Special Guest Author!

Hey everyone! This is the girlfriend writing. Surprise! My boyfriend has loved writing in this blog this year and I’ve loved watching how passionate he is about it and being able to stay connected to him by reading it while we are away from each other. He asked me to write a blog post for him as a joke (but I think he secretly really wanted me to) and so I figured I’d surprise him.

Now as much as I love learning about all of this comic book stuff, I didn’t really get into it until I started dating my boyfriend almost 2 years ago. And since then, he’s introduced me to a whole new world of fantasy: Marvel vs. D.C., Graphic novels, the View Askewniverse, Cosplays, and I’ve gotten him into the theatre world where we discovered this amazing show called “Hero”, which, if you read this blog, you should look into, because you’ll love it! (http://www.heromusical.com/) Now I am super excited for the SHIELD tv show in the fall and can’t have conversations about any superhero movies with any of my friends because I have all of my boyfriend’s very strong opinions in my head and know I will piss everyone off around me.

So, what could I possibly write a blog post about since I just have all of his opinions in my head? This took me a while to figure out, but I thought, well what would I want to write about? Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately has been the difference between men and women. Now, there are a few reasons for this. I am about to join the real world so I’ve done a lot of soul searching this year as well as reading an amazing book called “Captivating” by John Eldridge and his wife Stasi Eldridge (The male version of this book is called “Wild at Heart”). This book has really been making me think about embracing my femininity and understanding my relationship better (I’m secretly hoping that by plugging this book it will convince my boyfriend to at least read one of them so he will know why I’ve been going crazy all year!)

Now all of you readers have either given up on my post or are about to if I don’t start talking about superheroes again.

As much as I like the fantasy life of superheroes and all things related, I don’t quite have the love or dedication of it that my boyfriend does. Yet, I’m a sucker for chick-flicks (I know you all are rolling your eyes right now, I am too). But they are both fantasies right? They are both protagonists fighting for what they want most, whether that be for justice or the one they love. Some of you are thinking, “Don’t compare my amazing comic book universe to some money-making, cheesy chick-flick mania”.

But this just goes to show (As “Captivating” points out) that men and women want similar things. Men want something to fight for and women want to have adventures. They want good men to fight for them, but not because they can’t take care of themselves. Women want to be fought for so they know they are worth the fight. They want to be seen as a partner to their man. They want to fight alongside him, which is why we can like superhero movies too!

It’s no surprise that Black Widow is one of my favorite characters in The Avengers. Why you ask. Because she can kick ass! I know she could take care of herself (and the other men if they needed it), but she still wants a romance like any other woman. She is a strong woman who knows how to be tough without losing her feminine side. What girl wouldn’t want to be like her? Now, I’m not even going to get into how society objectifies women, but even still. Women want to be fought for because they are beautiful and feminine, but they still want to be seen as a partner in their man’s adventure and fight.

So all of you should read those two books, because they will open up your eyes to so much about yourself and those you love. Thank you for sticking with me through this long post. Now all of you women remember that you are beautiful and you can kick ass too, even if not like Black Widow. And men, remember to include your women in your adventures. You’ll be glad you did. 

Apparently, TASM 2 is going to be...

...adorable.

At least that's the vibe I get from these set photos. Check them out!

If the cast of Star Trek were cast in Marvel movies/MCU

(Mild Spoilers)

I saw Star Trek Into Darkness over the weekend, and it was the best movie I've ever seen. Now, I'm not a trekkie of any kind, and never cared about Star Trek before 2009, and while I enjoyed that film, this one just blew me out of the water. Go see it.

But that's not about comics, and this blog is, so, I came up with an excuse to talk about Star Trek on here.

I know this is a silly topic, and never going to happen. Get over it. It's just something fun I had thinking about:

What if the cast of the two most recent Star Trek films were cast into roles throughout Marvel movies, specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But before you go saying how impossible it is, consider this: Two of the actors have already played in the MCU, one has been cast in an upcoming film, one has played in a Marvel film that's not part of the MCU, two have been in a non-Marvel comic book film, and one played on a TV series about superhumans.

