Marvel Cinematic Universe

[Vindicare]

I'm excited for *hopefully* more Iron Patriot action. Loving the new looks for Cap/Iron Man & Ultron is looking menacing, with his creepy minions stalking in the background.

[commodore_legolas]

I believe he was referring to Cap's Avengers logo that's on the new outfit. You'd have to be literally blind not to see Cap on the couch

Now I feel like an idiot. Sorry.

[Ultron]

Marvel released dates for their untitled projects in what appears to be a long phase 3. It's looking like there will be 7 movies before Avengers 3 in 2019 possibly?

Here are the dates:

7/28/17

11/3/17

7/6/18

11/2/18

5/3/19

My Guesses: Thor 3 (obviously), Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, GotG sequel or Black Widow, and Avengers 3? Inhumans would be nice too though. And we've already got Cap 3, Dr. Strange, and Antman before these 5 release dates. If Ms. Marvel isn't one and there's a Black Widow movie, I will be SO mad!!

[K-Nut]

I honestly don't think that Black Widow needs her own movie, seeing as how prominent she was in the first Avengers film, CA:TWS, and (supposedly) AoU. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if we got a Black Widow solo film before getting a Ms Marvel one due to the success of the character already. That would allow Marvel to see how a standalone female superhero film would do before taking a risk with a new character, especially if Antman doesn't do so well.

[Ultron]

James Gunn confirmed to be directing GotG sequel. It must be good. Hopefully phase 3 isn't bogged down by so many sequels though that no new heroes get a chance to shine (Ms. Marvel better be one of those movies......!!!!!)

[Lord Rahl of Clannad]

The Doctor Strange movie is reportedly set for a release date of 8th July 2016

[Masked Builder]

Okay so I'm a little late with my thoughts on the images from AoU. Over all I'm super excited for this movie. However, I am not in love with the hair they've chosen for Black Widow, I'm hoping it's just the angle. Cap, Iron man, and Ultron all look amazing though!

[Mr Man]

However, I am not in love with the hair they've chosen for Black Widow, I'm hoping it's just the angle.

It's the same style as the first Avengers isn't it?

[BrickG]

It's the same as avengers. They probably went back to it for consistency and Scarlet Witch has long hair. I prefer the shorter hair.

[Tanma]

I will be honest, I'm really hoping Avengers 2 doesn't make Scarlet Witch "River Tam 2." Ever since Dissassembled SW tends to be written as a plot device, and often is portrayed as out of her own control. But that flies in the face of her decades of time as a character, and it always bugs me when a character is reduced to a plot device. I'm not really a fan of the Scarlet Witch, but I really don't want one of the few MCU's heroines to be treated like that.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Tanma

[Ultron]

I will be honest, I'm really hoping Avengers 2 doesn't make Scarlet Witch "River Tam 2." Ever since Dissassembled SW tends to be written as a plot device, and often is portrayed as out of her own control. But that flies in the face of her decades of time as a character, and it always bugs me when a character is reduced to a plot device. I'm not really a fan of the Scarlet Witch, but I really don't want one of the few MCU's heroines to be treated like that.

I think her eventual mental insanity or whatever you want to call it is an important part of her character. But I agree, they don't need to take it TOO far. She's kind of a tragic character in a way though when you think about her love with the Vision and how she sort of lost her mind. It'll be interesting to see if they do anything with that. But I'm not sure how her being crazy would be much of a plot device. What are your thoughts?

[Tanma]

Well, again I am no expert on Wanda, but I believe she got over the death of her twins in the nineties. It hurt her, but she moved on. It wasn't right away of course, but it was resolved long before 2003. For instance in the storyline where Morgan Le Fay turned the world into a fantasy realm. Even with her mind tortured, the Scarlet Witch resists, and the narration notes that just like when she lost her sons she would not be broken by Le Fay. And her resistance protects Captain America from the spell, allowing him to free other heroes and eventually fix the world.

But for instance, writers used the Scarlet Witch going "insane," just to mix up the world. They had her break up the Avengers, and then used her to cause M-Day. They couldn't have a villain depower all mutants, they needed an "insane" hero to do it, even though her powers are never consistent. And even if they needed her, neither event lasted. There are now new mutants, and the Avengers reformed almost immediately. Heck there are more Avengers teams than ever. Her "madness" was used to change the world, and it took till the Children's Crusade for people to try to explain it better. That's why I say her insanity was used as a plot device, because it was simply used as a method for affecting the story.

