10 Marvel Characters We Expect To See Introduced In MCU Phase 5
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will officially enter its fifth phase with "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" in February. After that, we'll know, barring final adjustments, the rough shape of this arc. Along with the rise of Kang (Jonathan Majors), we'll see stories focused on new kinds of paranoia. Captain America's "New World Order" is an ominous phrase to any conspiracy theorist and a version of the comic event "Secret Invasion," which saw villainous shape-shifting Skrulls throw the world into chaos.
But those aren't the only stories to come out of this phase. Kang's story is just the beginning, with his dynasty on the rise from 2024 onward. Even with all we know about this coming phase, there'll be surprises. Who will be our new faves from Agatha Harkness' (Kathryn Hahn) "Coven of Chaos?" What mysterious cameos will come from Daredevil's return in "Born Again"? We know a few upcoming characters, and we have a few guesses about who will appear next. Here's who we're looking forward to meeting.
The Hood
Marvel danced with the identity of a cloaked character seen on the set of "Ironheart" for a good while before giving in and admitting what comic fans guessed. "Hamilton" star Anthony Ramos would be taking the mantle — er, hood — of a relatively young new villain called The Hood. That makes him one of the first confirmed new characters we can expect from this era, so who is Parker "The Hood" Robbins?
Robbins is a small-time crook until he gets his hands on a demon's goodie bag during a warehouse heist. The items, which include a hood, give him a magical edge only a thief would love. Teleportation and levitation remain his mainstays. But since his 2002 introduction, he's briefly had access to the Infinity Stones and warred with the Kingpin for gangland dominance. He's been mostly quiet for the last decade, making him perfect MCU reboot fodder. "Ironheart," with its technological twists, is an odd place for this kind of villain. But Robbins is no stranger to AIM technology, and he's a hot shot with a gun. What is the heart of his problem with Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)? Well, we'll find out.
The Witches and Salem's Seven
Agatha Harkness was a great minor character even before "Parks and Recreation" veteran Kathryn Hahn took on the job, adding a twist on Agatha's helpful demeanor towards Wanda. Agatha has a lot of comic book history, driven out of the town she helped to settle. Her mutated grandchildren, known as Salem's Seven, exiled her from her mortal body. Eventually turning to heroism, these seven siblings, including Thornn and Vertigo, haven't been seen in comics since 2015.
"The Witches" is an obscure 2000s comic miniseries fueled by the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fever of the time. Three minor magi, Santana, Daimon Hellstrom's sister, Topaz, and Jennifer Kale, form a coven.
What could these two clusters mean for the MCU? With Aubrey Plaza on board and the word coven right there in the title, there's no way Agatha's not getting some witchy new friends — or enemies — soon. "Coven of Chaos" will likely blend these groups and could transform Westview, aka Agatha's prison, into the basis for New Salem. It's a place familiar to fans of "Midnight Suns," the recent video game, and it's where a comic-accurate Agatha could live, along with her cat, Ebony.
Ael-Dan & Dar-Benn
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) are returning for "The Marvels." In the upcoming movie, they're swapping places every time someone uses their powers. There's at least one villain on deck, an unknown figure played by a technical newcomer to the MCU, Zawe Ashton ("Mr. Malcom's List").
Since "Secret Invasion" is also on the menu, we know the Kree are far from done with Captain Marvel. Rumors suggest Ashton will play a Kree General looking to square up with their former recruit. There are two perfect minor characters to slam together into a new, fiercer foe. Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn are Kree Generals from the comic books, and in their sole major outing, they usurped the Emperor and established joint rule. As the MCU's Kree are already under the thumb of the artificial Supreme Intelligence, their synthetic ruler will probably send a new, improved Kree General with a riff on at least one of these names to strike out at the Marvels.
Hyperion
Let's set aside the Henry Cavill dream machine and look at the probabilities here. It's a damn good time for Superman riffs. "The Boys" has its Homelander (Antony Starr), "My Hero Academia" has its All-Might, and Marvel has a few Superman knock-offs like Sentry, who's also a viable choice here to debut in the MCU's Phase Five. But the biggest and worst is Hyperion, who has a multiple-choice backstory — these days, he's an Eternal — and featured in a brutal mid-2000s run in the Marvel MAX mature series "Supreme Power."
Hyperion isn't a villain. But most of his versions make him an uncomfortable match with the Avengers, with a power level set to terrifying. In 2019's "Avengers #21" by Jason Aaron and Jason Masters, Hyperion makes it clear that he, a little like Homelander, is the leader of the only state-sanctioned superhero team, as The Avengers are considered anti-American. His story is poignant stuff, making him highly likely to appear in Phase Five as the physical embodiment of today's jingoistic politics the "Thunderbolts" will likely have to navigate.
Jamal Afari
Blade's first teacher went through the wash in 1998. While our feelings about changing up a character's race have gone through some big moves since then, it's hard not to love Kris Kristofferson's prickly Whistler. But the old fella, who felt more like a Ghost Rider type, isn't likely to return to the new MCU.