Let's start with those actors, shall we?

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Faran Tahir

In Star Trek:
Captain Robau, U.S.S. Kelvin (the first ship seen in the film, that immediately falls to Nero).

In Iron Man (MCU):
Raza, one of the leaders of the 10 Rings organization

Left to Right: Captain Robau, Tahir, Raza

Chris Hemsworth

In Star Trek:
Captain George Kirk, U.S.S. Kelvin, father of James Kirk

In Thor (MCU):
Thor, God of Thunder

From left to right: Captain George Kirk, Hemsworth, Thor

Eric Bana

In Star Trek:
Nero, leader of the Romulan force

In Hulk (non-MCU):
Bruce Banner, human counterpart to the Hulk

From left to right: Nero, Bana, Bruce Banner

Alice Eve

In Star Trek Into Darkness:
Dr. Carol Marcus

In Men in Black III (owned by Marvel)
Young Agent O

Where I see her in the MCU:
Invisible Woman. Now I realize that right now, the Fantastic Four film rights are owned by Fox, not Marvel, so this wouldn't technically be in the MCU, so I've included some alternates. Still, I think she'd be good in the part, and there's always the possibility, however slight, that the two could merge (to an extent).

Why: In the film, she plays a sweet, sexy girl that gives off vibes both of villainy and innocence. She's a mystery throughout the whole film. I think she could bring a fresh feel to Sue Storm. Get us away from the pathetic excuse for acting that Jessica Alba gave us, and show us a badass Sue Storm, who can more than hold her own, who understands the power she has and uses it.

Alternate: Warbird, Mockingbird
Why: Warbird, Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, whatever you want to call that character, she's a strong female character, and she needs to be in a film. She's also a pilot, and I think Eve can bring the smarts, the power, and the attractiveness of the character. Mockingbird, similar reasoning, and could get some development with her and Hawkeye.

From left to right: Dr. Marcus, Eve, Sue Storm, Carol Danvers, Mockingbird

Eve in Men in Black III

This was in two seconds of the film, and now its impossible to search anything related to Alice Eve without seeing it. I don't want my blog to be the only entity exempt from that, so, here's Alice Eve in her underwear.

EDIT: I meant to throw in here the Enchantress as an alternate, but I forgot. Again, she's a mystery throughout the film, and I think that ability could work well in a villain who using seduction a lot of the time.

Karl Urban

In Star Trek:
Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

In Dredd (non-Marvel comic book film):
Judge Dredd

Where I see him in the MCU:
The Punisher. Now I know that there have already been three films about this character, but Marvel just recently had the film rights transfer back to their own studios.

Why: Now, honestly I see Urban as a villain, and I blame Bourne for that, but with the Punisher, he could have that darker personality, but still have the integrity of a hero. After playing Dredd, he might find the role too similar, or maybe he liked it enough to do it again.

Alternate: Dr. Strange, Kang, Zemo
Why: I see him bringing an arrogance to Dr. Strange that could keep him on level with Stark in the MCU. But like I said, I really see him as a villain, and Kang or Zemo could be huge villains that would need an experienced actor to make them truly great.

From left to right: Dr. McCoy, Urban, Punisher, Dr. Strange

Urban as Dredd

Zachary Quinto

In Star Trek:
Spock

In Heroes (non-Marvel TV show about superhumans)
Sylar, the main recurring villain

Where I see him in the MCU:
Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner

Why: He nails the pointy ears so well! Also, Namor has a troubled relationship with Humanity, something Quinto has portrayed to various extents in Star Trek, Heroes, and American Horror Story. He has shown he will consume himself in a role out of respect, and Namor deserves an actor that will do that.

