The MCU Needs To Fix Its Rick Jones Problem Before Phase 6 Ends
The Marvel Cinematic Universe belongs to its superheroes, those godlike beings in possession of extraordinary powers just as capable of crippling civilization as saving it. And that's why audiences keep tuning in, film after film, Disney+ miniseries after Disney+ miniseries — because it's fun to hunker down with a tub of popcorn and watch Earth's mightiest heroes do their thing. As much as we all love the stories of Captain Americas and Black Panthers, though, ground-level heroes are just as important.
The choice for "Secret Invasion" to finally spotlight Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) is a great step in the right direction. And now, it's time for the MCU to go back to the comics and finally give us a live-action Rick Jones.
If you don't recognize that name ... it's okay, really. Rick Jones is a hero in the Marvel comics canon with zero superpowers. He's not a special agent like Hawkeye or Black Widow, though. Instead, Rick Jones is special because he's just a kid — a normal, not-so-remarkable young man who happens to find himself in the middle of cataclysmic events, and proves himself through decency, tenacity, and friendship instead of powers or high-tech weaponry. From the Hulk to Captain America to Captain Marvel, Rick is like a professional sidekick (though he'd probably balk at that title) and he's the biggest Marvel Comics character not yet brought to film.
Time is running short for a Rick Jones appearance in the MCU, however. Because at this point in the story, he either needs to pop up soon, or everything about his story will have to be refabricated from whole cloth.
The MCU is already running through all of Rick Jones' superhero pals at a rapid pace
Rick Jones is best known for working side by side with three top-tier Marvel heroes – the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and a non-Carol Danvers iteration of Captain Marvel. In the comics, Rick is partially responsible for the creation of Dr. Bruce Banner's alter ego: as a teenager, he accepts a dare that leads him into a literal bomb testing field, the very one where a certain gamma bomb is about to be dropped. Bruce gets bombarded with gamma rays because he leaps in to rescue this punk kid. Naturally, Bruce's transformation into the Hulk is something Rick feels pretty guilty about, but he soon proves himself to be Banner's most important friendship. Rick goes on to spend time as Captain America's new Bucky Barnes, though that goes sideways due to a falling out. From there, he performs a similar role for Mar-Vell (Marvel's original Captain Marvel, played briefly by Annette Bening in the MCU) and Mar-Vell's son Genis-Vell.
Now, the careful observer will note that these particular heroes have already been provided full origin stories, and sometimes full stories, in the MCU ... all without Rick Jones. Also, the MCU's Mar-Vell is very dead. Is Steve Rogers dead, too? It's unclear, but he's not in a position to be recruiting new sidekicks. Rick Jones could cross paths with Bruce, sure, but the big green guy is at the end of his arc, not the beginning.
That leaves us with a question. If all of Rick Jones' super friends are dead or dying or done, then is there even a point to having this conversation at all? Yes, and that's because the kid is the perfect tonal match for the new MCU.
MCU Phases 4 and 5 have created the perfect playing field for Rick Jones
Phase 4 of the MCU introduced more than enough new heroes to restock the Avengers' roster ten times over. There's Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, the Eternals, Moon Knight ... we could keep going. And while that might sound like a solid reason to avoid introducing one more, it's actually a compelling argument for the opposite. Rick Jones' whole schtick is that he encounters all kinds of heroes and figures out how to work with them.
Well, not his whole schtick — that also involves diving headfirst into situations in which he is hilariously outmatched. And that's where Phase 5 comes in. Phase 4 might have filled the playing field, but Phase 5 defines the goal posts, because now we know Earth's new set of mightiest heroes will soon be in the throes of a multiversal war against Kang the Conqueror and his many, many variants. If that doesn't fit the bill for a definition of a situation that shouldn't have an ordinary, non-powered teenager in it, nothing ever will.
How? Because Rick Jones' role in these stories isn't about strapping on an armor and punching bad guys. Instead of taking on villains, he's there to keep the heroes on the right path. Because heroes act differently around each other than they do around "normal" people. The MCU doesn't spend much time exploring this, but regular human beings are terrified of supers, and Rick Jones isn't scared ... or at least his fear doesn't drive him to inaction. And that makes him interesting, particularly since he'd stand out, even from special agents like Jimmy Woo or Nick Fury.
Non-super superhero stories are notoriously difficult to make interesting, but Rick Jones holds the key
Before we go any further, it should be noted that truly ground-level superhero stories are exceptionally difficult. No, not ground-level like Netflix's "Defenders" saga, but ground-level like DC's failed "Powerless" series. Remember that one? No? Okay, well, it starred Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, and Alan Tudyk as regular mortals working for Wayne Enterprises, and the viewership was so dismal that NBC dropkicked it into the dumpster before it wrapped up Season 1. The studio went so far as to deny the final three episodes of "Powerless" access to the airwaves. Fans literally had to wait for them to become available on other streaming platforms, and that was no quick process.
