Jenna Ortega has caught viewers’ attention as Wednesday Addams on the Tim Burton Netflix series, Wednesday. Fans have enjoyed her commitment to the role, embracing Wednesday’s eccentricities, her dark palette, and her outsider energy. Wanting to see more from her, fans immediately began speculating which role they might like to see her don in the MCU.
As a young Disney Channel star and more recently a scream queen, Ortega has already held many roles, including a small one in the MCU. Ortega appeared in 2013’s Iron Man 3 as Vice President Rodriguez (Miguel Ferrer)'s daughter. There are more interesting and substantial Marvel characters she could play, however, and future phases of the MCU could see her slip into something more befitting her talent.
Dazzler
Alison Blaire, aka Dazzler, is a mutant who can convert sound into light and energy beams. She’s a reluctant superhero and prefers to tour as a pop star with a better-than-average laser and light show. However, she does eventually join the X-Men and learns to embrace and hone her powers.
Dazzler was nearly teased in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse when Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) found her new album in a record shop. Unfortunately, that deleted scene can only be seen in the DVD’s extras. Dazzler made her live-action debut in 2019’s Dark Phoenix in a brief cameo, performing in the woods when Professor X cancels classes. Cameron Crowe has expressed interest in directing a Dazzler movie for the MCU with names such as Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa suggested, but Jenna Ortega has undeniable stage presence and would really do her brazen, feminist personality justice.
Firestar
Angelica Jones, aka Firestar, has a fun character arc, going from shy and insecure to strong and confident as she develops her powers, which include the ability to make and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to fly and create fire. As a one-time member of both the X-Men and the Avengers, Firestar seems like a good choice for a mutant to be introduced to the MCU.
As Angelica starts her superhero journey as a high school student and as a girlfriend to Peter Parker, Jenna Ortega seems well-positioned to step into the role. There is some speculation, however, that Firestar may already be hiding in plain sight in the MCU. Rumors were stoked when Zendaya’s MJ was revealed not to be an iteration of Mary Jane, but Michelle Jones, perhaps even Michelle Angelica Jones. Time will tell which way the MCU spins it.
Mockingbird
Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird and sometimes Huntress, is a Ph.D, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent 19, an Avenger, and a powerful superhero with superhuman strength, accelerated healing, halted aging, and terrific combat, espionage, and markswoman skills. She’s also Clint Barton/Hawkeye’s ex-wife.
Mockingbird was portrayed by Adrianne Palicki in the MCU-adjacent Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. More recently, the Disney+ series Hawkeye seemed to confirm that Clint’s wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) was an agent of SHIELD and perhaps even Mockingbird herself, either retired or living undercover. But with the old guard passing the torch to younger Avengers, Jenna Ortega certainly has the chops to play one of Marvel’s most powerful female heroes.
Polaris
Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, is a mutant and proud X-Man who can control magnetism much like her biological father, Magneto, with powers strong enough to disrupt Earth’s magnetic field and banish the mutant island Krakoa to deep space. She has a long-standing romantic entanglement with teammate Havok and mental health issues stemming from being one of few survivors of the Genosha massacre.
Emma Dumont ably portrayed Polaris in the TV show The Gifted, though it had no connection to the MCU. Polaris is a complicated and multi-faced character, deserving of and requiring a strong actress to usher her into the MCU family. Jenna Ortega has already shown herself capable of nuanced performances and would bring some much-needed empathy to the role.
Moonstone
Dr. Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone, is a former psychologist who got her powers from fusion with a gravity stone designed by the alien Kree. Moonstone can fly, generate light and photon blasts, control gravity, and more. A self-serving master manipulator after personal power and status, Moonstone has been a critical component of both the Thunderbolts and the Dark Avengers.
Moonstone is famously one of Marvel’s fiercest female supervillains, a frequent and worthy opponent to Captain Marvel. There seems to be ample opportunity to introduce Moonstone, even within phase 5, and she demands to be portrayed by a badass actress like Jenna Ortega who can handle both her cruelty and her competence.
Gwenpool
Gwendolyn Poole, aka Gwenpool or Pink Slayer, is a girl from the real world transported to the Marvel Universe and retconned as a mutant; she’s aware of the fourth wall and knows she’s in a comic book because she comes from a world in which comic books exist. Her design blends Gwen Stacy and Wade Wilson/Deadpool. As a former Marvel superfan, she uses her vast knowledge of the Marvel Universe, comic book tropes, and the fourth wall to manipulate reality.
Gwenpool is a happy-go-lucky fangirl, instantly iconic and a fan-favorite. She may not be an easy addition to the MCU, but she’d be fun and more than worth the effort. There may be some crossover potential between Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and the MCU via Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom. This would clearly require an actress versatile enough to conquer the meta-angles of the character, and Ortega seems primed to go full throttle.
Squirrel Girl
Doreen Allene Green, aka Squirrel Girl, is not a mutant but a college student with a genetic anomaly that resulted in a prehensile tail, claws, retractable knuckle spiles, and the ability to talk to squirrels. She’s a light-hearted character often used to satirize comic book tropes, including her undefeated status against high-ranking villains like Doctor Doom and Thanos achieved by befriending them to turn their lives around, and her membership in the Great Lakes Avengers, made up of well-intentioned and enthusiastic heroes with useless abilities.
Squirrel Girl is in the great tradition of comedic Marvel characters, like Howard the Duck and Spider-Ham. Jenna Ortega hasn’t shied away from goofy, eccentric characters, and there’s no doubt she could make the best out of a fun and beloved character.
Pixie
Megan Gwynn, aka Pixie, is a hybrid of human mutant and fairy, giving her both superhuman abilities and supernatural powers. She has wings that allow her to fly, hallucination-inducing pixie dust, and a souldagger that can disrupt magic.
Pixie casts a massive, magic teleportation spell that proves invaluable to the X-Men in various endeavors, a skill easily transferable to any number of superhero missions. The MCU has lots of room for powerful female heroes, and it needs equally compelling actors like Jenna Ortega to play them. Ortega has the unique ability to portray a deadly character while looking adorable and acting upbeat. Pixie would be an exciting addition to the MCU and few are as qualified or compelling as Ortega to portray her.
Lilith
Lilith, daughter of Dracula, is a vampire, but unlike other vampires in Marvel’s monster lineup, she is immune to sunlight and does not depend on drinking blood for survival. She is unable to kill Dracula but cursed to oppose him until the day he’s destroyed. She can command many animals, as well as change into a wolf, a bat, or mist.
A beautiful, dark-haired woman with a tight black costume, Lilith has big Wednesday energy and seems an easy lateral move for Ortega. As a magically skilled demon, considered both a sorceress and a goddess, Ortega would fit nicely alongside Scarlet Witch, Blade, or even in a standalone story like Werewolf By Night.
White Tiger
Angela del Toro, aka White Tiger, is the fourth person to wear the White Tiger mantle in the Marvel Universe. She is the niece of Hector and Ava Ayala; she gets her powers from the Jade Tiger amulets she inherited from them. As an FBI agent, Del Toro is an expert markswoman and an excellent investigator. As White Tiger, she has superhuman physical attributes and can camouflage herself.
Frequently partnering with both Daredevil and Iron Fist, it seems the MCU has a natural spot in which to slot White Tiger. As a Puerto Rican, Hector Ayala was the first Latinx main character in the history of American comics. With Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage herself, Jenna Ortega’s portrayal would be an important moment for representation in the MCU.