Earlier this month, Marvel Studios added all of Marvel Television's Netflix TV shows to Disney+. This has left fans more eager than ever to see those characters in the MCU, especially after Daredevil and The Kingpin's recent returns in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, respectively.
It's clear Kevin Feige is now looking to make use of (some of) these characters, and while those we've seen make their presence felt thus far have been played by the same actors, that's unlikely to be the case for everyone. After all, these shows are only very loosely tied to the MCU, and Marvel Studios being beholden to continuity they had nothing to do with makes zero sense.
However, in the case of those listed here, our hope is that new actors will be brought in to take over. We have nothing against these performers, but their characters are in desperate need of a fresh start and were often miscast in the first place. While Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio can only benefit from an MCU overhaul, it's too late for this lot, so Marvel Studios needs to start over.
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6. Luke Cage
Mike Colter is an undeniably talented actor, but he was never quite right for Luke Cage. While he was a good fit for Power Man in the first half of the show's debut season, the second the series headed down a more comic accurate route, Colter just felt wildly out of place as this character. Now, at 45-years-old, we'd go so far as to argue he's too old to continue playing this beloved Hero for Hire in the MCU.
The actor certainly doesn't look his age, but the Luke Cage role feels like one that would be better suited to a young, up-and-coming African American performer who can make Power Man their own. We've no doubt there is an amazing comic book movie role for Colter, but Cage needs to take centre stage in this shared world moving forward as a major player who projects Harlem and the entire MCU.
5. Trish Walker
Hellcat is one of Marvel Comics' oldest characters, and she's stepped back into the limelight in recent years as a love interest to Iron Man. She's always been a great hero in her own right, of course, but Jessica Jones dropped the ball on Hellcat in a way that can only be described as unforgivable. After gaining superpowers, "Trish" Walker tried her hand at being a vigilante before losing her mind and becoming a killer.
Rachael Taylor did what she could with the material, but the sooner this take on Patsy Walker is forgotten, the better. We're hoping Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones returns one day, though it would be better for that to happen without her childhood best friend. As for Hellcat, she can be rebooted as a totally different character, and we wouldn't be surprised if Marvel Studios always had that planned.
4. Leland Owlsley
What a disappointment this was. While The Owl has never been one of the Man Without Fear's greatest foes, he's certainly given Daredevil more than his fair share of problems over the years. In fact, Leland Owlsley has even pretty successfully terrorised Spider-Man, proving that there's a lot Marvel Television could have done with this villain before ageing him up and killing him off.
Bob Gunton, referred to as a "doddering pencil pusher" at one point in Daredevil, was fine in the role, but there's no way he should be asked to reprise this character. The fact his Owl was killed off so soon is probably for the best as it means most fans will have likely forgotten him and would be all too happy to see a new, younger version of the character make his presence felt in Hell's Kitchen.
3. Mary Walker
Alice Eve did a decent job in Iron Fist's second season, and on the surface, she's actually a pretty perfect choice to bring Typhoid Mary to life. Unfortunately, the version of the character we got in this series was watered down beyond belief and we'd actually forgotten all about her until the time came to put this feature together. That tells you all you need to know about why Mary should be recast!
This was a typical example of Marvel Television taking a comic book character and stripping away everything that makes them, well, a comic book character. In recent years, Typhoid Mary has become an unexpected love interest to Wilson Fisk, and there are lots of avenues to take her down. Moon Knight has introduced the idea of DDA in the MCU, so it would be easy to introduce a new take on Mary.
2. Will Simpson
Nuke is an absolute behemoth in the comic books, and the unhinged Vietnam vet can most often be found squaring off with Captain America. The failed super-soldier has provided a fascinating insight into what could have happened to Steve Rogers, and he'd be a fitting opponent for Sam Wilson now he wields the shield. Assuming that is the case, we're not looking for Wil Traval to reprise the role.
Marvel Television very much did its own thing with "Nuke," and Traval's interpretation of the character had little to nothing in common with his comic book counterpart. A fresh start with a comic book accurate take on this villain would be for the best, and is far removed enough from what we saw on Netflix that no one is likely to be confused or question why a new take on the villain is part of the MCU.
1. Iron Fist
We'd argue that Iron Fist is where Netflix's Marvel Television projects really started going downhill, and whether they ever truly recovered after is up for debate. Why Scott Buck would be put in charge of anything after Dexter and Inhumans is beyond our comprehension, but as bad as the series was, there's no getting around the fact that Finn Jones just wasn't a strong enough actor for this role.
Even with Marvel Studios in charge, we don't see that changing. Some believe an Asian actor should be given the role, and while there's certainly a strong argument to be made there, remember that Danny Rand found himself in K'un-Lun after a plane crash, with the whole fish out of water element a big part of who he is. Regardless, both the MCU's Heroes for Hire should return with new faces.