Dark Reign is one of Marvel Comics’ most acclaimed storylines ever published. And here’s why we think MCU may be looking towards adapting Dark reign for the big screens.
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion was an event where shape-shifting aliens called Skrulls infiltrated the highest echelons of World Government. These sleeper agents would then try to manipulate events. It was all done so that the Skrulls could slowly take over the Earth. The event led to widespread criticism of global security agencies like SHIELD. Norman Osborn managed to use this as a PR tool to make him look like the hero the world needed at the moment. It was Secret Invasion that led Osborn to become the new President of the United States. Marvel is already making a Secret Invasion Disney+ series. So that is a big enough hint.
Taskmaster
Does anyone know what happened to Taskmaster at the end of Black Widow? No one knows. There is a theory that says that Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster will be hired as the new coordinator of the 50 State Initiative, the infamous superhero training program that came during Dark Reign. In the comics, Osborn personally recruited Taskmaster to train new superhero recruits for the 50 State Initiative. Taskmaster’s whereabouts are not known as of now. Given the amount of time that has passed since Black Widow, anything is possible.
SWORD May Be Hinting At The Negative Zone
The Sentient Weapon Observation & Response Division was first introduced in WandaVision. It’s job is to protect the planet from extra-terrestrial as well as extra-dimensional threats. More stress on the word “extra-dimensional” because that is where the clue comes from. The Dark Reign storyline saw Osborn using a dimension called the Negative Zone to illegally house political rivals, dissidents and rebels. The Initiative series saw the famed Negative Zone prison break. Also WandaVision has already hinted at Reed Richards with Monica Rambeau’s “Mystery Engineer”. In the comics, reed Richards discovered the negative Zone and is the world’s foremost authority on the subject.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Finally Brings Norman Osborn To MCU
The biggest hint that the MCU may be working towards Dark Reign is that the key player – Norman Osborn, has just debuted. In the multiverse hopping adventure that will be Spider-Man: No Way Home, Osborn is one of the villains Spider-Man faces in the movie. If the movie ends with the Green Goblin not dying or being sent back to Earth but rather be held captive on mainstream Earth, then there’s a chance we may see Dark Reign in the future.
Most Of The Dark Avengers Are Already There In MCU
The Dark Avengers were a government controlled replica of the Avengers team that were more evil and ruthless in their ways. Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion, after being possessed by Venom, becomes a Spider-Man substitute. Both Gargan and Venom are in the MCU now. The rumored Daredevil season 4 revival on Disney+ would mean Bullseye may also be coming to Marvel Studios. Bullseye replaced Hawkeye in Dark Avengers. Osborn himself played Iron Patriot, the Iron man stand-in. The Iron Patriot armor already made an appearance in Iron Man 3.
HAMMER
Norman Osborn created a new organization to replace SHIELD, which people thought was too incompetent after the events of Secret Wars. No one knows what HAMMER stands for but it was one freaking corrupted organization. It regularly carried out illegal assassination and international espionage operations under Osborn’s command. Victoria Hand, the shot-caller of HAMMER closely coordinated the people of AIM, Hydra, and The Hand, the three organizations that formed HAMMER. Hand has already made an appearance in Marvel’s Agents of Shield. AIM, Hydra, and The Hand (via Daredevil) are also in the MCU.
New Asgard
After the events of Thor: Ragnarok destroyed Asgard, the remaining Asgardians travelled to earth and set up their new home in Tønsberg. The Norwegian village was home to the Tesseract for many centuries. And now it became the New Asgard. In Dark Reign, after Thor brought Asgard to Earth, Osborn laid siege on the Asgardian home in the aptly titled story arc called “Siege”. This was when the world saw true evil in the form of an absolutely unhinged Norman Osborn. The fact that Tønsberg exists on earth will be the biggest hint for MCU adapting Dark Reign.
