Earlier this month, it was reported on the nerd blogosphere that Marvel was preparing a Dr. Strange script and had a short list of directors in mind for a possible 2013 release. That’s pretty cool news. I didn’t do a post on it because it’s only a rumor, and I’ll wait for the actual announcement. But it gave me the idea to do a list of what Marvel Comics characters deserve a movie once we reach The Avengers in 2012.

Because what is Marvel goes to do after The Avengers?

Obviously, sequels are the first answer, with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 also already scheduled for 2013. But Marvel is always talking about what other characters they can make into movies. Blade, for example, is as obscure a character as one can get, but his badass movie all those years ago is what kicked off this past decade of awesome superhero movies. And along with Dr. Strange, they’ve also got people working on a script for Ant-Man (specifically Edgar Wright, the guy who made Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, so yay!)  Deadpool and possibly even Guardians of the Galaxy are also being suggested.

There are no bad characters, only bad filmmakers. So who else deserves the movie treatment in a post-Avengers world?

6. X-Factor 

Multiple Man makes another appearance in my blog

Premise: Not all mutants want to put on costumes and play superhero with the X-Men. Some just want to live normal lives working normal jobs, even if they’re not normal. Enter Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. Along with his pals Guido “Strong Guy” Carosella and Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair, they’ve opened a private detective agency in the heart of New York City. Based in Mutant Town, the Big Apple ghetto for mutants, the trio at X-Factor look under any rock and snoop around any corner to help their clients.

Why it would make a good movie: This is probably my most fanboyish choice. Fans of this site may already know that X-Factor star Jamie Madrox is my all-time favorite comic book character. I don’t necessarily think this could succeed as a movie, but it would still be awesome. When Madrox first opened his detective agency in the comics, the writer played up the noir aspects of the story. Like classic film noir detectives, Madrox had to deal with chilling mysteries, shady characters and bewitching women. While I’ve never really seen any classic film noir movies, the detective genre still has very strong legs at the theater.

So why not add super powers?

This will probably become a theme on this list: mixing superheroes into other movie genres. The origin tale and the superhero genre are already played out at the theaters. Nobody wants another by-the-numbers hero flick like Green Lantern. So if Marvel is going to try to dip into other characters, they should get creative. Madrox is a funny and charming lead, with a super power that isn’t over-the-top. Yes, he already appeared in the X-Men films, but so what? A little creative writing can get around that paradox. X-Factor would be a unique and exciting new chapter in the already massive and successful X-Men franchise.

5. Wasp – Make her a Disney Princess!

She’s already starring in the Avengers cartoon show

The Premise: Janet Van Dyne’s super power is to shrink to the size of a bug and fly around on little wasp wings. Not a super power that makes villains quake. Yet she’s always been a prominent member of the Avengers, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Because this pint-sized pixie princess is ready to prove to the world that she’s just as strong as the boys! When the world is threatened and the likes of Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk are defeated, it’s up to the miniature Wasp to prove that big things come in small packages!

Why it would make a good movie: Just look at that last line I wrote! That’s Disney Princess gold right there. If you didn’t know this, Disney now owns Marvel. They bought Marvel last year, I believe. Disney hasn’t done much to pierce Marvel’s production, and they promised they wouldn’t, but it’s about time we get some cross-pollination. Marvel has few female characters who can stand on their own. Most of the prominent superheroines are either derivatives of a male hero (She-Hulk) or are mired down in too much continuity (Scarlet Witch).

Whereas the Wasp can stand on her own! Sure she has a boyfriend/husband in Giant-Man, but all good Disney movies need a love interest. There are few properties hotter than Disney Princesses. Just think of what it could do to get young girls into comics. It’s an utterly perfect way to blend Marvel and Disney, and I think Wasp could carry her own full-length animated film, followed by dozens of straight-to-DVD sequels. Because that’s the Disney way!

4. Cage

He has more street cred than 50 Cent

Premise: The Harlem born and raised Luke Cage underwent an experiment in prison where he received super strength and skin as hard as steel. Under the name Power Man, he set out on the streets of New York to make the world a better place. Nowadays he just goes by Luke Cage and wears street clothes as a member of the Avengers. But he remains a hard-hitting, heart-of-gold sort of hero on the streets.

Why it would make a good movie: A lot of prominent black actors really really want to play Luke Cage. Several of them have been made their own short fan films with themselves in the role. That’s dedication and determination. Cage is as simple as it gets when it comes to superheroes, and could easily mix in with the sort of street drama tales out there. Have the super-powered Cage go up against gangs or other urban problems. Just be very careful to avoid the cliches, like say some sleazy white businessman as the villain or something. Keep it on the streets.

And maybe avoid the elderly, wise scrapyard keeper as the mentor. I’m looking at you, Steel.

3. Runaways

Precocious little scamps

Premise: On one fateful night, a group of friends in Los Angeles discover that their parents are diabolical super-villains. Panicked and afraid for their lives, the kids run away from home – but not before stealing some of their parents super-villain equipment and powers. One of them has a pair of super gauntlets. One girl has discovered she is a witch, another girl is an alien. The daughter of time-travelers now has a pet velociraptor, and the youngest and most adorable discovers her mutant power of super strength!

