We haven’t seen the last of Daredevil in the MCU. After years of tireless fan campaigning, Charlie Cox finally reprised his role as Matt Murdock for a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as did his on-screen nemesis Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin in Hawkeye. Just as we all suspected, these were just a tease for something bigger to come, with it now confirmed that Marvel is developing a Daredevil reboot for Disney Plus.
While that’s obviously terrific news, we’re hoping that more from the Man Without Fear isn’t all the studio plans to do with the wealth of great characters from the TV side of the MCU. The old guard of Marvel TV shows, which slowly dried out following Marvel Studios’ taking over television duties from side company Marvel Television, gave us many an iconic hero who deserves to return in future productions.
Though fans would love for all of their small-screen favorites to return, we’ve narrowed down the list to just twelve characters who absolutely need to make a comeback in the MCU or else.
Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean (Runaways)
Hulu’s Runaways somewhat flew under the radar during its three-season run which lasted from 2017-2019, which is a big shame as it not only starred an ensemble cast of likeable teen heroes but also deserves praise for featuring the MCU’s very first LGBTQ+ couple. Namely, goth witch Nico (Lyrica Okano) and human/alien hybrid Karolina (Virginia Gardner). Fans were devastated to lose the pair after Runaways‘ cancellation so a comeback for this underrated MCU power couple is a must.
Lorna Dane (The Gifted)
OK, so The Gifted — a Fox series that ran for two seasons from 2017-2019 — was actually an X-Men universe spinoff, but in these days of multiversal madness, that doesn’t necessarily mean its cast couldn’t reappear in the MCU. And the one that most needs to do that ASAP is Lorna Dane (Emma Dumont) aka Polaris aka Magneto’s daughter. In traditional Marvel lore, Lorna is the sister of Scarlet Witch. Imagine how mind-blowing it would be if Wanda discovered she had a long-lost sister?
David Haller (Legion)
FX’s Legion is another X-Men-related series, but Patrick Stewart’s cameo as Professor X in Doctor Strange 2 creates a clear way for its lead, David Haller (Dan Stevens), to appear in the MCU. You see, David is the long-lost son of Charles Xavier who possesses even greater — and more destructive — psychic abilities. Scarlet Witch’s powers in DS2 were scary enough, but the reality-warping Legion would be on a whole other level.
Melinda May (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Ming Na-Wen is pretty much a Disney Plus icon at this stage, thanks to her turn as Fennec Shand in various Star Wars TV series. So it only stands to reason, then, that she should be invited back to reprise Melinda May in some future Marvel show on the streaming platform. While fans are always wanting Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson to show, it would be even more of a treat if he dropped by — in, say, Secret Invasion — with Melinda by his side.
Ghost Rider (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
You’ve got to feel sorry for Gabriel Luna. The Terminator: Dark Fate star wowed fans with his turn as Robbie Reyes on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so much that he landed his own Ghost Rider spinoff series. Tragically, though, Marvel nixed the project right around the advent of Disney Plus. So the studio really owes it to him — and the fandom — to bring Robbie back in the MCU. Sure, we still want Norman Reedus as Johnny Blaze, but there’s room for two Ghost Riders in these here parts.
Daisy Johnson (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Daisy Johnson aka Sky aka Quake had arguably the most transformative character journey over AoS‘ seven seasons, and it doesn’t feel like it’s ended yet. The series finale left her in a fascinating place, as she headed off into space, something that fans theorized could mean she’s found new employment with S.W.O.R.D. The pieces are already on the board, then, for Chloe Bennet to turn up in a Disney Plus show somewhere. Again, Secret Invasion seems the likeliest option.
Luke Cage (Luke Cage)
Yes, with Daredevil not done yet, it goes without saying that this paves the way for the rest of the Defenders to follow him back into the MCU, too. Mike Colter always felt like he’d walked right off the comic book page as the Hero Originally Known as Power Man, so we’d love to see him don his yellow tee again to play the hero of Harlem once more. We still need to see him settle down with Jessica (more on her in a moment), like they do in the comics.
Colleen Wing and Misty Knight (Iron Fist/Luke Cage)
Honestly, though, no one’s really clamoring for the fourth Defender, Danny Rand (Finn Jones), to return. But fans would go wild if his girlfriend, Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), came back instead. Iron Fist ended with Colleen getting her own mystical powers so it’s only right that her hero’s journey continues. Especially if she gets to form a partnership with bionic-armed detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick), as per their Daughters of the Dragon comic book team-up.
Frank Castle (The Punisher)
Jon Bernthal’s performance as Frank Castle is hands-down one of the finest in the MCU as a whole, so it would be criminal if Marvel wasted him by not bringing him back anywhere. And we all know how Frank feels about criminals, right? While we’re somewhat skeptical that Punisher would work on Disney Plus, we need an R-rated revival to continue the gun-toting vigilante’s one-man war on crime and corruption in New York City.
Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)
The character who most deserves an MCU comeback behind Daredevil, however, has to be Jessica Jones, as phenomenally played by Krysten Ritter in her own Netflix series. Tough, acerbic, and flawed, there’s still no other heroine like Jess in the entire franchise. Jessica Jones actually came to a more conclusive end than its sister shows, but it would still be a great shame if we never saw her again. And a resurrection for David Tennant’s Purple Man wouldn’t go amiss either.
