The fantastical world of Marvel Comics has spawned more spin-off media than most franchises could ever dream of. From movies to video games to cartoons, the various heroes and villains of the Marvel universe have been represented in just about every medium out there.
Unfortunately, not every project developed has come to pass. For every piece of Marvel media released, there's usually another that was lost to time. From abandoned movie sequels to unseen TV shows, these are ten Marvel projects that might exist in another universe, but definitely not our own.
'Spider-Man 4'
Possibly the most high-profile canceled Marvel project, Spider-Man 4 would have been the fourth film in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series, and see both Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst return from prior entries. Villains that were considered for the film included Mysterio, Vulture (portrayed by John Malkovich), and even Kraven the Hunter.
Unfortunately, after the mixed critical and fan reaction to the third film, Sony got cold feet over doing the fourth film and opted to do a reboot of the series instead. However, with both Maguire's return to the character and Raimi's return to the world of comic book movies, there might just be a slim chance of this project becoming reality once more.
'Inhumans' Movie
Announced during Marvel's Phase 3 conference back in 2014, The Inhumans was to be the royal family's film debut, planned for a 2018 release date. Not much is known about the project, other than that Vin Diesel was interested in portraying Black Bolt, and Adam McKay may have been considered for the director.
Following a management shakeup at Marvel Studios in 2016, the film was removed from the slate, and only a few months after that, an ABC series based on the comics was announced as being in development. Considering the show's poor reception from viewers, it's unlikely Marvel will be returning to the Inhumans anytime soon.
'Marvel: Chaos'
The characters of Marvel are no strangers to the fighting game genre, but Marvel: Chaos would have been a fighter unlike any other. Developed by Electronic Arts Chicago, the video game would've featured classic Marvel heroes and villains going head-to-head in an interactive and destructive rendition of New York City.
Planned for a release in 2008, the game suffered from several developmental issues, the least of which being Marvel's disdain for the art direction of the title. Only a few months after the game's announcement, it ceased development, taking EA Chicago down with it.
'Captain America' Animated Series
The 1990s saw Marvel bring many of its characters to life through the small screen. Near the end of the decade, Captain America would've also joined that pantheon in a cartoon that would've chronicled the character's many adventures during the Second World War.
While a promo was created for the show, little else is known about it. It's likely that the combination of Marvel's financial issues at the time and the show's rather risky setting were what prevented it from getting the green light.
'Gambit'
One of the X-Men's most popular members, Remy LeBeau was set to get his own movie after years of discussions. Featuring Channing Tatum in the title role, it was set to be a heist movie and would've been smaller in scope compared to other films in the franchise.
Sadly, the film was plagued by production issues and a revolving door of directors, ranging from Rupert Wyatt to Gore Verbinski, and plenty in between. The Disney acquisition of Fox in 2019 finally killed the project, much to Tatum's dismay.
THQ's 'Avengers Game'
Earth's mightiest heroes have made plenty of video game appearances, but none of them seem nearly as intriguing as the 2012 abandoned Avengers video game, developed by THQ. While it would've released alongside the movie, this first-person action game instead featured an original story centered around a Skrull invasion, written by comic author Brian Michael Bendis.
Though the game impressed fans and Marvel themselves, THQ's financial troubles left the future of the game in doubt. And when no other company was interested in continuing to finance the title's development, the game was officially canceled. Despite a decade having passed since its cancelation, this title continues to fascinate fans as to what could've been.
'The New Warriors'
One of Marvel's more youthful teams, the New Warriors, was all set to get its own TV series back in 2017. While little is known about the storyline planned for the series, the main cast of characters has been revealed, which included fan favorites like Squirrel Girl and Speedball.
Although a pilot was completed later that year, Freeform passed on the show, as they felt it didn't fit in with their other programs at that time. The show was shopped around other networks until it was unceremoniously canceled near the end of 2019.
'Dr. Doom' Movie
Arguably the greatest villain in all of Marvel Comics, Dr. Doom was at one point considered to have his own feature film, directed by Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo). The film aimed to be a political thriller, and a deep exploration into the psyche of the Latverian ruler.
While Hawley was optimistic about the project, Disney's purchase of Fox seems to have left the project dead in the water. Thankfully, although this project may not see the light of day, fans can rest knowing it's only a matter of time before Doom makes his grand return to the big screen via the MCU.
'Ghost Rider' Series
One of the standouts from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had to be Gabriel Luna as the fan-favorite spirit of vengeance, Ghost Rider. In 2019, the character would've gotten a spin-off series of his own on Hulu.
In a surprising move, the show was abruptly canceled mere months after its initial announcement. While details remain sketchy, it's most likely that the dissolution of Marvel's Television division, which occurred around the same time, was the main factor behind the project not moving forward.
Fox-Marvel Crossover Film
Quite possibly the biggest Marvel project that went unseen, X-Men: First Class writer Zack Stentz was tapped to write a crossover movie that would've featured every Marvel character Fox held the rights to. The 2010 film would've been a loose adaptation of the Civil War comic storyline, with the X-Men going up against The Fantastic Four.
Although the movie did set up potential sequels and there were talks of Paul Greengrass directing it, the movie was ultimately canceled for unknown reasons. It's an understatement to say that, had this film been released, the comic-book movie landscape would look a lot different today.