Rumor: Marvel Studios is eyeing Deathlok for an MCU film
By Erik Swann
Deathlok has been featured in the MCU through television, but he could make his return to the franchise through a big screen outing.
It’s no secret that Marvel Studios is aiming to bring a host of new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Phase Three. Properties like The Eternals and Shang-Chi are already in active development. Now a new report claims that another character, who has already appeared in the MCU, could be headed to the big screen.
In a recent feature piece, Deadline briefly mentioned that Marvel Studios is rumored to have plans for Deathlok. More specifically, the trade stated that the studio “may use the character soon.” The chances of Deathlok appearing in an MCU film aren’t slim. However, it would be surprising, as he’s already debuted in the MCU via Agents of SHIELD. This incarnation was played by J. August Richards.
Deathlok made his first comic book appearance in Astonishing Tales No. 25 in 1974. The basis of the character is that a dead person is revived with the help of cybernetic technology. Since the character’s initial debut, many people have taken on the alias, with the first being Luther Manning and the most recent being Jemma Simmons. Richards’ version, Mike Peterson, was an original creation for Agents of SHIELD.
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With multiple Deathloks, it is possible to have more than one in the MCU. Still, one has to wonder where and how Marvel Studios would use the character in a film. In the comics, the robotic hero has had ties to the likes of Spider-Man, SHIELD and the X-Men. It would seem unlikely that he would appear in films for the two former characters but, with the famous mutants on their way to the MCU, he could make his debut then. On the other hand, Marvel could do rework Deathlok’s origin for the MCU, as they’ve done with others. For instance, his covert links to SHIELD could bring him into the Black Widow film.
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Deathlok is one of the more unique characters in the Marvel Universe, and having a character like him in a movie could shake things up a bit.