Marvel Studios Rumored To Be Developing Projects Featuring Characters From THE DEFENDERS

We have another big rumour for you today, as it sounds like Marvel Studios may be preparing to bring back characters from the world of Netflix's The Defenders. The question is, will they use the same cast?

By JoshWilding - Jan 05, 2020 06:01 AM EST

Filed Under: Defenders

The Marvel TV shows on Netflix fell one after the other once it became clear that Marvel Television as we know it was essentially being scrapped for a division run by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige (where the focus will now be on Disney+ instead).

However, there may still be hope for the characters from the world of The Defenders if a new rumour is to be believed.

In the past, we've heard that a deal with Netflix meant that Marvel Studios would have to wait two years before being able to use the characters - freeing at least some of them up by the end of 2020 at the earliest - but things may have changed. The studio is reportedly in various stages of development on projects that use characters from Netflix, but there's no word on whether they will be recast and rebooted, or if the events of the scrapped shows would be referenced in some way.

It's theorised that, "The Punisher could be used in a Midnight Sons team with Doctor Strange, Blade, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Elsa Bloodstone (who is also slated for a MCU appearance)."

Honestly, if we are going to be reunited with the likes of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, it seems far more likely that Kevin Feige will want to deliver a fresh take on them rather than picking up where the often critically panned final seasons of their shows ended. That's a shame as all these characters were perfectly cast, but it seems we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them!

Hit the "View List" button to see all the characters currently rumoured
and confirmed to appear in upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows!

Black Widow

Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz)

Better known as Iron Maiden in the source material, Melina was forced to live in Black Widow's shadow and that's something which pushed her over the edge and set her on a dark path.

The MCU's version of the character will be another Black Widow and while it sounds like she'll be an ally, something tells us that probably won't last for long.

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)

Yelena Belova was Natasha Romanoff's predecessor in the comics and is a villain who the original Black Widow has clashed with many times over the years.

This time, it sounds like she's going to be an ally to Natasha, but it's entirely possible her evil nature will ultimately be revealed...or that she'll end up becoming the MCU's new Black Widow!

Red Guardian (David Harbour)

Russia's version of Captain America, it sounds like Red Guardian is going to be tasked with taking Black Widow down on behalf of his government and/or the Red Room.

He certainly looks pretty formidable based on the concept art we've seen but time will tell whether he has a future in the MCU beyond this solo outing for Natasha.

Taskmaster (TBC)

Taskmaster is able to absorb and replicate the fighting style of anyone he sees in action. His identity has always been a secret, and that's probably why we've yet to find out who plays him.

He has, however, been spotted on set and in concept art squaring off with Black Widow.

Mason (O-T Fagbenle)

Little to nothing is known about O-T Fagbenle's mysterious Mason as the character doesn't appear to be based on any one character from the comic books.

However, rumours have pointed to him initially serving as a love interest of sorts to Natasha before he's ultimately outed as being (you guessed it) Taskmaster. We'll have to wait and see, though.

Black Widow's Father (Ray Winstone)

We're betting that you've forgotten about Ray Winstone being cast in Black Widow, right?

Well, nothing official has been revealed about his role since then but there are plenty of rumours which indicate that he'll wind up playing Natasha's father (she learned his name in Avengers: Endgame).

Eternals

Ikaris (Richard Madden)

Born over 20,000 years ago, Ikaris' powers are rooted in cosmic energy and he has psychic abilities and the power to create illusions.

Fans have been hoping to see Richard Madden join a comic book franchise for a while now and there are rumblings that Ikaris could end up being the MCU's first openly gay superhero.

Sersi (Gemma Chan)

Sersi has a strong desire to live among the humans. She's also incredibly powerful and can only be killed if her atoms are scattered and it would take someone very powerful indeed to achieve that.

Her interest in humans would explain reports that the character will be romantically linked to Dane Whitman, a superhero otherwise known as Black Knight.

Thena (Angelina Jolie)

Yes, Angelina Jolie is indeed in a Marvel movie! One of the Eternals of Olympia, Thena is a warrior who has your standard enhanced abilities but is also near invulnerable and immortal.

She can fly and cast illusions to disguise her appearance, while she carries a bow that fires arrows made up of "cold energy" which bombards enemies either with a ring of fire or anti-gravitons.

