As phase four of the MCU really starts to ramp up in two months with the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the internet is running wild with speculation about which returns will happen next. The most recent trailer for the film gave us a hint at one returning character, but there’s surely more to come as the former FOX-owned Marvel properties get rolled in with what Disney has already built. Here are the 10 characters that we think deserve to make a triumphant return in the MCU.
SPOILER WARNING: Some of the entries down below will feature spoilers about MCU films that have been released up to Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
At this point, I can’t imagine any other actor as Wolverine. Huge Jackman is one of those superhero movie castings that is as close as perfect as you can get. Some day we’ll have to rip off that band-aid of having a new actor pick up Logan’s reigns, but I would prefer that it not be today. Sure, the Australian actor is in his early 50s now but he could certainly still be believable as Wolverine.
Plus, it seems like the MCU is going to bring certain characters into the fold that used to be in other Marvel content outside of the film universe. Charlie Cox’s return as Matt Murdock in No Way Home and Patrick Stewart’s upcoming return as Charles Xavier in Multiverse of Madness both seem to bode well for an eventual return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
Even if a new actor is cast at the MCU version of Wolverine, it would be nice to see Jackman get one last go at the role. With all of the wild multiversal storylines coming into the films and shows, it would still be nice to see him as at least a Wolverine variant from another Universe. There’s no doubt that Jackman has more than put in the work to deserve at least that.
Chloe Bennet as Quake
Late last year Chloe Bennet commented on her involvement in the upcoming Secret Invasion series on Disney+, “I am in no way attached or involved, even at all or a little bit, in the Secret Invasion Marvel thing.” We all know that means she is absolutely involved. Never trust actors. Jokes aside, there’s obviously no way that Bennet would admit to making a return in any MCU show or film if it’s meant to be a surprise.
For those unfamiliar with the character, Quake is the superhero name for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Daisy Johnson. Unfortunately, not many fans MCU would likely recognize her since she has only been on the now-defunct ABC show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That doesn’t change the fact that Quake is one of the Inhumans involved in the Secret Invasion story in the comics.
Although the MCU doesn’t follow what happens in the comics step by step, the films and movies still pull from the source material often enough that the return of Quake would make sense. Plus it would just be nice to see the often forgotten Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. get some love.
Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson & Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Paige
Now that Charlie Cox has returned as Matt Murdock in the MCU, it’s time for his buddies to come back as well. You can’t have the mild-mannered lawyer existing in this universe without his partner-in-law, Foggy Nelson, and their most trusted friend Karen Paige. Leaving out Foggy and Karen would be like not putting MJ and Ned with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Foggy and Karen are the force that keeps Matt Murdock’s alter ego of Daredevil in check. If he goes a bit too far, then they’re always there to bring him back down to Earth. And since the MCU is bringing back Charlie Cox, then it would only make sense to bring back Elden Kenson (Foggy) and Deborah Ann Woll (Karen) since they already have tremendous chemistry together over three seasons of the Daredevil TV show.
If Matt Murdock or Daredevil continues to show up in minor cameos throughout the MCU, then the return of his best friends might not happen. But with the recent announcement that the show is coming to Disney+ later this month, it seems that there is still hope that Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and other characters may return in a larger capacity than what we saw in No Way Home.
Jon Berenthal as The Punisher
Here we go from one Netflix Marvel series to the next. When Jon Berenthal first entered the MCU as Frank Castle it seemed like a match made in heaven. Fresh off of his gripping performance as Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead, Berenthal was already known to have the chops to play a morally ambiguous and wildly murderous character. Frank Castle and Shane differed in motivation, but both were driven to brutality by extreme rage.
The Punisher, as a series, was not as well-received as the show where Berenthal made his debut as Frank Castle (Daredevil). Still, there’s no doubt that he made this character come to life like nobody before him has been able to. Not to put down those who came before like Dolph Lundgren or Tom Jane, but they just seemed a bit too polished whereas Berenthal has the look and plays him grimy enough for you to feel dirty about his methods but not so much that you hate him.
As of right now, it seems like Frank Castle’s return to the MCU doesn’t fit into any upcoming content for the next few years. But there are still rumors flying around that he may make a return sooner than we might think. The rumblings right now are that Berenthal will return as The Punisher in Moon Knight. It certainly looks like it’ll be one of the darker MCU TV shows to date. But there’s no indication that this will be the case come Mar. 30 when Moon Knight begins.
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool
This man is possibly one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now and he plays one of the most Ryan Reynolds superheroes. If Jon Berenthal is the perfect casting for The Punisher, then Reynolds might as well have been born wearing the Deadpool outfit. The character’s constant quips and overall laid-back attitude come across as extremely natural.
