3 female superhero flicks Marvel should be making now

Thanks to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the Marvel family of superhero movies continues be a force at the box office, wowing both critics and audiences. Part of the reason for all that success is the fact that since 2008’s “Iron Man,” Marvel Studios has been building a big screen world with a shared continuity and characters - the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU. Movies about individual heroes like Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America are all part of it, and paved the way for superhero team-ups like "The Avengers."

But if the MCU has one shortcoming, it’s the fact that despite a stacked bench of amazing superheroes (both male and female) waiting in the comic book wings, there has yet to be a Marvel movie based around a female character.

That may change soon, as Marvel’s unofficial “Boys Only” policy is about to be challenged by rival studio Sony, the folks behind the Spider-Man franchise. Sony has thrown down the gauntlet by developing a female-centric superhero movie set in "Spider-Man" universe.

As the industry leader for all things superhero, the ball is now in Marvel Studios' court. Make a female superhero movie already, guys! Here are three female Marvel superheroes that should be headlining their own films:

Black Widow

This one is obvious. S.H.I.E.L.D. superspy Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), better known by her codename Black Widow, has been a major force in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2010’s “Iron Man 2.” After saving Tony Stark’s backside, she’s since stood side-by-side with Earth’s mightiest heroes in “The Avengers,” and teamed up with Steve Rogers in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

Despite the promise of an expanded role in the upcoming “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Black Widow is still playing second fiddle to her male counterparts (who, with the exception of Hawkeye, have all starred in their own films) until she gets her own movie. Rumours of a standalone “Black Widow” movie have circulated for years, and there have almost certainly been serious discussions about it at Marvel HQ, but it’s always been a “what if” scenario that doesn’t currently seem like it’s in the cards.

Unfortunately, even though Johansson has proven her action movie mettle at the box office recently (her latest film, the sci-fi actioner “Lucy,” toppled Dwayne Johnson’s “Hercules” just a few weeks ago), it’s far more likely Marvel would pair her with another, more recognizable superhero (most likely a male one), for any kind of solo outing. We’re not saying we don’t want to see a Black Widow/Hawkeye movie starring Johansson and Jeremy Renner, we’re just saying give the lady her due already!

Captain Marvel

The current Captain Marvel is one of the most important and powerful female characters in the Marvel Universe. Essentially the Marvel Comics equivalent of Superman (in that she is super strong, super tough, and can fly), former military pilot Carol Danvers inherited her superpowers from the previous hero to bear the name Captain Marvel (an alien named Mar-Vell from the same race as “Guardians of the Galaxy” baddie Ronan the Accuser).

She’s currently palling around with Peter Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comic books and has previously fought alongside the Avengers, so why not bring her into the fold for the just announced “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” and then give her a standalone film?

Marvel has publicly discussed the idea of a “Captain Marvel” movie, but as is the case with all the other female superheroes, it’s been mostly talk. “Edge of Tomorrow” star Emily Blunt, “Oculus” star Katee Sackhoff, and former “Dexter” star Yvonne Strahovski have all been fan favourites for the role.

Scarlet Witch

Though Marvel movie fans don’t really know her yet, Scarlet Witch is set to be a very big part of the MCU once “Avengers: Age of Ultron” hits theatres next year. First seen in the post-credits sequence of “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is a superhero with the ability to manipulate and alter the very fabric of reality. In the comics, she and her twin brother Quicksilver are the mutant children of X-Men nemesis Magneto, but because Marvel doesn’t actually own the film rights to any of the X-characters they won’t be mentioning that connection on screen. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will appear in the MCU thanks to the fact that both characters have been members of the the comic book Avengers over the years.

The fact that Scarlet Witch is one of the most potent forces in the Marvel universe is obviously a major reason to make a film about the character, but the studio should also make “Scarlet Witch” for business reasons. While Quicksilver already appeared in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” giving his sister Scarlet Witch her own film would prevent “X-Men” movie producers Fox from using the character - one of the most important in the entire Marvel universe - in any substantive way. If Marvel Studios has already called dibs on the character, why not follow through with a standalone film?

Although it’s extremely hard to keep track of which Marvel character belongs to which studio, there really is no reason at this point that these companies can’t at least try to make a female superhero movie. It’s not the 1950s: Audiences have been ready for superpowered ladies for some time now. Which female superhero character would you like to see star in her own movie? Let us know in the comments.