And honestly I hate it when people in comics are out of control/villains because of "insanity." Its sloppy writing, and it tends to be offensive to real people with disabilities. I mean one reason I resent DC is because pretty much every one of Batman's villains is supposed to be insane. No one knows what the prison in DC is called, they just know about Arkham Asylum. And of course the two disabled bat heroes no longer exist. Oracle can walk (yet TKJ is still canon for some reason) and Cassandra Cain no longer exists (not that DC was using her well once her Batgirl series ended)

[Zilcho]

How is Cassandra Cain disabled? (I don't know anything about her apart from she is the black haired bat girl :P)

[K-Nut]

But for instance, writers used the Scarlet Witch going "insane," just to mix up the world. They had her break up the Avengers, and then used her to cause M-Day. They couldn't have a villain depower all mutants, they needed an "insane" hero to do it, even though her powers are never consistent. And even if they needed her, neither event lasted. There are now new mutants, and the Avengers reformed almost immediately. Heck there are more Avengers teams than ever. Her "madness" was used to change the world, and it took till the Children's Crusade for people to try to explain it better. That's why I say her insanity was used as a plot device, because it was simply used as a method for affecting the story.

I don't know much about Scarlet Witch either, but I still think what they did with her at the end of House of M was cool and powerful. My only problem with it is that they haven't really gotten over it in the comics, which could be due to the fact that she's not around that much (besides Uncanny Avengers now).

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have always been pretty messed up characters, and that's part of who they are. I'm sure that Whedon is going to play on that with them, especially now that Baron Von Strucker created them as lab rats (I think that's what I read) and that Whedon himself said that the whole movie you can't tell if they're heroes or villains.

And don't even get me started on Barbara Gordon/TKJ...

[Ultron]

Well, again I am no expert on Wanda, but I believe she got over the death of her twins in the nineties. It hurt her, but she moved on. It wasn't right away of course, but it was resolved long before 2003. For instance in the storyline where Morgan Le Fay turned the world into a fantasy realm. Even with her mind tortured, the Scarlet Witch resists, and the narration notes that just like when she lost her sons she would not be broken by Le Fay. And her resistance protects Captain America from the spell, allowing him to free other heroes and eventually fix the world.

But for instance, writers used the Scarlet Witch going "insane," just to mix up the world. They had her break up the Avengers, and then used her to cause M-Day. They couldn't have a villain depower all mutants, they needed an "insane" hero to do it, even though her powers are never consistent. And even if they needed her, neither event lasted. There are now new mutants, and the Avengers reformed almost immediately. Heck there are more Avengers teams than ever. Her "madness" was used to change the world, and it took till the Children's Crusade for people to try to explain it better. That's why I say her insanity was used as a plot device, because it was simply used as a method for affecting the story.

And honestly I hate it when people in comics are out of control/villains because of "insanity." Its sloppy writing, and it tends to be offensive to real people with disabilities. I mean one reason I resent DC is because pretty much every one of Batman's villains is supposed to be insane. No one knows what the prison in DC is called, they just know about Arkham Asylum. And of course the two disabled bat heroes no longer exist. Oracle can walk (yet TKJ is still canon for some reason) and Cassandra Cain no longer exists (not that DC was using her well once her Batgirl series ended)

Okay, I can see where you're coming from now. I don't mind the plot devices so much as long as I can't blatantly tell it's one. It has to actually make sense and not be completely unnecessary. Although it looks like that instead of her "turning insane", her and quicksilver will probably be mentally disturbed from the get-go, since they are lab rats and probably have been tortured. Not sure if that'll change too much or not. Anyway, I've heard (plot spoilers about them)

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be working with Ultron...? I don't know if that's completely true. And I don't know why they would be working with him, or how. I doubt Ultron would work with humans at all...that's kinda why he creates the Vision to kill the Avengers instead of recruiting people. Then again, he did lead the masters of evil once.

[Tanma]

Thanks for understanding, it just gets stressful.

