According to last weekend’s box office reports, you were one of many people to see Marvel’s latest flick ‘Captain America: The winter Soldier.’ Part game-changing superhero flick and part really good spy thriller, ‘The Winter Soldier’ was also responsible for introducing Anthony Mackie as winged hero The Falcon and some much needed diversity into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s even more ground that Marvel could break here, and here’s a list of heroes/heroines who I think would fit the bill.
Luke Cage
This is technically cheating since Cage will be joining the Cinematic Universe soon, but his stature can’t be ignored. Wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, Carl Lucas was subjected to experiments that gave him super-strength and bulletproof skin. Originally a “Hero for Hire” (a freelance superhero, basically) who eventually joins The New Avengers, Cage has established himself as a popular heavy hitter with fans. Terry Crews has expressed interest in playing Cage, though no deals have been confirmed yet.
Black Panther
Leader of the African nation of Wakanda, the Black Panther, real name T’Challa, is essentially Marvel’s answer to Batman. He’s got all the skills, gadgets, and intelligence but without the baggage of dead parents. His homeland of Wakanda, which masquerades as a “primitive” land but is actually one of the most technologically advanced civilizations on the planet, is also home to the mineral vibranium, which is what Captain America’s shield is made of, tying him to the MCU.
Blade
Made popular by a trilogy of movies from the early 2000s, Eric Brooks is a half-human half-vampire day-walker whose mother is killed by Dracula, sending him on the path to become a vampire hunter.Marvel just got the rights for this guy back from New Line Cinemas last year and his presence automatically comes with a supernatural element that the MCU could use right about now.
