Monday, July 25, 2016

Superheroines who should be added to the MCU

Despite the success of the Marvel movies, one of the complaints is the lack of female heroes with actual powers. While Marvel is adding Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel to their cinematic universe, here is my top 10 list of characters who could definitely add some girl-power to the movies. Side note; since Fox still owns the movie rights to the X-Men I won't be including mutant characters on this list.

1. Spider-Woman. A former Hydra agent turned hero, Jessica Drew isn't just a female version of Spider-Man. Her powers of flight, venom blasts, and pheromone manipulation already set her apart from Peter Parker, and she isn't your average superhero. Her day job of being a private detective/bounty hunter means that she fights crime almost 24/7. And lets be honest, despite her popularity she hasn't even been on TV since her short-lived cartoon in the late 70's. Spider-Woman deserves some screen-time folks.

2. Madame Web. Julia Carpenter aka Spider-Woman II, aka Arachne II, aka Madame Web II, is another Spider-based character who has no connection to Spider-Man save the name. A single mother who underwent government experiments to earn money and ended up with psionic spider-powers, Julia shows that being a mom doesn't mean you can't be a superhero. In fact she has even been a longtime Avenger. Her current powerset of precognition and psychokinetic webs would give the MCU their first psychic superhero.
3. Spectrum. The first woman to be called Captain Marvel (and later Photon and Pulsar), Monica Rambeau was a New Orleans Harbor Patrol officer who gained the power to become any form of electromagnetic energy (from light to x-rays). Her wit and determination and unique powers would make her a welcome addition to the MCU.
4. Crystal. With the rise in popularity of the Inhumans, Crystal seems like a perfect candidate for a movie adaptation. A former member of the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Crystal is no stranger to superheroics, and her power to control the four elements (wind, water, earth, and fire)  make her a literal force of nature.
5. Firebird. Bonita Juarez gained the power of pyrokinesis from contact with alien matter. Able to psychically create and control flames, Firebird really does bring some much needed firepower to the MCU.
 
6. She-Hulk. Jennifer Walters is the cousin of the Incredible Hulk and has a similar powerset. But unlike her cousin, She-Hulk retains her intellect and humor even when she is green and smashing.

7. Black Cat. With Spider-Man being brought to the MCU, hopefully that will mean we will get a movie adaptation of his love interest/enemy/crimefighting partner Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat. Her cat-like speed and agility combined with her supernatural power to cause bad luck (and her hi-tech arsenal of cat-themed gadgets) ensure it would be amazing to see this super-powered cat burglar on the big screen.
8. Sister Grimm. Nico Minoru's magical ability to cast one-time usage spells with a single word combined with her Gothic style would be a cool addition to the MCU.
9. Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan is such a popular new addition to the Marvel universe, this Inhuman-borne polymorphing hero (who was given her codename by Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel herself) would do well in the movies.

10. Angela. Aldrif Odinsdottir is the sister of Thor who actually started her comic book career as a supporting character in the Image Comics' Spawn series. Now part of the Marvel Unvierse, this avenging angel was revealed to have been the daughter of Odin and Freyja trapped in an realm called Heven by the Queen of Angels and raised as one of their own. Now free and aware of her Asgardian heritage, Angela explores the Nine Realms. Her ties to Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy give the angelic war goddess multiple movie properties to be a part of.