It’s been almost exactly a year since the internet punk’d the geek world with an April Fool’s Netflix press release saying, that because of the success of Daredevil Season 1, they had signed up for a full batch of post-Defenders Marvel shows. Unfortunately, because some people on the internet are d-bags, this April Fool’s joke got resurrected and has been making the rounds again. While the joke did get me briefly excited for no reason, it got me thinking… shouldn’t Netflix have noted the excitement and reaction from the people that were fooled by these fake press releases? I for one would love for them to actually announce their post-Defenders ideas. We’re getting closer and closer to The Defenders, which is coming in late 2017, and we learned this first Netflix phase several years in advance. But since they probably won’t say anything until The Defenders is over, I figured I’d throw my ideas out there on which shows I’d love to see come to Netflix’s Marvel line-up.
Moon Knight
While we’ve already got Daredevil in a similar role to what Moon Knight has to offer (in terms of fighting crime), he offers a much more interesting take on the man who wears the mask. For those who don’t know, Moon Knight has multiple split personalities that make him seem a bit nuts. He also has been imbued the powers of the Egyptian god Khonshu after having been left for dead by his mercenary boss Raoul Bushman. In the comics, Moon Knight has teamed up multiple times with both The Punisher and Daredevil, so there is plenty of source material to pull from. Moon Knight is also one of the most requested and hoped for additions to the Netflix line up, and I think this crazy crime fighter would add a unique personality to the Defenders line up. I could see him going on a Punisher-esque vendetta against Bushman in one insane season. Plus, this guy is basically Marvel’s Batman. I really want to see the Moon Copter or Moon Glider fly in front of the moon then drop back down into the city to pick up Marc Spector on his way to fight crime.
Spider-Man 2099
So I wouldn’t have thought of this character as a possibility if it hadn’t been for his name being mentioned in some of the fake press releases. It really got me thinking about how a Spidey 2099 series would work, and in the end I decided that it would be perfect in so many ways. Whether or not the 2099 version of Spidey is Sony’s property or not, adding Miguel O’Hara to the line-up of Marvel heroes would be genius. 2099 isn’t a mainstream version of Spidey that people know much about, which is why he’s one of my favorite Spider-men, but also a perfect reason to add him. This move would be akin to Marvel taking the chance on Guardians of the Galaxy. Miguel would add more diversity to the Netflix line-up as he comes from the far future where most people are mixed race; he being Mexican-Irish. I could see episode one of this show beginning like The Terminator and having Miguel crash into the year 2018 from his future with the plan to stop the evil Roxxon/Alchemax Corporation from destroying the future. What he doesn’t realize is that his great grandfather is the CEO of Roxxon, and killing him would mean the end of his existence as well. The show could feature “flashbacks” to the year 2099-3018 and it could be shocking amazing to see Marvel attempt to pull off the future. I definitely want this to happen some day. Also, this could give us Punisher 2099. Hello?
Ms. Marvel
While this version of Ms. Marvel is still fairly new, there is no doubt that Kamala Khan has a huge following. With the lack of a Mr. Fantastic within the MCU, Kamala could show FOX how to make a hero with the power of Morphogenetics and elongation of her body work. She’s got a ton of other powers as well and would add a much needed Inhuman presence to the Netflix stories. With Kamala being Pakistani-American, casting an appropriate actress to play her also gives the fans who were hoping Danny Rand would be played by an Asian-American an alternative representative. Kamala is also young. It would be interesting to see Netflix take, on their version of Marvel shows, with a much younger hero. If they really want to integrate the Netflix heroes into the movies, this would add a great chance to give us a great Spider-Man / Ms. Marvel relation/friendship, since Parker will be younger in the MCU. Kamala’s story to show the difficulties growing up as not only a teenager but an Asian-American one, all the while giving us her spunky Marvel-fan girl personality to throw into the mix. I’d love to see a Kamala Khan / Jessica Jones team-up episode.
Punisher
This one is a bit obvious now that Daredevil Season 2 has aired. Jon Bernthal does a great job as The Punisher, but I’m not 100% sold on his version of Frank being able to carry a full 13 episode series. I would love to see The Punisher get a mini-series though. Some of my favorite The Punisher comics are the short arcs that give us a mob boss who Frank is having trouble getting to, then the comic shows us how he eventually finds his mark and blows their head off. While there is no doubt that The Punisher will show back up in the Netflix shows, and I’d be interested to see how they would pull off a full 13 episode series given that we already know his background and some of his past. That being said, there is nothing more fun than watching Frank Castle turn bad guys into pink dust, so bring it on!
She-Hulk
Do I really need to explain why She-Hulk would be awesome? Not only does adding Jennifer Walters to the line-up give us more female power, and I mean actual physical power as well, but she would fit in perfectly in a post-Civil War MCU. She-Hulk is the superhero lawyer. Could you imagine a season arc of her show where she is forced to go up against Matt Murdock in a court room? I would love to see that! This addition would eventually allow for Jennifer to form the now popular A-Force team of all female heroes too. With us hopefully getting Medusa in the Inhumans movie, Gamora and Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Widow and Scarlet Witch in Avengers and Wasp coming in the Ant-Man sequel, She-Hulk and Jessica Jones could easily start up the team on the Netflix side and carry it over into the films later. Plus… we’re going to get a lady version of Thor down the line I’d reckon. I think She-Hulk is such a dynamic character, being the cousin of Bruce Banner, and could add a ton to the existing MCU.
