Many are excited for the slew of new Marvel shows. After the success of Daredevil, and the rumors of Moon Knight, Netflix is heating up Hell’s Kitchen. Currently, ABC has Agents of SHIELD, with Agent Carter filling in the mid-season gaps. Soon, we’ll see Marvel’s Most Wanted, which will feature Mockingbird and her on-and-off again lover, Hunter from SHIELD. I know its just a pipe-dream, but maybe we’ll see her lover from the comics, too: Hawkeye. While they’re filling the TV world with action dramas, Marvel has decided to bleed into sitcoms.
Damage Control’s roots in the MCU travel back the first film. In the final scene of Iron Man, Pepper and Coulson are preparing Tony for the press conference in which he admits he’s Iron Man. I just love how his line replaces that opening line of the following Black Sabbath song. A news broadcast of Rhodey plays on the TV behind Tony, Pepper, and Phil. The future War Machine warms the crowd up for Mr. Stark. The ticker on the screen eventually reads that Damage Control is preparing a report from Iron Man’s battle with Iron Monger.
With only four mini-series since their arrival in 1989, it will be hard to draw much source material. But cleaning up the aftermaths of Civil War and World War Hulk, there’s much potential to do the same in the MCU.
5. Stamford Incident
To boost ratings of their reality show, the New Warriors took on a group of high-profile villains holding up in Stamford, Connecticut. The battle resulted with Nitro exploding and taking many lives. “The straw that broke the camel’s back,” led the government to issue the Superhero Registration Act, splitting the Marvel Universe down the middle. Damage Control CEO, Walter Declun, provided Nitro with the Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH). Of course, it would have to be called something else, since Fox owns the word, “mutant.” They would also have to change Wolverine stalking him down, tearing through Damage Control warehouses, then fighting an MGH-charged Declun.
With Captain America: Civil War arriving shortly, many are wondering when such events will be set up. William Sadler, who played President Ellis on Iron Man 3, reprised his role on Agents of SHIELD to notify the nation of the task force he put into place for powered people. Chances are, the earliest Damage Control will premiere is next fall, months after the release of Captain America 3. If the MCU uses the incident to set up Civil War, it would have to be on either, Agents of SHIELD, Jessica Jones, or Daredevil. But Damage Control could flashback to the incident, like Agents does with the fall of SHIELD, a.k.a.Captain America: Winter Soldier.
4. Damage Control: The Movie
A fictional re-telling of their confrontation with shareholder, Kingpin, gave the same sort of irony that could translate well into comedic television. Vincent D’Onfrio could pull a cameo, mentioning Damage Control’s other owner, Tony Stark. And the Silver Surfer showing up, chasing their former employee, Edifice Rex, the wrap party is a whole ‘nother episode of its own. But, since that little glimmer of hope that turned out to be a rumor, I don’t forsee Silver Surfer making an appearance for, at least, the first few seasons; even if Marvel is producing the Fox-owned shows Legion and Hellfire. But maybe a cosmic character that Marvel does own, such as The Collector or Adam Warlock, could take take his place. Since this is comedy, he could be a rhymer, and played by Adam WarRock.
3. Wrecking Crew
In the Ultimate Universe, Damage Control is actually the band of oafs known in the 616 as Wrecking Crew. On the cartoon, Ultimate Spider-Man, the title hero and his team are given community service. They have suspicions that their handler was involved in robbing a bank. They discover that the Wrecking Crew posed as Damage Control employees to break in. An episode could feature a group of their construction workers robbing from the businesses they rebuilt. It would be cool if Wrecking Crew were those villains who crossover from show to show. Epic battles could ensue with The Defenders.
2. Constrictor v Hercules
Not only Spidey and his ‘mates, but many superheroes and villains served community service with Damage Control. Community service could be a way to feature minor characters we’d still like to see in live-action. When Hercules busted many bones in Constrictor’s body, the villain sued the Avenger. Losing the court battle, Hercules was sentenced to community service. Losing his heavenly riches in the case, the Greek god eventually became a full-time employee. I could see Gerard Butler or Patrick Warburton sitting in the stand, getting questioned by Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock. A villain suing a hero for thwarting them is enough to prove some of the most hilarious episodes.
1. The Irredeemable Ant-Man
Another employee turned super-powered was Eric O’Grady, the third Ant-Man. The first rumors I ever heard with Ant-Man, was that it was going to center around Eric O’Grady. I’m glad that it ended up with both, Hank Pym and Scott Lang. It’s cool that Marvel is now introducing second-generation heroes. In 2018, we’ll see Ant-Man and The Wasp. O’Grady could serve as a minor character on the show for a season or two. Then close to the sequel’s release, the crew could start dabbling in Pym Particles. Maybe a flashback could retcon Tom Foster, the fourth Goliath, as one of the casualties in Civil War. Egghead could become a major antagonist on the show, and crossover to the movie as a secondary villain. James Gunn, of Guardians of the Galaxy, expressed that he wanted to do a Thunderbolts movie. Suicide Squad will whet our appetites for villain teams. With a potential slot in one of the three unnamed movies for 2020, we could see O’Grady, either, join or fight his once teammates for Marvel’s answer to Suicide Squad.
Whether it’s outside the animated home of the Griffins, the apartment building of Chandler and Monica, or the Full House house, most sitcoms will show a glimpse of the outside before inviting you in. In a few years, Manhattan’s Flatiron Building, followed by a bulldog logo, will be Marvel’s open door to laughs.
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