At this point, you would have to be the worst casting director in the world to not bring back the actor that brought this character to life. Fortunately, it looks like Deadpool 3 with Reynolds is in the works, so we should be seeing him back on the big screen sooner rather than later. As of right now, there’s no indication of when the first Deadpool movie officially in the MCU will come out, but it seems like 2023 is the earliest we’ll see him return.
But don’t let that get you down if you’re hankering for some Deadpool. There’s always the opportunity for cameos before Deadpool 3 hits theaters. Some people are expecting to see the character pop up in Multiverse of Madness, but those rumors are mostly baseless at this point unless you look at some promotional material zoomed in at the right angle while the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars.
Mike Colter as Luke Cage
Sweet Christmas, Mike Colter was fantastic as Luke Cage! The Netflix series featuring the clean-mouthed hero from Harlem with superhuman strength and near-impenetrable skin was canceled abruptly in 2018. If anybody were to play this character, then Colter has got to be a shoo-in for the role.
Luke Cage would be a fantastic character to bring back to the MCU. He almost fills the shoes of Captain America better than Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes do. He’s a straight-laced superhuman that knows he could take on anyone but doesn’t flaunt his power for fame or glory. Just because Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) is already in line to fill the shoes of Steve Rogers doesn’t mean Luke Cage is out of the picture.
Out of every piece of MCU content currently scheduled, it would make sense for Colter to return as Luke Cage in the next Captain America movie because of his connection to super soldier experiments. That’s not to say he’ll be absent from the MCU until then or that he’ll even be in Captain America 4 for sure. It just looks like the most plausible place to reintroduce Luke Cage.
Michael Fassbender or Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto
As far as hard decisions go when casting characters, this is going to be one of the toughest. Magneto plays such an important role in the world of X-Men and you have two absolutely fantastic actors who portrayed this maniacal villain. Fans would undoubtedly welcome either Sir Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender with open arms as Magneto returns to the MCU, so why not both?
Call it a cop-out or whatever you will, but both actors are too good to be left out of the MCU. Fassbender seems the most likely simply because he has played Magneto more recently, but that’s not a solid indicator of what is planned. But it’s actually entirely possible that both could end up in the MCU even if one is in a more permanent role and the other is just a cameo.
The fact that No Way Home happened has completely messed with the minds of people making predictions for the future of the MCU. And it certainly doesn’t help that Multiverse of Madness is up next. It seems like anything Marvel-related is on the table, even multiple variants of well-known characters. If Marvel Studios can bring together the three Spider-Men, then having two Magnetos seems entirely possible.
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
Don’t worry, we’re not going to forget the fantastic job Krysten Ritter did as Jessica Jones. Daredevil kicked off the Netflix Marvel series with a bang back in 2015 and Jessica Jones kept up the high standard of quality. The PI whose methods for obtaining information are sometimes questionable at best absolutely should return if a handful of the other characters start coming back. After all, Ritter starred in one of the best Marvel shows to date.
The end of season three didn’t really serve as a satisfying ending to the stories of the characters in Jessica Jones. I get that sometimes that’s just how shows end, but it seemed like the showrunners weren’t ready to call it quits. The final season ends with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage talking about Trish Walker like she’s going to become an increasing problem in the future because she tends to take the law into her own hands.
Ritter’s Jessica Jones falls into the same category as many others on this list where it’s hard to see where she would fit into the future of the MCU. She could certainly have cameos in films that take place in New York. But it truly feels like she’s the one who could benefit the most from the revival of her own show. Ritter is probably the best actor of the Netflix Marvel group and definitely the most likely to go it alone.
Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier
Why do the X-Men films have to get the perfect actors for their leads? Both Magnetos have been great as well as Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy in the role of this iconic X-Men character. Stewart’s movies were arguably a bit better overall, but that doesn’t make McAvoy’s performance any less fantastic. If it’s possible, then I’d love to see both come to the MCU as Professor X.
To be fair, we already know that Patrick Stewart is coming back in Multiverse of Madness. They have all but revealed his return in the most recent trailer. You can hear his voice and see the back of his head yet the captions on YouTube refer to him as “Mysterious Voice” even though most Marvel fans know who it is. McAvoy is the outlier here. He’s a great actor and No Way Home set a precedent for variants in movies. And it wouldn’t even be the first time they shared the screen as the leader of the X-Men — the first being Days of Future Past.
Even if McAvoy doesn’t return in Multiverse of Madness, there’s always the chance that he could interact with Ryan Reynolds in some way in Deadpool 3. This currently seems like the most likely possibility since the recent X-Men and Deadpool movies are in the same universe. Then again, being in the same universe doesn’t seem to hold the same weight as it used to.
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