Can these kids get along and figure out their new abilities in time to stop their parents’ cruel plans and save the city? Do they even want to try?

Why it would make a good movie: This is another one of those films that is already in production somewhere along the line. Somebody somewhere is working on a Runaways movie. And that’s a great idea! It’s a fun, charming concept with a lot of great characters. It would be perfect for the same sort of crowd that went to see the Harry Potter movies. We’ve got a group of teens, with at least one youngster, on a wild and wacky adventure. They have to deal with adult problems while also engaging in superheroics. It’s perfect for a family-friendly movie.

The casting would probably have to be really good though. But just think back to a lot of classic kid groups, like in The Sandlot or The Goonies. It’s not hard to make a group of kids wonderfully cinematic. Even the recent Super 8 had a good group of kids. Find the right group of actors, give them a lot of character and not just sass, and you have a popular, fun sort of film.

2. Thunderbolts/Super-Villains

Not quite as precocious

Premise: A life of super-villainy only leads to one thing: getting your butt whooped by the hero. You’re a criminal, powers or not, so you’re bound for a lengthy prison sentence, if you’re not outright killed in the fight with the hero. So what is life like behind bars for the criminals zany enough to dress up in costumes and fight with super powers. What would the road to rehabilitation be like? What would the world look like once they’re let out from behind bars? Not every super-villain is an insane, megalomaniacal monster bent on world domination.

Why it would make a good movie: Superhero movies are played out, so how about a super-villain movie? Granted, it would be a movie about a villain seeking redemption, but still it would be about a more unscrupulous character than usual. They could grapple with choosing to stay evil or perhaps becoming a superhero. Maybe they’ll question the difference between just being a criminal and actually being evil. They could get into fights in prison, like a typical prison movie – just add super powers!  There are a lot of paths for movies about criminals.

But who could Marvel pick?

My top choices would be the Beetle or The Shocker. One is the original star of Thunderbolts, the other just fits the role well. Let me explain that I don’t think the basic premise of the Thunderbolts, at least the original comic, should be made into a movie. Originally, the Thunderbolts were promoted and debuted as a new superhero team of brand new characters. Then for the cliffhanger at the end of Thunderbolts #1, it was revealed that they were actually a group of classic Marvel villains in disguise! They were only posing as heroes to fool everyone, granting them more and more power until they’d be in control. In a world before spoilers and the Internet, that surprise was pulled off nicely and Thunderbolts is still being published today. Eventually the villains decided they preferred being heroes, and so they went in that direction. Nowadays, the Thunderbolts is about a team of villains seeking redemption as part of their prison sentence.

All of this is far too complicated for a movie. But people could get behind a super-villain movie about a crook wanting to maybe turn over a new leaf. And Marvel has plenty of characters who could be the star. They’d just have to pick one and use a bunch of others as supporting characters. It would be a fun Who’s Who of low-level Marvel villains.

1. Silver Surfer – by Pixar

Fun Trivia: The Silver Surfer uses a surfboard because he has no need for a space ship, since he doesn’t need to breathe and can survive the vacuum of space. But he can’t fly under his own power. So for transport, he uses the simplest possible object: a flat board.

Premise: In order to save his home planet Zenn-La from destruction, Norrin Radd volunteers his life to servitude to the planet-eating cosmic entity known as Galactus. Norrin is transformed into the Sentinel of the Spaceways! Traveling the universe on his board, the Silver Surfer visits unique and colorful planets to find nourishment for his master. But how does the Surfer balance his own noble heart with the gruesomeness of his mission? Galactus serves a purpose, like a hunter thinning out the deer population, but how can the Surfer live with the guilt? Especially when all he wants to do is go home.

Why it would make a good movie: You don’t get more epic than the space-opera that is the Silver Surfer. Though the Fantastic Four sequel had a pretty good Silver Surfer (changes aside), they barely scratched the surface of what this character could portray on the big screen. But I do not recommend a live action film. Instead, Disney should create some corporate synergy and give us a collaboration between two of their properties: Marvel and Pixar!

Did you know both studios are owned by the House of Mouse?

Nearly everything Pixar touches is gold, and their love of minor characters and outcasts in big worlds is perfect for the Silver Surfer. I wouldn’t want them tackling someone as popular as Spider-Man (though it’d be awesome). The alien nature of the Surfer, and especially Galactus, would allow them to stretch beyond just human characters. Plus just imagine the gorgeous shots they could create of outer space, Zenn-La, any other planets the Surfer visits or of Galactus’ ship itself. Everybody hated Cloud Galactus in the Fantastic Four sequel. Going with Pixar instead of a live action CGI shot would be able to create the most glorious, imposing and majestic Galactus ever!

Plus the story of the Surfer is a lovely sort of human tale that’s perfect for the Pixar style. It’s a collaboration that needs to happen. Besides, Pixar already made a movie about the Fantastic Four.

I see what you did there