Alternate: Vision
Why: The vision is an android with mechanical systems so complex that he has emotions and a conscience similar to a human's. But more often than not, he relies on logic, not emotion, to function. Sound familiar? Quinto was perfect as Spock, he'd make a more than decent Vision.

From left to right: Spock, Quinto, Namor, Vision

Quinto as Sylar

Zoe Saldana

In Star Trek:
Lt. Nyota Uhura

In The Losers (owned by DC comics)
Aisha al-Fadhil

In Guardians of the Galaxy (upcoming Marvel film in the MCU):
Gamora, daughter of Thanos

From left to right: Uhura, Saldana, concept art for Gamora

Saldana in The Losers. She's had a scantly-clad scene in every film I've seen her in, so I won't be surprised if her costume in Guardians of the Galaxy is somewhat faithful to the comic version, seen below.

Gamora

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Now let's take those characters who haven't yet been in a true Marvel film, and the remaining actors of the main Star Trek cast, and see where they'd fit.

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Chris Pine

In Star Trek:
Captain James Tiberius Kirk

Where I see him in the MCU:
Henry "Hank" Pym, aka Ant-Man

Why: I've already published a post on this!

Alternate: Captain Marvel
Why: I know very little about Captain Marvel, except that he's known for being attractive. I think Pine would suffice. And hey, he's already played a Captain!

From left to right: Kirk, Pine, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel

Simon Pegg

In Star Trek:
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Where I see him in the MCU:
Voicing Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy

Why: Simon, I love ya Pal, but a superhero build you ain't got. There aren't many heroes I could see you handling very well. You're voice is great, though, and Rocket Raccoon, despite his following, is going to need a solid man behind the fur. Besides, you've already voiced a mouse! Time to level up!

From left to right: Scott, Pegg, Rocket Raccoon

Pegg voiced the talking mouse "Reepicheep" in The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

John Cho

In Star Trek:
Hikaru Sulu

Where I see him in the MCU:
Iron Fist

Why: Now before you call me a racist, don't call me a racist. I know that Iron Fist isn't Asian. But he's also descended from a fictitious dimension that doesn't exist, so getting his ethnicity correct is impossible. But let's face it, the character has a very Asian feel. The martial arts, the oriental-inspired costume, the dragon connection, it all leads the mind toward Asia. And besides being the only Asian actor on the main cast of Star Trek, Cho has shown that he can at least act like he has great fighting skills, something essential to Danny Rand.

From left to right: Sulu, Cho, Iron Fist

Anton Yelchin

In Star Trek:
Pavel Chekov

Where I see him in the MCU:
Rick Jones

Why: Let me start off by saying that Yelchin is adorable as Chekov in the Star Trek films. And I have no shame saying that. He's like a little puppy that's just trying to make his owner happy, and I love it. Great work, Anton. Now Rick Jones is a character that has been referenced in the MCU briefly, but hasn't appeared yet, and I think he deserves some screen time. He's a huge part of Hulk history, and connects well into Cap's storyline later, so they've already got plenty of him to do. Add in some Bucky drama (perfect connection to The Winter Soldier) and Rick Jones can be a huge part of this franchise. A long shot though, so I came up with some alternates.

Alternate: Quicksilver, Johnny Storm
Why: I just think he looks like Quicksilver, and though Quicksilver's Eastern European heritage might not line up perfectly with Chekov's Russian lineage, keep in mind that the accent in the film was fake. Yelchin is small and lean, the perfect shape for a speedster. As far as Johnny Storm, again this would be outside of the MCU, but he could bring a fresh, younger take on the character, and get away from the jerk that Chris Evans portrayed in Fantastic Four (before Evans became the much more noble Captain America).

From left to right: Chekov, Yelchin, Rick Jones, Quicksilver, Johnny Storm

Benedict Cumberbatch

In Star Trek Into Darkness:
Kahn

Where I see him in the MCU:
Vision

Why: A lot, and I mean a lot, of people are throwing Cumberbatch's name in for Dr. Strange. But I don't see that at all. So, ignoring that, his portrayal of Kahn was very mechanical, very emotionless at times, but always powerful, and I think those traits would work well for Vision as well.