It's just, what they did with her in House of M was use her as a plot device to depower millions of mutants. She had no agency in House of M, she just did as her brother had told her. And that's her legacy now, the Avenger who went crazy, twisted the world, and then depowered almost every mutant. Tht's what people know about her. Even now I see people often mock and hate the Scarlet Witch for accidentally killing many of their favorite characters. That's all she has done in like a decade. She was created in 1964, she has fifty years of history to go through. But all we know is how she was used as a plot device, bent to fit the story. Like I said she got over her children years and years before Disassembled, and suddenly she reverts so she can be used to break the Avengers. She was basically a macguffian, like a Cosmic Cube.

How is Cassandra Cain disabled? (I don't know anything about her apart from she is the black haired bat girl :P)

When we first encounter her in the comics she is unable to understand or express herself in spoken or written language. She couldn't even think in words, but she understood body language perfectly. She eventually learned how to speak, but it was a gradual process. Now I understand and think in words both spoken and written, but I can have a bit of difficult with social boundaries, social cues, and body language. That's why Cassandra really got me, because both of us had problems understanding people. She was my Batgirl, even if our obstacles were opposite.

Sorry if I seem harsh, I can get really cynical about comics. The last comic I read from the big two that really excited me was Avengers Assemble 25, and that was months ago.

On that idea for AoU,

I suspect that Loki's Sceptre will be what corrupts Ultron. Since the Baron seems to control the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver with the Sceptre, maybe he will use it on Loki.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Tanma

[Ultron]

Thanks for understanding, it just gets stressful.

It's just, what they did with her in House of M was use her as a plot device to depower millions of mutants. She had no agency in House of M, she just did as her brother had told her. And that's her legacy now, the Avenger who went crazy, twisted the world, and then depowered almost every mutant. Tht's what people know about her. Even now I see people often mock and hate the Scarlet Witch for accidentally killing many of their favorite characters. That's all she has done in like a decade. She was created in 1964, she has fifty years of history to go through. But all we know is how she was used as a plot device, bent to fit the story. Like I said she got over her children years and years before Disassembled, and suddenly she reverts so she can be used to break the Avengers. She was basically a macguffian, like a Cosmic Cube.

When we first encounter her in the comics she is unable to understand or express herself in spoken or written language. She couldn't even think in words, but she understood body language perfectly. She eventually learned how to speak, but it was a gradual process. Now I understand and think in words both spoken and written, but I can have a bit of difficult with social boundaries, social cues, and body language. That's why Cassandra really got me, because both of us had problems understanding people. She was my Batgirl, even if our obstacles were opposite.

Sorry if I seem harsh, I can get really cynical about comics. The last comic I read from the big two that really excited me was Avengers Assemble 25, and that was months ago.

On that idea for AoU,

I suspect that Loki's Sceptre will be what corrupts Ultron. Since the Baron seems to control the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver with the Sceptre, maybe he will use it on Loki.

No, I completely get you. I never really thought about her like that. But Whedon seems to really like her and Quicksilver so hopefully he does more with their characters.

Interesting...So Strucker would probably capture the Iron Man drone army leader [ultron] and try to use the scepter on it? And then while Strucker tries to use the robot army to his advantage it "expands his mind" (Not sure how you could expand the mind of an AI but that's beside the point) to the point where Ultron gains sentience and such and tries to kill everyone. You may be on to something.

[Tanma]

Okay, thanks for understanding.

On Loki's Sceptre, I am really attacked to the theory that Thanos has the Mind Gem, and used it to empower the Sceptre for Loki. Like the Aether's being used to empower the Kursed warriors of the Dark Elves, and the Tesseract being used to empower Hydra weapons. And building off that, I also like the idea that the reason there are "human aliens" in Guardians of the Galaxy is because Hydra Weapons just teleport people, and all the civilians and allied soldiers Hydra shot got beamed into space. They made families, and the human looking aliens in GotG, like those two guardians in the early trailers, are their descendants.

By the way, I need to check my memory. Was it ever said that Howard Stark engineered the first Arc Reactor from studying the Tesseract, or did I just imagine that?

[Ultron]

Okay, thanks for understanding.

On Loki's Sceptre, I am really attacked to the theory that Thanos has the Mind Gem, and used it to empower the Sceptre for Loki. Like the Aether's being used to empower the Kursed warriors of the Dark Elves, and the Tesseract being used to empower Hydra weapons. And building off that, I also like the idea that the reason there are "human aliens" in Guardians of the Galaxy is because Hydra Weapons just teleport people, and all the civilians and allied soldiers Hydra shot got beamed into space. They made families, and the human looking aliens in GotG, like those two guardians in the early trailers, are their descendants.