Dane Whitman/Black Knight (Kit Harington)

It was smart of Kit Harington to make the leap from Game of Thrones to the MCU, especially after some poor decisions in the past (anyone remember Pompeii?).

As of right now, we don't know whether Black Knight will be an actor, a regular guy with no powers from the present day, or an actual Medieval Knight as there have been a lot of conflicting reports.

Druig (Barry Keoghan)

It sounds like Druig could end up being the movie's lead villain and, in the source material, he's a formidable character who can manipulate matter and energy and served as an agent of the KGB once upon a time.

Barry Keoghan is pretty young, though, so don't be surprised if his background is changed here.

Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani)

Kingo decided against hiding in the shadows and, as a result, be became a well-known samurai and movie star.

Whether that will be the case here is unclear, especially as Marvel has changed the character's race (likely to avoid many of the racial stereotypes often associated with this member of the Eternals).

Makkari (Lauren Ridloff)

Makkari is a member of the Eternals Technologist's Guild and extremely skilled at dreaming up various high-speed vehicles. He boasts your standard set of superpowers but is being gender swapped for the MCU.

With Lauren Ridloff in the role, Makkari holds the honour of being this shared world's first deaf superhero.

Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry)

Phastos is a weapon-smith who will likely be responsible for crafting the weapons and armour we see the Eternals wear into battle over the thousands of years this movie covers.

We've not heard much about his role in this film beyond that but it's hard not to be excited with Brian Tyree Henry playing the hero.

Ajak (Salma Hayek)

Gender swapped for the movie, it's believed that this version of Ajak will be the leader of the Eternals and just like her comic book counterpart, she'll be worshipped by the Incas.

In terms of powers, Ajak is a force to be reckoned with and can mentally manipulate gravitons.

Sprite (Lia McHugh)

Sprite has been gender swapped in Eternals but it sounds like Marvel is still sticking pretty close to the comics. In those, the character never ages so is an adult forever trapped inside a child's body.

Considered a trickster by his fellow heroes, Sprite actually uses his powers at one point to wipe their memories and give them new lives so that's definitely something we could see here too.

Gilgamesh (Don Lee)

Gilgamesh became an outcast from his fellow Eternals when his meddling in the human world became too much for them and he soon found himself banished to Olympus.

Whether that's something this movie will delve into is hard to say but Don Lee is an awesome addition to the movie.

Hercules (TBC)

One of Marvel's most beloved heroes, rumours have been swirling for ages now that an openly gay Hercules will make his presence felt in the history spanning Eternals.

However, unless Marvel has cast him in secret, we've heard nothing about him showing up that's concrete.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi (Simu Liu)

There's a lot of excitement to see this master of the martial arts on the big screen and Simi Liu is clearly passionate about the role based on what he's said since being cast.

Originally the son of Fu Manchu (a horrible, racist stereotype), his origin story is seemingly being changed in the MCU to link Shang-Chi to classic Iron Man villain, The Mandarin.

The Mandarin (Tony Leung)

We were introduced to a fake version of The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 but the real deal is now on his way to the MCU and he won't be sparring with Tony Stark.

Instead, he's being reinvented as Shang-Chi's father if recent rumours are to be believed but you have to hope he'll still have those powerful, alien Ten Rings.

Tiger Claw (TBC)

There have been a lot of casting calls for Shang-Chi lately but one name which keeps coming up is Tiger Claw (who is potentially being renamed "Steel Claw" for the MCU).

A longtime foe of Shang-Chi's, it's honestly not at all surprising that he'll appear in the movie.

Fah Lo Suee (Awkwafina)

Marvel Studios declined to reveal who Awkwafina will play in the movie at Comic-Con but it's since been rumoured that the actress will take on the role of Fah Lo Suee.

Shang-Chi's sister joins MI-6 after becoming estranged from her father and a modernised take on the character seems likely for The Legend of the Ten Rings.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Nightmare (TBC)

We know that the Scarlet Witch will make the leap from WandaVision to this sequel but it's still thought that Nightmare will end up being the movie's lead villain given the fact it's been billed as a horror movie.

The ruler of the Dream Dimension is someone director Scott Derrickson is clearly interested in and he'd make for a formidable foe to the Sorcerer Supreme.

Clea (TBC)

Rachel McAdams' Dr. Palmer didn't leave the most lasting of impacts in Doctor Strange and fans remain desperate to see Clea brought to the big screen.

