MOON KNIGHT



There have long been rumblings that Marvel Studios is interested in developing Moon Knight; in fact, back in 2017 James Gunn even pitched an idea for a movie to Marvel execs, but decided he simply didn't have the time to work on it. In truth, though, this is a character who lends himself perfectly to a creative TV show. Marc Spector suffers from a version of dissociative identity disorder, and his confused mental state makes it difficult for him to differentiate between reality and hallucination. Many writers have used this as a storytelling tool, portraying the world through Spector's eyes so as to confuse readers, and that approach really does work best in an episodic format.


Marvel has given no indication that a Hawkeye project is in the works, but he still deserves inclusion on this list for one simple reason: Jeremy Renner is keen to reprise the role in any format, whether as a movie or a TV series. Hawkeye may have been entirely absent from Avengers: Infinity War, but he's confirmed to play a major role in next year's Avengers 4. That could easily set up the Avengers archer for his own show.

Although Hawkeye is rarely seen as an A-list hero, he's been the star of both popular and critically-acclaimed comic book runs - most notably the Matt Fraction and David Aja Hawkeye series that launched in 2012. Comic book readers have long dreamed of that book being turned into a movie, but frankly a six-or-eight-episode TV series would be even better. It's true that Marvel would need to adapt it a little, given that their version of Hawkeye is a family man, but that would add a unique dynamic. Superhero movies tend to treat love interests as background characters, but for Hawkeye his wife and kids would be a core part of the story.

Interestingly enough, a Hawkeye series could potentially set up two further Marvel TV shows. His protege Kate Bishop is involved in the Young Avengers, and in the comics Clint wound up team leader of the Thunderbolts for a while. Let's take a look at those ideas too.

YOUNG AVENGERS



The Ant-Man films have clearly signposted Cassie Lang's potential future as a superhero in her own right; in the comics, she's best known as a member of the popular Young Avengers. "Taking our cue from the comics as we always do," Kevin Feige noted, "that’s why we wanted Cassie, a very young Cassie in this movie, to be inspired by her father. Just planting seeds." Emma Fuhrmann has joined the cast of Avengers 4 as an older Cassie Lang, and given that film is expected to feature time-travel, she may give viewers an idea of just what kind of superhero Cassie could become in the future.

The Young Avengers are a group of heroes inspired by the iconic team. They include Kate Bishop as master markswoman Hawkeye, the sorcerer Wiccan, the super-fast Speed, and the powerhouse Ms. America. The beloved Young Avengers comic wove together pop culture, a millennial's eye view of the world, and a rich sense of humor. As with several of the franchises we've mentioned, Young Avengers would be perfectly targeted towards the teenage demographic.

THUNDERBOLTS



There's been a lot of speculation that Marvel Studios is setting up something revolving around the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts are a team of ex-villains and antiheroes, with some of their members seeking redemption and others simply aiming to fool the public into thinking they're good guys now. Recent Marvel movies have introduced two key members; Captain America: Civil War introduced Daniel Bruhl as Baron Zemo, founder of the Thunderbolts, and Hannah John-Kamen played Ghost in Ant-Man & the Wasp. Curiously enough, while Marvel is well known for killing off their villains, they kept these two alive. Feige has admitted Marvel made a deliberate decision "to keep [Ghost] around." As he noted, "With Ghost it is, step one: complete. As for step two, we’ll see where we go with that."

Interestingly enough, it's even possible a Thunderbolts series could incorporate Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. At one point, he became leader of the Thunderbolts, trying to help them redeem themselves in the eyes of the public.

NEW WARRIORS



An honorable mention does need to made here of Marvel Television's New Warriors, which also seems likely to debut on Disney Play. Described as a "docu-comedy," the show's core cast include Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, Derek Theler as Mr. Immortal, Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, and Kate Comer as Debrii. New Warriors was expected to stream on Freeform, but was pulled in November last year after testing performed even better than Marvel had hoped.

KEY RELEASE DATES

Captain Marvel (2019) release date: Mar 08, 2019
The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie (2019) release date: May 03, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) release date: Jul 05, 2019