If there’s one piece of fanservice that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does consistently well, it’s to drop in cameo appearances from fan favorite characters from the comics. In the case of Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or The Eternals, an appearance from John Krasinski as Reed Richards or Harry Styles as Starfox, respectively, generated positive buzz among fans amidst an otherwise lackluster superhero outing.
Similarly, an appearance from cult favorite Howard the Duck in a post-credits scene from The Guardians of the Galaxy rewarded the patient viewer willing to stick around after the movie was over, while a similar surprise appearance from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury to recruit Iron Man for the Avengers in the character’s 2008 MCU debut generated excitement and also served as notice that MCU head Kevin Feige had grand plans for the future of the franchise.
All of that being said, with Marvel heading into an uncertain Phase Five of superhero mix ‘em ups after a series of disappointing films during its Phase Four of production, one of the questions fans have been asking is: Who will appear in the next slate of Marvel films, and what will that say about the direction the multi-billion dollar franchise is being taken?
And so fans are waiting for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania not only as a conclusion to the Ant-Man trilogy but also for cameos that will provide clues as to who will be facing down Kang the Conqueror in the MCU’s Phase Five slate of films.
While WeGotThisCovered aren’t Marvel insiders, we have a pretty decent list of characters we may very well expect to see:
Dr. Susan “Sue” Storm Richards, aka The Invisible Woman
With Krasinki’s surprise appearance on Sam Raimi’s Dr. Strange sequel generating a significant amount of positive buzz, it’s all but guaranteed that Marvel will want to capitalize by teasing out the other members of the Fantastic Four one by one. And with a character who can’t be seen, Marvel can save a lot of money on CGI and famous actors.
Ghost Rider
Sony Pictures was the last studio to the comic book movie game, but they made up for it by pumping out films of widely-varying quality. While Into The Spider-Verse was one of the best comic movies ever made, and Venom was incredibly successful, many of their other attempts were neither. However, there is no better candidate for MCU redemption than the star—and the titular character—of 2007’s dreadful attempt at Marvel megabucks, the Nicolas Cage-starring Ghost Rider. And there’s no actor possibly in all of Hollywood who would work harder at making it work than comic fan Cage.
The Silver Surfer
In 2007 studio 20th Century Fox also oversaw the release of an iconic Marvel character whom rights issues have kept out of the MCU. As a follow-up to their hit The Fantastic Four, the sequel The Rise of the Silver Surfer saw a decent box office return but not enough to serve as the cornerstone of a full MCU-style franchise. With a Deadpool movie officially underway under the Marvel banner, and an X-Men film not too far behind, it’s only a matter of time until the Silver Surfer is brought into the universe.
3-D Man
The meld of brothers Hal and Chuck Chandler, Chuck was piloting an experimental plane when he was captured by Skrulls. Crashing on his escape and being exposed to strange radiation, Chuck found himself living inside the lens of his disabled brother’s glasses. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to prioritize representation in its films, there’s no better place to start Phase Five than with its first disabled character.
Jumbo Carnation
The four-armed fashion designer doesn’t use his powers to fight crime, but he does a heroic job designing clothes for those who do, answering the question, “How does the Hulk find pants that don’t disintegrate when he changes from Bruce Banner?” Jumbo Carnation is a true fan favorite, and certain to be a keystone in Marvel’s Phase Five as it unfolds.