In fairness, productions like "Gotham" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." both enjoyed prominent runs on their respective channels, but let's face it — they were basically procedural shows about cops that turn into super-cops. Otherwise, you end up like "Powerless," or "Gotham Knights," or "Pennyworth."
So where does this leave Rick Jones? Our superpower-less hero is just a regular guy. What would convince audiences to cheer for him when they can devote their energy to vampire hunters and space raccoons? Well, there is a solution, amd poetically enough, it takes inspiration from the Incredible Hulk's own MCU journey.
Rick Jones could be the next MCU-wide B plot (just like the Hulk)
The best way to make Rick Jones a character worth watching is to treat him like the Incredible Hulk ... and no, that doesn't mean recast him twice after two middling blockbusters.
It means Rick Jones needs his story to be spread across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in other characters' films, like one great big B plot. That's how Kevin Feige handled Mark Ruffalo's stint as the Hulk. His whole story arc happened in the "Avengers" movies, "Thor: Ragnarok," and now "She-Hulk." And while that might be something of a downgrade for one of Marvel's biggest names, it's the perfect way to feature Rick Jones in the MCU.
Think about it. He already jumps from hero to hero, anyway, so why not have his onscreen depiction reflect that aspect of his character? Besides, we've already covered how difficult it would be to sell even a Disney+ limited series starring a guy with no powers and no alter ego. Rick Jones is just Rick Jones. However, his presence in, say, "Captain America 4: Brave New World" would be a welcome interaction.
In fact, "Brave New World" would be the perfect spot for Rick Jones to debut. It's Sam Wilson's (Anthony Mackie) first film wearing the mantle of Captain America, and there's no official statement regarding whether or not Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) will even be present, so Sam might be in desperate need of a helping hand. The comic book Rick Jones is deeply linked to Captain America. And once Rick is in the MCU, then he's free to go literally anywhere that the story needs him.
Rick Jones goes where the right mission takes him
That's not an exaggeration, either. Rick Jones could go anywhere the Marvel Cinematic Universe wanted to see him go. Well, so long as there was a good reason for him to be there, anyway, because Rick Jones is a man on a mission. Remember that falling out with Captain America we mentioned earlier? Yeah, Rick Jones felt that Cap's ego was getting in the way of actually saving people, so he dipped. That's the level of moral fiber this guy has: he challenged Captain America, of all people. And his appearances in the MCU should reflect that.
If Marvel wanted to start him off small (which is totally against his original comic story, but okay), the studio could drop him in an episode of "Daredevil: Born Again." Have Rick Jones insist on helping Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) stop a street-level crime. Or, better yet, bring the aspiring hero into "Fantastic Four," which would let audiences really see his character shine, as he would be surrounded by supers. Ideally, he would show up sooner rather than later, though, so that he could be brought on board for "Avengers: Secret Wars," which — if Marvel does it right — will feature the MCU's entire roster of superpowered beings, both good and bad. That, more than anything else, would show Rick Jones' true character.
Eventually, though, Rick Jones should circle back to the Hulk in one way or another because, full disclosure, we might have been stretching the truth a bit when we said Rick Jones doesn't have any superpowers.
Meet A-Bomb (and the rest of Rick Jones' superhero aliases)
Okay, so technically speaking, Rick Jones does not usually have superpowers — but sometimes, he does. In the comics, Rick Jones is eventually transformed into A-Bomb, a hulk-adjacent rage monster, by M.O.D.O.K. and the Leader. Perhaps obviously, if the name alone didn't give it away, A-Bomb has a distinct visual similarity to Abomination, the Incredible Hulk's pointy nemesis, with the same scale plating covering his massive frame. Except A-Bomb is blue, where Abomination is pale green. The former is actually created to replace the latter upon his death.
Like early incarnations of the Hulk, A-Bomb's grip on logic and reason are noticeably lesser than that of his human counterpart. But Rick Jones still shines through, and A-Bomb adds his hulking strength to the heroic efforts of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. He even spends some time working alongside She-Hulk. Eventually, though, the OG Hulk decides its time to reduce the number of gamma-irradiated individuals in the world and he begins his quest with A-Bomb. While A-Bomb isn't thrilled with the idea of losing his powers, you can guess which hero wins that particular battle.
After that, A-Bomb is once again just regular ol' Rick Jones — almost. The transition leaves him changed, with new abilities to retain information and master skills faster than ever. He uses these upgrades to become Whisperer, a global hacktivist. Oh, and he can also now shoot energy beams and fly, because comics are comics.
Regardless, whether he's Rick Jones, A-Bomb, the Whisperer, or a zombified corpse (long story), our guy's a bit of a hot head, and often immature. But his heart's in the right place, and so are his actions. And that makes him worth watching, wouldn't you say?