Credit: Marvel Comics

What’s the point of having so many heroes if you’re not going to do anything with them?

One of my favorite things about Marvel comics growing up was the sheer breadth of the universe. So many people, places, worlds, dimensions; I’m a sucker for fictional lore, so every peek I got into the expanded Marvel universe made me feel like a kid in a candy store. With Marvel heroes becoming more mainstream thanks to the MCU, filmmakers have been reaching deeper and deeper into the hero files in search of the next big thing after the next big thing. I guarantee you a lot of non-comic readers had no idea who Black Panther was before he appeared in the MCU, and now he’s a household name. I can think of at least five Marvel heroes who deserve the same treatment (or if not a movie, then at least a miniseries).

Beta-Ray Bill

Credit: Marvel Comics

No, that’s not Thor in a horse mask, but I get why’d you’d draw that comparison. Beta Ray Bill is an alien cyborg sworn to protect his people, the Korbinites, from attacks by demons. After a chance encounter with Thor and Odin, Bill proved himself as one of the rare few in the universe to be worthy of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Since Thor kind of needs Mjolnir, though, Odin whipped up a duplicate hammer for Bill, which he named Stormbreaker. Bill was actually supposed to appear in Thor: Ragnorok, but they couldn’t fit him into the plot.

Moon Knight

Credit: Marvel Comics

When mercenary Marc Spector lands himself in the crosshairs of a terrorist and is left for dead in the Egyptian desert, he drags himself to a nearby temple where he receives a vision from Khonshu, the Egyptian Lunar-God of Vengeance. Donning a silver cloak, Spector became the Moon Knight, and swore to fight for the world’s innocents. Originally, he was more of a gadget based hero, but after a bit of juicing from Khonshu, Moon Knight attained super strength, endurance, invisibility, and more, all based on the phases of the moon. Think a mid-point between Ghost Rider and Batman. Moon Knight actually already has his own series in the works for Disney+, but I still think he deserves the whole shebang.

She-Hulk

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After being involved in a deadly shootout, attorney Jennifer Walters was saved from the brink of death by a blood transfusion from her cousin. Unfortunately, her cousin is Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk. Due to Hulk’s irradiated blood, Jen’s body mass doubled, granting her super strength. Unlike Hulk, though, instead of blind rage, Jen’s transformation into She-Hulk gave her confidence (at least after some practice). Now She-Hulk is a prolific do-gooder, still maintaining her job as an attorney, but quickly jumping into the fray when duty calls. Like Moon Knight, She-Hulk has a Disney+ series in the pipeline, but I think a full movie would suit her better.

Silver Surfer

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The Silver Surfer is commonly known as the herald of the planet-devouring Galactus, but he wasn’t always that way. Norrin Radd was once a citizen of the planet Zenn-La, a wondrous, technologically advanced utopia where crime was a thing of fantasy. Unfortunately, being a big, happy, life-filled planet is a great way to get targeted by Galactus. With a ship provided by the planet’s elders, Norrin flew to Galactus and, in exchange for sparing Zenn-La, promised to become his herald, seeking out other worlds for him to devour. Galactus agreed, and blessed Zenn with the Power Cosmic, turning him into an incredibly powerful being known as the Silver Surface, yet also shackling him to a lifetime of servitude. The Surfer first appeared in on the big screen in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but we, uh, don’t like to talk about that movie.

Spider-Man 2099

Credit: Marvel Comics

In the year 2099, everything’s gone all Blade Runner-y, with a good chunk of the world effectively owned by giant corporation Alchemax. Miguel O’Hara was the head of Alchemax’s genetic research department, tinkering with the DNA of the legendary hero Spider-Man as a hobby. In order to keep him in line, Miguel’s boss got him addicted to a dangerous drug that would kill him if he didn’t keep taking it. Using his genetic technology, Miguel cured himself, though due to some outside meddling, ended up with Spider-Man’s genetic code bonded to him. With new abilities and a fresh vendetta, Miguel donned the title of Spider-Man and set to disassembling Alchemax’s hold on the world, bit by bit. Spider-Man 2099 had a cameo at the end of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and he’ll probably be featured in some capacity in that movie’s sequel.