Marvel Comics has taken a backseat to the storytelling of the MCU. As time goes by and the films gain popularity, the MCU builds its own legacy and future of in-universe characters. But there are still new stories straight from Marvel Comics to be told in the fifth phase of the MCU.
There are some massive projects coming out related to major storylines from Marvel Comics, such as Secret Invasion and Daredevil: Born Again. With this in mind, it isn’t surprising to find there are a lot of major fight scenes that could be directly adapted from Marvel Comics for some of the MCU phase 5 projects.
6 Agatha Harkness vs. Immortus
It isn’t toolikely that the upcoming Agatha: Coven of Chaos show on Disney Plus will feature the main villain of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga. Kang the Conqueror and his variants were last seen at the end of Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, dealing with the fallout of their banished brother being seemingly destroyed.
However, it should never be ruled out in the MCU that everything will interconnect. It isn’t known whether Agatha will become a hero in her own right over the course of her show, but if she does, then an intriguing moment in Marvel Comics could be hitting the screen in phase 5. Namely, in a story from West Coast Avengers, Immortus, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, trapped Scarlet Witch under his control. Agatha Harkness intervened and, together with Scarlet Witch, defeated Immortus. It is unknown whether Scarlet Witch is still alive in the MCU, but Agatha could still come up against a variant of Kang such as Immortus.
5 Daredevil vs. Kingpin
The MCU has technically already seen this battle, but with the uncertain status of Daredevil and other Netflix shows' place in the MCU, phase 5 could be the first time this constant tussle is truly brought into the fold. Kingpin is confirmed to be returning, once again played by Vincent D’Onofrio, to the screen in Daredevil: Born Again.
Charlie Cox will be reprising his role as Daredevil after surprise appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk. It is an easy assumption that this battle, seen many times over the years in Marvel Comics, will be making an official MCU entry in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again.
4 Captain America vs. Red Hulk
In Captain America Vol.9 #26, there was a brutal battle between Captain America and a Hulk, a rare occasion which surprisingly hasn’t happened more often. It wasn’t Bruce Banner though; it was Thunderbolt Ross in his Red Hulk form that squared off with Steve Rogers. There is, of course, the minor problem that phase 5 won’t feature Steve Rogers (as far as is currently known).
But Steve has been well replaced in the MCU with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as Captain America. And Thunderbolt Ross will be returning to the MCU in Captain America: New World Order, now played by Harrison Ford. Since there has been a lot of talk about Ross taking on his Red Hulk form in the MCU, it's not unlikely this brutal fight could, in fact, occur. However, with Ross now the US President in New World Order, there is a possibility that he remains a purely political figure in the movie.
3 Blade vs. Lilith Drake
Much remains mysterious about the MCU Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali. Though it is scheduled for release in September 2024, almost nothing is known about the potential plot. The film just hit some big casting news though, revealing that Mia Goth has signed on in a currently unknown role.
Of all the roles she might be playing, many fans think that Goth would be well-suited to the role of Lilith Drake, daughter of Dracula. While Lilith Drake hates her infamous father in Marvel Comics, this could be retconned, so she can become a villainous foe facing off against Blade in his new movie.
2 Black Widow vs. Baron Zemo
Black Widow is another character who has passed on from the MCU following Avengers: Endgame. But her legacy is left behind in the form of Yelena Belova, who seems to be the MCU’s new Black Widow. Appearing in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, Yelena is expected to be a major character going forward for the MCU.
Baron Zemo was a character surprisingly left out of the lineup for the Thunderbolts movie. But just because he isn’t on the team, doesn’t mean he won’t be in the movie. Many fans think Zemo will face off against this super-serum-powered team in some fashion during the movie. This could emulate an infamous moment from a dark Marvel Comics timeline where Zemo actually killed Black Widow, albeit the Natasha Romanoff version of the character.
1 Deadpool vs. Kang The Conqueror
Deadpool is coming to the MCU, and as wild as it seems, he could run into Kang the Conqueror pretty much anytime. If Ant-Man can deal with a Kang variant in his own movie, Deadpool, who was last seen in Deadpool 2 engaging in some time traveling, could definitely face off against the major MCU villain.
Deadpool 3 is supposedly beginning phase 6 instead of closing out phase 5, so it is unlikely Deadpool will make any major MCU appearances before that. But it certainly is possible. Fans of the MCU will have to keep waiting to see what Deadpool’s role in the MCU will be. It could be major, and his film could easily feature a major villain like Kang.