The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-expanding canvas of storytelling, and that sense of expansion has never felt more tangible than it does right now. With shows like Ms. Marvel hitting Disney+, films like Blade on the horizon, and Kang the Conqueror building a presence as a major new villain, the phase of the MCU that’s followed The Infinity Saga has so far been built on near-constant growth and change. And that doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon.
The good news there, of course, is that there’s no shortage of source material lying around at Marvel Comics. But some comics are better suited to the MCU than others, so which ones should make the leap next? There are plenty of possibilities, but we’ve narrowed it down to five stories that make a lot of sense on the MCU’s current trajectory, from new superteams to a promising continuation of a solo story.
“Solve Everything”
Fantastic Four #570-572
The Fantastic Four are on their way to the MCU, even if we don’t know exactly when they’ll turn up just yet. That means a search for the right way to introduce Marvel’s First Family to their new big-screen home, and while there are a lot of possibilities, the story that launched writer Jonathan Hickman’s legendary run with the team seems like a great place to start.
Rather than rehashing the origin story, “Solve Everything” picks up on the FF when they’re already an established superteam, and Reed Richards is troubled not by what they have achieved, but where they’ve come up short. In an effort to combat this, he uses a transdimensional bridge in his top-secret lab to discover The Council, a gathering of all the Reed Richards from across the multiverse who work together to…well, solve all the problems of every universe. But of course, you can never really fix everything without paying a price.
The intellectual angst and hubris of Mr. Fantastic is a centerpiece not just of some of the best Fantastic Four stories, but some of the best Marvel stories period. This arc is a great showcase for that, which could also serve as a launchpad for the entire team with a few tweaks in the right places. Plus, Hickman’s famous knack for plotting and grand-scale worldbuilding means there are plenty of sequel opportunities built right into the narrative.
The Order
In the wake of the Civil War comics event, Marvel introduced “The Initiative,” an overarching story conceit in which every state in America would get its own government-regulated superhero team, providing a superstructure for the hero community backed by an attempt at nationwide accountability. The Order, by writer Matt Fraction and artist Barry Kitson, presents California’s chosen superteam, backed by Stark Industries funding and a PR team constantly working overtime to hold things together.
Though its tenure at Marvel Comics was ultimately short, the premise at the core of The Order is fascinating, particularly in the context of a media landscape that includes satirical shows like The Boys. This is the story of a group of handpicked superheroes trying to live up to the impossible standards of the public, fighting personal battles alongside the ones that involve supervillains, and just trying to figure out what it means to be a new hero in a world that already includes Iron Man and Thor. A series built around that idea, perhaps with Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan around to supervise things, would be a blast.
Inhumans Vol. 2
In the late 1990s, Marvel launched the “Marvel Knights” imprint in an effort to reinvigorate sales through self-contained, prestige stories helmed by major creative teams. Among the stories to come out of the line, alongside groundbreaking new runs on Daredevil and Punisher, was Inhumans, a 12-issue series from writer Paul Jenkins and artist Jae Lee which aimed to re-introduce one of Marvel’s strangest super-teams.
Unfolding largely within the confines of their hidden city of Attilan, Inhumans navigates the strange political, genetic, and personal implications of life in the Inhuman royal family even as the larger world threatens to finally invade the isolationist space they’ve carved out for themselves. If you’ve never read an Inhumans comic before, it’s a great introduction that’s part Game of Thrones, part Dune, and all Marvel Comics.
The Inhumans have already received the live-action treatment in the form of a short-lived, poorly received ABC TV series, but the inclusion of Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests they might be primed for an MCU comeback, and this remarkable series could be the story to help launch it.
Hawkeye Vol. 5
After Matt Fraction’s now-iconic Hawkeye run made her into a standalone star within Marvel Comics, Kate Bishop got her own volume of stories under the guidance of writer Kelly Thompson in 2016. Titled simply Hawkeye, the book followed Kate’s adventures as she attempted to get a foothold as a private investigator on her own in Los Angeles. What begins with a case of trying to track down a collegiate sex creep soon leads to a team-up with Jessica Jones, a run-in with Madame Masque, and much more mayhem in the City of Angels.
Now that Kate Bishop is established in the MCU via the Hawkeye TV show, it makes sense for her to find more story avenues, particularly as the non-superpowered, espionage-heavy side of the universe keeps growing. Sending her to the West Coast for a change of scenery could be just the thing to keep her story rolling, and this series’ blend of action, comedy, and heart sets the perfect tone for Kate’s next chapter.
“Style > Substance”
Young Avengers Vol. 2 #1-5
Speaking of Kate Bishop’s next chapter, it feels like Marvel fans can’t stop talking about the potential of a Young Avengers team forming up in the MCU somewhere in the near future. Many of the ingredients – including Kate, America Chavez, Kid Loki, and Elijah Bradley – have already been introduced to make the team eventually happen, and the idea of legacy heroes picking up after the current generation of Avengers feels like it has a ton of potential, especially after the success of shows like Hawkeye. So, how do you make that story work in the MCU?
Well, you could start with the first arc of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s masterpiece Young Avengers run, which finds the team coming together for a new adventure and fighting a creature that has the ability to assume the identities of all of their parents with terrifying, shapeshifting fury. It’s a comic that feels anything but formulaic, and its tonal dexterity and focus on great character moments could turn it into a hit on the big or small screens for Marvel Studios.
