12 Marvel Movies To Make Phase 4 "Distinctly Different"
7. Thunderbolts
Even Marvel must be turning their heads at the box office (if not critical) success of Suicide Squad. They've also seen an anti-hero in The Punisher steal Daredevil's second season, and Deadpool suggests there's big money in superhero naughtiness. In short, now is the perfect time for Marvel to grow up a bit more and bring in a bad guy ensemble.
The best approach would be to focus on a mix of the Marvel Now! Thunderbolts team (Red Hulk, Deadpool, Punisher, Elektra and Agent Venom) and some of the more traditionally villainous incarnations (more like Suicide Squad), and have them working black ops for redemption.
Yes, it would be rather cynical to copy Suicide Squad's success, but Thunderbolts has long been on fans' Most Wanted lists, and Phase 4 represents a legitimate opportunity to introduce the team.
The Challenges
A team of heroes or anti-heroes would obviously be a fairly wild move away from the current tone of the MCU, and Marvel don't really have a track record with darker material. But maybe that's the reason why they should try it.