5 Marvel Characters We Want To See In The Zodiac TV Series
True Believers are currently tuning in to "VisionQuest" on Disney+ as Marvel Television closes the book on the Westview Trilogy about The Scarlet Witch, The Vision, and their family. However, the future of this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was unclear for a while. "Wonder Man" was canceled despite a Season 2 renewal, "Daredevil: Born Again" is ending with Season 3, and no other TV projects had been officially announced. But that all changed at this year's New York Comic Con when Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise, appeared onstage at the Javits Center to reveal that a brand-new series titled "Zodiac" will be coming to Disney+ in 2028.
While he didn't share any details beyond the show being a spy thriller, he did tease that the logo contained some clues as to what the series could be about. Eagle-eyed fans spotted the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo incorporated into the "A," but the "O" is the more interesting bit, as many theorize that it could allude to a group featured in Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, and Stefano Caselli's "Secret Warriors" comic series from 2009.
If this is in fact the case, then the logo tells us that "Zodiac" will likely feature characters from S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, The Hand, and other groups from the Marvel Universe involved in a long-gestating conspiracy to change the world as we know it. Since this is purely speculative at this point and we don't know the key players yet, here are a few characters from the MCU that we would love to see make a comeback in this show.
Photon from WandaVision and The Marvels
When we last saw Monica Rambeau, she selflessly sacrificed herself to save the universe by sealing a rift in the multiverse caused by the Kree Accuser Dar-Benn and the Quantum Bands. But rather than perishing, she got trapped in an alternate universe where she encounters a variant of her mother, Maria, who goes by the codename Binary and works with Dr. Hank McCoy of the X-Men. It's currently unclear if or how Teyonah Parris' character from "WandaVision" and "The Marvels" will find her way back to the Sacred Timeline.
The highly anticipated crossover film "Avengers: Secret Wars" will hopefully factor into that. After those events play out, however, Monica could be involved in "Zodiac." As a member of S.W.O.R.D. and S.A.B.E.R., she has had to deal with some unsavory people in her line of work. In particular, she was closely associated with S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward, who had nefarious intentions for Wanda Maximoff and the repurposed body of The Vision. Hayward and those loyal to him are definitely the ilk to get involved in a massive conspiracy that stretches across various peacekeeping organizations. And if they do, the hero known as Photon could reunite with the FBI's Jimmy Woo and take down these villains once again.
G'iah from Secret Invasion
The 2023 miniseries "Secret Invasion" starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn isn't exactly a fan-favorite Marvel project. The writing, pacing, and visual effects weren't up to par for most fans. It still introduced some interesting characters and important information about Nick Fury and his relationship with the Skrulls, shape-shifting alien refugees who were left without a planet at the end of "Captain Marvel." With the help of Carol Danvers, Skrulls made their way to Earth to start new lives among the Terran population. However, a group of renegade Skrulls led by Kingsley Ben-Adir's Gravik sought to infiltrate the world's most powerful governments and create a new Skrull homeworld by force. Among those trying to stop him was G'iah, the daughter of Mendelsohn's Talos played by "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke.
By the end of "Secret Invasion," G'iah became empowered by the Harvest, a collection of DNA obtained from Earth's Mightiest Heroes that Gravik used to become a Super Skrull. She used it to defeat the traitor and free the human prisoners, but found herself working with Sonya Falsworth and MI6 to protect both humans and Skrulls from otherworldly threats. Though the "Secret Warriors" comic didn't include MI6 in the conspiracy, a potential MCU adaptation in "Zodiac" could involve the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence service. Alternatively, Fury may reach out to his old friend Falsworth to borrow her prized operative. After all, as he learned in the 1990s, having a shapeshifter on the payroll has plenty of advantages when it comes to espionage. As long as the in-demand Clarke is available for the project, it would be great to see G'iah again and remedy the bad taste left in our mouths from "Secret Invasion."
Mockingbird from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
One thing that many people expected to see in "Secret Invasion" was a collection of Nick Fury's most trusted agents. Sure, Maria Hill and Everett Ross made appearances in the show, but there were so many other characters who could have been enlisted into the one-eyed spy's inner circle — especially from the MCU's first TV series, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". And though this entire list could consist of people from that show who we'd love to see onscreen again, we've narrowed it down to two, starting with Adrianne Palicki's Bobbi Morse: Mockingbird.
Introduced during the second season, Morse was working undercover in HYDRA to keep an eye on fellow undercover agent Jemma Simmons. They rejoined the rest of the team after their cover was blown. They went after Sunil Bakshi, rogue agent Grant Ward, and various other threats that S.H.I.E.L.D. faced. And whether it was under the command of Agent Phil Coulson or Agent Robert Gonzales, she was always loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. Even when she and Lance Hunter were detained by Interpol following a mission in Siberia, Mockingbird allowed herself to be disavowed as a spy and exiled from S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than expose the organization and its activities.
Loyalty like that shouldn't go unnoticed. Morse could be an excellent operative for Nick Fury or any other organization in "Zodiac." With so many groups like S.W.O.R.D., S.A.B.E.R., or Damage Control, Mockingbird has to fit in somewhere. Plus, she had to deal with HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., so she's no stranger to uncovering and suppressing a conspiracy.
Quake from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The other character from "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on our list is someone who True Believers have been clamoring for for some time. Originally known as Skye when she was introduced at the very beginning of the ABC series, Daisy Johnson went from being a tech-hacking runaway, to an Inhuman with vibration manipulation powers, and finally a full-fledged superpowered S.H.I.E.L.D. agent over the course of seven seasons. When we last saw her in the series finale, she left S.H.I.E.L.D. along with her half-sister Kora and boyfriend Agent Daniel Sousa to explore the universe on Zephyr Three.
Bringing Chloe Bennet's beloved character back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn't even be that hard. Quake could return to Earth after many intergalactic adventures and aid the planet's peacekeeping organizations with the knowledge that she acquired out in space. Then, whenever the conspiracy in "Zodiac" reveals itself, she can resume her spy work in the field, possibly even with a new team of Secret Warriors under the direction of Nick Fury (as a nod to the character's comic book history).
After traveling throughout time and space, it would be very cool to see Agent Johnson establish herself as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It would be even cooler to see her reunite with the rest of her team from "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." so that they're undisputedly a part of MCU canon, but we won't hold our breath on that one.
Dum Dum Dugan from Captain America: The First Avenger and Agent Carter
Finally, if "Zodiac" is actually adapting the storyline from the previously mentioned "Secret Warriors" series, there would be room to revisit other points in the timeline since the conspiracy stretches back to the era of Leonardo da Vinci. The show could check in on its impact on World War II, which could open the door for an appearance from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s precursor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and its operatives. And if that includes Captain America's old squad, the Howling Commandos, then that would mean that we'd get to see Dum Dum Dugan again.
Instantly recognizable by his signature mustache and bowler hat, the character played by Neal McDonough in "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Agent Carter" (the series and the Marvel One-Shot short) is a fun addition to any story he's in. Even during wartime, Dugan maintained an unwavering optimism that things would work out. Despite giving off goofy vibes (especially when he tries to give Peggy a Howling Commando nickname), he is still an expert marksman, a master tactician, and a fearless leader. Basically, when he needs to, he means business.
This is a quality that Dugan's comic book counterpart often exhibits. In the pages of Marvel Comics, he is a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. officer and Nick Fury's right-hand man. While obviously different than this version, the MCU's variant could show a more serious side if he gets involved in "Zodiac," which is something that McDonough does pretty well as seen in his other TV work, including the "Wizard of Oz" reimagining "Tin Man" and The CW's "Arrow."