3 lesser-known Marvel characters who deserve their MCU debut

In the ever-expanding Marvel comic book universe that encompasses several thousand individual heroes, villains, mutants, aliens, and supporting characters, it stands to reason that more than most of them will never be depicted in any live-action movie, series, or animated outing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, with the creative storytelling effort, expense, and time it would take to introduce even a third of them, that endeavor would be staggering.

However, Marvel Studos has been known to turn lesser-known characters into movie stars. Look no further than the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Thunderbolts!

With that in mind, there are a few relatively obscure Marvel characters that deserve their spot on the MCU stage. Let's take a look at three worthy lesser-known Marvel heroes that should be introduced into the MCU and why.

Blue Marvel

Blue Marvel (Dr. Adam Brashear) is a brilliant physicist, a former college football player, and a Korean War veteran, serving as a Marine. He met Conner Simms (who later became Anti-Man) while in the Marine Corps. Simms and Brashear worked together on a scientific experiment (Project Perseus) to harness anti-matter - which is matter composed of antiparticles (the counterparts of ordinary particles) but with opposite charges with quantum properties.

They attempted to harness anti-matter with the creation of a Negative Reactor to manifest a connection between negative and positive matters in the universe in an effort to develop an unlimited source of clean energy. As a result of an explosion, both Simms and Brashear were exposed to mutagenic radiation. The body of Simms dissolved into the energy (becoming Anti-man); however, Brashear became a stable host of the antimatter reaction, gaining superhuman abilities.

Brashear’s antimatter abilities alone make him worthy of an MCU introduction. As antimatter is a fundamental quantum-level particle available across the multiverse (and controlling such power gives him trans-dimensional travel as well as the ability to destabilize antimatter to erase objects and beings from existence), there is so much that Marvel Studios could do with him - particularly in the Multiverse Saga. His strength level rivals that of Thor and Hulk. Additionally, he can fly at speeds that can reach orbital velocity (approximately 17K mph).

Blue Marvel's abilities would be a welcome asset spanning most MCU adventures and storylines, whether they be on a cosmic scale or not. Additionally, his origin story plays into the superhero archetype that centers around when a hero's archnemesis is created/manifested at the same time or by the same circumstances as the hero (Conner Simms /Anti-Man). Not-to-mention that Brashear's acumen for physics could be a benefit to the MCU as well - as science often wins the day over might!

Moonstone

Moonstone (Dr. Karla Sofen) is a psychologist and a psychiatrist. She built a successful practice and vowed never to be dependent on others for their income - as her mother did in working three jobs to put her [Sofen] through college. Sofen has ambiguous morals, to say the least when she becomes an aid to the supervillain Doctor Faustus (a frequent adversary of Captain America who uses voice modulation to manipulate others). It's through this relationship with Faustus that Sofen learned of the supervillain, Lloyd Bloch, who uses a mysterious lunar stone to gain superhuman physical abilities.

Sofen became Bloch's psychologist and used her skills to manipulate him into giving her his extra-terrestrial gem – giving her superhuman powers to become Moonstone. The alien gem gave her immense cosmic abilities of gravity manipulation to allow the power of flight, super strength and durability, energy projection of intense energy blasts, as well as the ability to phase through objects. And, perhaps most importantly of all, she is a mastermind manipulator.

Moonstone is very much an enigma as she has ties to various villainous and heroic organizations – working for or with Masters of Evil alongside Baron Zemo and with the Dark Avengers (taking on the code name Ms. Marvel and using her original costume). She also had a short stint with the Avengers and with the Thunderbolts on occasions.

Sofen is a complex anti-hero with interesting and intriguing ties to both villains and heroes and introducing Moonstone to the MCU would allow for some creative storytelling - particularly with her time with the Dark Avengers as Ms. Marvel.  And now that the Thunderbolts (a.k.a. New Avengers) have been introduced to the MCU, Moonstone could be a new addition to the team.

Legion

Legion (David Haller) is an Omega-level mutant who gained his psychic powers after witnessing a traumatic event. David suffered a psychotic episode that facilitated his dissociative identity disorder that split his mind into hundreds of different personalities – each with their unique mutant powers. Haller is the son of X-Men’s Professor Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller - an Israeli diplomat who kept his existence a secret from Xavier.

David's psyche exists with the interchanging of his mutant personalities that come out and become dominant as needed. His notable personalities and their powers include Jemail Karami (telepathy), Jack Wayne (telekinesis), Cyndi (pyrokinesis), Styx (mind absorption), and his prime persona The Legion (reality warping & time manipulation).

David’s fractured personalities make him one of Marvel’s most unpredictable and powerful mutants on the planet. However, his disorder and fractured mind leave him vulnerable to volatile behavior and lack of control to maintain dominance over his personas. This vulnerability was exploited by a common enemy of David's and his father Xavier – The Shadow King.

Legion has limitless powers as an Omega-Level psychic being with a variety of personas with limitless metaphysical powers. Legion’s connection to the X-Men and Charles Xavier would make him a timely new arrival in the MCU given that Marvel's Mightiest Mutants are on their way to the MCU (both the original version in Avengers: Doomsday and a new MCU-specific version in the franchise's "Mutants Era". Taking that into account, a future MCU project with Legion seems inevitable.

Although, I will concede that the Legion/Shadow King dynamic is a quintessential superhero narrative when a father’s enemy becomes the son’s arch-nemesis, as we see with Franklin Richards / Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, Daken / Wolverine and Romulus, and Thor / Odin and Laufey (King of the Frost Giants), I suspect that Marvel Studios would have a plethora of storytelling to cover if Legion joined the MCU in any capacity.

The MCU is rich with complex characters, dynamic heroes, and provocative villains that drive the creative narrative of some fantastic storytelling. However, by debuting characters with compelling backgrounds, albeit lesser known or obscure, this could provide a tremendous windfall for the MCU and their audiences looking for quality entertainment. - as well as turning more lesser-known Marvel stars into household names.