By the way, I need to check my memory. Was it ever said that Howard Stark engineered the first Arc Reactor from studying the Tesseract, or did I just imagine that?

It would make sense and also give a reason for Thanos to come to Earth. The only thing that bugs me about the theory is that the gem is the same color as the Tesseract but I suppose that could easily be changed. Your humans in space theory is pretty interesting although I doubt Marvel would ever go that far as to explain it. As for Stark, I'm not sure about that but it might be true.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Ultron

[Tanma]

Yeah, the color of the Sceptre is the main flaw I know about the theory.

Looking back, in the first Avengers movie Cap remarks that the Sceptre works a lot like a Hydra Weapon. (It's when Loki is still captured and the team is talking) Fury kind of sidesteps over that comment, but if the Sceptre is powered by the Mind Gem, then that could be some really long term foreshadowing. And given Fury's knowledge of Phase 2, he might have noticed that himself and was trying to divert Cap's attention from that possibility.

There is just so much about the MCU infinity gems we don't understand. I believe we know the Aether is Power, and I believe the Tesseract is Space, but that still leaves Time, Mind, Reality, and Soul. The Orb in GotG is probably one of the gems, but I'm not sure which, since that movie hasn't come out and all. And that's assuming they use the traditional gems.

If they do use the traditional gems, imagine what havoc the Time Gem could do. In the MCU no one's invented time travel, the only record of time travel was that Hydra Weapon in AoS. I mean, no one has a defense against it. The best chance for Earth would probably be Jane Foster and Eric, since they deal with wormholes more than most.

...Now I'm wondering about a MCU Thor-Cap team up where modern day Hydra agents go back in time to change WWII. Jane and Erik go after them and warn past Thor, and together he and WWII Cap team up to save the future. Then Odin I guess wipes everyone in the past's memory and sends Jane and Erik back to the future, or it becomes a separate timeline.

I doubt Marvel would do that, since it seems more like a fan fic idea, but I kind of like it. Eh, something like it has probably already been done in the comics.

[Faefrost]

Ooooo! A few major spoilers about several MCU movies are creeping out ahead of SDCC, and if true some are awesome and some are just ummm strange? And a few do tie together in a way that seemingly leads GotG much more directly to Avengers 3 than we ever imagined. By way of another huge fan favorite story.

- there will be no "Planet Hulk" Hulk solo movie (read the phrasing of that carefully)

- huge huge spoiler here, read with caution!

At the end of Avengers 2 Bruce Banner will be stuck in a ship set on a one way voyage into space. This setup should sound familiar to Hulk fans (see above)

- remember how the black skinned baddies in GotG are called Sakaarans? Yeah that's not a coincidence. Also note a common nickname for a portion of the GotG is the "mean greens". Yeah Planet Hulk will not be getting a Hulk solo movie. It will however lead into or be a part of GotG 2.

- joss Wheedon pretty clearly said that it is no coincidence that Paul Betany voices Jarvis and will be the Vision. This is probably the least spoilery spoiler. I mean we already figured out that Jarvis becomes the Vision.

- it doesn't get any weirder than this one. The full credits for GotG are available. And they include a cameo by Howard the Duck. Hopefully the classic if dated Steve Gerber 70's comic Howard, and not the heinous 80's George Lucas Howard. Well if it is the GL Howard... Maybe they handcuff him to JarJar Binks and toss both out an airlock? Cause I would pay to see that.

- rumor is that both Ms. Marvel and Dr. Strange have been cast. Possibly announced at SDCC. No word on Ms. M other than it is not Katie Sackhoff. There is some speculation that Strange might be Benedict Cumberbach.

[Ultron]

Yeah, the color of the Sceptre is the main flaw I know about the theory.

Looking back, in the first Avengers movie Cap remarks that the Sceptre works a lot like a Hydra Weapon. (It's when Loki is still captured and the team is talking) Fury kind of sidesteps over that comment, but if the Sceptre is powered by the Mind Gem, then that could be some really long term foreshadowing. And given Fury's knowledge of Phase 2, he might have noticed that himself and was trying to divert Cap's attention from that possibility.

There is just so much about the MCU infinity gems we don't understand. I believe we know the Aether is Power, and I believe the Tesseract is Space, but that still leaves Time, Mind, Reality, and Soul. The Orb in GotG is probably one of the gems, but I'm not sure which, since that movie hasn't come out and all. And that's assuming they use the traditional gems.

