Marvel Studios has a problem wholly unique to themselves. While Sony, Fox, Universal, and Paramount are desperate to find characters and franchises that can sustain sequels and perhaps cinematic universes, Disney and Marvel have probably two dozen characters that could do that. They have such a wealth of characters that fans and filmmakers have been speculating new and exciting combinations that would be major hits that Marvel Studios may not ever make. One of those is the much-speculated “Female Avengers” film.
READ MORE: Marvel’s All-Female Superhero Team-Up May Not Come Anytime Soon
One of those filmmakers that would like to see an all-female ‘Avengers’ spin-off is none other than Peyton Reed, the director behind Marvel Studio hits “Ant-Man” and this year’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” Not only would he like to see the ladies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe step up in a big way on the big screen, but he knows who’d make a good leader too — Evangeline Lily’s Wasp.
In an interview with Huffington Post, Reed explained:
“I’d like her running things. I’d like to see her as the head of the all-female Avengers. I know Evangeline sort of said … maybe that would be Captain Marvel because she does have the word ‘captain’ in her name. But I think Hope van Dyne is a very decisive leader and a tactician, in addition to being a brilliant scientist. So she checks a lot of boxes in terms of who’s going to be running the Avengers, theoretically.”
He does bring up great points. Wasp has shown in her two appearances in the MCU to be a completely capable, if not superior, superhero. And Lily, herself, has shown that she’s more than capable of headlining a Marvel Studios film. However, when you speak to the actress, she has some interesting thoughts about her MCU future.
In an interview at a recent event (via Comicbook.com), Lily was asked about a potential “Wasp” solo film. Surprisingly, she’s not in favor:
“I like the MCU and I’d like to stay. But I actually don’t like the idea of a ‘Wasp’ standalone film, because Ant-Man and Wasp, since the very beginning in the comic books, were always a team. And really, they’re kind of one of the only proper and true teams in the MCU, otherwise it’s mostly a lot of individuals. And I love the team aspect of it, I love watching the interplay between Wasp and Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. For me it’s the most fun part of the film.”
However, when there is one spin-off Lily would be into — the aforementioned female “Avengers.” “So I don’t love the idea of breaking them up — except if there was an all-female ‘Avengers’ film,” Lilly said. “Then I’m in.”
So, while the other studios throw crap against a wall to see what sticks, Marvel Studios has so many characters that they could mix and match them into hit franchises, if it was something the studio wanted. Will we ever get an all-female MCU film? Perhaps, but that’s not a guarantee. But ask Sony if it would like a film featuring a half-dozen proven superstars and the studio would probably write a check for $200 million in a heartbeat.