Over the years, Marvel Comics has done incredible work to create a deeply memorable roster of both superheroes and supervillains. It's been genuinely exciting to watch many of these beloved characters transition over to blockbuster feature films, as well as which lower-tier heroes have been able to find newfound acclaim thanks to the success of their movies.
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There are many popular Marvel characters that fans are eager to finally see get their own films, but there are also some very deep cuts that deserve their moment in the spotlight. Accordingly, here are 10 obscure Marvel characters that deserve their own movie.
Updated on May 24th, 2021 by Scoot Allan: It might be hard to believe for some fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that at one point in Marvel's long history characters like Iron Man and Ant-Man who made up the Avengers were considered obscure and unmarketable, yet they have proven to be some of the most profitable and enjoyable. This has led many to wonder what other obscure Marvel characters could make a splash in Hollywood and join the MCU to reach a whole new audience. So we've gathered a few more of Marvel's most unknown heroes that should get their own films in the MCU.
While he was first introduced as a powerful villain for The Avengers, Arkon the Magnificent hailed from another world known as Polemachus that was built on warfare but torn between a new scientific following that celebrated its strongest champions by making them ruler.
Arkon's home planet was dealing with energy issues which first inspired him to connect with The Avengers through the magic of Scarlet Witch, though Arkon would eventually partner with the powerful warrior woman Thundra to become an explorer of Marvel's Weirdworld as well.
Kevin Plunder was the son of an English nobleman who was the first to discover the prehistoric world known as the Savage Land that is hidden in the frozen Antarctic and first appeared in the pages of X-Men #10 alongside Ka-Zar's origin.
Following the death of his parents, young Kevin was raised by an intelligent mutant sabretooth tiger named Zabu. He grew up to work alongside the indigenous population of the Savage Land to help protect its natural resources from corporate interests as Ka-Zar alongside his love Shanna the She-Devil and brother Zabu.
The young student who would become the insane character known as Madcap was forever transformed after A.I.M. tested out a chemical that killed his entire tour bus and left him in a new form that couldn't feel pain and had an advanced healing factor that seemingly made him impossible to kill.
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The survivors' guilt coupled with his inability to kill himself created a warped hero who gave Deadpool a run for his money as Marvel's zaniest character, which developed into a long-standing rivalry between the two characters after their healing factors merged them together.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier recently introduced the concept of secret super-soldiers created by the U.S. military that produced and then abused Isaiah Bradley, though he wasn't the only character in the comics that was mistreated by the government in the pursuit of a super-soldier.
Jack Monroe joined William Burnside/Captain America as the government's new Bucky following the recreation of a super-soldier serum that gave them enhanced abilities but caused mental instability. Monroe eventually followed in Captain America's footsteps as Nomad and had a troubled costumed career that saw him brainwashed into the murderous Scourge before his death.
When he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assigned to guard duty, Wendell Vaughn first encountered the powerful weapons known as the Quantum Bands, which were capable of tapping into a powerful energy source connected to the quantum power of the universe.
Vaughn was chosen by the cosmic being known as Eon to serve as the protector of the universe, and he became the costumed hero known as Quasar. Quasar would eventually factor into a few of Marvel's epic cosmic events, and the power and name of Quasar has also been passed on to other characters over the years that could launch a new MCU franchise.
Also known as D-Man, Demolition Man is an interesting Marvel superhero because, in terms of his powers, he's not very interesting or unique, but it's in his personal qualities and faults where he gains depth. Dennis Dunphy became Demolition Man after the Power Broker increased his strength and stamina to superhuman levels.
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However, Power Broker deceived Dunphy by making him think he needed his drug to maintain his strength. This strange addiction in addition to an unstable heart condition humanized this superhero in a way that would be amazing material for a feature film, as well as the fact that D-Man recently came out which could bring Marvel's first openly gay hero to the big screen.
Elsa Bloodstone is basically the Buffy the Vampire Slayer of the Marvel Universe. She's a young, female monster hunter that comes from a prestigious lineage of other fighters of darkness. Films like Van Helsing failed to connect with audiences, but Underworld and Resident Evil are proof that a female-led monster-killing franchise works.
