The many movies and TV shows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe typically tend to feature fresh reimaginings of the source material, rather than directly adapting any specific comic storylines. However, there have been a few notable exceptions to this rule.
Some MCU entries draw heavy inspiration from specific comic arcs, like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, or WandaVision and Moon Knight. And while there are often major changes made in the adaptation, the core of what made the original comics so popular is maintained. Here are a few more iconic Marvel Comics story arcs that would be perfect candidates for adapting into the MCU.
Annihilation
While the spacefaring heroes of the Marvel Universe usually get less focus than their earthbound counterparts, the 2006 Annihilation miniseries goes full cosmic with an epic tale of interstellar war. The insectoid warlord Annihilus, ruler of the dimension known as the Negative Zone, has declared war on the universe, ravaging world after world with his nigh-endless armada, the Annihilation Wave. In order to combat this threat, the Silver Surfer, Nova, Drax, Gamora, and Star-Lord must join forces with the Super-Skrull and Ronan the Accuser. However, things get even more dire when Thanos joins forces with Annihilus.
The storyline proved popular enough to spawn a 2007 sequel miniseries. Annihilation: Conquest saw the heroes of the original story — along with some new additions like Adam Warlock, Mantis, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot — taking on Ultron, who had taken over the techno-organic hive mind known as the Phalanx. Conquest, in turn, spun off into the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy comic, which served as the official debut of the modern team that MCU fans know and love. But even though the Guardians are already a mainstay of the MCU, an Annihilation film could serve as an excellent showcase of the next generation of space heroes, after James Gunn’s GOTG trilogy is concluded.
The Galactus Trilogy
Speaking of galaxy-sized epics, two of the most highly-anticipated characters for the MCU are the Silver Surfer and Galactus, devourer of worlds. These iconic fixtures of the Marvel Universe made their comic debut all the way back in 1966, with Fantastic Four #48-50 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This three-issue storyline featured the Fantastic Four’s biggest adventure yet, as they were tasked by Uatu the Watcher with saving Earth from the imminent arrival of Galactus, a nigh-omnipotent cosmic entity who feeds on planets to survive. Only through the FF’s resourcefulness — and a change of heart from the Silver Surfer — is Earth saved from destruction.
The tale of Galactus and the Silver Surfer has already been adapted to film once, in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. However, despite the inspired casting of Lawrence Fishburne as the voice of the Surfer, that film failed to win over audiences, especially with its underwhelming portrayal of Galactus as a gigantic cloud rather than an omnipotent cosmic colossus. The Fantastic Four’s MCU debut provides a perfect opportunity for the Galactus Trilogy to receive a more faithful adaptation.
Kraven’s Last Hunt
One of Spider-Man’s most acclaimed comics — not to mention one of his darkest — is the 1987 storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, written by J. M. DeMatteis and drawn by Mike Zeck. Right on the heels of his marriage to MJ Watson, Peter Parker is targeted by his longtime foe Kraven the Hunter, more unhinged and desperate than ever. Kraven finally defeats his worthy opponent in battle, burying Spider-Man alive and stealing his costume. And so, Kraven takes up the mantle of Spider-Man to prove his superiority over his fallen foe, hunting down and brutalizing criminals.
However, Peter manages to climb his way out of the grave through sheer determination — driven not by primal rage, but by his love for MJ. The true Spider-Man returns and defeats Kraven once and for all, proving that his humanity and compassion aren’t his greatest weakness, but his ultimate strength. It’s the Man, not the Spider, that gives Peter his power. Thanks to its gritty, atmospheric tone, strong characterization, and gripping themes, “Kraven’s Last Hunt” has become beloved by fans. And while Kraven currently has a solo film in production from Sony, presumably set in the same universe as Venom and Morbius, it’d be a shame to pass up the opportunity to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in an adaptation of this legendary story.
The Dark Phoenix Saga
The name “Dark Phoenix” will no doubt be ringing some alarm bells for those familiar with the X-Men movies. Both The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix, widely cited as two of the worst films in the series, featured Jean Grey taking on the villainous alter ego of the Dark Phoenix. As such, it may seem like a poor idea for the MCU to retread this ground when it’s proven so disastrous twice before. However, the original “Dark Phoenix Saga” by Chris Claremont and John Byrne is often hailed by fans as the greatest X-Men story ever told. It’s an absolutely iconic arc that deserves a proper film adaptation, and the MCU provides a perfect chance for this to happen.
Secret Wars
Whenever Marvel fans talk about future films that could top the spectacle of Infinity War and Endgame, there’s always one name that comes up: Secret Wars. There are actually two miniseries that have used the title of Secret Wars over the years — one in 1984, written by Jim Shooter, and another from 2015 by Jonathan Hickman. The original Secret Wars takes place on Battleworld, a patchwork planet created by the godlike other-dimensional entity known as the Beyonder. The Beyonder summons some of Earth’s greatest heroes and villains to Battleworld so that they can wage war against one another, promising that whoever emerges victorious will have their heart’s desire granted. However, Doctor Doom isn’t content to play the Beyonder’s game, and he enacts an elaborate scheme to steal the Beyonder’s power for himself, becoming the most powerful being in the universe.
Naturally, the heroes managed to overcome these impossible odds and defeat Doom. But years later, in Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers epic, the rest of the Beyonder’s species threatened to destroy the entire multiverse out of scientific curiosity. While the heroes fought amongst themselves over how to solve this impossible problem, Doom took matters into his own hands, using the Beyonders’ scheme against them and achieve even greater power than before: power that he used to salvage the remains of the dying multiverse, fusing all Earths into one. And so, a new Battleworld was born, with Doctor Doom as its all-powerful God-Emperor. However, a ragtag group of heroes and villains survived the death of the multiverse, including Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Thanos, Namor, and Mr. Fantastic. Determined to end Doom’s reign, these survivors begin a new war on Battleworld for the fate of all reality.
Both Secret Wars storylines serve as the gold standard for Marvel crossover events in terms of sheer spectacle. Both arcs have no shortage of memorable moments that fans would love to see brought to life on the big screen. If there was ever to be an MCU movie that could be even bigger than Endgame, Secret Wars would be it.