7 Black Marvel Characters Perfect for the MCU

Now that the Avengers are expanding their ranks to include many different types of heroes and team-ups, we’re starting to see a wide range of Black characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This year, Kang the Conqueror debuted in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Soon, Monica Rambeau will join Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel in their high-flying adventure, The Marvels. In 2024, Sam Wilson will take to the skies as Captain America and the Bradley family will return in Captain America: New World Order. Black heroes and villains continue to make our favorite Marvel stories even better.

Fortunately, the comics that inspire the MCU are full of many more Black characters to add magic and mayhem. Let’s take a look at some top choices for who should be adapted for the screen next.

Manifold

Wakanda is one of the most popular and successful corners of the MCU right now. This powerful nation will inevitably expand its reach, possibly even to outer space like in John Ridley’s showstopping Black Panther run. Especially with the rising threat of Talokan, Wakanda will need to step its game up somehow.

In their efforts to defend against growing powers, Wakanda might begin by recruiting defenders from other parts of the globe — perhaps as a way for Shuri to honor Killmonger’s wish to help their people all over the world. This could lead them to Eden Fesi, AKA Manifold, an Indigenous Australian mutant who is closely tied to Nick Fury and, lately, Wakanda in the comics. He also has ties to S.W.O.R.D. With his powers of teleportation via universal manipulation, Manifold would be an interesting addition to the upcoming Secret Wars of the Multiverse Saga.

Alloy

While we’re discussing Wakanda, there’s also Alloy. Otherwise known as Ramone Watts, Alloy isn’t a Wakandan citizen per se but she does have strong connections. Alloy’s mother Zabae was a member of the Dora Milaje. Now that we’ve seen the Dora Milaje will be branching out, with Okoye and Aneka donning their Midnight Angels armor, it would make sense for Dora Milaje lore to continue expanding.

Alloy and her brother, Johnny, both gained body-altering powers from their mother’s Vibranium rings. Johnny, AKA Fuse, is able to copy the density of an item he touches while Alloy’s skin essentially bonds with the Vibranium itself. She also becomes romantically involved with America Chavez and her brother has a relationship with Kate Bishop, all while they operate as the West Coast Avengers.

Doctor Voodoo

As we anticipate the release of Coven of Chaos, and hope for the eventual return of Scarlet Witch, magic is on the rise in the MCU. Plus, Doctor Strange is away with Clea and Wongers is dealing with Sorcerer Supreme stuff. With this giant magical hole in the MCU, the Haitian hero Jericho Drumm is the perfect choice to raise the stakes (and the dead).

Jericho Drumm, AKA Doctor Voodoo, is from New Orleans. He has helped saved the world with the Avengers multiple times and he has even served as the Sorcerer Supreme. Currently, he is in charge of the Strange Academy. At one point, he and Wanda were also an item. Doctor Voodoo is a houngan, which means he practices voodoo and wields the Staff of Legba. One of his particular gifts is necromancy, which is why he also uses his dead twin brother’s spirit as a guide and assistant. This brother, Daniel Drumm, has already appeared (and died) in Doctor Strange, so it might not be long before Jericho decides to avenge him in the MCU.

Zoe Laveau

As mentioned previously, Strange Academy is the school where Jericho Drumm works. Started by Stephen Strange, it’s a place in New Orleans for children to learn their craft, whether they’re young Frost Giants, a son of Dormammu, or destined to end the world. Zoe Laveau is one of these students, a descendant of Nola’s famed Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

It’s important to note that not all Black characters need to be involved with voodoo and zombies but, as far as magical heroes go, Zoe Laveau is endlessly intriguing. She was cursed with a zombie form after meddling with magic she didn’t yet understand. Now, she is emerging as a capable supernatural leader in her own right. While Strange Academy doesn’t exist yet in the MCU, she could be featured as a student at Kamar-Taj. Marvel does love its zombies, after all.

Reese

Recently, the MCU has begun to expose a darker underbelly of monsters and body horror. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought in Dark Dimension beasts and grotesque murders while Werewolf by Night introduced literal monster hunters. Reese, as a vampire, would fit right into the world of Jack Russell — or even the eventual Blade film.

However, as an eternal creature of the night, Reese also comes into contact with Moon Knight. Should Moon Knight return to the MCU, Reese would be the perfect addition to the Fist of Khonshu’s team. After Moon Knight sets up a new Midnight Mission headquarters in New York City, he hires Reese as his assistant. Their banter is entertaining but ultimately these two lost souls really do help each other find purpose under an inconstant moon.

Nekra

Nekra Sinclair has one of the most unique power sets in Marvel comics. When her mother was pregnant, she was exposed to radiation. As a result, Nekra was born with almost vampiric features — a startling sight for her family, which soon rejected her. Along with her pale features, Nekra also has the ability to draw upon her emotions, particularly hatred, and channel that into superhuman abilities such as strength, stamina, and speed.

During her journey, Nekra became involved with the Grim Reaper. Eric Williams, AKA the Grim Reaper, is the brother of Simon Williams, a prominent Avenger known as Wonder Man — and in the comics, a partial basis for Vision. When Simon is killed, Eric becomes obsessed with vengeance for his brother. Nekra’s devotion to Eric helps fuel the Grim Reaper’s immense power and these two would definitely make a compelling addition to the Wonder Man series in development.

Apocalypse

Listen, we don’t take the word “mutant” lightly around here, and neither does Marvel. So the official introduction of mutants to the MCU will need to be big and grand. Who better to usher in the Children of the Atom than one of the first mutants himself, Apocalypse?

The Ms. Marvel series teased that Kamala Khan could be a mutant (as was the original intent for her comic book character) and Namor stated in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that he is a mutant. However, mutants themselves are closely associated with the X-Men. Apocalypse, one of the X-Men’s eternal foes, would be more than capable of facilitating mutants into the MCU. His powers of mutant augmentation are unrivaled. Plus, he’s dabbled in Celestial technology, an emerging presence in the MCU thanks to the Eternals and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

And these are only a few of the amazing Black characters of Marvel comics! There’s always the possibility Miles Morales could swing through, or even the Wind Rider herself, Storm. Who do you want to see up on your screen?

Speculate with other Marvel fans in our Let Your Spoiler Sideshow: MCU Phase Five Facebook Group, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!