Over the years, the MCU has managed to make some of Marvel's most obscure characters into
household names. And with Phase 4 coming over the horizon, who knows what little-known characters
might be brought into the limelight? These are the obscure Marvel characters we'd love
to see in Phase 4.
From the far reaches of the Burning Galaxy comes the protector of the Korbinites: Beta
Ray Bill. Fighting against Surtur and the demons who destroy his home galaxy, Beta Ray
Bill is turned into a powerful cyborg in order to lead the surviving members of his race
to a new planet. Aboard his sentient ship, the Skuttlebutt, he is constantly pursued
by these demons.
When he reaches Earth, Bill mistakes Thor for a demon and they fight. To Thor's shock,
Bill is able to pick up his hammer and use it.
"Your weapon is mighty, demon. But now it belongs to Beta Ray Bill!"
When Bill is accidentally recalled to Asgard by Odin, the All-Father is puzzled by what
has transpired. It's eventually decided to give Bill his own hammer, Stormbreaker which,
as it happens, shares a name with the new weapon that Thor forges in Avengers: Infinity
War.
Bill proves to be a steadfast ally of Thor, and even has a brief romance with Lady Sif.
Given that Thor leaves Earth at the end of Avengers: Endgame with the Guardians Of The
Galaxy, it would make sense to see him run into Bill somewhere in space.
Moreover, Surtur was last seen wreaking havoc in Asgard serving up the perfect opportunity
to do a variation on Bill's origin story.
Quasar is essentially Marvel's version of Green Lantern: He possesses cosmic-powered
jewels that can create solid-light constructs. In terms of personality, the gentle Wendell
Vaughn is the antithesis of swaggering, arrogant superheroes like Iron Man or Doctor Strange.
He thinks before acting, and generally prefers not to fight if he can avoid it. That's the
reason he is chosen as Protector of the Universe by the cosmic being known as Eon he is given
unlimited power, but he's unlikely to abuse it.
Having him meet Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel 2 would be the best opportunity to introduce
Quasar into the MCU. They could team up against one of the many weird foes he fought over
the years, like the kinetic-energy-absorbing Maelstrom, or Unbeing, a cosmic beast of primordial
power. As a straight-and-narrow counterpoint to Carol's loose-cannon attitude, Quasar could
be a buddy, a frenemy, or even a potential love interest.
Alternatively, they could use Wendell's successor, Phylla-Vell, the daughter of Mar-Vell. That
would be a nice touch on Captain Marvel's story, and Carol working with her mentor's
daughter opens up all sorts of possibilities for drama.
The Reverend Doctor Michael Achebe is described by his creator, Christopher Priest, as, quote,
"the Joker to the Black Panther's Batman." While the Panther is calm, collected and compassionate,
Achebe is an unpredictable, twisted, lunatic genius interested only in power.
Achebe is only too happy to kill thousands of innocents if it helps him get his way.
He also talks non-stop, and constantly insults Black Panther to his face often referring
to the superpowered King as "ukatana,"which is Swahili for "kitten." He literally sold
his soul to the devil, or at least Mephisto, in order to gain his power, and he's obsessed
with unseating T'Challa from his throne. Things get even weirder in later appearances, when
he begins to wear a small puppet named on his arm, dressed exactly like he is.
The situation in Wakanda is one of the biggest mysteries in Marvel's Phase 4. After T'Challa
and Shuri both disappeared, who assumed power? What challenges does Wakanda face after the
Snap, given the fact that they had just opened themselves up to the world when T'Challa disappeared?
Notably, Achebe gets himself into Wakanda in the comics by exploiting conflict just
the sort that might well have arisen after the Snap.
In the Black Panther comics, Malice is a disgraced former Dora Milaje named Nakia. Of course,
in the film, Nakia is one of the heroes and T'Challa's love interest. But it would be
easy enough to simply make Malice a different member of the Dora Milaje, and it would be
worthwhile, too because Malice is a doozy of a character.
Malice grows up infatuated with T'Challa, dreaming that she will one day be his queen.
After Mephisto puts T'Challa under an illusion, he kisses Malice, and her fantasies grow out
of control, no matter how much he apologizes once he is in his right mind. As she sees
it, T'Challa is now hers, and she sets out to kill his girlfriend, Monica Lynne. Later,
Killmonger helps Malice by giving her the deadly Jufeiro herb. This poison makes her
irresistible to men, and she sets out to kill every woman in T'Challa's life.
A completely irrational foe is the perfect sort of foil to the collected and considerate
Black Panther. And, if nothing else, it'd be a pretty interesting turn for the next
movie to take.
Clea is the daughter of Umar the Unspeakable and niece of the dread entity
known as Dormammu.
"Your world is now my world. Like all worlds."
In the comics, she betrays her relatives by helping Doctor Strange foil their evil plans
to conquer his dimension. Clea eventually leaves her home and becomes Doc's magical
disciple and lover. Given that Dr. Christine Palmer was a fairly uninspiring choice for
a love interest in the first film, Clea could be a perfect addition to the cast in a future
Strange movie.
There are all sorts of ways Marvel could play this. Considering that the Time Stone no longer
exists in this reality, what's keeping Strange's time-loop spell in place on Dormammu? Can
he invade again? Did Umar try to take over the Dark Dimension while Dormammu was caught
in the loop? In addition, what happened in the reality where the Sorcerer Supreme was
absent for five years? With all this in mind, Clea's introduction into the MCU seems to
be just a matter of time.
Deep in the Everglades lives a creature who is the guardian of the Nexus Of All Realities.
This is the Man-Thing, a muck-encrusted monster who was once a researcher named Ted Sallis.
