When the Marvel Cinematic Universe began, and characters like Iron Man and Captain America that we never thought we’d see on the big screen were appearing, comic book fans were just happy to take what they could get. But now, three “Phases” in, there are certain characters that fans are clamoring for Kevin Feige to include, who might finally appear in Phase 4.

Characters who have been highly anticipated by fans for years, but are actually confirmed to show up in Phase 4, like Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight – and not to mention the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, who will be arriving at some point, thanks to the Disney/Fox merger – won’t be counted. So, here are 10 Characters We Hope Will Finally Show Up In The MCU’s Phase 4.

Nova

The stage has been set for Nova to make an appearance for a while. Richard Rider is the last surviving member of the Nova Corps when he becomes a superhero and takes up the mantle of Nova. The MCU introduced the Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy, then Thanos decimated them off-screen in Avengers: Infinity War.

So, all that’s left is for the final survivor to emerge as a superhero. Nathan Fillion is a popular fan casting choice, but he might be a little old, and with his recent casting in The Suicide Squad, scheduling might be an issue. Either way, it would be great to finally see Nova in the MCU.

Galactus

This iconic devourer of planets was depicted in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but he was portrayed as an ominous dark cloud, not as a giant humanoid cosmic being with a purple helmet like he is in the comics. If the MCU could make Ego the Living Planet work in live-action with CGI, then they can find a way to realize the Galactus we know and love from the comics.

Some fans have even suggested retconning Thanos as a herald of Galactus, to introduce him as a real force to be reckoned with. It’s not a bad idea, but it might lessen Thanos’ impact on rewatchings.

Beta Ray Bill

Taika Waititi teased Beta Ray Bill with an Easter egg when he made him one of the heads on a statue in Thor: Ragnarok. There were even rumors that the producers wanted him to appear in the film, but couldn’t find a place for him. Beta Ray Bill would be a natural fit for the MCU since he has the arrogance to match Thor’s and the worthiness to lift his hammer to match it.

His relationship with the MCU’s Waititi-ized Thor would be hysterical. And he’s also been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics, so he’d have a long-term character arc.

Adam Warlock

In one of the many, many mid-credits scenes tagged onto Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ayesha was shown to have created a new birthing pod at the Sovereign. One of her subjects asked what she was creating and she said that she was creating an artificial being that would be capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy after two defeats at their hands left her obsessed with killing them.

She named the being “Adam” and Marvel Comics readers immediately knew which legendary character had just been teased: Adam Warlock. Hopefully, he’ll show up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which technically won’t be until Phase 5, but maybe he’ll be re-teased before then).

Silver Surfer

For decades, fans wanted to see the Silver Surfer on the, um, silver screen. And then after they got a painfully drab portrayal of the character in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, they clarified their wishes: they wanted to see a good Silver Surfer movie.

Over the years, a number of high-profile directors have come and gone from a non-MCU solo movie – Quentin Tarantino even reportedly wrote a script once – but nothing has come to fruition. If anyone can give us an awesome on-screen depiction of the Sentinel of the Spaceways, then surely it’s the uncanny Kevin Feige.

Namor

Ever since Atlantis appeared alongside Wakanda on a S.H.I.E.L.D. map behind Tony Stark way, way back in 2010’s Iron Man 2, Marvel fans have been waiting to see the undersea kingdom’s infamously cocky ruler in the MCU. With Okoye’s mention of an underwater earthquake off the coast of Wakanda near the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, fans have assumed she was talking about a war in Atlantis.

If Atlantis is going to go to battle with Wakanda in the Black Panther sequel (which a ton of fans are hoping for), it could set up T’Challa and Namor’s classic rivalry from the comics.

Kang the Conqueror

The fact that Avengers: Endgame introduced time travel into the MCU suggested to some fans that Marvel was priming the time-traveling tyrant Kang the Conqueror for an appearance, possibly even as the new big bad to fill the Thanos-sized hole left by the Mad Titan’s dusting. In most incarnations, Kang is the alter ego of Nate Richards, the son of Reed Richards (so, he’s basically the Kylo Ren of the Marvel universe).

Using time travel invented by Doctor Doom, Nate travels back in time to Ancient Egypt to become the Pharaoh Rama-Tut and take Apocalypse under his wing. Suffice to say, he’d make quite a formidable threat.

Hercules

Thor isn’t the only Marvel character to be ripped from the pages of mythology. The imprint has also given us a superpowered, modern-day version of Hercules. He’s one of the most popular, if obscure characters in Marvel Comics. Hercules has been named one of the most important Avengers not to appear in the MCU yet.

Since the legendary demigod has always been a dream role for Dwayne Johnson (he got a chance to play him in a 2014 Brett Ratner movie, but that was terrible), this could be the character to finally get the world’s biggest movie star in the MCU.

Ironheart

Robert Downey, Jr. himself has said that he’d like to see Ironheart as Iron Man’s replacement in the MCU. Ironheart is the superhero alter ego of Riri Williams, a teenage wunderkind who broke into a university’s lab to build her own Iron Man-inspired metal suit.

At first, the police were looking for her and her family was worried about her, but as she proved her heroism by thwarting a bunch of criminals, she ended up being accepted as a superhero, and even received an endorsement from Tony Stark himself (or, in the MCU, it could be his digitally reincarnated consciousness).

Doctor Doom

Following the end of Thanos’ reign over the MCU, the franchise is in need of a new villain. With Marvel Studios reacquiring the rights to the Fantastic Four characters in the Disney/Fox merger, the stage is set for Doctor Doom – a megalomaniac with a scary mask and diplomatic immunity, and one of Marvel’s most ominous baddies – to take Thanos’ place.

This could introduce Latveria to the MCU, and with the positive response to the MCU’s world-building with Wakanda, it would be a no-brainer to bring a new fictional country (albeit a decidedly less prosperous and good-hearted one) into the MCU’s fictional version of Earth.

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11