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With Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and the team as we knew them saying farewell, it leaves a spot for some new cosmic heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, we know The Marvels is going to be pretty cosmic. But the adventures of Carol, Monica, and Kamala will at least partially take place on Earth. We are talking total outer space adventures here, Star Wars/Star Trek style. And these are our picks for the cosmic Marvel heroes we would like to see fill the Guardians’ slot in the MCU.

The Starjammers Could Be the MCU’s New Cosmic Misfit Heroes

The Guardians of the Galaxy were the MCU’s resident spacefaring band of rogues, scoundrels with hearts of gold. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, there’s another gang of intergalactic misfits who travel the spaceways — the Starjammers. These rebel pirates travel Shi’ar space in their ship, the Starjammer, from which they took their name, helping the helpless and making a little coin where they can.

Yes, there are strong similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy, with a crew of ragtag aliens led by a human captain from Earth. But these guys, with names like Ch’od and Raza Longknife, are even rougher around the edges. And the Starjammers have strong ties to the X-Men mythology, as their leader Corsair, a.k.a. Christopher Summers, is actually the father of X-Men brothers Cyclops and Havok. We could see the Starjammers being a new MCU cosmic crew of heroes.

The Silver Surfer Could Glide Into Action

There is no bigger cosmic superhero in Marvel Comics than the Silver Surfer. And fans have long been clamoring for the MCU arrival of the former Herald of Galactus, who turned over his existence to the Devourer of Worlds save his home planet. The logical place for this cosmic hero to arrive would be in a Fantastic Four film. After all, that’s where the Surfer first appeared in the comics, and he has ties to that team.

However, Norrin Radd (that’s the Sentinel of the Spaceway’s true name) could appear in a solo project first. Rumors continue to make their way online that he might be the subject of a Marvel Studios Disney+ Special Presentation. Or he could get his own big-screen solo project at last. But he should definitely show up soon. The Silver Surfer remains one of the biggest Marvel Comics characters yet to appear in the MCU. And we’re just throwing this out there, but Keanu Reeves would be perfect in this role.

Nova Could Finally Arrive in the MCU as an Anticipated Cosmic Hero

Marvel Studios keeps teasing plans for Nova, and they still have yet to come to fruition. In the comics, Nova is a human teenager named Richard Rider, who becomes the last member of the intergalactic Nova Corps. A dying member of the planet Xandar’s Nova Corps turned over his uniform to the New York high school student, giving him the powers of a Nova Centurion. Yes, it’s basically DC’s Green Lantern mashed up with Spider-Man, but it works.

There’s actually already a perfect setup for this cosmic character in the MCU because we met the Nova Corps in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. And we know Thanos destroyed Xandar right before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The table is perfectly set for Nova to arrive on the scene. In fact, they almost included his origin in Endgame. Of all the cosmic heroes yet to turn up in the MCU, Nova is one of the characters it seems fans want to see the most, behind only the Silver Surfer.

The Imperial Guard Could Appear in Live-Action

One of Marvel Comics’ biggest interstellar empires is the Shi’ar. The avian-humanoid race lords over thousands of worlds across the galaxy and are ruled by the Empress Lilandra… Who occasionally dates X-Men founder Charles Xavier. But the Shi’ar were protected by the Imperial Guard, a mini-army of characters who showcase different powers. And who were based not-so-loosely on DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes. The most famous Imperial Guardsman is Gladiator, a mix of Superman and, well, a Roman gladiator (hence the name). We’re not sure these cosmic heroes are meant to carry their own movie or series, but they should appear somewhere in the MCU.

The Phoenix Force Is a Cosmic Entity Worthy of an MCU Adaptation

You’re probably thinking, “Didn’t we do the Phoenix in not one, but two X-Men movies? That were not all that great?” Well, technically, yes, we did. But the X-Men movies chose to translate Jean Grey’s Phoenix identity as a result of her mutation alone. Dark Phoenix hinted at something more cosmic, but just barely. But in the pages of Marvel Comics, the Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity that can swallow suns and destroy worlds. It would be cool to see that version in the MCU—long before the entity connects with a young mutant girl named Jean Grey.

Quasar Should Fight Marvel Space Baddies

Quasar is one of Marvel’s most prominent cosmic heroes, and he’d fit right into the MCU. Quasar was an Avenger for many years and headlined their own ongoing series for 60 issues in the ‘90s. Wendell Vaughn was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was studying the Quantum Bands, alien bracelets of incredible power. Think Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet, only shaped like Wonder Woman’s bracers. When he put them on, he became Quasar, Protector of the Universe.

There were reports that the hero Quasar was going to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and that turned out to be false. Then we heard Quasar would pop up in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3. Phyla-Vell, who once went by the name Quasar in the comics, did appear. But she wasn’t Quasar yet. So there is still room for the original Protector of the Universe to appear somewhere in the MCU. Perhaps as a future Avenger? But what we really want is to see him out in space fighting alien baddies.

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