Pretty much since its inception, the appeal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the promise of a fully interconnected world, uniting characters across stories and mediums and providing audiences with a fantastical experience akin to the comics. Up until this point, the films have provided exactly that, weaving a rich tapestry where Iron Man can show up in a Spider-Man film and Falcon in Ant-Man. This is not to mention the massive Avengers event films that bring together characters from across the cinematic spectrum. Despite this marvelous achievement, there is still something missing; the Marvel television universe has been largely ignored.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had some crossover, with film characters like Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Lady Sif making the jump to the small screen for cameos or one-episode stints. S.H.I.E.L.D has also had plotlines heavily influenced by the events of the films; however, S.H.I.E.L.D. characters never get the call up to the movies. Over in the fan-favorite Netflix-verse, shows have alluded to larger MCU events. Regardless, as street-level characters, there hasn't been any crossover other than offhanded mentions of Captain America and the like. Nevertheless, with the decade in the making Avengers: Infinity War arriving next month and uniting the MCU for the battle with Thanos, we have harbored a secret hope that somehow Marvel's neglected TV characters will finally get a chance to make an appearance and do battle alongside their cinematic counterparts.
Now there are a lot of things standing in the way of this total interconnectedness, the corporate split between Marvel's film and television divisions being one of the biggest. Infinity War co-director Joe Russo has also called it practically impossible due to logistical barriers, but this wouldn't be the first time that Marvel has surprised us, and if ever there was a time to do so, it's this culminating event. So, with that in mind, here are the 5 Marvel TV characters that we'd most like to see show up in Avengers: Infinity War.
Luke Cage
Since his introduction in the first season of Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage has been very popular. Although a street-level character, the hero of Harlem packs a serious punch. While he tends to eschew the superhero life, he can't turn his back on those in need. When Thanos comes to town to lay siege to New York City, the civilians of the Big Apple will need someone to protect them. With everyone running for their lives it would be great to see even a quick shot of Luke Cage running towards the danger or using his body as a shield to protect the innocent from Thanos' hordes. Luke Cage has been a member of various Avengers teams in the comics and it would be great to see him throw down with them on the big screen. His no nonsense attitude would make for some great interactions too. Given how he responded to Danny Rand and his chi-powered fist, I would love to see how he reacts to the Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange. With Marvel realizing the potential of diversity with Black Panther, there's no better time for Power Man to make his big screen debut.
Daisy "Quake" Johnson
While the Inhumans feature film never got off the ground, and the less said about the show the better, the Inhumans have played a major role in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., none more so than Daisy "Quake" Johnson. Unlike many of Marvel's TV characters, Quake has legit, high-level superpowers. She can generate seismic vibrations and earthquakes and she would not be out of place fighting alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes against the Black Order. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. gets cancelled in the future, if the MCU allows for the Inhumans on the big screen, Quake makes the most sense to become a permanent fixture. The nice thing about Quake is that, as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., she is way above street-level and could easily hop on a plane and make her way to Wakanda to join in the fight. The character has teamed with Captain America in the comics and Bennet even suggested that Quake would have sided with Cap in Civil War. Actress Chloe Bennet has actually been quite vocal in the past about the MCU ignoring S.H.I.E.L.D. so it would be awesome if the squeaky wheel gets the grease and Quake gets called up to the big leagues.
Claire Temple
I debated a few different characters for this slot but none of them fit in with the narrative of Infinity War. Punisher and Jessica Jones might be a tad too adult for Marvel's cinematic entries and Ghost Rider would require too much explanation. Claire Temple provides a fun, recognizable face for a cameo that wouldn't need her own story and could fit in fairly organically. All we need is a scene in a hospital or of the wounded of NYC being tended to and Rosario Dawson's character can make a quick cameo to be Infinity War's connection to the Marvel Netflix-verse. She wouldn't even really need to speak; just seeing her face would be enough. If ever the heroes of the MCU were going to need a skilled healer, this is it. Judging by the trailers, many of the New York heroes don't make the journey to Wakanda. There could be many reasons for this but if any of them are hurt, and we have to imagine that this film will have casualties, seeing Claire temple tend to fallen heroes, like her night nurse inspiration, would be a great nod to the Netflix shows that audiences like so much.
Daredevil
Of all the Netflix heroes, Matt Murdock is the one that most people want to see show up in Infinity War or, in lieu of that, Avengers 4. As a resident of Hell's Kitchen it's hard to imagine that Daredevil wouldn't suit up to defend the city from the incursion of Thanos and his minions. While that would probably allow for him to stay in his neck of the woods, Daredevil is the kind of hero that goes where the fighting is thickest and that would ideally mean him fighting side by side with the likes of Iron Man, Doctor Strange and most excitingly, Spider-Man. There are a lot of Infinity War team-ups we're excited about, but this quite unlikely one arguably tops them all. Spider-Man and Daredevil are frequent partners in crime fighting in the comics and the two share many of the same villains. If they meet here that would open up possibilities for future team-ups down the line. Unfortunately, there is the matter of where we left off with Daredevil at the end of The Defenders. But hey, for an appearance like this, I'll deal with a little continuity bending; just blame it on the Infinity Stones.
Agent Phil Coulson
So yeah, this is the big one. For all of the previous characters, it would be fun to see show up in Infinity War or a future Marvel movie. Unlike the other characters, Agent Phil Coulson seems to be the only one who needs to show up. Unlike the others, Coulson has already been in the movies and he played a critical role in them as an early throughline in Phase 1. Coulson's death in The Avengers was the catalyst that unified the team into Earth's Mightiest Heroes. His subsequent resurrection and universe and time-hopping adventures in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have not been acknowledged at all by the Marvel movies. At some point Coulson needs to make his return and what better time than now. Seeing Nick Fury show up with Coulson in tow would be a major geek out moment. Finding out that Coulson is alive could be the first step to healing the wounds of Civil War and bringing the team together again to become a unified front against Thanos. Coulson being alive simply must be addressed at some point in the films and while a line of dialogue would be better than nothing, a cameo in Infinity War would really reward the fans.
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