Well, rumour has it that's happening here and for those of you unfamiliar with the hero, she's the niece of Dormammu, Strange's love interest, and an occasional ruler of the Dark Dimension.

Brother Voodoo (TBC)

Daniel Drumm was included in one of Doctor Strange's deleted scenes but it sounds like we could meet his brother Jericho - better known as Brother Voodoo - in this sequel.

He's extremely powerful and even served as a Sorcerer Supreme in the comics for a time.

Spider-Man 3

Kraven The Hunter (TBC)

Rumours continue to swirl about Norman Osborn's MCU debut but it didn't happen in Spider-Man: Far From Home and it's probably too soon to start speculating about that being the case in the untitled third instalment.

However, there have been rumblings about Kraven the Hunter finally making his big screen debut and that would be a fitting choice now that Spidey's identity has been revealed.

Thor: Love And Thunder

The Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman)

Yes, we've met Jane Foster before now (she appeared in Thor and Thor: The Dark World) but we've certainly never seen the Mighty Thor in the MCU!

It's going to be amazing seeing this version of the character on the big screen and while we still don't know how she ends up with Mjolnir, her arrival could be a game-changer for this shared world.

Enchantress (TBC)

Almost all of Thor's greatest foes have been brought to the big screen by this point but the fact Enchantress still hasn't made her presence felt in the MCU is shocking.

She's one of Thor's greatest and most powerful foes not only because of her immense power, but also because she's obsessed with him and wants to make the God of Thunder her own...whether he likes it or not!

Black Panther II

Doctor Doom (TBC)

Marvel Studios has regained the rights to the Fantastic Four franchise and you have to believe that Doctor Doom is high up on their priority list.

Well, if one recent rumour is to be believed, the Black Panther sequel will be a loose adaptation of the "Doomwar" storyline which will see Latveria declare war on Wakanda.

Namor The Submariner (TBC)

Another separate rumour for the sequel claims that Marvel Studios finally has plans to use Namor the Submariner in the MCU and that means it will be him who clashes with T'Challa.

They've got quite the rivalry in the comics but time will tell whether this ultimately pans out.

Blade

Blade (Mahershala Ali)

The biggest surprise at this year's Comic-Con came when Kevin Feige brought out Mahershala Ali and revealed that he will play the MCU's own Daywalker, Blade.

That's exciting for a long list of reasons and rumour has it that his solo movie could end up tying into the Moon Knight TV series coming to Disney+ a few years from now.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Adam Warlock (TBC)

Adam Warlock's MCU arrival was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and while James Gunn recently claimed that there's nothing to say he'll appear in Vol. 3, it's hard to imagine that not being the case.

Providing his introduction is handled the correct way, Warlock could prove to be a major new player in this shared world.

Lylla (TBC)

Reliable sources have pointed to this movie delving into Rocket's origin story and that he'll be getting a love interest in the form of Lylla.

A sapient otter and Rocket's soulmate in the comics, her introduction here would be a lot of fun and opens the door to a lot of very exciting and unusual storytelling possibilities.

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four are on their way to the MCU and while it's still too early to say who will play Marvel's First Family, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt remain fan-favourite choices to star as Reed Richards and Sue Storm.

That would be amazing but the team is reportedly a priority for Marvel Studios and that's no great surprise given the quality of their rogues gallery.

X-Men

Kevin Feige referred to them simply as "mutants" at Comic-Con and Victoria Alonso has said that the "X-Men" moniker is an outdated one. In all honesty, after Fox's terrible movies, a rebrand might not be a bad thing.

Either way, it seems these heroes are being saved for Phase 5 but the sooner we get to see the likes of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine in action in the MCU, the better.

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell)

It's clear now that the reason Sam Wilson isn't Captain America when this show starts is because the United States government will have its own ideas about who should replace Steve Rogers in the wake of Avengers: Endgame.

John Walker is a character who has crossed the line between being a hero and villain many times over the years, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if Baron Zemo is somehow manipulating him.

Songbird (TBC)

Set photos have pointed to Songbird making some sort of appearance in the series and while it's entirely possible that the woman spotted with pink hair is just a crew member, her showing up here makes sense.

After all, Songbird is an original member of the Thunderbolts and her villainous past as Screaming Mimi could make her a perfect ally to both U.S. Agent and Baron Zemo.

Sarah Wilson (Adepero Oduye)

The extremely talented Adepero Oduye has been spotted in set photos alongside Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson and that's led to speculation she could be playing the hero's sister, Sarah.

