10 Marvel Franchises That Could Replace The Avengers

6. The Ravagers

Though Stan Lee is the undisputed cameo king when it comes to Marvel's movies, there's no denying the genius of Guardians 2's surprise appearances.

While the films themselves took most of their inspiration from the Guardians of the 21st Century, they weren't the team's original incarnation. Despite this, Vol. 2 does pay homage to that original band of cosmic do-gooders, featuring Sylvester Stallone as Starhawk in a cursory role before bringing the original band back together in the film's emotional funeral scene. Michelle Yeoh plays Aleta Ogord, Ving Rhames appears as Charlie 27, as does the fish-like Krugarr, but most hilarious of all is Miley Cyrus, who plays Mainframe - a disembodied robotic head that looks to be a new addition to the Guardians roster.

In any case, it's doubtful that Marvel will sit on these characters for long. They're more than likely to appear in Guardians 3 and, while Stallone in particular might not possess the box-office clout he used to, he's a valuable asset for Disney going forward. If they were to make a Guardians spin-off (and let's be honest, they probably will), the Ravagers are the most obvious candidates to star.

This isn't to say that they're necessarily comparable to the Avengers either, but in bringing together the Guardians with another cosmic force, Marvel's space-operas could become their biggest draw.