Alternate: Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Doom
Why: Again looking outside of the MCU, I think he just looks like Reed Richards, and has the voice and the ability to portray that level of intellect. As a villain though, he would make a very menacing Dr. Doom, and help us forget that pathetic version Fox gave us back in 2005 and 2007.

From left to right: Kahn, Cumberbatch, Vision

Quicksilver

Wow. A week since my last post. I wish I could say I've been really busy, but honestly I've just been too lazy to search for topics to post about, because its been kinda slow on news lately, not a lot going on. That just changed.

Listen up, kids. This could get interesting.

Let's look at the timeline, shall we?

Last year, the Avengers hit theaters on May 2013, and changed superhero movies forever.

In April of 2013, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel, was asked about the characters of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Basically the confusion comes from the fact that Fox has film rights to X-Men and mutant properties, while Marvel Studios has film rights to Avengers characters, but Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch started in the comics as mutant villains to the X-Men (they are Magneto's children), but they reformed and became Avengers, where they have been for a long time. So they belong to both worlds. When asked about how they could be used in films, Feige had this to say:

“It’s a little complicated, but if they [Fox, which holds the X-Men rights] want to use them in the X-Men movie they could, [but] if we want to use them in The Avengers movie, we could.”

Back on January 28, I published this post on the Scarlet Witch and how she and her brother Quicksilver could be used as a way for Fox and Marvel Studios to tie their properties together without fully crossing over.

Fast forward to April 28, when I published this post about Joss Whedon suggesting that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were in his current script for Avengers 2. A few days later, this was confirmed. Joss' quote was this:

"I've got these two characters...two of my favorite characters from the comic books, a brother-sister act, they're in the movie, that's exciting..."

Now today, May 23, Bryan Singer, the director of the first two X-Men movies (see what epic plan he's doing here) tweeted this:

Before he was an #Avenger, he was just a REALLY fast kid. Thrilled to say #EvanPeters is joining #XMen #DaysOfFuturePast as #Quicksilver.

So we now have an actor officially cast as Quicksilver, but in the X-Men franchise. Will this interpretation be as a hero or a villain?

More importantly, will this tie in at all to the Quicksilver we may see in Avengers 2? Will it be the same character? The same actor? Or will the studios simply ignore each other, and each have their own actor in their own interpretation of the character? I think that's a bad move, I think that will confuse audiences.

The only other examples I can think of where the same fictional character was portrayed by two different actors at the same time are James Bond in 1983 (Roger Moore and Sean Connery) and Clark Kent/Superman in 2006 (Tom Welling and Brandon Routh) - although that was TV/Film, as opposed to two films. Still, Bryan Singer directed that film, and should have learned that it was a bad idea. I really hope that they put this actor in both franchises, or only use Peters in the "past" scenes as a young Quicksilver, and use another actor during the "present" in Avengers 2 as an older version of the character. Unfortunately, its been stated that both of the Maximoff's will be portrayed as younger characters in Avengers 2, so that won't work. So please, put this guy in both. Make it work well together!

X-Men: Days of Future Past is officially filming, and here's a first look at Jennifer Lawrence, back in blue as Mystique.

KANG

So there's been a lot (a lot) of talk lately on the end of the MCU. Will it end? When will it end? How should they end it? Is it better for characters to be retired, killed, or recasted? Should it end the story, or go on forever?

I think I've thought of a valid way to solve this problem -- at least once. (Go ahead, applaud).

Phase 1 is over. Introduce the heroes, bring them together.

Phase 2 is underway. Follow up on the main heroes, introduce a few new guys, and bring them together again.

Phase 3 looks to be, so far, all-new characters. Ant-Man and Dr. Strange are the only confirmations, but rumors abound for Luke Cage, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and more.

