One of the reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been so successful is the franchise explores so many different corners rather than just rehashes the same kind of material time and time again. Take this year: Black Panther brought us to the wondrous nation of Wakanda, Avengers: Infinity War saw explosive action unfolding on Earth and in other corners of the galaxy, and Ant-Man and the Wasp opted to tell a smaller (figuratively and literally), yet still compelling story. We're still piecing together what will comprise the Phase 4 slate of films, but there's no shortage of content to be adapted, and supposedly Marvel has considered having Dark Avengers be one of these movies.
According to That Hashtag Show, Marvel has developed and competed a script for a Dark Avengers movie, based on the team created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato following the "Secret Invasion" event. Just to be clear, assuming this report is true, this does not necessarily mean that a Dark Avengers movie is now on the way. Marvel commissions a lot of scripts, and there's no way to tell if Dark Avengers is one of the projects being prioritized or if it's lower down in the pile. Still, the fact that Marvel Studios is willing to put a villainous group of characters in the spotlight is fascinating, as until now, we've only been following tried-and-true heroes as the main protagonists (although I suppose an argument could be made for Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War).
In the aftermath of "Secret Invasion," Norman Osborn, who restored goodwill with the public by killing the Skrull queen, became the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., reformed it into H.A.M.M.E.R. and formed a new Avengers team on behalf of the U.S. government. But as the name implies, there were some bad seeds included in the Dark Avengers. Along with Osborn wearing redesigned Iron Man armor and calling himself Iron Patriot, the team's lineup included Mac Gargan, a.k.a. Scorpion, disguised as Spider-Man and enhanced by the Venom symbiote; Karla Sofen, a.k.a. Moonstone, disguised as Ms. Marvel; Bullseye disguised as Hawkeye; Daken disguised as Wolverine, the Noh-Varr Captain Marvel, Ares (yes, the Greek god of war Ares) and The Sentry. The Dark Avengers went on various missions and, needless to say, were much sketchier than the traditional Avengers teams, but the team eventually collapsed during the "Siege" event, although Osborn later formed a new iteration with all-new recruits.
As we've seen with Suicide Squad at DC and Venom in Sony's Spider-verse, there's room for villain-led movies to leave their unique marks on the superhero movie genre, so Dark Avengers could be a good opportunity for Marvel to delve into darker storytelling while still keeping inside the PG-13 confines. Personally, I go with a movie centered on the Thunderbolts, which typically follows reformed super villains using their talents to keep the world safe for a change. Who knows, maybe Marvel has a Thunderbolts script in its vault as well! Still, Dark Avengers is an intriguing prospect, and since Captain Marvel is introducing the Skrulls to the MCU, if that paves the way for a "Secret Invasion" adaptation, then Dark Avengers could easily follow after.
For right now, Marvel fans can look forward to Captain Marvel coming out on March 8, 2019, followed by Avengers 4 and Spider-Man: Far From Home on May 3 and July 5 of the same year, respectively. As for what else is in development for the MCU, you can find that information in our handy guide.