If they do use the traditional gems, imagine what havoc the Time Gem could do. In the MCU no one's invented time travel, the only record of time travel was that Hydra Weapon in AoS. I mean, no one has a defense against it. The best chance for Earth would probably be Jane Foster and Eric, since they deal with wormholes more than most.

...Now I'm wondering about a MCU Thor-Cap team up where modern day Hydra agents go back in time to change WWII. Jane and Erik go after them and warn past Thor, and together he and WWII Cap team up to save the future. Then Odin I guess wipes everyone in the past's memory and sends Jane and Erik back to the future, or it becomes a separate timeline.

I doubt Marvel would do that, since it seems more like a fan fic idea, but I kind of like it. Eh, something like it has probably already been done in the comics.

Yeah I'm kind of curious how they're going to handle the infinity gauntlet. It's obviously ultra powerful but I'm kind of nervous the gems won't function like they do in the comics..The time gem seems like it would be tricky to handle. But I'm thinking that may be the gem in GotG. I guess it's inside of the silver orb thing? I hope Thanos somehow gets the gem in the end so they don't have to explain later how he gets it. Maybe we'll see him crack it open and take it out? I'm not too sure. The reality gem seems likely for the Dr. Strange movie since he's deals with alternate dimensions. Or maybe the soul since he always seems to deal with that one. There are a lot of paths they could take.

Ooooo! A few major spoilers about several MCU movies are creeping out ahead of SDCC, and if true some are awesome and some are just ummm strange? And a few do tie together in a way that seemingly leads GotG much more directly to Avengers 3 than we ever imagined. By way of another huge fan favorite story.

- there will be no "Planet Hulk" Hulk solo movie (read the phrasing of that carefully)

- huge huge spoiler here, read with caution!

At the end of Avengers 2 Bruce Banner will be stuck in a ship set on a one way voyage into space. This setup should sound familiar to Hulk fans (see above)

- remember how the black skinned baddies in GotG are called Sakaarans? Yeah that's not a coincidence. Also note a common nickname for a portion of the GotG is the "mean greens". Yeah Planet Hulk will not be getting a Hulk solo movie. It will however lead into or be a part of GotG 2.

- joss Wheedon pretty clearly said that it is no coincidence that Paul Betany voices Jarvis and will be the Vision. This is probably the least spoilery spoiler. I mean we already figured out that Jarvis becomes the Vision.

- it doesn't get any weirder than this one. The full credits for GotG are available. And they include a cameo by Howard the Duck. Hopefully the classic if dated Steve Gerber 70's comic Howard, and not the heinous 80's George Lucas Howard. Well if it is the GL Howard... Maybe they handcuff him to JarJar Binks and toss both out an airlock? Cause I would pay to see that.

- rumor is that both Ms. Marvel and Dr. Strange have been cast. Possibly announced at SDCC. No word on Ms. M other than it is not Katie Sackhoff. There is some speculation that Strange might be Benedict Cumberbach.

I might cry if there's a Ms. Marvel movie. I'm not even sure why I like her so much.

[Tanma]

Yeah, I suspect the gems won't even fit in the traditional gauntlet, partly because of the size of the Tesseract alone. Well, maybe Hulk could wear a gauntlet with all six.

I hear you, if we got a Wasp solo movie I would be so happy. She deserves it for not getting to be a founder in the MCU. on a similar note, I really like the idea that Jan helped fund much of the research and selection for the Avengers you know, so even if she wasn't a vigilante back then, she was still kind of an founding Avenger. Heck if they can confirm she chose the name Avenger for the project, like she did in the comics, I would probably gush for weeks.

On these spoilers.

Poor Banner, he still can't get a solo movie after his last two. But this could do nicely, might be a way to increase his presence without giving him a movie yet. He does need one eventually, there is the Leader cliffhanger for instance, and I think all of us see Red Hulk coming. Wonder if they will do Red She-Hulk too. She-Hulk too, it might be good to have a superhuman lawyer. Anyway depending on how much the Guardians already know about Earth, they could learn a lot from one of the planet's few superheroes as well. People might pay more attention to Earth, which could be good or bad.

