TheAvengershave always been pillars of hope and heroism in the Marvel Universe, and even their villains have mostly been cartoony bad guys as opposed to truly horrific threats (with a few notable exceptions, of course). However, in the far, Sci-Fi, alternate future of the Marvel Universe, the Avengers Federation is what becomes of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and it turns theMCU’s best heroes and villains alike into pure nightmare fuel.
InSpace: Punisherby Frank Tieri and Mark Texeira, readers are taken to an alternate Marvel Universe, one set in a distant Sci-Fi future. In this continuity, the Punisher is flying through space in his sentient spaceship, Maria, alongside his android sidekick, Chip. Just like the Earth-616 version, the Punisher is hunting down the criminals responsible for killing his family. However, the criminal organization behind that tragedy inSpace: Punisherisn’t composed of humans, but rather variants of some ofthe most popular Marvel villains ever: Magneto, Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Ultron, Red Skull, and the Brood Queen.
Afterthe Punisher tracks down and murdersevery member of this galactic criminal enterprise dubbed the Six Fingered Hand (including their assassins), he learns that they are just puppets of a gang of Watchers that secretly run the Six Fingered Hand. With the help of the Hulk, the Punisher is actually able to kill the Watchers. While that murderous act of vengeance gives the Punisher a happy ending, his crusade across the cosmos gets the attention of the Avengers Federation themselves, which is just as terrifying as the villains the Punisher was fighting before.
Space: Punisher Reimagines MCU Heroes & Villains as Horrific Creatures
Some Characters’ Powers are Taken Disturbingly Literally
Throughout the Punisher’s mission to avenge his family and kill the Six Fingered Hand, he and readers are introduced to a number of disturbing variants of classic MCU characters. The Punisher himself is pretty much the same as his Earth-616 counterpart (just with a spaceman redesign), but the same cannot be said for practically anyone else.
The most dramatic villain redesigns are seen with Green Goblin and Doc Ock, as Green Goblin becomes a winged goblin creature, while Doc Ock literally has octopus tentacles for legs. Then, there are the Six Fingered Hand’s assassins, Deadpool, Sabretooth, and the Leader, withDeadpool becoming something akin to a liquid-metal Terminator(complete with shapeshifting powers), and Sabretooth somehow becoming even more animalistic.
As far as the Avengers themselves, Tony Stark’s body has been horrifically fused with his Iron Man suit, Ant-Man is an ant/human hybrid, and the Hulk is a four-armed beast who poses as much a threat to the cosmos as Galactus himself. These reimaginings are perfect for the Sci-Fi setting of this unique universe, though they’re still unquestionably terrifying.
Space: Punisher Needs to Get the MCU Treatment
Marvel Should Bring These Horrific Variants to Life
Each of thesecharacters has been prominently featured in the MCU, but they’ve never looked anything like this before (in the MCU or otherwise) - and the MCU should remedy that immediately. The creative redesigns are utterly striking and insanely terrifying, and bringing them to the big screen would only highlight the horrific appearances of theseSpace: Punishervariants. Plus, a space-epic set in a corner of the Marvel multiverse akin toStar Warswould be absolutely stunning to see in theaters.
Marvel Twists the MCU By Changing Phil Coulson’s Infamous Death With Iron Man’s Help
Phil Coulson’s death in the MCU was emotional and impactful, but Marvel Comics somehow just topped it, which was only possible with Iron Man’s help.
But, even if the MCU never adaptsSpace: Punisher, fans will always be able to see these versions of iconic MCU characters within the comic book miniseries itself. And, given the fact that theseAvengershero/villain redesigns are pure nightmare fuel, actually seeing them in theMCUmight be more than fans can take.
The Avengers
Cast
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