An old rumor speculated that Mahershala Ali's "Blade" film will cover modern times and confirmed the casting of Delroy Lindo, so it's a fair guess we're going to see an all-new take on a minor but poignant piece of Eric Brooks' past. In his few comic appearances, Jamal Afari is a quintessential 1920's Black man from Harlem, with all the jazz notes and iffy coding required. Today's Afari will no doubt start as firmer stuff, though from what time and what side of the Atlantic Ocean is up for grabs. He's perfectly flexible as a character today, so long as he's up for making sure the Daywalker is ready to take on everything that goes bump in the night — vampiric or magical.
Doctor Voodoo
Jericho Drumm is another character from Marvel history crawling toward major character upgrades. Originally styled Brother Voodoo (that did not age well), Doctor Voodoo is one of several mages to have borne the title of Sorcerer Supreme. First created in 1973, Jericho is a young Haitian man inducted into the voodoo religion to carry on his twin brother's work as a houngan.
Jericho received a one-page wonder by "Black Panther" comic writer Evan Narcisse for the "Marvel Voices" anthology — highlighting what Jericho's heritage meant to him and Haitians. It'd be remiss for the MCU's Phase Five to exclude Jericho Drumm. A role in the new "Blade" film would be the perfect place to introduce a new world of magic outside the ascetic walls of Kamar-Taj and the isolationist Sanctums. Having worked on "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" for Insomniac Games, Narcisse would be a terrific voice to have as a consultant on director Yann Demange's set, helping to bring Drumm to even more new life.
The Enchantress
Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), the Variant Loki who freed Kang at the end of "Loki" season 1, already bears the hallmarks of the Enchantresses. She has the circular design elements of the original Enchantress in her armor, carries part of Sylvie Rushton, the second Enchantress' name, and her magical mind games are familiar stuff to comic fans. But Sylvie's singular identity is vital to her.
The casting of Kate Dickie for season 2 of "Loki" is a fascinating choice. Like Richard Grant as the scene-stealing Variant Old Loki, Dickie is a lock for resembling an older Sylvie. Dickie's no stranger to playing dangerous women, from her deceptively friendly role in "Prometheus" to the dowager regent of Westeros' Vale, ruling from the high Aerie. With what our Sylvie started in season 1 and her desire to retain her individuality at vicious cost, Dickie's probable Variant is apt to be the Enchantress fans wanted and should fear.
Sabra
Confirmed to make her debut appearance in "Captain America: New World Order," the mutant Sabra, aka Ruth Bat Seraph (Shira Haas), contains a clue about the upcoming film's political dynamics. Sabra's mutation makes her an overall enhanced individual, with her physical abilities and healing factor beyond the human norm. More unique to her, Sabra is a reverse-Rogue, able to share her energy and temporarily empower others.
But it's her background that may be important here. Sabra is a patriotic Israeli, raised in her home country to serve Mossad, Israel's top-tier intelligence agency. With the world of the Avengers under siege by new paranoia and powers, mirroring our world's rampant and long-standing problem of anti-Semitism, Sabra's probably going to be the vehicle for meaningful commentaries. Further, it's going to be great to see more diversity and faith in our heroes. Hopefully, Sabra will get to meet Moon Knight one of these days, too.
Reed Richards
With a "Fantastic Four" movie confirmed for MCU's Phase Six and Reed Richards' fanservice cameo in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," the patriarch of Marvel's First Family is still waiting for his 'real' introduction. It's unclear who will portray Reed. A lot hinges on what connection the Richards family will have to the MCU's version of Kang the Conquerer.
But even if this Kang isn't a Richards descendent, there's no sensible way to extricate the Richards family from his dangerous legacy. Kang and Reed Richards go together like a Wendy's frosty and French fries. That makes a Phase 5 cameo a safe guess. But the most logical place to meet our main timeline Reed should be by the end of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Maybe it's a stinger appearance, or he'll show up midway. But it makes the most sense to introduce him when Kang reveals himself as the new Thanos-level threat we've been waiting for in the MCU.
Typhoid Mary
"Daredevil: Born Again" will likely be our benchmark for discovering what's still canon from the Netflix "Defenders" series and what isn't. "Hawkeye" might've brought Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) back first, but it also expanded his world by introducing his adopted daughter Echo (Alaqua Cox). That's not the only Fisk relation we could be in for, either, if the comic history of Daredevil and Fisk's renewed emphasis on his family is any clue.
Typhoid Mary is an intriguing figure. Mary Walker is a mutant with some psionic abilities and a severe dissociative identity disorder. Her alter system includes vicious and hateful Bloody Mary, cunning Typhoid Mary, and the original Mary, who carries all of her kinder components. Though a version of her appears in Netflix's "Iron Fist," "Daredevil: Born Again" could bring in more of her comic book ties to Fisk and Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox). "Daredevil" could give her the comic book legacy she's best known for — being Wilson Fisk's second wife, with old ties to Matt Murdock. This choice would keep Fisk's family ties in the foreground and answer any questions about Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), Fisk's partner in love and crime in the Netflix era.