Now, I'm a lifelong X-Men fan. What I knew of the Avengers came from the old arcade game at Plaza Bowl that my dad and I played when I went with him to the bowling alley. I've since filled in the gaps when it comes to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Now, the Avengers sequel is years out, since Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Captain America 2 will all be made before it. So why speculate on the sequel now?
Because I can, dang it.
This post will mostly deal with who'll be joining the ranks in the sequel, since we already know the villain (nope, not saying who, go see the movie).
Ant-Man
Real Name: Hank Pym
Powers: Size Reduction and Addition
History: Ant-Man was a founding member of the original Avengers (which did not include Captain America, by the way). He's also one of the foremost minds of the Marvel universe, a genius who discovered "Pym Particles" (original name there, Hank) which is how he obtained his powers. He's gone through about a million different codenames over the years, Ant-Man, Yellowjacket, Goliath, and Wasp being the most famous. However, Hank's probably best known these days for his instability. Suffering from severe confidence issues (hey, he's on a team that's included Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner, so it's somewhat understandable) and massive amounts of guilt over the creation of the villain Ultron, Ant-Man is not an easy person to deal with and is at times his own worst enemy.
Will We See Him: Hank Pym is a huge part of the Avenger mythos. He'll make an appearance for sure, but the question is whether or not he'll be suiting up. His powers are pretty niche, I think we may see him as Goliath rather than Ant-Man. But then is he redundant with the bruisers like Hulk and Thor?
Possible Casting: Nathan Fillion has been suggested, but nothing concrete seems to have come of it.
Wasp
Real Name: Janet van Dyne
Powers: Size Reduction and Addition, Flight, Bio-Electric Blasts
History: Hank Pym's ex-wife, Janet van Dyne was a fashion designer and socialite who caught the eye of the scientist while he helped her solve her father's murder. She actually coined the name the Avengers and was a founding member. Her history is closely tied with Ant-Man's, and as a result, she has borne a lot of the burden of his crazy. Infamously, he struck her during one of his many nervous breakdowns, and they eventually divorced.
Will We See Her: Wasp suffers from the same drawbacks as her ex-husband. While I think she could appear, I seriously doubt she would be a team member. It's highly unlikely she would appear without Hank in there somewhere, and they both have essentially the same powers. They'd be redundant as heroes, though they could easily appear as civilian allies.
Vision
Real Name: Vision
Powers: Flight, Intangibility, Solar Energy Beams, Superhuman Strength, Durability, Stamina, and Reflexes, Solar Energy Absorption, Superhuman Intelligence, Technopathy, Density Control.....
History: This robot won the superpowers lottery when it was at its highest jackpot in history. He was created by the Avengers villain Ultron but eventually turned on his creator and joined the Avengers. Despite the fact that he is a robot, he is said to be fully sentient and sapient, feeling emotions and even getting married to Scarlet Witch, and later divorcing her as well. Currently he is mentoring the Young Avengers.
Will We See Him: This one I doubt pretty strongly. His origin is dependent on Hank Pym creating Ultron and Ultron creating him, and then just look at that power list. That's not even all of them. He's too powerful and too dependent on certain storylines that the writers might not pursue, since we already know Ultron is not the villain for Avengers 2. He might get the Jarvis treatment, and appear as Hank's AI or something.
Wiki Link: http://marvel.wikia.com/Vision_(Earth-616)
Ms. Marvel
Real Name: Carol Danvers
Powers: Flight, Superhuman Strength, Durability, Speed, and Stamina, Photonic Blasts
History: Carol Danvers has come a long, long way from being the heroine Rogue of the X-Men stole powers from. She has recently moved up to the A List of Marvel, essentially acting as Marvel's answer to Wonder Woman and leading one of the Avengers teams. She's served as an Air Force intelligence agent, a SHIELD agent, and a security chief for NASA outside of her costumed heroics. Her powers come from mutations caused by exposure to alien technology. She, like Tony Stark, has struggled with alcoholism, though she has since recovered.
Will We See Her: I'm going to say yes on this one. Ms. Marvel's popularity and exposure have exploded in recent years and her history with SHIELD makes her easy to write in. The main hurdle would be explaining her powers, but it could somehow be tied into the alien invasion from Avengers. Also, her inclusion would give Black Widow a foil, since Ms. Marvel comes from a military background as opposed to espionage.