If Marvel introduces Elsa Bloodstone into the mix they could even pair her with Blade or use her to explore a different side of the same dark corner of the dark supernatural universe she works best in, though it could also tease her fan-favorite team known as Nextwave.
The Power Pack series fulfills a very specific niche where it looks at a team of four superheroes, however, they're all pre-teen siblings. Marvel has plenty of young superheroes out there, but the familial bond between the Power Pack is why it works so well.
It's like the unity that's present in the Fantastic Four, but even more intense and innocent. There have been rumors of a Power Pack series happening on Disney+, but they'd be just as effective in their own feature film that provides a younger slant on the typical superhero narrative.
Marvel's Damage Control is a pretty brilliant and self-aware idea that fits well with the kind of meta concept that's more prevalent now. Damage Control is a group of construction workers who are the everymen tasked with the repairs that need to be done during the fallout of superhero attacks.
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It's a grounded idea that could explore a different side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and even get into past events, but from Damage Control's perspective. Curiously, at one point a Damage Control TV show was in development, but it never came to pass.
Water-based superheroes have a difficult time resonating with audiences for whatever reason, but there's been a recent shift with Aquaman finally gaining some wider acclaim. Stingray is an unusual Marvel hero because he doesn't have any natural powers or control over the ocean or its inhabitants, but rather he's an individual with a suit that makes him a serious threat.
Stingray's exoskeleton suit makes him deeply agile underwater, but he can also administer extreme electrical shocks. Walter Newell's relationship with his suit could make for a fascinating origin story not unlike Iron Man.
There have been different takes on 3-D Man over the years, but the original version that involves Charles and Hal Chandler is the more creative and tragic of the takes. The Chandler brothers get exposed to Skrull radiation and the result is that the two of them can pair their consciousness together to create a tangible superhero, 3-D Man.
3-D Man is fascinating because his existence puts Hal into a coma and 3-D Man can only operate for three hours at a time. These unusual wrinkles could turn out a movie that focuses on the consequences of superpowers, while the connection to the Skrulls could play out in connected events like Secret Invasion.
Eden Fesi, also known as Manifold, is a powerful newcomer to the X-Men and the Avengers that has the ability to teleport anywhere in the universe. However, Manifold is a character with deep ties to the multiverse since he's a constant and there's a version of him in every reality.
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This could lead to a very trippy Marvel movie that gets into questions of identity and fate. He's also a superhero from Australia and setting a Marvel film there would be a welcome change of scenery and help the MCU feel more global in its scope.
Captain Ultra is a superhero from the '70s that's easy to overlook because of how generic the character's name is and that it just sounds derivative of stronger characters. Captain Ultra basically has most of the abilities of Superman and is able to perform any skill at an "ultra" level.
Captain Ultra is unique due to how his powers are unlocked after an alien unlocks them using hypnosis. The fact that Captain Ultra has these deep powers repressed inside of him gives him a unique backstory that could make for a compelling angle in a Marvel movie.
Urthona is an extremely powerful sorcerer from the planet Gevaltu who temporarily replaces Dr. Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. He considers himself to be a more suitable bearer of this honor. Steeping a character in jealousy and arrogant delusions could make for a fascinating perspective for a Marvel movie.
Since Urthona is often positioned as a threat for a possible replacement for Dr. Strange, that relationship could even be built into the film and tease audiences with Strange's standing as the Sorcerer Supreme. It could be like Black Panther and Killmonger's dynamic, but with magic.
Steve Gerber has built a reputation for creating some of the stranger personalities in the Marvel Universe, like Howard the Duck and Man-Thing, but Omega the Unknown is definitely the writer's most ambitious creation. The crux of Omega revolves around a young boy's unusual connection to the alien superhuman, Omega.
It's creative, but it's a character that didn't stick for Marvel. Something this moody and atypical could make for a very different and memorable Marvel film that plays more like a psychological drama. If a film does happen, someone like Darren Aronofsky would be the perfect choice for the director.
NEXT: 5 Lesser-Known DC Heroes That Need Their Own Movie (& 5 That Don't Need One)