Yeah we all saw Vision coming, but we all thought the Mandarian would be Trevor didn't we? So for me at least it is good to hear something like confirmation. Plus you know, since Tony builds them both, you could have fun with Ultron and Vision being brothers and not father and son.

Speaking of which, Tony builds Ultron. Odds are the world is going to blame him for whatever Ultron does. I wonder if that will lead into A3.

If this is legit I am really excited.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Tanma

[Faefrost]

Yeah, the color of the Sceptre is the main flaw I know about the theory.

Looking back, in the first Avengers movie Cap remarks that the Sceptre works a lot like a Hydra Weapon. (It's when Loki is still captured and the team is talking) Fury kind of sidesteps over that comment, but if the Sceptre is powered by the Mind Gem, then that could be some really long term foreshadowing. And given Fury's knowledge of Phase 2, he might have noticed that himself and was trying to divert Cap's attention from that possibility.

There is just so much about the MCU infinity gems we don't understand. I believe we know the Aether is Power, and I believe the Tesseract is Space, but that still leaves Time, Mind, Reality, and Soul. The Orb in GotG is probably one of the gems, but I'm not sure which, since that movie hasn't come out and all. And that's assuming they use the traditional gems.

If they do use the traditional gems, imagine what havoc the Time Gem could do. In the MCU no one's invented time travel, the only record of time travel was that Hydra Weapon in AoS. I mean, no one has a defense against it. The best chance for Earth would probably be Jane Foster and Eric, since they deal with wormholes more than most.

...Now I'm wondering about a MCU Thor-Cap team up where modern day Hydra agents go back in time to change WWII. Jane and Erik go after them and warn past Thor, and together he and WWII Cap team up to save the future. Then Odin I guess wipes everyone in the past's memory and sends Jane and Erik back to the future, or it becomes a separate timeline.

I doubt Marvel would do that, since it seems more like a fan fic idea, but I kind of like it. Eh, something like it has probably already been done in the comics.

The safe bet for the gems probably goes like this...

Loki's staff = the Mind Gem. It's the only thing in the MCU shown to be able to effect or control someone. Remember according to Coulson no psychics. Also of note, Tony Stark's Arc reactor could block it. Hmmmm?

The Cube = the space gem. Velocity, travel, and energies related to such. An immense power source. Shield had this one for many years. In particular Howard Stark was studying it for decades. The secret clues to left for Tony in IM2, that let him make the new chest piece. He is probably powered by cube tech. The Cube also explains how Thor gets to and from Earth or Asgard now.

The Aether - the Power Gem. Not much else to say other than it seems to imbue individuals. Possible pathway to Ms. Marvel? (There are rumors she may be teased in GotG. )

Of the others;

The Soul Gem - show of hands, can anyone picture this one NOT being Dr. Strange's Eye of Agomotto? The MCU seems to be going to great pains to limit and define the rare artifacts of great power, and to connect them.

The Reality Gem - is normally associated with the gauntlet itself. And traditionally doesn't do much until the others are in place. Safe guess is Thanos already has this one.

The Time Gem - this is probably the orb seen in GotG. And it would make sense if they ever want to add Vance Astro etc to the company. Watch where this little bauble lands at the end of all of this. Chances are that will be our first big clue to Phase IV or V. There is one major Avengers foe that has not been seen yet. And time and time travel is his specialty. Kang the Conqueror. And by extension Kang would probably mean introducing Mantis to the team. I think otherwise they will dance very very carefully around time travel in the MCU.

To quote Robert Downey Jr. "There are no coincidences in Kevin Feige's MCU. Everything is there precisely for a reason. (Save one or two Easter Eggs from the earliest movies before he had total editorial control)." In short the MCU has something that both Marvel and DC comics have sadly lacked since the 90's. A strong editor with an overall vision.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Faefrost

[Tanma]

I don't think the Sceptre is the Mind Gem itself, since Thanos gave it to Loki, and I doubt he would give up a gem he already owned. That's why I think the Sceptre is the equal of the Hydra Weapons or the Kursed; empowered by a stone, but not actually a stone.

Oh, Kang. I really hope they can use him, but his real name is Nathaniel Richards, and he's thus connected to the Fantastic Four. Now in the Ultimate universe Kang has a different origin, but even then her name is Susan Storm. So I'm not sure they could use Kang without brushing up against Fox.

Of course, Marvel and Fox split Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, so maybe they can do that with Kang.