Nova
Okay, so if you know anything about me, you were obviously expecting this. With Guardians of the Galaxy seemingly ruining the Nova Corps, and staying outside of the current MCU’s realm of thought, Richard Rider would be an incredible addition as a Netflix series to bridge the gap. Richard becomes Nova and learns his powers on Earth before finally going out into space to become the space cop he is destined to become. Adding a cosmic hero like Nova to the Netflix cast would provide a much needed link between those shows and the cosmic half of the MCU that Guardians is a part of. A Nova series could give us what 2011’s Green Lantern failed to do and show that an Earthling space cop story can be done right. The Nova Corps helmet could drop into Rich’s backyard, giving him the abilities of Nova, but doing so alerts the evil alien Blastaar of the location of where Nova is hiding. I could see this series showing Nova fighting criminals like Diamond Head in arcs written like we saw in Daredevil, but culminating in Blastaar arriving on Earth for a cosmic show down. This would basically be Netflix’s version of Guardians of the Galaxy. I think the change would be refreshing.
Blade
This is another obvious choice. While the Blade movies were met with mixed reviews, there is no doubt that Wesley Snipes’ Blade came far before it’s time. There have been rumors of showrunners considering a “Blade’s daughter” show, but honestly… it’s not too early for another version of Blade. I think the studios are scared after the brilliant David S. Goyer couldn’t even get Blade: The Series off the ground. Honestly though, that show wasn’t that horrible, but I do think it was too early to be successful. It came just two years after Blade Trinity in a desperate attempt to keep the Blade money coming. It’s been over ten years since we got a good Blade adaptation. I think with Dr. Strange coming to theaters, the need to fill Marvel’s stranger and creepier side will arise. Give us Blade vs Mobius or something. There are so many vampire shows on TV now that there definitely isn’t a lack of interest in seeing more vampires getting turned to ash.
Ghost Rider
I’ll admit, I’m a fan of both Ghost Rider movies. Not because of Nick Cage’s amazing D-level acting in those films, but because Ghost Rider is just a bad ass character! Alongside Blade, Ghost Rider could fill that, darker than the currently considered dark, line of shows. Once Dr. Strange gives us demons from other dimensions, Ghost Rider could get to work penance staring those demons back into damnation. With shows like Lucifer and Damien airing on the broadcast and cable channels, and Ghost Rider’s rights back in Marvel’s hands, it’s about time we get the fiery-skulled anti-hero on the streets again. I would actually like to see them adapt the most current Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, into a sort of Fast and the Furious with demon possessed evil-doers series. Hell, they already have Mr. Hyde thanks to Agents of SHIELD. Give us Robbie vs Calvin Zabo. There’s no way that this show would fail if they managed to keep the cheese factor from the movies low.
The Sensational Foes of Spider-Man
So this one is a bit of a stretch, especially given that Spider-Man is still Sony property, but the idea is still sound. This wouldn’t have to actually be Spider-Man’s villains, but with Suicide Squad coming, a Netflix series with some of Marvel’s misfit and screwball villains would be amazing to see. It would be fun to watch a show where some dumb B-rank villains are trying to pull heists and hit the criminal jackpot, while making the “villain of the story” a few of our favorite Marvel Netflix heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Imagine our kooky crew of crooks high tailing it out of a bank only to get stopped by the Iron Fist of K’un Lun. This would also give Marvel the opportunity to stick some of our favorite “sometimes heroes” like Elektra, Prowler and Taskmaster into the Netflix line-up of characters. Plus, Daredevil’s Melvin Potter aka Gladiator is so damn good that he could headline this show.
The Runaways
Last but certainly not least, The Runaways are a group of teenagers who find out that their parents are Supervillains, and decide to steal powerful items from their folks only to runaway and fight crime. They do all of this while trying not to get caught by their parents of course. This would be a truly unique show for the Marvel Netflix line-up as it would deal with several different teens, each with their own stories and issues. Adding younger heroes also allows for Kamala Khan to crossover here as well as giving Netflix a Marvel show that they could aim at teens. We all know Marvel likes to give each movie and show a different genre, well this could easily be a lighthearted but still emotional show, addressing how it is to be a teen in this world full of good and evil doers. The MCU is lacking younger heroes, which will soon be fixed with the addition of Peter Parker, but one representative shouldn’t be enough. Plus, I really just want to see Nico Minoru adapted. She’s pretty awesome.
There you have it. These were some of my ideas on who I’d like to see added to the Netflix Marvel roster. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @The_GWW who you’d like to see adapted. Also, let me know what you thought of my picks. I’d love to hear a synopsis on how these shows could play out in your mind.