By this point (2016-2017), Thor will have been around for 6 years and 4 films, Cap for 6 years and 4 films, Iron Man for 9 years and 4-5 films, and hulk for 9 years and 3 or so films. These heroes might be played out, and the actors might be done wanting to play them. With the recent reports of pay disputes between Marvel Studios and the actors, its hard to imagine this going much farther without a lot of trouble. So new heroes will be the focus.

But what then? Bring new heroes in, bring them together, and just leave the old heroes behind? Constantly bringing in new heroes every few years and leaving the better known ones in the past? Can RDJ play Iron Man once he's over 50?

As you can tell by the title of this post, I think the villain Kang could be a way to solve this issue.

If you don't know, Kang is a major recurring villain in the comics, and his big thing is time travel.

Any other major franchise you know that uses time travel as a way to continue the series, tell new stories, recast the actors, but still maintain a sense of continuity, even if only as a technicality? Star Trek. Ok, so maybe the Black Hole was the greater plot point, but as an alternate reality/timeline, it was basically time travel (hence the two Spock's) that allowed this movie to exist, separate from the other films, yet still connected to them. It's the first film I've heard of that's a sequel, prequel, re-boot, and possibly spin-off all in one.

Another franchise is about to do that next year. After the original X-Men trilogy ended and Wolverine had disappointing box office returns, Matthew Vaughn directed X-Men: First Class, in what he created as a separate universe, not connected to the previous four films. New cast. New characters. New story. Well, now Bryan Singer, the director of the original and the first sequel, is back, and guess what, he's connecting the different universes using time-travel. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Singer will use both casts, both sets of characters, and unite them into one continuity. Which is epic.

So why can't the MCU do the same? With Thanos being the big baddie for the next few years, either have him use the infinity gauntlet (time stone, reality stone) to seriously mess up reality, or, if you wanna end Thanos' time in the spotlight and jump-start Phase 4, bring in Kang, and have him mess up our timeline. And then we can start over with a new reality, a new timeline, and therefore, we have an excuse to use new actors.

That way, we don't have to worry about who will quit when, and have one Cap working with 3 different hulks and 2 different Thor's over the course of 4 films. Get everybody on the same story arc, end it by seriously screwing with the time-space continuum, and then recast all at once, setting the stage for the post-RDJ Marvel Cinematic Universe. Assuming this happens around 2018-2020, they could bring in fresh faces on a (mostly) standalone new "miniverse," welcoming new audiences and the next generation of fans, not required to watch 20 movies before them to catch up on the story, but without having to reintroduce the origin stories to America. Use the same backstory, use the same powers, but with a new face and a new timeline, the creative slate is wiped clean and ready to be re-used.

With this system, the MCU could exist in "realities" each made up of 3 Phases. And if at any time in the next 50 years Sony or Fox would be willing to work with Disney on a crossover movie, they could use time-travel/reality warping to achieve that fairly seamlessly as well.

So you've got Thanos. You've got Kang. You're potentially bringing in Scarlet Witch, who can mess up reality pretty badly. That's 3 resets right there. Throw in some Norse god of time (if there is such a thing) and some naive sap trying to control the Tesseract, and you've got a few more!

So far Marvel Studios has been doing a good job at thinking "long-term," but compared only to regular movies. But this is not a regular movie franchise. This is way bigger. So 8 years doesn't cut it as "long term" for these guys anymore. "Long term" for these guys means 20+ years, and they need to start figuring out how to endure, or else it will crumble like Iron Man 3 (and I really hope that will end up being the forgotten stepchild of this universe).

So that's my rant.

Kang.

Agent's of SHIELD Full Trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PerIAuv27SQ

This looks really, really, really, good.

