TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis the most successful andhighest-grossing film franchisein history. The team behind the MCU has created an astonishing amount of blockbuster movies and shows since the debut of the originalIron Manfilm in 2008. Things will continue to branch off further and bring in exciting new characters. Likely, they will even bring in a new generation of fans. They have an amazing network of characters still to draw from too. Marvel media have existed for over 80 years now with many of the personalities we know and love first appearing as far back as 60 years ago. There are hundreds ofcharacters still to bring to the big screen.
Updated April 6th, 2023: This article has been updated with additional canceled Marvel movies that we’d like to see still and to reflect the announcement ofThunderboltsbeing part of the MCU Phase 5 slate of films.
Marvel has done an excellent job bringing lesser-known names into the mainstream and making them as relevant as more established characters. For example, most people had never heard of theD-listGuardians of the Galaxycharactersuntil the first film was announced. There is rarely a character that does not get brought back in a slightly different role, whether it is in a solo movie, spinoff Disney+ show, or as a supporting character in another Marvel film.
However, on rare occasions, some ideas were pitched, looked to be happening, and eventually didn’t go anywhere. Sometimes those plans have been integrated into the MCU elsewhere. Others were potentially better left incomplete. There are still a few ideas that most fans would get behind if given the chance. These plans deserve a second chance. It’s still possible some of these unproduced ideas may still happen one day. For these reasons, take a look at the best unproduced MCU movies that deserve another chance.
The Incredible Hulk Sequel
The Incredible Hulkhas had a bit of a complicated place within the MCU. Released in 2008, the same year asIron Man, the film was distributed by Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures still owns film distribution rights to the characters, and following Marvel’s acquisition by Disney, the studio has not been keen to make a Hulk solo film. Given thatThe Incredible Hulkis the lowest-grossing film in the MCU and the lead character was recast from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo forThe Avengers, the film was often forgotten.
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While a directsequel toThe Incredible Hulkseems unlikely due to the distribution rights owned by Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios has still found ways tocontinue the Hulk’s character arc. He has been a major part in all fourAvengersmovies, a supporting player inThor: Ragnarök, and was a guest star onShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, in many ways, acted as a sequel forThe Incredible Hulk, which also included the villain The Abomination.Captain America: New World Orderseems to be both a sequel to theCaptain Americafranchise andThe Incredible Hulk, as it will see Liv Tyler return as Betty Ross, Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader, and Harrison Ford stepping into the role of Thunderbolt Ross for the late William Hurt.
Power Pack
Power Packwas one of the ten properties Marvel Studios presented as collateral to Merill Lynch when they took out their $525 million loan to start producing their films independently.The studio opted forIron Manand put their focus on setting upThe Avengerswith characters like the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. Marvel Studios revealed plans to develop Power Pack as an MCU film in 2017, but no word has been made on the status of the project. The MCU seems to be prioritizing The Young Avengers. Meaning Power Pack might have to wait until after the Multiverse Saga. The young superhero team could be a fresh start to a new era of the MCU.
The Runaways
Shortly after the release ofIron Man, Marvel Studios announced plans to adapt Brian K. Vaughn’s critically acclaimed seriesRunaways. In 2010,Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlistdirector Peter Sollett was hired to direct with a script by Drew Pearce, who would later be hired to writeIron Man 3. Later that year the film was put on hold, with the studio looking to prioritizeThe Avengers. While many expected it to be part of Marvel’s Phase 3 lineup, it was missing from the 2014 announcement. Eventually,Runawayswas repurposed into a television series that aired on Hulu from 2017 through 2019for three seasons.
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With Marvel Studios bringing characters from their television series into the MCU like Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, andJon Bernthal’s Punisher, there is a chance the Runaways could make their MCU return. A feature film focused on the teenage superhero could reintroduce the characters to audiences and also show them to a wider audience. The young heroes would fit right in with Marvel Studios growing roster for The Young Avengers.
Hank Pym’s Ant-Man Prequel
In the MCU,Hank Pym is the original Ant-Manand worked alongside his wife, Janet Van Dyne, as the superhero duo Ant-Man and the Wasp. Michael Douglas plays an older version of Hank Pym in the film, but at one point Marvel Studios briefly considered a prequel film focusing on a young Hank Pym. The idea was proposed byAnt-Mandirector Peyton Reed in 2015, but Marvel Studios instead decided to expand Scott Lang’s Ant-Man story.
Following the disappointing box office and critical reaction toAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it appears the Ant-Man part of the MCU franchise might be over and done with. However, if Marvel Studios wanted to find a way to breathe new life into the series, they could go back and do a period piece film focusing on a young Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, showcasing how they fell in love and some old threats they faced.
Unlike the DCEU orStar Wars, which have bad habits of announcing projects that never happen, Marvel had a good track record of seeing all projects through to completion.Inhumansis one of the most high-profile exceptions. Announced in 2014 as part of Marvel’s Phase 3 lineup, the film was set for release on July 19, 2025. The original idea behind bringing Inhumans into the MCU was to have a species of superpowered characters that could fill the void left by the X-Men, whose film rights were owned by 20th Century Fox. To lay the groundwork for Inhumans, elements of the franchise mythology were introduced in seasons two and three ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
By 2016 the film was removed from Marvel Studios' schedule and replaced withSpider-Man: HomecomingandAnt-Man and the Wasp. Later that year, it was announced the project would be adapted into a television series on ABC. Inhumans premiered in 2017 and was a critical dud. Between that series and the fact that Marvel had gained the rights to the X-Men and mutants back, it seemed theInhumansas a franchise was done.
Yet, following Anson Mount reprising his role as Black Bolt inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,there is hope the Inhumans might one day return. The Inhumans as a franchise has a lot of potential. The filmmakers could now focus less on trying to make them an X-Men replacement and instead focus on a film that delves into the complex workings of the Inhuman Royal Family.
