By Erin Free
Marvel Studios currently has a fascinating and truly important Native-American superhero hidden away in their archives…and they need to unleash him upon the world now!
Initially questioned for its decidedly white collection of on-screen superheroes, Marvel Studios pulled a major rethink, and actually responded to an increasingly vocal audience-and-fan-driven push for increased racial and gender diversity in their film and TV output. This resulted in celebrated Marvel Studios titles like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings and TV’s She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart and Echo. With high-profile inclusion of the African-American and Asian-American communities, Marvel Studios next needs to big up one of its Native-American superheroes, and it needs to do it soon.
While the impressive 2024 Disney+ series Echo showcased a Native-American character, that series unfolded on a relatively small scale, with the series placed in a thematic position closer to grittier, more “street level” Marvel Studios properties like Daredevil: Born Again and Hawkeye. That worked beautifully, and now Marvel Studios needs to get more ambitious and high-profile with a Native-American character, like they did with their groundbreaking titles Black Panther and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, which featured towering African-American and Asian-American heroes.
The go-to character for this kind of breakout film or major TV series is without question Red Wolf, often billed as “Marvel’s first Native-American superhero” and definitely the most rich-with-possibilities of its First Nations creations. Like Lee Falk’s famous creation, The Phantom, the mantle of Red Wolf is passed down from generation to generation, and there have been three iterations of the character (with the aliases Johnny Wakely, Thomas Thunderhead and William Talltrees) dating back to the days of The Old West. Though there have been other takes on the character in comic book form, this basic presentation of Red Wolf is the best, and offers up many great opportunities for Marvel Studios.
“The Marvel Universe’s American Southwest now has a superhero to call its very own – the mysterious new hero, Red Wolf,” Marvel Comics said in a statement when they rebooted the Red Wolf character in 2015. “An outsider and an honest man, Red Wolf is going to need all his wits, and both his fists, to serve and protect this new world from the corrupt organizations that want to control the gritty and harsh American Southwest.”
Red Wolf is literally a creative treasure trove. Firstly, it would give Marvel a chance to work in the classic American genre of the western. Via its superhero universe, Marvel has enjoyed dabbling in different genres and sub-genres, with wild fantasy (the Thor films), complex sci-fi (Guardians Of The Galaxy), contemporary comedy (She-Hulk), urban crime (Daredevil: Born Again, Hawkeye), youth drama (Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel), war movie (Captain America: The First Avenger), conspiracy thriller (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and horror (Werewolf By Night) all happily co-existing. Though western-based comic book properties have not had a strong history on screen (hello, Jonah Hex), Marvel Studios have the right property in Red Wolf to make it work.
Secondly, the three iterations of the character would give Marvel Studios an instant set-up for a trilogy or ongoing TV series, with a new time period and new character introduced with every continuing entry. While the first “Old West” entry would necessitate a stand-alone type adventure, more contemporary later entries could of course see Red Wolf interact with other Marvel Studios characters, and even join the likes of The Avengers or The New Avengers, in whatever form they may take in the future.
Thirdly, a high-profile TV series or feature film would provide huge opportunities for Native-American filmmakers, with the likes of Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals), Sydney Freeland (Echo, Drunktown’s Finest), and Billy Luther (Miss Navajo, Dark Winds) all obvious candidates to make it happen on a huge stage with an all-important air of authenticity. Along with Native-American filmmakers, a Red Wolf feature film trilogy or TV series would also provide a high-profile showcase for Native-American actors and other creatives.
Most importantly, Red Wolf is a great character. Boasting mystic powers, super-strength, major arse-kicking abilities, and a cool AF wolf companion called Lobo, Red Wolf practically leaps off the page and onto the screen. Marvel Studios needs to put this into development now…
For more movie-or-TV-ready Marvel Comics characters, click here.