That's just a theory for now, of course, but casting the 12 Years a Slave star was a smart move on Marvel's part.

Battlestar (TBC)

In the comics, Battlestar assembles a team known as the Bold Urban Commandos (BUCkys) and ultimately takes on the Bucky mantle alongside U.S. Agent.

Recently, rumours have pointed to him showing up in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and it would make sense for Marvel to give U.S. Agent his own sidekick. However, we have no word on who might be playing him.

Loki

Female Loki (Sophia Di Martino)

According to reliable sources, British actress Sophia Di Martino will be playing the female version of Loki in the God of Mischief's solo series on Disney+ and that's exciting for a lot of reasons.

Whether this will be the status quo for the character moving forward remains to be seen but this would be a cool passing of the torch if Tom Hiddleston's time as the villain is winding down.

WandaVision

Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn)

Described only as a sitcom-style "Nosy Neighbour," common sense says Kathryn Hahn will play Agatha Harkness, a character pivotal to Scarlet Witch's mental breakdown.

A powerful witch, Agatha's decision to wipe Wanda's memory when it was revealed that her children were beings she had created with her powers led to the hero going mad, killing members of The Avengers, and ultimately declaring "No More Mutants."

Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris)

Okay, so we've met Monica Rambeau before, but she was a child then and when she returns in WandaVision, who knows how much she will have changed!

Randall Park's Jimmy Woo has been confirmed as making an appearance after his introduction in Ant-Man and The Wasp, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if she's also in the FBI. Here's hoping she gets superpowers, though!

Speed (TBC)

Marvel Studios is reportedly looking to cast twins for WandaVision and one rumour claims that we'll initially meet them as babies before they become children and eventually teenagers as we move from episode to episode.

By the time they we do see them as teens, common sense says Wanda and The Vision's children will go on to join the Young Avengers. Oh, and in case it isn't obvious, Speed, like Quicksilver, is incredibly fast!

Wiccan (TBC)

A powerful magic user like his mother, Wiccan also happens to be openly gay and would be another character who brings even more diversity to the MCU.

In the Young Avengers comics, Wiccan is romantically involved with his fellow teammate Hulkling.

What If?

The Watcher

Just like in the comic books, The Watcher will narrate these adventures to the audience as he introduces us to a number of different realities where one decision can completely change everything.

Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) is voicing Uatu in the animated series and time will tell whether he makes the leap to the big screen. It would still be amazing seeing him in a live-action setting, though.

Hawkeye

Kate Bishop/Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld)

In the comics, Clint Barton and Kate have a rather heated relationship and both serve as "Hawkeye" at the same time. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, it appears as if she will be the original Hawkeye's replacement.

Hailee Steinfeld has been offered the role of Kate Bishop but it all depends on her availability.

Trickshot (TBC)

Clint Barton's older brother, Barney was believed dead for many years but ultimately returned to cause all sorts of problems for the hero known as Hawkeye.

Estranged as youths because the Swordmaster favoured Clint over him, Trickshot set out to prove that he was the better marksman and it would be a lot of fun seeing this relationship play out over the course of this series.

Pizza Dog (TBC)

Pizza Dog is admittedly just a, well, dog, but there's an awful lot of excitement to see this beloved comic book canine from Matt Fraction's run brought to the small screen.

He's been spotted in concept art for the series so this is definitely going to happen.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight (TBC)

The Defenders may have delved into street level superheroes, but those adventures are barely canon and it will be interesting to see Kevin Feige's take on that corner of the MCU.

Many fans believe that Moon Knight will really delve into the supernatural aspects of the character, and that actually makes a lot of sense seeing as we know vampires are coming in the Blade reboot!

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel (TBC)

Ms. Marvel is another character who fans have spent a lot of time hoping to see added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that's finally happening. It won't be in Captain Marvel 2, though; instead, she's also getting her own solo series on Disney+.

The biggest question right now is whether Kevin Feige will make her an Inhuman just like in the comic books but there are rumours which point to that being the case.

The Inventor (TBC)

The Inventor is basically a "birdman" and, believe it or not, he's supposed to be a clone of Thomas Edison who ended up being a giant bird when the scientist accidentally mixed up some DNA samples.

Something tells us Marvel Studios will probably make a few changes to that origin story if he is indeed going to appear here but he could make for a fun big bad in the show.

