10 Marvel Studios Special Presentations We Still Want to See

2022 was a noteworthy year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the superhero franchise only getting weirder and more experimental. Part of that reinvention occurred not only within the narrative of the franchise’s projects, but in the very format of them, with Marvel Studios Special Presentations being introduced. The format, which allows for standalone, 40-minute-or-so depictions of Marvel stories, has already produced two beloved entries — Werewolf by Night and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. At the moment, no new Special Presentations have been officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, but the list of ones that fans want to see has only grown.

With Phase 5 of the MCU on the horizon, here are ten Marvel Studios Special Presentations that we’d definitely want to see in the future.

Nova

No character has been “always a bridesmaid” in the MCU quite like Nova, with the cosmic hero consistently being alluded to, but never yet appearing in live-action. Last year, reports began to indicate that Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada is penning a solo project for Nova, but it was unclear at that point if it would be a movie or a Disney+ series.

While there’s no telling what the future holds, it’s pretty easy to imagine the Nova project working well in the Special Presentation format — telling the origin story of Richard Rider and/or Sam Alexander without the expectations of a big-budget movie or the longform nature of a Disney+ series. 

Midnight Angels

Another heavily-rumored project within the MCU has been some sort of Black Panther offshoot involving Okoye (Danai Gurira), which fans initially assumed would manifest as a Disney+ series. While that could still ultimately be the case, the Special Presentation format — and the recent release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — could lay out another possibility.

Wakanda Forever saw Okoye stepping down from her role as a member of the Dora Milaje, instead adopting the new mantle and costume of the Midnight Angels alongside Aneka (Michaela Coel). Both Gurira and Coel are arguably too busy for the filming commitments of a Disney+ series — especially Gurira, now that she is confirmed to be a major part of a new The Walking Dead spinoff miniseries — but it would be a missed opportunity to not spotlight the two of them in a standalone Midnight Angels Special Presentation. 

Ten Rings

There’s also the lingering question of whether or not we could get a Disney+ spinoff to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, with reports shortly after the film’s premiere indicating that Destin Daniel Cretton was working on some kind of streaming offshoot. Some had initially speculated that it could be an Agents of Atlas series spotlighting more Asian characters in the MCU, while others have wondered if those reports were alluding to the Wonder Man series that has since been greenlit and is set to film next year.

Either way, there is still the narrative thread of Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) stepping into her father’s role as leader of the Ten Rings, as teased in Shang-Chi‘s post-credits scene. If we don’t see the group return sometime soon, either in a Shang-Chi sequel or the upcoming Armor Wars movie, a Disney+ Special Presentation could be the way to wrap up that story. 

Man-Thing

Part of what made Werewolf By Night such an effective use of the Special Presentation format was its approach to introducing its new characters, with Ted Sallis / Man-Thing (Carey Jones) immediately becoming a fan-favorite. As those familiar with Man-Thing’s bizarre Marvel mythos know, that first Special Presentation really only scratched the surface of what stories can be told with him, and particularly his connection to the Marvel multiverse.

Since the multiverse is sure to play a significant role in Avengers: Secret Wars in a matter of years, exploring Man-Thing’s connection to it in his own Disney+ special seems like a no-brainer. The fact that it would break the Internet in the process is only an added bonus.

Howard the Duck

We also have to acknowledge one MCU standout whose mythos is technically tied to Man-Thing — Howard the Duck. While the character, as voiced by Seth Green, has sporadically appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and What If…?, we’ve gotten to explore next-to-nothing about his status quo in the MCU.

Now that Kevin Smith’s planned animated series for Howard has been scrapped, the door is definitely open to give the character his own Special Presentation, and play off of his unique fish-out-of-water story. Plus, it could find some clever ways to redeem the infamous Howard the Duck movie of the 1980s — possibly with that film’s star, Lea Thompson, on board as well.

Ka-Zar

If a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is any indication, Marvel Studios wants to tell some sort of story involving the Savage Land. Outside of the X-Men, the prehistoric jungle pocket of reality is best associated with Kevin Plunder / Ka-Zar, a Tarzan-like hero who has been a consistent part of Marvel for decades.

With an ever-growing number of rumors surrounding Ka-Zar’s potential MCU debut, the best way to fully flesh out his story just might be in an action-packed and very weeird Special Presentation. 

Dazzler

Kevin Feige has confirmed that we won’t have to wait forever to see the X-Men in the MCU — and once we do, it seems like the sky is the limit regarding how they could be introduced. One X-Men member who feels tailor-made for the Special Presentation world is Alison Blaire / Dazzler, the disco pop star-turned-superhero that has remained a cult classic.

Since Dazzler was originally created to star in a movie that never came to fruition, it would be a bit of karmic justice to give her her own solo project. Disney+ also already has a perfect template for the format of a Dazzler Special Presentation, already hosting concert movies and documentaries for real-life pop stars like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.

Millie the Model

Shifting even further into the annals of Marvel’s history, one character who deserves to be rescued out of obscurity is Millie Collins / Millie the Model. One of the first regular characters within the Marvel Comics universe, Millie the Model followed the slice-of-life exploits of its titular character, who hopes to be a high-profile fashion model, and her friends. Outside of a Project Runway-inspired comic reboot in the early 2000s and a recent Marvel Unlimited webcomic, Millie’s world has yet to be updated for the present day.

That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be, as Millie the Model could easily be reimagined brilliantly into the current landscape of social media and influencer culture. Telling that story in a star-studded and stylish Special Presentation could be yet another example of Marvel Studios bucking its existing formula — and could provide an ordinary, non-superhero look at the MCU that fans regularly campaign for. 

Power Pack

The Power Pack have had a unique spot in Marvel’s world for decades, with the family of pint-sized heroes becoming bonafide fan-favorites. Over the years, there have been some efforts to bring the Power Pack into live-action, including a pitch from Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn.

As recently as 2019, reports indicated that a Power Pack project was on Marvel’s eventual to-do list — and the experimental and standalone nature of Special Presentations could be best suited for them.

Madisynn

Yes, Madisynn King (Patty Guggenheim) does not exist in the pages of Marvel Comics, and was only introduced just a matter of months ago as a supporting character of one episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. But the Marvel fandom has unabashedly and wholeheartedly embraced Madisynn, with Guggenheim’s portrayal bringing a lovable and meme-worthy take on so many components of the MCU. 

A Special Presentation surrounding Madisynn — and taking her into any sort of wacky and wild scenario within the MCU — would be an inspired choice. Bonus points if her best friend Wongers also appears.

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What Marvel Studios Special Presentation do you most want to see? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!