Cosplay of the Week: May 13, 2013

This week's cosplay is in honor of Jean Grey/Phoenix. The character Jean Grey died in X2, only to come back in X3 as the Phoenix, who then apparently died herself at the end of the film. This summer Wolverine comes out, and she's been spotted in the teaser. When asked about the role, Famke Janssen answered that it was a very small part, and inferred that it would be in a flashback. But do we know for sure? And with Bryan Singer merging the original trilogy with First Class in next summers' Days of Future Past, who knows what we'll see with this character in the future? So here are some Phoenix fans in different colors!

Renaming the MCU

At what point do we stop using "MCU" to refer to this reality? Never?

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not mad or upset or blah blah blah about this, just something I'm curious about. They called it "Marvel Cinematic Universe" when it all took place in the cinema. Now there are movies, short films, novels, video games, comic books, and now a TV show all sharing this continuity. Which is awesome, don't get me wrong. But at what point does "MCU" become inadequate as a title? I mean, sure, we could call it the official designation of "Earth-199999" or whatever that number is (apologies if I'm incorrect) but nobody wants to do that.

So offer your suggestions, what should the new "nickname" for this Universe be?

While I'm at it, I wonder what other mediums they could bring in, just to make it even more expansive and awesome. I was thinking about how back in the day, all stories were heard on radio. Now it'd probably be a pain in the Palladium to do that today, but what about a Podcast? Like, a SHIELD news bulletin podcast? Giving updates on various happenings in the Universe, that can be explored further in other media. Am I the only one that thinks that would be cool?

More updates today!

First of all, check out these pictures from the Agents of SHIELD promo video!

http://shieldsite.net/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-screencaps-from-the-first-30-second-promo-trailer/20644

Secondly, remember this article? Well, apparently the actor portraying that kid has signed a 3 picture deal with Marvel Studios. So, expect him to be back somewhere down the line.

The Sneak Peek

Here it is!

"It's not just spy vs. spy anymore, the whole world is in on the action."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0yg_jaOPV_E

We Are The Rising Tide

Guys

Guys

GUYS!

This is AWESOME

OK, I admit I'm freaking out a little bit.

BUT THIS IS AWESOME

There exists a blog. Not this blog. Another blog. Well, there exist many blogs, but this one blog is a special blog.

http://www.wearetherisingtide.com/blog/

It's a tie-in blog to the upcoming Marvel show, Agents of SHIELD. You know, the one that starts next fall? That stars Coulson? That's going to be awesome?

So there's this new blog up, called "The Rising Tide."

And here's the cool part.

1) It just started. So I will be keeping a keen eye for updates
2) Some people think it's tied to a character, "Skye," on the show. So it could get really important.
3) This is the cool part. So far, what it's posted is very short videos, taken from footage from the MCU films, in a SHIELD-database style setting. So like, SHIELD has been keeping tabs on what's been going on, and this show will explore that. And these videos, even tho they are short as can be, are awesome. Check them out on the blog! And follow that blog! Also, if you're interested, follow @SHIELDsite on Twitter, should be good updates coming from there.

Getting excited for this show! Sneak peek coming up in just a few on ABC! I'll tell you guys all about it!

READ THIS RIGHT NOW!

(If nothing else, read the last paragraph of this post if you care about the SHIELD show/Agent Coulson).

OK, a lot of things happening with the SHIELD show right now.

First, they have released a teaser to a teaser clip. 7 Seconds, go watch it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=pFZE3W1SF_Q

Couple things happen.

Most prominently, COULSON! Now if you don't know me personally you probably don't know this but I've have been adamant, obnoxiously adamant at times, since the midnight premiere of The Avengers that Coulson survived the film. I saw that movie 11 times in theaters, and each time I found more evidence to support my theory. In the past months, Marvel has confirmed he's alive, and in this show. And now they're using the hashtag in the marketing. I love it.

Secondly, mystery superhero! In the first second of the clip, there's a dark skinned superhuman in yellow pants who jumps out of a high window, carrying somebody, and lands nbd on the ground. The internet is all up and about that this might be Luke Cage. Which would be amazing. Why, you ask? Read my article on Luke Cage!