Black Bolt (Vin Diesel)

Vin Diesel campaigned for the role of Black Bolt years ago and while he ultimately ended up being cast as Groot instead, one recent report claimed that he's being eyed for a rebooted version of the hero in Ms. Marvel.

That makes sense when Kamala Khan is an Inhuman, of course, and it's about time the entire royal family was done justice after that terrible TV series spearheaded by Jeph Loeb.

Maximus The Mad (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)

The only other Inhuman mentioned for this series is Maximus the Mad, Black Bolt's brother and a villain it's easy to imagine wanting to manipulate Ms. Marvel for his own gain.

Rumour has it that Quicksilver actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be taking on the role but who knows if that will prove to be the case!

She-Hulk

She-Hulk (TBC)

The Hulk is bound to play a role in Jennifer Walters' transformation into She-Hulk, while adding another Green Goliath to the Marvel Cinematic Universe should have consequences for this entire shared world.

The question on the minds of many fans, though, is whether Jennifer Walters will cross paths with certain other New York City lawyer...and whether she'll end up representing a certain web-slinger!

Which of these new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are you guys most excited to see in Phase 4 and 5? As always, let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section below.

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125 Comments

1 2 3 4

tripttwe - 1/5/2020, 6:45 AM

Seeing is believing. My two cents...

Equivocal - 1/5/2020, 10:44 AM

@tripttwe -

me too,
but

I'd like to see the continuation of Daredevil & Kingping (D'onofrio & Cox)

and see how they branch out into Spiderman too !

MrDandy - 1/5/2020, 11:34 AM

@tripttwe - That's rude to Daredevil.

lvcl - 1/5/2020, 5:09 PM

D´Onofrio & Cox were the best of the NETFLIX series.
And Jon Bernthal as the Punisher was good too, but the others are forgetable

*

Bet for Scott Adkins as the new IRON FIST...

tripttwe - 1/5/2020, 8:30 PM

@Equivocal - Agreed.

tripttwe - 1/5/2020, 8:30 PM

@MrDandy - Brilliant.

Nightwing1015 - 1/5/2020, 6:50 AM

To be honest, I don't think everyone from those shows will reprise their roles. For instance, Kirsten Ritter never wants to play JJ again.

The only people I really need to see back in the roles are Cox and Bernthal.

MyCoolYoung - 1/5/2020, 6:56 AM

WakandanQueen - 1/5/2020, 7:15 AM

@MyCoolYoung - J. Cole better be on the Black Panther II or Blade soundtrack, if not we riot

MyCoolYoung - 1/5/2020, 7:21 AM

@WakandanQueen - personally I'd rather see Lupe Fiasco or Royce on it but Cole would be cool too

WakandanQueen - 1/5/2020, 7:32 AM

@MyCoolYoung - Just get all of them tbh

L0RDbuckethead - 1/5/2020, 5:17 PM

@WakandanQueen -

WeaponXCII - 1/5/2020, 6:59 AM

They could definitely bring them all back. The problems weren’t with the characters themselves, but with their treatment. Just my two cents.

JDL - 1/5/2020, 10:45 AM

@WeaponXCII - No they can't. They don't own the netflix versions. The would have to reboot and recast. That won't work.

KiddSoul - 1/5/2020, 12:23 PM

@JDL - If they own the Netflix version of the character's then explain Mahershala Ali's contract as Cottonmouth in Luke Cage season one and how he is now going to portray blade in the MCU? If their contract is up with Netflix they can probably reprise the same character or maybe not. It all depends on the details of their contracts. Just because you say its so, does not make it so.

JDL - 1/5/2020, 1:33 PM

@KiddSoul -

First Mahershala Ali. He can only play Cottonmouth for Netflix, other MCU roles are open to him. Why did you think otherwise ?
His contract was afaik drawn up by Marvel so any such restriction would seem extremely unlikely.

That said, of course my saying it as fan is just my opinion. However I was speaking as from my experiences and readings concerning contract and copyright law that dates back to the mid 80's.

Look in this sort of contract where Netflix was not going to get the underlying IP what they were going to go after was rights such that any money that was to be made that stemmed directly from the film rights was going to be made by them. Therefore any lockout periods would get longer the more directly the connections were to the Netflix owned content.

A long lockout in a case like this is the normal business practice when neither party has an advantage, unless there is something else in the contract to compensate for the change. To date nothing of that nature has come out.