Possible Casting: Charlize Theron would be my first choice.
Black Panther
Real Name: T'Challa
Powers: Peak Human Strength, Speed, Senses, Agility, and Stamina
History: The mantle of the Black Panther is passed down by the kings of the African nation of Wakanda. An adept politician as well as Avenger, he has helped Wakanda become one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, and one of the richest, thanks to deposits of vibranium (aka the stuff Captain America's shield is made of). He is also a genius, one of the eight smartest minds on the planet (all of whom appear to be superheros, oddly enough). In short, Black Panther is Batman, only African and a king. As an interesting bit of trivia, he was the first black superhero in mainstream comics. He's also married to Storm.
Will We See Him: Black Panther's status as a foreigner could help with the team's diversity. However, the fact that he's basically Batman could hurt him, but seeing as Dark Knight Rises comes out this year and Avengers 2 is years away, the Caped Crusader may have faded from the public eye enough for people to accept him. His status as a ruler could also bring some interesting dynamics to the team. I would hope the name wouldn't be a stumbling block. He actually predates the Black Panther party by two years, and has nothing to do with them whatsoever.
Possible Casting: Wesley Snipes has expressed interest, but given that he's still in jail I would think he's out. Djimon Hounsou voiced him in a short lived cartoon in 2010, and director Tim Story said he wanted him to play the character in Fantastic Four 3 (which isn't being made). I'd do backflips if he played Black Panther.
Wiki Link: http://marvel.wikia.com/Black_Panther!
Luke Cage
Real Name: Luke Cage (Born Carl Lucas)
Powers: Superhuman Strength, Durability, and Stamina, Accelerated Healing Factor
History: Originally going by the incredibly uninspired name of Power Man, Luke Cage was a gang member in his youth, but he left it behind only to be betrayed by a former friend and sent to prison. While in prison, he volunteered for experimentation with a super soldier formula, which gave him his powers. After using his powers to escape, he met Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist, and worked as a Hero for Hire. Since then, he has made his way to the A List of Marvel, helping to lead an Avengers team. He is married to Jessica Jones, aka the semi-retired heroine Jewel.
Will We See Him: His powers are both a pro and a con. Pro: we've already seen a super soldier serum. Con: much has been made about it only having worked once. His background could be tweaked some to avoid conflicting with Captain America's background. Another con with his powers is that, much like Goliath, the Avengers already have bruisers. There have been rumors about a possible Heroes For Hire movie as well.
Possible Casting: Isaiah Mustafa (aka the Man Your Man Could Smell Like) wants the part. And after watching this, I say give it to him.
Wiki Link: http://marvel.wikia.com/Luke_Cage!
Falcon
Real Name: Sam Wilson
Powers: Telepathic Link with Birds, Flight via Wing Harness
History: Falcon was Captain America's partner and the first black superhero who's codename did not include "black." Originally a mobster and pimp, he ran afoul of the Red Skull and was rescued by Cap. He turned his life around, and was eventually drafted into the Avengers, where Black Panther provided him with his wing harness. However, he was drafted in to fill racial quotas, which he naturally resented and led him to resign as soon as possible. Since then, he's been an on and off member.
Will We See Him: Falcon seems to have disappeared a bit in recent years. Putting him in the movie could provide a catalyst for the character's revival, but I would expect more prominent Avengers to get in before him. Also, his relationship with Captain America is vital to the character's arc, and it seems they are going to focus on Steve's friendship with Tony. That said, if the Avengers find themselves facing off with Red Skull (and I think they will), couldn't hurt to throw in Falcon.
Wiki Link: http://marvel.wikia.com/Falcon!
If I had to pick two, I'd go with Black Panther and Ms. Marvel. But these are just my ideas and musings. I'm far from an Avengers expert (well, compared to a non-comic fan I guess I'm an expert), and Avengers 2 has only just been officially announced. So, who do you think would be good picks? Who am I leaving out of the running? Who should play these characters (I honestly have no ideas for Wasp, Vision, or Falcon)?
And no, Spider-Man and Wolverine won't be in Avengers 2. Sorry!
Why no spiderman or wolverine?
ReplyDeleteSony and Fox have the rights to use those characters. That's why Amazing Spiderman and X-Men: First Class were made. Until those rights lapse or Marvel buys them back, they can't make use them in the movies.
ReplyDelete