Last September I wrote an article called 5 Established Marvel Characters I’d Like to See Return, you can check it out here. While that article was more about secondary characters and villains who probably won’t ever appear again, at least not for awhile, this article is about my most anticipated characters appearing in Marvel’s upcoming projects. Whether they’re returning to the big screen, or making their debut; This is my 5 Most Anticipated Phase 2 Marvel Characters.
Honorable Mentions: Characters I’m excited for, but I’ll wait for patiently.
William Sadler’s President of the United States
When He’ll Be Appearing: Iron Man 3
Okay, with this one I’m not really excited about. I’m just a big continuity nerd, and I like the idea that Marvel is adding their own President of the United States, instead of just alluding to Obama or whoever is in power at the time of a movie’s release. The reason I like it is now Marvel can and probably will use him in other movies. I really wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Plus I really like William Sadler, and he’s totally underrated as an actor.
Groot When He’ll Be Appearing: Guardians of the Galaxy
Groot is a character I’m especially excited for, but because of his monosyllabic nature, and the concept art that was revealed last summer, I know exactly what he’s going to be like. Although I wonder if he’ll spend most of the movie as a small potted plant, slowly growing, only to burst out in the last climatic battle at the end of the movie. But time will tell. Either way, I’m still excited for his big screen debut.
Whoever the heck Stephanie Szostak is playing When She’ll Be Appearing: Iron Man 3
Okay, this one will be quick, then we’ll get on to the good stuff. For those of you not in the know, Stephanie Szostak is going to appear in Iron Man 3 in an as of yet unidentified role. IMDB lists her as playing Bethany Cabe. But that site is less than reliable. Many people are speculating/hoping that she’s playing Janet Van Dyne aka the Wasp. Honestly I don’t know what to think, I’m just more curious than anything.
The List: Now on to the main event.
5: The Mandarin - Sir Ben Kingsley
When He’ll Be Appearing: Iron Man 3
The Mandarin has been hinted at since Iron Man 1. We’ve been waiting for him for 5 years, and finally he’s getting his big screen debut as the puppet master behind (almost) all of Tony Stark’s woes in this summer’s Iron Man 3. What can I say about him that everybody’s not already thinking? He seems like an incredibly charismatic, and just plain entertaining villain to watch. Something Marvel has been getting right for a long time now is that every one of their villains has been unsympathetic. You can see their motivations, sure, but you don’t feel sorry for them. The Mandarin seems like he’s going to be another one of those villains who’s completely unsympathetic and just plain evil. Which is awesome. And he seems to be the most relatable villain in Marvel’s stable right now. Relatable in the sense of, we can’t really relate to a demigod leading an alien invasion, or a Nazi scientist making blue laser guns, but we can relate to a terrorist bombing our homes. That’s very real subject matter for some people.
Sir Ben Kingsley is an incredible actor and will sell it in this role. I know a lot of people were skeptical of his casting, and were wanting an Asian actor. And to be honest I was one of those people. In fact, I’ve had a lot of doubts about Iron Man 3 since details were first announced and Marvel has been proving me wrong slowly but surely as more footage has come out. I have faith in Marvel, and in Sir Ben so that’s why he ranks at number 5 on my list. Plus any scene with him in his hideout I’m gonna pause like crazy. You know they’re gonna fill that with easter eggs.
4: Rocket Raccoon - ?
When He’ll Be Appearing: Guardians of the Galaxy
Last summer, when Marvel announced that Guardians of the Galaxy would be rounding out Phase 2, I was one of the many who scratched their heads wondering just who the heck the Guardians of the Galaxy actually were. But since then, I’ve picked up a few Guardians of the Galaxy comics and really fell in love with them. Especially Rocket Raccoon. I know it seems obvious, as he is a fan-favorite, but what can I say he’s very likeable. He has a very cutesy, disarming look to him, which is contrasted by how dangerous he can really be. He’s funny, quick witted, and honestly this movie couldn’t be made without him. Plus who doesn’t want to see a raccoon with a giant rocket launcher on his shoulder? His overall cuteness will make him a fan-favorite of the general audience as well, and I can totally see him becoming Marvel’s Pikachu. This guy is gonna be everywhere. On backpacks, pencil cases, notebooks, bookmarks, stickers you name it.
As of right now, they haven’t cast this character yet, and that’s partly why I’m excited for his debut. And I’m actually excited to learn how they’re going to pull off the character technically. Will he be completely CGI with a voice actor? Will they motion capture an actor and place that performance in the movie? I don’t know, and I’m sure we won’t find out for awhile. But in any case I’m very excited to see Rocket Raccoon on the big screen.
