The Illuminerdi explores 11 potential MCU prequel films after Kevin Feige opened up the possibility to more during the Black Widow press conference.
The highly anticipated Black Widow will hit theaters in just a few weeks. And during a recent press conference Kevin Feige addressed the possibility of other prequels in the MCU. When asked if Black Widow was a special circumstance the president of Marvel Studios said,
“Well, certainly this film and this story is a particular case for Natasha. But the notion of exploring the past, present, and future of the MCU is certainly in the cards for all of our characters.”
Marvel fans have been ecstatic by this revelation as it opens the door for endless possibilities. It seems that Black Widow could be setting a new precedent for the MCU as a prequel set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. And while Captain Marvel is technically a prequel as is Captain America: The First Avenger, they tend to fall more into the category of origin story as well as introductions to the characters. Black Widow is instead revealing what a major MCU character was up to in the time between two MCU films.
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The MCU has introduced a multitude of characters in the 23 films that make up the Infinity Saga and are introducing even more in Phase 4, both in the Disney Plus series and the films. And a number of these characters would benefit greatly from prequels to explore their histories. Some of these would go back and look at the characters origins while others could follow Black Widow’s lead more closely and check out what they were up to between films.
11 MCU PREQUEL FILMS WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE
SECRET AVENGERS
Although this is probably not the most likely with Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson seemingly moving on from the MCU it would be a fantastic film. Fans got a glimpse of this team in Avengers: Infinity War, but to really dive into this superhero team that works in the shadows would be fantastic. It would also redeem the seemingly missed opportunity with Captain America leading his band of fugitives with Black Widow, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch.
This would be the perfect film to dive into a similar style and tone as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This could also incorporate some under the radar assistance from the likes of Nick Fury and perhaps Maria Hill as well as the early days of Wanda Maximoff and Vision’s romance. Truly digging into how these heroes sacrificed to do what they believed to be right after the Sokovia Accords is a rich story to mine creatively.
ISAIAH BRADLEY
Isaiah Bradley opens up a number of opportunities in the MCU. Introduced into the MCU in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Isaiah Bradley was an involuntary participant in the super soldier program after Steve Rogers crashed his plane and wasn’t found for decades. From what we learned in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Isaiah was active during the Korean War and squared off against Bucky who was Hydra’s Winter Soldier at this time. Isaiah was also the sole survivor of the experiments and eventually imprisoned not only to cover up his existence, but to continue experimenting on the soldier turned prisoner.
An Isaiah Bradley prequel could dive deeper into the dark past of the super soldier program in the MCU and show the difference between Steve Rogers’ treatment and Isaiah Bradley’s, as well as his comrades. This would also be a perfect time to show more of Bucky as the Winter Soldier and what that looked like for the Hydra brainwashed assassin. Ever since the character first debuted in the series, fans have been wanting more and considering he is based on the Isaiah Bradley from the comic miniseries, Captain America: Red, White, & Black there is more story to mine. And seeing the after effects of losing Steve Rogers could be fascinating.
EARLY DAYS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a huge part of the MCU being the major connective thread during Phase 1 leading up to The Avengers. While the agency’s creation has been discussed and teased, as well as the early days being touched upon this is an area that the MCU could dive into for a lot of possibilities. A film about the creation and early days of S.H.I.E.L.D. could feature Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne. Seeing these characters work together in an espionage tinged film and exploring the first Ant-Man and The Wasp has a lot of potential.
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We’ve seen hints of it in past MCU films like Captain America: The First Avenger, Ant-Man, Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Endgame, even Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier to an extent. And the corruption of Hydra from the start is another storyline that could be explored in a film about the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D. Showing how the enemy grew to overtake this agency right under the noses of its creators would add a dark tone as well. Similar to Black Widow audiences know how it ends for these characters and this agency, but seeing these early heroes that built the back bone of early MCU has endless possibilities.
[Click on Page 2 for even more cosmic MCU prequel options.]
