The Marvel Cinematic Universe is humongous, to put it lightly; there are plenty of movies and television series watched by millions to show for it. Over the years, Marvel has made it abundantly clear that they are interested in superwomen that are strong, and can hold their own in the thick of it. Take Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and the Scarlet Witch all as valid cases. There is a pattern, and for the most part, it is for the better. The world of superheroes was once dominated by men, with the superwomen receiving little to no care in their film and television appearances.
Now, we can all rejoice in seeing these complex characters shown in their full glory. There are more opportunities for them to continue this trend, and these are the characters with the most potential to make an impact on the Marvel brand.
10 Nicholette Gold (or just Nikki)
Nikki is a human who has had her genetics altered to be able to withstand extreme weather conditions. While she isn’t the most interesting in terms of her backstory of being part of a planet’s colonization, and being lost in space until found by the Guardians of the Galaxy, her character design is neat. Nikki is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat, gymnastics and sharpshooting, so she is not useless at all despite not being superpowered.
The most popular interpretation of Nikki outside the comics would have to be in the Guardians of the Galaxy game, where she is the adopted daughter of another important character in the game’s narrative. She is portrayed as a young girl here rather than an adult. It would be up to Marvel to decide which version of Nikki to incorporate, but both versions have likable personalities that would benefit the live action films.
9 Teresa Parker
Not everyone knows that Peter Parker has a long-lost sister, and that is because she is hardly featured in the comics. Teresa Parker is a character shrouded in mystery, with so much of her origin story being left in the dark. She was adopted and did not go to live with May, so that is why she has never met Peter. Everything else would be up to the MCU to explain in its own way, or to keep it intentionally vague. Fans also know that Nick Fury recruited her into the CIA, and starts off believing that her biological parents are not really her parents, due to some long-winded manipulation from some recognizable villains. One of those villains is Kingpin, who will certainly be brought back in Daredevil: Born Again. Peter Parker is lonely now in the MCU, so why not bring in his sister to lighten up No Way Home’s somber and polarizing ending?
8 Snowguard/Amka Aliyak
Amka Aliyak is Inuk-Indigenous teenager, and adventurer from Nunavut, Canada—a region with a low population, scattered towns, and villages. She had been blessed with the essence of Sila, a spirit in her culture whom she had managed to save. With the new power she had been granted, she decided to train and become a superhero with the group known as the Champions. This is interesting, in that there have been rumors brewing about the MCU thinking about forming that very group.
If those rumors ever come to fruition, we believe that Snowguard is a must-have on that team. Not only is she a representation for Indigenous people, but her origins provide insight on a lesser known group of powerful spirits from the comics, called Inua. They are also referred to as the Northern Gods, so they are fairly important to the universe. In brief, Snowguard should be brought aboard regardless of the Champions being formed, but seeing her adapted faithfully from her unique comic origins is the ideal scenario we would like to see.
7 Magik/Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina
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Illyana (or Magik) made her live action debut in the critical and commercial failure, The New Mutants. While the movie did not perform well, it still had its better moments, and Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy) played a key role in that. While it is unlikely that Taylor-Joy would ever reprise the role with her busy schedule, the film brought a lot of eyes to the character, and helped her garner a lot of new fans. Magik is a mutant with a laundry list of powerful abilities, but her most notable, and what she is most known for is the ability of interdimensional transportation.
She is most often tied to the X-Men, and is the younger sister of Colossus (who is part of the X-Men), so we would probably need to wait for the team of mutants to be brought to our screens first before we ever see Magik again. Nevertheless, she is often said to be one of the most powerful women in the comics, so it would be neat to see that happen.
6 White Tiger/Ava Ayala
Ava Ayala is a young woman from Puerto Rico who is powered through the mystic White Tiger amulets, after they came into her possession after a tragic chain of familial events. Some of the powers these amulets give her are: above-average strength, speed, agility, durability, and fantastic technique in fighting. When she does not have these amulets, however, the side effects are often painful. This plays a role in her character development.
There is hearsay going around that Ava Ayala might make an appearance in Daredevil: Born Againas the White Tiger, but that has yet to be confirmed by anyone that can verify their sources. It is hard to guess what her role would be in the show, and whether she should be a friend or frenemy to Matt Murdock. Either way, she would be refreshing and bring something new to the table if it were to be true.