This theory is given even further fuel with the combination of this article:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BatFreak/news/?a=77079

NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT PART!
Marvel/ABC is releasing a full teaser (oxymoron) TONIGHT! MONDAY, MAY 12! During the finale of Once Upon A Time. The episode airs at 8/7 Central tonight on ABC, and I for one will be watching intently, and also asking people who have DVRs (not me) to DVR it for me :)

Will more questions be answered or raised? (I suspect the latter). But watch it. If I can, I'll upload/post video ASAP.

#CoulsonLives

If you have an hour of free time...

This guy's rant was sent to me by one of my friends. It's long, and I don't agree 100% with everything this guy says, but he makes a lot of good points. He also takes my thoughts one step farther -- whereas I posted about what bothered me/didn't make sense/blah blah blah, this guy gets into stuff like what they could have done here, or should have done there, and is more in depth than where I got. So if you've got an hour, it's a fairly interesting watch.

He also seems to have the same general thought as me: RDJ/Tony Stark is amazing in this movie, and it's fun to watch, but its bad and makes no sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX9AkO6m7AE

Fancast for Hank Pym

So, we still have yet to learn any casting on the upcoming Ant-Man film. In fact, we still have yet to learn anything about the film at all, well not really anyway.

Few years ago I was plugging Chris Pine as my choice for Captain America. Obviously, that didn't happen. But now, I'm thinking that he could play a good Hank Pym/Ant-Man.

Hank Pym needs to be a couple of things.

He needs to be brilliant, and as long as the writers write the proper dialogue that's no problem.

He needs to be cocky. Cocky enough to hold his own with Stark and Banner, but without being a copy of either. Banner is the introvert in the shadows and Stark is the attention whore always hogging the spotlight. Pym needs to be somewhere in the middle, almost like Justin Hammer from IM2 - he thinks of himself as being Stark's equal, but doesn't have the charm to get there. After seeing him play Kirk, I think Pine could pull this off - believing in himself when no one else really does, and doing whatever it takes to reach that goal. As a newcomer on-screen, not many people would automatically prefer Pym to Stark/RDJ, but we need someone we can believe might get there, and Pine could do that.

He needs to have issues. I doubt they'll go into the entirety of the substance abuse and domestic violence that Hank Pym has in the comics, but he needs to be troubled (more so than Stark's alcoholism and Daddy issues) in a way that twists at our thought of what a hero is, or can be. Something has to drive him to go further than what everyone will tell him is safe, and again, after seeing him play Kirk, I think he can do it.

The problem with Pine is that right now, he's "Captain Kirk" for 90% of moviegoers. He's been in other stuff, but Kirk is what people identify him as now. And he's got good work doing that for a while. And it could be weird seeing "Kirk" in a Marvel movie. Because most of Marvel's big-shots right now work because they are seen as their character as much as the actor.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, despite being in other films, even recently. Sherlock Holmes was huge, but Tony Stark is the default. Chris Hemsworth is Thor, even though he's been in Cabin in the Woods and Snow White since, audiences see him as Thor. Tom Hiddleston is Loki to most people in the US, and Sam Jackson, despite everything he's done, is Nick Fury.

But this isn't true for everyone. I haven't connected ScarJo with Black Widow to that extent yet, and doubt I will until she gets enough screen time (her own movie?) to set that in my brain. Jeremy Renner hasn't been Hawkeye enough to be Hawkeye to me, he's still Hawkeye/Bourne replacement/Tom Cruise replacement. Chris Evans is still a jerk in my head, after seeing him in FF, Scott Pilgrim, and the Losers, I can't accept him fully as Cap. And Ruffalo needs to be given a full swing at Banner/Hulk before he becomes synonymous.

So even though Marvel has done a great job of taken lesser-known of post-prime actors and merging them with their roles, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. And I think Pine can do Pym and Kirk at the same time, and still do great with both of them.