10 Female Characters We Want To See After Avengers: Infinity War

Which female characters do we want to see after Avengers: Infinity War? In short, all of them.

Wishful thinking aside, this list was surprisingly odd to put together. I had a sad realization that the majority of the MCU’s women act primarily as love interests for the male superheroes, and therefore a lot of female characters have appeared in reduced roles. I also realized that most of these female characters are given less time and development as characters as their male counterparts (aside from the ladies of Black Panther).

Black Widow was the token female character for the Avengers until Wanda/Scarlet Witch joined the team in their second film. On Netflix, Jessica Jones has her own show, and Elektra was the focus of Daredevil‘s Season 2 and The Defenders. On the cosmic side of things, Captain Marvel is slated to come out next year, and Gamora, Nebula and Mantis are the ladies of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Small time female heroes like Dagger, Quake and Yo-Yo on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the female Runaways (Nico, Gert, Molly, and Karolina), and Squirrel Girl have shows or will have shows in the near future. Hope Van Dyne will be co-star in this summer’s Ant Man and the Wasp and her mother Janet Van Dyne (the original Wasp, played by Michelle Pfeiffer) will also appear to some extent.

Central supporting heroes like Valkyrie, Lady Sif, Claire Temple, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Okoye and her Dora Milaje, Nakia, Shuri, Maria Hill, and Peggy and Sharon Carter have had small, but memorable roles. And naturally, there are the love interests: Pepper Potts (who is awesome and runs Tony’s multibillion dollar company like it’s no big deal), Jane Foster (sometimes super smart- how could she dump Thor, our favorite pirate angel?), Betty Ross (questionably super smart), and Karen Page (reporter, sort of). There are also supporting characters like Trish Walker, Frigga, and Queen Mother Ramonda throughout the MCU, who are not romantic interests, but stick to a familiar sister-mother dynamic.

If you are still reading after my little rant, then please enjoy my list of the 10 female characters we want to see in the MCU post-Avengers: Infinity War. And not surprisingly, there are a few of my favorites on this list…

10. Invisible Woman

Although she is not at the top of my favorites, the Invisible Woman definitely deserves a killer MCU adaption for being the First Lady of Marvel Comics. It is a unlikely to say that we will ever get a proper Invisible Woman in a really great Fantastic Four movie, but with all the backroom deals Disney is trying to pull with FOX, we may actually get one.

For those who don’t know, Sue Storm (later Storm-Richards) is actually one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Her powers of invisibility and creating forcefield barriers make her super dangerous. She has stood against the likes of Galactus, Dr. Doom, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. She holds an important role as the heart and soul of the Fanatic Four and someone you don’t want to cross when attacking her family. She’s developed a great deal from being the Invisible Girl of the 1960s, developing the powers and strength of a great leader and hero in her own right.

9. Any of the X-Men Ladies

Up there with Invisible Woman, I would love to see a some proper X-Men female depictions on-screen. We have had great adaptations of Wolverine, Magneto, and Professor X but the X-Men is MORE than just those three characters. There are many mutant ladies to choose from, plenty who deserve a new look- Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Storm, and Jubilee are just a few examples.

And with Captain Marvel’s solo movie coming out next year, I wouldn’t mind a cameo or storyline in any sequels with Captain Marvel’s frenemy Rogue. Their rivalry gave Rogue her flying powers, stolen from Captain Marvel during a fight, and brought in many other X-Men to help. Introducing the X-Men into the MCU through their female characters would be an exciting way to inject them into the universe.

8. Clea

Clea is powerful sorceress, the niece of the demon Dormammu, and the Mistress of the Dark Dimension. In the comics, she was trained by Dr. Strange; writer Brian Michael Bendis even said that Clea was to Dr. Strange what Strange was to the Ancient One. We were introduced to the Dark Dimension and Dormammu in 2016’s Doctor Strange, but I am hoping that they will be expanded on in its sequel. The introduction of Clea could add depth and a new role for Dr. Strange to have to adapt to, as a mentor. In the comics, Dr. Strange and Clea’s relationship does become romantic, but it does not have to in the MCU, which could instead spend time developing Strange and his former girlfriend Christine Palmer.