5 Moon Girl/Lunella LaFayette (and Devil Dinosaur)
You might not believe us when we say that a 9 year-old is just as smart as Tony Stark, but you better believe. Moon Girl is, and she now has her very own animated series streaming on Disney+. This series is not canon to the MCU, however. Moon Girl creates her own gadgets, gets the job done even when the adults around her fail to do so. She is vibrant, funny, and irresistibly charming; everything that Marvel could want from a protagonist they ultimately want to profit from.
While there is no confirmation on any plans for her outside the animated series, it would be wise to capitalize on the newfound popularity, and let her have her live action moment sometime in the future. Even if it means aging her by a couple of years, so she feels a little less out of place with her counterparts. You can’t have Moon Girl without Devil Dinosaur, either. The big, red companion would need to be front and center.
4 Angela
As the canonical sister of Thor and Loki, Angela’s introduction into the MCU would not be difficult to pull off, and would not have to be convoluted. She was originally a part of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn animated series, and made appearances within the pages of Image Comics, but was later acquired by Marvel for their usage. Her background with the two aforementioned characters would be intriguing to see adapted to screen, big or small.
Angela is also just very strong in her own right, if we are going off her individual characteristics. Angela herself is a god, who is also an heir to the throne of Asgard. Her main powers and abilities include the ability to move faster than lightning, amazing strength, and superhuman durability that allows her to withstand attacks. She would make an excellent member of the new Avengers lineup, and any enemy that were to face her would be wise to turn the other way.
3 Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green
Doreen Green is Squirrel Girl, and it is impossible not to adore her. In short terms, she has the strength, agility, speed, reflexes, and more, of a squirrel… if those skills just so happened to be proportionate to someone who is the size of a human girl. She can also communicate with squirrels, because why not?
She has also defeated the likes of Thanos and Doctor Doom alone, and yes—that is canon. Those winning moments do not even scratch the surface of similar battles she had won, and is where she gets the nickname of the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. While seeing her in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might need to see her ability to defeat seemingly impossible odds reduced a bit, she would still prove to be a likable, and highly marketable addition to the live action roster.
2 Black Cat/Felicia Hardy
If we are throwing Disney having the rights to the character currently out the window, there is no reason for Felicia Hardy to not be on this list. The daughter of a cat-burglar, who trains in martial arts to be able to defend herself and the people around her after a traumatic experience in her life involving an ex-boyfriend. She is one of the most iconic Spider-Man love interests and partners; unique in the fact she only has interest in Spider-Man, and not Peter Parker, who is usually with a variant of Mary Jane in most forms of media.
With Sony not making the most of the hot commodity outside their video games, it would be smart for the MCU to try and strike a deal that would allow them to use her to her fullest potential. People are waiting for Black Cat to meet Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, and with him going to college soon, there is a chance he will meet all types of new people, including her. Her planned solo movie from Sony is still up in the air, with no recent news being made on its development.
1 Jessica Jones
We don’t know how Marvel would reintroduce Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones—we just know that they should be thinking about doing it soon. Jessica Jones as a character made her live action debut in her own Netflix series in 2015, taking on the style of a neo-noir thriller, where Jones did private detective work while also battling the roots of her own trauma. The series was a massive hit, but ultimately met its demise in 2019, along with every other Marvel-Netflix production that was being produced at the time. With Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil, seeing Ritter return as Jessica Jones is not off the table—and they would be smart to at least be considering it. The character is popular, and the show was a favorite of many. All in all, Ritter was born to play this role, and it is safe to say that it’s hard to envision anyone else under the name of Jessica Jones. At least temporarily while we get used to the change.
But after all that we have been through with Jessica Jones, we still hope that we will reunite with her again. Not with her hardships necessarily wiped away, but a soft reset akin to Cox’s Daredevil if possible. The deep history we have with this character is what grants her the top spot on this list.
There are more characters that Marvel should be pondering, but these are just the top ten we think would make a big splash. Even if they are not on this list, it is rejuvenating to see women brought forward in leading roles—especially in comic book media.