3: Loki - Tom Hiddleston
When He’ll Be Appearing: Thor: The Dark World
I’m a big fan of Loki. Tom Hiddleston has done an amazing job playing him. I loved that over the past two movies we’ve seen him go into the deep end, and slowly become an evil dude. Now I’ll be honest, at times, I didn’t completely understand Loki’s motivations in Thor. But, nevertheless he gave a solid performance and I loved his return in the Avengers. As I mentioned before, Marvel has been giving us completely unsympathetic villains. Loki is the one exception to that rule. But they’ve still managed to make him sympathetic in a new and interesting way. In Thor you could see his hurt and (somewhat) understand his actions and why he turned to evil. I’ll admit, it was somewhat cookie cutter when you look at it in it’s simplest form, it's very Shakespearian. But in the Avengers they continued his sympathy in a way that I don't think has been seen very often. Especially in a comic book movie. In his return he’s gone completely evil, but he’s still sympathetic because of the way Thor treats him. Despite everything Loki does in the Avengers, Thor is still fighting for his soul to the very end. And that makes a interesting and very real dynamic, which I think was missed by a lot of viewers, and a testament to Joss Whedon’s great writing.
With that all in mind, I’m really excited to see what Loki gets up to in Thor: The Dark World. I hope that he’s just a third party to the main plot and not the driving force behind it. I would honestly hate it if he was the main villain again. He shouldn’t be behind Malekith’s war with Asgard, but I would love it if he used it to his advantage. I would much rather a Loki that’s making back alley deals with both sides, with no real agenda except his own selfish desires, or maybe the interests of another third party.
Regardless of what they do with Loki, Tom Hiddleston is going to be amazing in the role again, and I can’t wait to see what they do with him next.
2: Hawkeye - Jeremy Renner
When He’ll Be Appearing: The Avengers 2
I loved Hawkeye in the Avengers. He was great, he was bad ass, he was just all around awesome. I was first introduced to Hawkeye through the Ultimates, and I thought Renner nailed the character in that regard. But in the original comics he’s a little different, less dark and brooding and a bit more of a smart aleck. But I think the way he was portrayed in Avengers is still pretty good, as he would have been a bit too much like Tony Stark otherwise. Although there’s still room for some smart aleck wit in the future. One thing I loved about Hawkeye, was the way they used his archery in the movie. I liked that Hawkeye had more than just one shot that he kept doing. Not just with his different trick arrows, but the fact that he would lead his targets before shooting or let the wind take his arrow. To be honest, it would have been boring if every shot he did was straight on, from him to the target. I like that Joss Whedon anticipated that and had the good graces to add that little bit of realism in. Plus he makes some bad ass shots without looking. That’s just cool.
Obviously, when he returns I’d like him to be a part of the team from the very beginning. Not that they’d pull the bad guy for half the movie stuff again. I'd just rather he be a part of the plot this time, rather than just thrown in at the end when Cap sends out a mass text. Unfortunately, with the rumored expansion of the Avengers roster, Marvel will probably be wanting to trim the fat, so to speak. And I fear that he and Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow would be the first to go. But with Black Widow being the only female Avenger as of yet, her return seems more likely than Hawkeye’s. But here’s hoping we see Renner’s Hawkeye again.
1: The Hulk/Bruce Banner - Mark Ruffalo
When He’ll Be Appearing: The Avengers 2
I’ve been a Hulk fan for a long time now. I’ve been really happy for the most part of how he’s been portrayed on screen up to this point. And I can’t even begin to describe to you, how excited I am to see his return in the Avengers’ second outing. Mark Ruffalo brought a different kind of likeability to the role, and added humor to a character that has been steeped in melodrama for so long. We get that Bruce Banner is a tragic hero, but he’s allowed to laugh from time to time. God forbid, smile. When the Avengers first came out, the Hulk was the character I was most excited to see. When Banner first started to make his first transformation, in the theater I literally leaned forward and began rubbing my hands in anticipation. Having to wait another 3 years for the Hulk to return will probably have me doing the same thing in 2015.
I could go on, but honestly what more can I really say? He quickly became a fan-favorite in the Avengers, and he more than likely will steal the show again in Avengers 2. He’s my all-time favorite comic book character so naturally he’s at the head of the list. I couldn’t be more excited.
So that’s my top 5 most anticipated characters for Marvel’s Phase 2. Do you agree? Disagree? Leave your thoughts and comments in the usual place.