7. Firebird

Firebird would be an awesome addition to the MCU. Her real name is Bonita Juarez, and in the comics she’s been both an Avenger and a member of a Southwestern hero team called the Rangers. She got her powers from a radioactive meteorite fragment that landed in the New Mexican desert. Her powers include pyrokinesis, flight, limited precognition, immunity to poison, radiation and demonic magic. If adapted correctly, Firebird would add a great bit of diversity to the MCU.

6. Jocasta

Jocasta is Ultron’s female counterpart, built by him to be his wife. Ultimately, she breaks free of his influence and becomes a hero, fighting with the Avengers against Ultron. It could stand to reason that Ultron could have, while the Avengers were scrambling to defeat him, created Jocasta but never put her online. There is a brief tease of Jocasta in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as one of Tony’s replacement AIs. Perhaps Ultron could have secretly infected the computer program? As the state of the Avengers changes, it could be interesting to add her to the team, especially if Vision is out of the picture.

5. She-Hulk

I seriously can’t believe that She-Hulk has yet to be properly adapted. She’s is one of the most important and strongest female superheroes in Marvel Comics. Her alter ego is Jennifer Walters, brilliant attorney (she’s represented many heroes in court cases over the years) and cousin to Bruce Banner, who gains similar powers to the Hulk after an emergency blood transfusion. She-Hulk should most definitely be added to the MCU, especially since Captain Marvel is coming to screens and Black Widow is finally getting a solo film.

4. Kate Bishop (Hawkeye II) and Cassie Lang (Stature)

With Jeremy Renner‘s time as Clint Barton coming to a close, the role of Hawkeye in the MCU is open. Kate in the comics is a former Young Avenger and not-quite student to the master archer of the Avengers. In the MCU, she could be written as someone impressed with Hawkeye’s work as an Avenger who approaches the veteran hero in retirement. After all, she’s not a girl who wants to be the victim.

I am sure Scott Lang’s little daughter will one day be a hero in her own right. Cassie will use the same tech as her dad to stop crime and hopefully lead a team of Young Avengers. I can already see shades of this in her conversations with her dad in the promo for the upcoming Ant Man and the Wasp. And with Abby Ryder Fortson already doing a great job in the role, it would be a wasted opportunity not to make Cassie a costumed hero.

3. America Chavez

Out of all the heroes on my list, and even more than numbers two and one, I might be holding my breath for America Chavez a.k.a. Miss America. She is Marvels’ first Latin-American LGBTQ+ female character to star in her own series. If there’s one thing that Marvel Studios’ could make bigger strides towards, despite the success of Black Panther, it is diversity. America not only would add diversity to the MCU, but also allow for more cosmic stories. Her origin story is very unique: raised in the Utopian Parallel, a universe out of time and space, raised by her mothers and given her powers as a child. She can hop between dimensions, fly, and has super-human strength, speed, and durability.

2. Ms. Marvel

It was hard to choose the order of these last two picks, but in the end Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) came in a close second. I fully expect to see Ms. Marvel in a sequel if Captain Marvel does well at the box office. I mean, DC of all companies used their number one female hero to prove that people will go see a blockbuster female superhero movie. It’s a little upsetting that Marvel has taken ten years to do the same.

Kamala Khan is the successor to the mantle of Ms. Marvel. She’s an Inhuman who gained her powers from the Terrigen Mist, and can manipulate her body to shape-shift with a super durable healing factor. She’s a good kid who idolizes Captain Marvel and other Avengers and wants to make a difference in her community. For her, there was no other option than becoming a hero once she got her powers. Her earnestness and kindness, not to mention her unique teenage Muslim-American female identity, have garnered her a large fan base.

1. Spider-Woman

I’ve put Jessica Drew as number one because she would fit well into the MCU for a number of reasons. She’s Captain Marvel’s best friend, got her powers in a similar way to Spider-Man, and a former S.H.I.E.L.D.-HYDRA double agent. She’s a great character for team up stories, something that’s worked well for the MCU so far. Spider-Woman’s adventures with Captain Marvel could explain where she’s been since the 1990s. She could bring back HYDRA in Captain Marvel. She could even help introduce the Skrulls! The possibilities are endless.