Ms. Marvel, Blade, and Iron Fist movies in the works

One of the primary traits of The Avengers is the fluid nature of their roster. It never stays stable for very long as heroes come and go at a rapid clip. As Marvel looks forward to Phase Three of their cinematic universe, and questions continue to swirl about the future of Iron Man and The Avengers 2, it's beginning to look like there will be a significant amount of turn over on the big screen.

A couple of years ago a story emerged that Marvel was developing smaller movies for a number of B-list characters, and out of that came Dr. Strange and Ant-Man, both set for after the 'Avengers' sequel. But Marvel has also seen their roster of film properties swell over the last few months, with Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Blade, and The Punisher all coming back into the fold. According to THR, Marvel is already setting the stage for a future wave of characters to hit theaters, including one that they just regained control of. Here's how the trade puts it....

Marvel has a writing program it uses as a concept generator and has scripts for Blade and Ms. Marvel features, for example. Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Black Panther and The Runaways are other projects on the horizon.

Ms. Marvel had been rumored to be in the first 'Avengers' film at one point, and Dr. Strange and Black Panther have been in the works for quite some time. But Iron Fist is a completely new idea, and it's a little odd that he's not mentioned in conjunction with Luke "Power Man" Cage, a character many have expected Marvel to prioritize at some point. As for the teenage heroes known as The Runaways, that script was written some time ago by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3 co-writer), and had already secured a director in Peter Sollett (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) before the film was put on hiatus.

But the real surprise is the idea of a Blade reboot. Marvel President Kevin Feige recently brushed off the thought of it happening any time soon, and his reasons made plenty of sense. He's a character that has been on the shelf for a long time, and a fresh approach will have to be found beyond him just being a guy who kills vampires and wears a cool pair of shades. I suggested that Marvel may be inclined to focus on him first, as his original trilogy is still well-regarded by fans, and features a memorable lead performance by Wesley Snipes. Looks like I might not have been too far off.

Marvel is still negotiating with Robert Downey Jr. to appear in the next two 'Avengers' films, but he almost certainly won't be back for any more solo Iron Man films. It looks like they're getting all of their ducks in a row in preparation for moving on without him.