The Avengers can barely visit a shawarma joint or go on a trip to Wakanda without trouble following them. Despite constantly saving the world, however, they are humans, too – well, most of them are. So while we look up to them as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, it is their human side that calls out to viewers and gets us hooked.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Black Panther, Spider Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok in the lineup, we are literally a few years and one Infinity Stone away from a blank space in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, here are a few more movies that we totally need to see and commiserate with.
Black Widow
Let’s start with Natasha Romanoff – the epitome of a Strong, Independent Woman TM.
As Black Widow, she is a ruthless assassin who can break necks without batting an eyelash. As Natasha Romanov, on the other hand, we can count on one hand what we know about her: she’s a former KGB agent who is willing to have red on her ledger for the people she cares about. That’s it, and that isn’t enough.
To what extent did her childhood and time as an assassin affect her psyche? Is she still struggling with the fact that she can’t have children? How does she manage to live above her unpleasant experiences? We wouldn’t know unless Marvel decides to have a stand-alone Black Widow movie. They totally should, though, because there is so much we can learn from the mystery who, in the comic-verse, has said, “I am my own woman. First, last, and always.” How’s that for woman empowerment?
Hawkeye
The second Avenger who we need to see more of is none other than MCU’s resident archer — Clint Barton.
In the second Avengers movie, Natasha said that nothing brings the group together more than pretending to need this guy. His partner in crime’s affectionately teasing tone aside, the statement has some truth to it. After all, he is the only one of them who has his own family so it would make sense that he manages to pacify the Avengers family if need be. That was until he decided to retire and the Civil War happened.
In the Philippines, we have a particularly family-oriented culture so it would be interesting to see what Barton’s next move is. Did he retreat to his and wife Laura’s safe house with their three children? Has he been communicating with Natasha and his former teammates? Is he still in touch with Director Nick Fury?
Barton was able to hide his own family from his nosy teammates, showing how seriously he takes the work-home divide and gets that perfect work-life balance. And this is more reason we need a follow up on our favorite archer; if a movie won’t work, then maybe a series would suffice.
Iron Man
Now, when we talk about another Iron Man film, it isn’t just because we can’t get enough of Tony Stark’s sharp humor and snarky remarks.
Tony may have given himself the catchy label “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” but that isn’t who he is completely. In fact, he is one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We have seen him deal with alcoholism in the first two films in the Iron Man franchise. On the third film, we saw his struggle with panic attacks and symptoms of PTSD. Of course, who can forget how broken he was after everything that went down with the former Captain America, Steve Rogers and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes during the Civil War.
An expansion on this character arc is particularly helpful for those who are struggling with issues, such as alcoholism, mental health problems, and yes, friendship blues.
Scarlet Witch
Finally, we need a follow up on Wanda Maximoff, better known as Scarlet Witch.
Wanda, along with her brother Pietro, was originally a HYDRA experiment who sided with Ultron to defeat the Avengers. When she realized the grave that she was digging for herself and with much encouragement from Hawkeye, she eventually made a turnaround and stood alongside the Avengers.
It would be interesting to see how the narrative of this redeemed villainess turns out. She lost her family at a young age – her brother in a catastrophe she believed she caused – and when she joined the Avengers, it seemed like chaos would never go away. Let’s add in her budding (complicated) romance with The Vision. How she will manage to make things right in the world and deal with relationship issues at the same time is sure to empower all the women out there.
After all their avenging, these heroes need to have some room to breathe. And we want to know if they turn out okay. Unfortunately, as Dr. Bruce Banner had said, we don’t every time get what we want. But it wouldn’t hurt to hope, would it?
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