Marvel Studios may set up classic 'Defenders' team for Phase 4 with Namor and the Silver Surfer
It's a post-Avengers world, or at least, it feels that way. Even with the colossal success of 'Avengers: Endgame', there are currently no plans for a new Avengers movie. The Avengers are for the most part dead, retired, or having their stories explored in their own movies and TV shows.
With the Avengers out of the picture for the time being, which Marvel superhero team is best equipped to save the planet? One answer is the original Defenders, and according to certain rumors circulating online, there just may be a movie featuring the classic line-up in the works.
The MCU has already seen a live-action 'Defenders' — a crossover TV series that brought the Marvel Netflix superheroes together, featuring Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones).
The series was critically underwhelming, to say the least, and was canceled after one season. All of Marvel's Netflix series ended soon after. However, the original line-up consisted of the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Namor, and the Silver Surfer, who were later joined by Valkyrie.
The MCU already has its Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). All it's missing is a Namor and a Silver Surfer. According to a rumor reported by MCU Cosmic, Marvel has recently gained the rights to Namor's character, meaning Marvel's King of the Seas could be coming to the big screen any day now. He may even be the character teased for 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', where Kevin Feige teased, "there was a character who we always wanted to do something with who will fit really well there."
With Disney's acquisition of Fox, the way is also paved for the introduction of the Silver Surfer to the MCU. In fact, according to a report by Geeks World Wide, a Silver Surfer movie is already in development. If the rumours are true, Marvel has everything it needs to start building up to its next big superhero crossover team, and it may have already started.
'The Defenders' were first introduced in 'Marvel Feature' #1 (1971), featuring a team-up between Namor, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange. This team proved popular enough to earn its own series, written by Steve Engelheart with art by Sal Buscema, adding the Silver Surfer to their ranks. Valkyrie was added to the team in issue #4, and though the roster has gone through many changes over the years, the original line-up is what's remembered by most comics fans.
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' will release in theaters on May 7, 2021.