With Iron Man 2 whipping everyone into a frenzy, and the promise of Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America for 2011, talk has turned to what Marvel movies to put out after The Avengers in 2012. Or even sooner; after all, the movies they're talking about aren't big blockbusters, they're smaller, less expensive films starring lesser-known Marvel characters. The best-case scenario would be 1998's Blade, which spawned a trilogy; the worst would be The Punisher series, or the straight-to-DVD Man-Thing. Of the thousands of Marvel characters in existence, several are being discussed (including sorcerer supreme Dr. Strange and urban hero Luke Cage) and films are already in the works for shrinking Avenger Ant-Man and the villain-spawn Runaways. But there are a ton of superheroes we'd love to see get the big-screen treatment, perhaps with an A-list hero making a cameo appearance. Here are a few that we think have big-screen potential.

Tags: Cable, Great Lakes Avengers, Inhumans, Machine Man, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Wolverine, X-23

A scene in Iron Man teased the possibility of Tony Stark's right-hand man Jim Rhodes some day donning a suit of armor of his own to become War Machine. The role was played by Terrence Howard, who, thanks to Marvel Studios' success, looked to have a long franchise ahead of him, as well as possibly a spin-off movie of his own. That's all changed, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which is reporting that Howard is out of the sequel. Don't worry, though -- Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes will still be there. It's just that he'll be played by Don Cheadle, instead.

Tags: comic books, Don Cheadle, Iron Man, James Rhodes, Marvel Studios, superhero movies, Terrence Howard, War Machine

Out on the trail to promote the 22nd James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig revealed that Marvel Studios had approached him to play Thor, according to IESB. Craig said he passed on the chance to play the comic book version of the Norse god of thunder, because "it would have been too much of a power trip," what with the mystical hand tools and flowing blond locks. Really? That's it? Too much power for one guy to handle? Somehow, I doubt it. I think there's more to it than that, after reading Craig's recent revelation in The Guardian that his scantily clad ocean scene in Casino Royale came about entirely by accident. I think the whole experience has put the actor off skimpy spandex shorts.

Tags: Avengers, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, James Bond, Marvel, Marvel Studios, Quantum of Solace, Thor

On my commute to work this morning, I was behind a guy with one of those bumper stickers that says "If you can read this, I could slam on my brakes and sue you." It's funny, sure, but the sentiment behind it, that these days you can sue anyone you want for the slightest wrong, was only reinforced by the bus that I was stuck behind 10 minutes later with one of those awesome "ACCIDENTES!" ads on the back where they pretty much go right out and say they'll sue anyone you want for anything you want, and not only won't they charge you for it, but they'll do the whole thing in Spanish. The pervasive litigiousness of our society persists everywhere, from the back of a Metro bus, right into the DVDs you have on your Christmas list. Number one on my list is Iron Man, and if you think it has avoided being touched by the busy wand of the lawsuit fairy, you're wrong.

Tags: Iron Man, Marvel Studios, Paramount, Tony Stark