Eight unlikely characters I'd like to see in the new Avengers movie

Well, the Avengers movie is on its way. First, we will see a Thor and Captain America movie, but after that, all eyes are on the Avengers.

Now, we know this movie will feature what comic fans call "The Big Three" (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) as well as Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. There is a fair chance that Hulk will be in it as well as Black Widow (played in Iron Man 2 by Scarlet Johansson). And there is a lot of speculation that the script will include Avengers mainstays Giant Man, Wasp, and Hawkeye.

Now, I'd like to see all of these in the Avengers movie and as long as we get most of them, I should be happy. But just for fun, I'd like to look at what characters I don't expect to appear in these movies, but would be pretty awesome. All of the picks are (or were) Avengers so there is sufficient justification to add them to this film. And with a superhero team movie such as this, it would be easy to add or remove characters from sequels, as we will assume they have their own personal heroing to get to.

So without further ado...

8) Vision

One Avengers character that has always intrigued me is Vision. He is the android of the team with the ability to alter his mass (thereby gaining super-strength or intangibility). Maybe its his name, his garish costume, his powers, or his relentlessly stoic demeanor, but I'd love to see him in a film. Just maybe not this one. He would be best in a future film with Ultron as the villain.

Like Data from ST:TNG, Vision is an outsider looking in on humanity with a mixture of envy, confusion, and disappointment.

7) Beast

Throughout the seventies, Hank McCoy left the X-Men and became an Avenger. With his acrobatic abilities, wise-cracking demeanor, and scientific brilliance, it was a really good fit. I'd love to see him introduced into the Avengers movies, but hopefully not played by Kelsey Grammer. I love Kelsey, but he was too dry for Hank. Once again, I'd cast Kevin Smith.

I doubt Beast will ever be in an Avengers movie. With Iron Man around, his skills are a bit redundant (unless the plot specifically requires a geneticist). The furry makeup would be a pain in the ass and probably wouldn't look good on screen (at least, it didn't on Kelsey). As one of my favorite characters, I really hope I'm wrong and he does appear.

6) Spider-Woman

Marvel has recently been giving Spider-Woman the star treatment. She is actually in no way related to Spider-Man. Even her origin is entirely different. She was genetically design with mixed spider genes as part of a super-soldier experiment by the team of terrorists known as AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). It would be interesting if the villain of the movie was a terrorist group like HYDRA or AIM, and if so, this could be the best way to introduce Jessica Drew to a wider audience.

5) Black Panther

The king of the mythical and technologically advanced nation of Wakanda would make a great addition to the team. I think of him as the African Batman... if Batman ruled his own technologically advanced country. Maybe he would be better served with a film of his own, but I'd love to see him in the Avengers. Wakanda actually had a cameo in the Wolverine film when they stole the sacred metal (vibranium) from the African tribe. Vibranium is one of the key compounds to create adamantium... which is what Captain America's shield is made out of.

4 & 3) Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch

These twins are the children of Magneto and that alone should mean that it is unlikely they would appear in Avengers. However, they never appeared in the X-Men films, so I have to wonder if their licensing rights are part of the "Avengers package" and not the X-Men one. Quicksilver's super-speed would be awesome on film while Scarlet Witch's hex bolts aren't so film friendly, but they can enable all sorts of interesting twists to the story.

2) Spider-Man

Well, with the Spider-Man franchise getting a reboot, this one seems extremely unlikely, but I'd kind of like seeing Toby Maguire's swan song in this film rather than Spider-Man 3. I imagine that the new teenage Spider-Man wouldn't fit well in the Avengers, but Toby's grown-up Spidey could really work.

If they don't think they'd want him in future films (for whatever reason), he could simply be a part of the crisis in this one and decline membership at the end. The same could be said for...

1) Wolverine

This choice surprised even me, but what wouldn't be awesome about having Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in the Avengers? With the X-Men receiving a similar teenage reboot, Wolverine will probably be absent (fingers crossed) or the Scott/Jean/Logan love triangle will be particularly uncomfortable. So what better answer than to move the character to the Avengers? Sure, I want him to leave the Avengers in the comic... but those are the comics.

Also, Wolverine is a great counterpoint to some of the other characters. You could start the movie with Wolverine being sent to track down the Hulk (much like in his original comic appearance). Captain America always teams up well with Wolverine because they have radically different experience being in the military... and Nick Fury would be somewhere in the middle. And just try to tell me that the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Jackman wouldn't be awesome. If Wolverine saw a self-important rich boy in his own battlesuit, he would make it his goal in life to bug the crap out of him.

The more I think about it, the more I think that the only reason not to do it would be if they can't afford Hugh Jackman's salary.