Last December, Marvel Studios revealed its plans to release Echo under a new "Marvel Spotlight" banner which gives them "the platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity."
It's unclear whether the plan moving forward is for all of these TV shows to be rated TV-MA and kept separate from the wider MCU, but with Wonder Man also set to boast that banner, we'd say a combination of both is likely. That allows Marvel Studios to tell a greater range of stories and, with so much talk of "superhero fatigue," it comes at a good time.
However, with Kevin Feige and company also dialling back its streaming offerings, they'll need to be more selective than ever when it comes to deciding which projects will head down this route. Below, we've selected seven characters who would either benefit from a darker tone or be freed from being enlisted for the next big crossover. And, in some instances, they fit into both categories!
You can find out who we've singled for possible "Marvel Spotlight" TV shows by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
7. The Punisher
Jon Bernthal is reprising his Netflix role as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again and while The Punisher series was a mixed bag, there are plenty of stories which can still be told with him (especially in the MCU).
Throwing Frank into The Avengers doesn't make sense. Sure, he could eventually cross paths with Spider-Man or perhaps even the Thunderbolts, but this character has always been at his best as a lone wolf operating on the fringes of the Marvel Universe.
Ideally suited to a TV-MA rating, Marvel Studios can ditch Marvel Television's convoluted origin story and delve into the anti-hero's mission along with the moral complexities surrounding it.
Along the way, we can finally explore his rogues gallery beyond Jigsaw, all while delving into a corner of this world that the superheroes don't get their hands dirty with. Sure, Captain America and Thor can fight off an alien invasion, but who deals with drug dealers and crime lords? After all, they need to be punished too...
6. Squirrel Girl
Werewolf by Night proved the MCU can get weird, so why not shift the spotlight to Doreen Green, a superhero who is quite simply unlike any other?
Squirrel Girl is a teenager who has taken it upon herself to save the day from rude ruffians with her squirrel mates Monkey Joe and Tippy-Toe at her side. They won’t back down from a fight because they aren’t quitters; in fact, whenever she finds herself in a bind she calls on her squirrels, and a bushy-tailed army comes to her aid.
This character will never fly in a major movie franchise, but that doesn't mean the small-town superhero can't still shine.
This series obviously wouldn't boast a TV-MA rating but feels like a "Special Presentation" or "Marvel Spotlight" series which will benefit greatly from being standalone. Sure, she can hang out with her fellow heroes if it's called for but, in the meantime, Marvel can tell a fun, standalone origin story and deliver a show that's in equal parts wacky and memorable.
5. Nova
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn never had much interest in Nova, hence why the character has fallen by the wayside. The destruction of the Nova Corps before Avengers: Infinity War either perfectly set the stage for his debut or closed the door on it, but Marvel Spotlight may be the way to go.
One possibility is telling Nova's story and having it end with him dying at the hands of Thanos when he attacked Xandar. As the Mad Titan leaves the planet, Richard Rider's helmet could be shown travelling into the cosmos to find a new host, teasing the possibility of Sam Alexander following in his footsteps...one day.
Alternatively, bring him into the present-day MCU, but keep his adventures completely separate from Earth and the Guardians. Then, once Marvel Studios decides what's next for Star-Lord and that team, the possibility of throwing Nova into the mix is there.
Either way, there are still rumblings about Marvel Studios doing something with the character, and we'd say a "Marvel Spotlight" series is a good start when it comes to adding this hero to the mix.
4. Ka-Zar And Shanna The She-Devil
The Savage Land remains a location that's ripe for a whole host of stories, and how better to familiarise fans with it than by introducing Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil?
Some would inevitably roll their eyes at the prospect of following the adventures of Marvel's Tarzan "rip-off" and his scantily clad other half, but both characters are more complex than they appear on the surface. Both lived in civilisation before making their way to the Savage Land and, there, they befriended an intelligent mutant sabretooth tiger and even had to deal with dinosaurs.
A project like this, whether it's family-focused or a gory TV-MA fight to survive, has tonnes of potential and offers viewers the chance to explore a new side of the MCU.
The Savage Land could be revisited in plenty of franchises (Wolverine has spent a fair bit of time there as have The Avengers) but Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil can do their own thing, introducing a whole new culture in the process!
3. Ghost Rider
For the time being, we're guessing Ghost Rider won't be getting a movie. The two starring Nicolas Cage weren't particularly well-received either critically or financially and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven the Spirit of Vengeance can work on television.
Marvel Studios would be wise to go back to the drawing board with Johnny Blaze, delivering a comic-accurate spin on the character in a TV-MA series which doesn't hold back on the horror or sheer weirdness of a motorbike-riding superhero with a flaming skull. At the same time, the MCU's supernatural side can continue to be elaborated on and explored.
With Mephisto supposedly set to appear in Ironheart, there are ways to tie this potential "Marvel Spotlight" series into the wider MCU, but at the same time, it can be left as its own thing.
Werewolf by Night showed that there's a whole untapped genre of superhero stories for Marvel Studios to explore, with Ghost Rider a terrific choice to kick that door open and start exploring a new side of this shared world (similar to the R-Rated Blade...if it ever happens.
2. Deathlok
If you're not a big comic book fan or haven't watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., then chances are you won't be overly familiar with Deathlok. He's a cyborg and a fusion of human and machine...oh, and an unstoppable killing machine.
The original Deathlok, Luther Manning, is a soldier who is mortally wounded and later resurrected as a cyborg in a dystopian future. His body is enhanced with advanced cybernetic parts, and he struggles against his programming and the loss of his human identity.
In recent years, Michael Collins, a pacifist scientist who becomes the cyborg against his will, and Henry Hayes, a medic unknowingly transformed into a sleeper agent, have also held the mantle. Any one of them would be a great fit for a story which leans into the body horror elements and embraces R-Rated, over-the-top gore and violence.
It's hard to imagine Deathlok fitting into the wider MCU, so heading down the standalone route is absolutely the correct route for this character.
1. The Legendary Star-Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ended with Rocket assembling a new team of heroes and Peter Quill returning to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather...and his human side.
Marvel Studios promised that the Legendary Star-Lord will eventually return and the next Avengers movies seem likely. However, before we get to that, it would be a blast to watch as the hero embarks on a solo adventure on Earth which pits him against an unexpected foe and leans into R-Rated humour.
When WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier launched, they felt like events. That feeling has been lost in the past few years, but shifting the spotlight to Star-Lord for a standalone series (which also establishes him as a hero on his home planet) feels like a step in the right direction.
Honestly, it's a shame James Gunn isn't still around to take charge of this as Peacemaker's tone would be a great fit.