Top 10 Marvel storylines that need to be filmed

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

Today marks the arrival of Wolverine’s classic Japan storyline hitting the big screen. Next year we will get to see The Winter Soldier and after that the debut of Ultron. Now that Marvel has established their universe and a wide array of heroes, the time has come to play in the sandbox with those classic storylines that would make our brains explode with glee. Here are ten classic Marvel storylines that need to be made into movies one way or another. If your favorite didn’t make the cut, add it in the talk back below!

#1 – Civil War

Damn near impossible to make without some sort of cross-studio collaboration, but a big screen version of Marvel’s Civil War event would be amazing. Featuring all of the heroes taking sides on whether they should register their true identities or not, Civil War drew a line between Iron Man and Captain America that resulted in the death of Steve Rogers. Peter Parker also revealed his alter ego to the world. While a movie would forever alter the cinematic universes for all involved, it would be one hell of a ride and guaranteed box office history.

#2 – Age of Apocalypse

As we all know, Marvel exists in a multiverse where any major crossover event can be cancelled out by saying it wasn’t Earth-616. While DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will be the first movie to venture into an alternate universe, Age of Apocalypse is the one that really changes everything. It may be hoping too much for this to get made, but I would settle for the X-Men to face off against Apocalypse one way or another. Can’t you hear it? X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. That sounds f*cking badass!

#3 – Galactus

I am going to pretend the cosmic cloud of space farts that pretended to be Galactus in RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER never happened and say we need a true Galactus movie on the big screen. Maybe if Josh Trank can pull off THE FANTASTIC FOUR reboot well we might get to see the giant purple sonofabitch on the big screen in all of his glory.

#4 – Secret Wars

While this story event was more of a marketing tactic to sell toys from Mattel, Secret Wars did introduce the idea of forcing the heroes and villains to face off against each other for survival. Imagine if The Avengers were transported off of Earth and forced to fight each other to survive. That could make for one batshit crazy movie where heroes become villains and vice versa. Again, it is hard to sell good guys acting bad, but this isn’t meant to be warm and cuddly. This is Battleworld!

#5 – Marvels

While there is almost no way for Alex Ross’ artwork to be replicated on the big screen, MARVELS is a unique enough story that it would make for a damn fine film. Shifting the focus from the superheroes to the average citizens witnessing their acts of bravery, MARVELS would do something along the lines of the One Shot ITEM 47 or the upcoming AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. and take the direct focus off the heroes. What makes MARVELS different is how it traces our history through the stories of various comic characters. This would be the hardest sell in the current mode of smash ’em, bash ’em hero movies.

#6 – The Infinity Gauntlet

This jeweled weapon has already been glimpsed in Odin’s throne room in THOR and Thanos has already been teased in THE AVENGERS, so I am going to go ahead and predict that we will be getting THE AVENGERS: THE INFINITY GAUNTLET in 2018. The only issue is the key role of the Silver Surfer which could be adjusted by Joss Whedon somehow. In either case, this weapon is a massive storyline that would be a nice way to tie up Phase Three.

#7 – Annihilation

A massive outer space-set story that combines Thanos and Galactus, this may be a long shot as it would bring the Silver Surfer and Guardians of the Galaxy together. While this story could be altered to fit the Fantastic Four or even a standalone Surfer story, I would think the focus on the Guardians and Nova Corps would make this an ideal arc for a GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY sequel.

#8 – Ultimates

While elements of the Ultimates story were incorporated into THE AVENGERS, there will come a time where a second team will need to arise in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With many of the Ultimates already introduced or forthcoming, there could come a time where The Avengers are too big and need to split apart, thus creating an entirely new franchise. I have heard cries for the West Coast Avengers, but with the MCU already more of an Ultimates vibe, this would be the way to go.

#9 – Planet Hulk

The idea of a Planet Hulk movie has already arisen a few times and has been shot down by Kevin Feige, but it would still be one hell of a movie. Between Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, you could easily tell a standalone story outside of the AVENGERS-centric continuity. Sure, you would barely see Mark Ruffalo or any human characters, but that is part of the story’s appeal. Imagine JOHN CARTER but with Hulks.

#10 – Kraven

While not a massive story arc in the Marvel universe, I am still baffled that Kraven has yet to make an appearance in any of the films. The Marc Webb reboot wanted to go for a more gritty and realistic tone and what could accomplish that more than a human villain hunting Spider-man through the streets of New York? The story could easily be adapted to satirize our reality television culture and would show that even without powers a villain can still be a difficult foe.

Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.