It appears that at least part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future lies in its past. Some of the most high-profile upcoming MCU movies and TV shows will involve characters from its most nascent projects from Phase One. Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns/The Leader will finally return from The Incredible Hulk to menace global politics in Captain America: Brave New World. Meanwhile, Faran Tahir’s terrorist villain Raza from Iron Man all the way back in 2008 (the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe property) will show up in Vision Quest.
These unexpected reappearances speak to how nobody is truly a one-off character in this franchise. Anyone can and will come back if a story requires it or even if there’s just potential for audiences to experience fan-service-centric catharsis. Given these developments, it’s worth thinking about other Phase One characters that could creep back in the MCU. Who else from the earliest Marvel Studios movies has the potential to factor into a modern MCU that now spans multiple universes?
Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer returns to the MCU for What If…? Season 2.
It’s pretty inexplicable Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) hasn’t returned to the Marvel Studios movies since he menaced Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. Even Marvel Studios brass seem to realize how much potential there is to this guy being a recurring menace in this franchise given that Hammer has shown up in subsequent projects like the Marvel One-Shot short film All Hail the King and an episode of What If…? However, those aren’t the same things as bringing Hammer back in a live-action MCU movie or TV series. With Robert Downey Jr. set to return to this franchise (albeit in a new role), it’s time for Justin Hammer to make his proper MCU comeback.
Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell), A.K.A. Doc Samson, showed up briefly in The Incredible Hulk as the new boyfriend Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) started dating after Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) went into exile. Since that 2008 film, several Incredible Hulk characters have returned to the MCU, including Tyler’s Betty Ross in Brave New World. However, despite Leonard Samson gaining superpowers and a crime-fighting alter ego in the comics, the MCU’s Leonard Samson has never shown up again. It’s high time to change that, especially since TV shows like Modern Family have increased Burrell’s profile in the decades since Incredible Hulk.
Now that Tahir’s Raza and James Spader’s Ultron are set to show up in Vision Quest, it’s clear this solo program for Paul Bettany’s Vision will involve the android contending in some way with great adversaries of Tony Stark’s past. Surely that would also include Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, Iron Man 2’s big baddie. Granted, Vanko’s death doesn’t seem to be as big of an obstacle to this character’s return as Vanko’s actor, Mickey Rourke, being very open about his contempt for the MCU in recent years. Still, if Pietro Maximoff could get recast for his WandaVision guest appearance, surely Vanko could also get a new look for a Vision Quest reappearance.
Chances are you don’t even remember Olivia Munn’s reporter character Chess Roberts and her fleeting appearance in Iron Man 2. However, there was a whole saga about it. Munn was originally slated to play a separate character in the feature before that figure was cut during reshoots. This led to Munn getting cast in as a new character at the last minute. After all that chaos, it would be cool to get Munn back in the MCU and actually develop Chess more. It took so much energy to integrate her into this franchise, why reduce her to being a one-off? Plus, it would be incredibly easy to slip a reporter/commentator on superhero mayhem into any number of MCU projects.
Thanks to newer elements introduced in into the MCU like the Time Variance Authority or the multiverse, there’s really no excuse why any two MCU characters can’t interact with one another. Not even the bounds of time and space can keep people from rubbing shoulders, as Tony Stark’s bonding with his dad in Avengers: Endgame can attest. Therefore, it’s time audiences got reunited with Captain America: The First Avenger’s Timothy “Dum-Dum” Dugan (Neal McDonough). Like Justin Hamer, Dugan showed up in Marvel shorts and TV shows but was a total one-off in theatrical cinema. That’s a shame for somebody so critical to characters like Captain America and Nick Fury in the comics. Let the MCU use multiversal time travel nonsense (or even advanced robotics) as justification for bringing back Timothy “Dum-Dum” Dugan for another round of action.
Captain America: The First Avenger and the other Phase One MCU films discussed here are now streaming on Disney+.
It appears that at least part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future lies in its past. Some of the most high-profile upcoming MCU movies and TV shows will involve characters from its most nascent projects from Phase One. Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns/The Leader will finally return from The Incredible Hulk to menace global politics Read More