Rolling out the red carpet and cape: Who should get a movie?
While the MCU is chugging along efficiently and DC is making the charge to catch up, both of their cinematic universes and previous films are rife for characters that could carry a movie on their own. Here, in no particular order are five previously seen characters and what kind of solo film they could star in.
5. Cyclops
“Kill everything in sight” would be his default option if he wasn’t such a nice guy.
If there was one person who got royally screwed by the original run of X-Men films it was Cyclops. He didn’t leave much of an impression for the first two movies and was killed rather unceremoniously at the beginning of the third. If given another run, the better aspects as well as emerging character flaws of Scott Summers should be highlighted. Action scenes with Cyclops should be like mid to long range versions of Wolverine’s fights. Such as Cyclops switching between rapid blasts precise enough to destroy weapons in people’s hands without hurting them and massive waves powerful enough to blast holes in walls to make a quick exit. In a twist, if Wolverine is recast and shows up again, it would offer a chance to (no pun intended) see him from Cyclops’ perspective. Where Wolverine doesn’t look like a badass snarker and more like a violent jerk moving in on Scott’s girlfriend. That’s not even including the much darker turn he’s taken in recent years that could be foreshadowed in this movie.
4. Gambit
"Go fish, mon ami."
Another interesting contrast to Wolverine would be Gambit. Where Cyclops is the boy scout and Wolverine was the macho man, Gambit lies somewhere in the middle. Raised as a thief and a huckster, Gambit is also something of a bad boy rebel but he’s more about slickness and flash than aggression and force. An entire movie could be built around his rearing on the streets of New Orleans and could even be tweaked to include Hurricane Katrina in some way. Which granted might be exploiting a tragedy but the event does offer some possibilities for a New Orleans native character like Gambit. In the comics, he was raised by the mysterious “Thieves’ Guild” after his parents abandoned him. Perhaps instead, his parents died in the hurricane and the Thieves’ Guild was formed in the aftermath to attain materials for the victims that they couldn’t get through official channels. Would make Gambit into sort of a Robin Hood figure for the audience.
3. Cable
Perfect role for Stephen Lang
Deadpool himself half-joked that Cable, his reluctant friend, would show up in the Merc with a mouth’s sequel but what would a solo movie for Cable look like? Honestly a lot like a Terminator movie which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With our theoretical re-take on the X-Men movies, it might be cool to have a Cable centered sequel where he comes from the future to warn the X-Men of the Sentinels activating and wiping them all out. While Cable does have some very potent mental powers, he usually eschews them in favor of really big guns. So, if anyone wants to see a superhero on the big screen who’s more trigger happy than even Deadpool was, blasting away with weapons that would give Arnold Schwarzenegger a hard time, Cable is your guy at the movies.
2. Psylocke
Splitting headache much?
Psylocke’s movie would most likely revolve around her relationship to her brother Captain Britain. Growing up in the shadow of a big brother who's also a major superhero can’t be easy. Might push you to some extreme lengths. Lengths such as taking part in crazy science experiments. This wouldn’t go well for Psylocke because said experiment would result in her switching minds and bodies with an infamous superpowered assassin named Kwannon. The movie might almost take on the tone of a dark British comedy as Psylocke has to get used to her new powers and try to explain what’s happened to her brother now that she has the face of a known criminal.
1. Captain Universe
"Greetings Prophet, the Great Work begins!"
Captain Universe would make for an interesting movie. Theoretically, anyone can become Captain Universe as the identity chooses hosts on its own, so a movie might be an ensemble cast where we follow multiple protagonists suddenly granted flight, super strength, and matter and energy manipulation. Another interesting aspect might be the questions the protagonists have when they return to normal, though. Captain Universe grants its powers to a host for a while but gives them a specific objective, anything as grand as averting planetary destruction or small as saving a certain individual from a burning building, after which the host loses the powers and they pass on to someone else. Maybe our heroes gather together to compare notes on what Captain Universe ultimately wants. Such would create mystique around an otherwise purely benevolent force. Most of these characters are X-Men or related to them. With Hugh Jackman finally bowing out as Wolverine though, it’s not impossible that Marvel might take the reins back from 20th Century Fox. This would leave a very large cast an accompanying mythology to make movies out of. We can only wait and see.
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