7. Wolverine & Kitty Pryde
Ellen Page’s Kitty Pryde is set to have an important role in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but a movie teaming her up with her father figure/mentor Wolverine would give Fox a great opportunity to highlight one of the strongest female characters in comics. After following her actual father to Tokyo where she believes he is being harassed by the Yakuza, Wolverine goes after the young mutant. However, he finds that Kitty has been brainwashed by one of the samurai’s who once trained him; Ogun. Delving into their relationship, a movie based on this series would feel like a natural successor to The Wolverine, especially as it would mean we could once again catch up with the characters from that first instalment.
Although it’s not a particular arc I’m thinking of per se, in the comics Wolverine has been placed as having participated in WWII. This could be a huge opportunity for something along the lines of “Inglorious Basterds” starring Wolverine, Nazi slayer.
Frame it within a modern-day flashback/breakthrough moment, that could possibly even be brought about as fallout of the Days Of Future Past story line. As his memory reasserts itself, perhaps introduce him as WWII army volunteer (or conscript? – for dirty dozen feel) James Howlett, aware of his powers but before the amnesia and the weapon x program.
Also it could touch upon the comic that tells his childhood origins, though the meat of the story should be of his travails in the war and as an early mutant.
The twist being that it was not the weapon x program that ‘first’ took his memory of who he was – but perhaps a traumatic injury caused by a heroic wartime sacrifice. (obviously the climax of the film) Then he could wake in the present, more whole than he has been in a long time, and ride off into the sunset. I’d like to see Jackman act out that catharsis of his character.
I’ve got to admit I’m starting to want to write this… Not that I have wildly unrealistic expectations of getting a call from Fox but I’d wager I could fashion an interesting fanfic from it. It’s a shame they wouldn’t be able to cross him over with Cap (unless we could sic Puppet Master on the studios!), but there could be an opportunity to portray Wolverine within a version of the Axis-fighting Invaders. Even scratching Cap from the roster, they could consist of the (original android) Human Torch, Wolverine, Namor, Union Jack, and possibly Spitfire.