surfer (or even just straight up the Fantastic Four). There are few more striking figures in the entire Marvel stadium than the most feared being in the universe and his herald. They were completely wasted in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but imagining them in the hands of someone with the balls to delve deep into full-on Kirby craziness would be my absolute dream movie.
So come on Kevin Feige, work whatever magic you worked on Sony to get Spider-Man back and let’s see some real cosmic annihilation!