Working on regenerative and super-soldier formulas with his colleague Dr. Curt Connors,
Ted was betrayed by his wife and chased down by AIM agents, who were hoping to get hold
of his life's work. When he crashes into a swamp, he's transformed by the formula and
the magic of the swamp into the fearsome Man-Thing.
Man-Thing is an empath, but his brain is quite a bit foggier than it once was. When he feels
the violent anger of others, he lashes out in an effort to make it stop. Given the fact
that he can generate sulfuric acid, this means that people usually get hurt. This serves
him well, however, as the guardian of the interdimensional doorway that lies in the
swamp: When malicious entities attempt to cross over, he stands against them.
Given that Doctor Strange is set to explore the "Multiverse of Madness," why not send
him down to Florida to do so? He and Man-Thing seem like they'd have a lot to talk about.
Karkas and Ransak the Reject are sort of a package deal. Both are Deviants, the genetically
unstable foes of the Eternals. Specifically, they are Mutates, Deviants whose mutations
are so extreme that they are either killed or forced to engage in brutal gladiatorial
games. In Karkas' case, he's over eight feet tall, enormously strong, bright red, and has
nasty claws. Even by Deviant standards, he's ugly but not quite as much as the dreaded
Ransak the Reject.
After a whole lot of build-up teasing just how horrifyingly ugly he is, the Reject turns
out to look… a lot like a pretty gorgeous human man. He and Karkas become fast friends
in the gladiatorial pits, where Ransak becomes a fearsome killing machine. Karkas, while
good at fighting, doesn't like it much. In fact, he's a sensitive soul who loves philosophy
and culture. When Thena the Eternal visits their world of Lemuria, Karkas begs her to
take them with her to the Eternals' home in Olympia. She does, and both become valuable
members of Olympia.
That's the sort of cinematic journey that could make an Eternals film, or sequel, truly
special. Karkas and Ransak could be the bridge between the Eternal and Deviant worlds, in
addition to having their own dramatic and affecting storyline.
In the comics, M'Nai is Shang-Chi's adopted brother. He earns the nickname "Midnight Sun"
because of his love of the darkness, evidenced by his all-black bodysuit. After Shang-Chi
breaks away from the evil Fu Manchu, Midnight Sun is sent to kill his brother and best friend,
a choice that brings him great sorrow. When M'Nai dies in battle against Shang-Chi, the
Kree save his life by putting his brain inside a new clone body. This gives him the ability
to endure the vacuum of space, turn invisible, and propel himself at great speeds. All of
this is in addition to his tremendous martial arts skills, which he manages to retain.
Midnight Sun would make an ideal assassin for the Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend
of the Ten Rings. If Shang Chi's life represents a path denied to M'Nai, this could make their
conflict more than just a standard hero-villain showdown. They're not just enemies, but brothers
and are able to hurt each other far worse than your typical good guy/bad guy match-up.
The Mandarin is reported to be the main villain in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
As powerful as those ten alien rings make him, however, he's always used lackeys to
do his bidding. That includes Dr. Chen Lu, better known as the Radioactive Man.
Unlike most similarly-powered heroes, Dr. Lu's exposure to radiation was intentional.
Then in the employ of the Chinese government, he sought to make himself immune to nuclear
attack and ended up turning himself into a nuclear weapon. Lu has worked with a wide
variety of villains over the years in his efforts to take down the Avengers. Eventually,
however, he has a change of heart upon working with Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man in Vietnam.
There, as part of the Titanic Three, he seeks to inflict justice on wrongdoers a change
of heart that endures for years.
It'd be great to see Lu either working for the Mandarin in Shang-Chi or acting as a free
agent. His powers are formidable, and his conscience is murky; the perfect recipe for
an intriguing character.
From out of the slave pits of the Shi'ar Empire come the swashbuckling Starjammers. On this
team, you've got the giant green amphibian powerhouse Ch'od, the deadly marksman Raza,
the lightning-quick skunk-woman Hepzibah, and the insectoid doctor Sikorsky. These ragtag
misfits are led by their human leader, Corsair.
Given that Captain Marvel is out patrolling space and Marvel is looking to bring the X-Men
into the MCU fold at last, now would be a perfect time to introduce these X-Men-adjacent
characters. The Starjammers have long been a bright ray of sunshine in their frequently
dour mutant dramas. Corsair, in fact, is Cyclops and Havok's dad, kidnapped years prior by
the Shi'ar.
Their appearance could also herald the introduction of other alien races, like the Shi'ar themselves,or
the horrific Brood. The Starjammers are versatile, thrilling, and have a killer name perfect
for the silver screen.
The Enigma Force is a strange essence from the Microverse that randomly merges into random
creatures in times of need, transforming them into Captain Universe. It bestows the Uni-Power
upon its recipient, helps them solve the problem at hand, and then moves on as quickly as it
came. Whoever becomes Captain Universe also gets a snappy blue and white costume, access
to Uni-Vision, and control over matter and energy.
First appearing by possessing a friend of the Micronauts to help defeat the evil Baron
Karza, the Uni-Power has subsequently appeared in the prime Marvel dimension many times.
It's merged with heroes such as Daredevil, the Invisible Woman, and the Juggernaut, who
used it to realign the Earth's tectonic plates. It also once merged with the Silver Surfer
to stop an energy-devouring monster.
There are all sorts of intriguing possibilities for Captain Universe in the MCU. It could
possess Thor, or someone he meets in his next film. It could appear as part of Doctor Strange's
multiverse explorations, especially since the Microverse appeared as the Quantum Realm
in the MCU. Captain Marvel could encounter it while patrolling space. Of course, the
Enigma Force works best when someone completely unexpected is given the power, uses it, and
then goes back to their life making it the perfect opportunity to power up one of the
MCU's un-superpowered characters.
"You know what they say you're out of luck until you've gone duck."
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