Marvel's announcement yesterday about their two-picture Avengers project in 2011 (The Shirtless First Avenger: Captain America, followed by The Avengers) is sure to prompt plenty of nerd conjecture about which characters will be part of the team notable for taking on villains too mighty for a single superhero. Though the original sixties Avengers comic-book team included Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor, we're hoping that Marvel will steer clear of DC's Justice League misstep of taking characters who already have movies of their own, recasting them on the cheap, and hoping to get a movie out of it. Why not take this opportunity to let some new heroes get in on the action?

The Avengers have always been known for having a large, revolving cast of characters, and with incarnations that have included the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, and the West Coast Avengers, Marvel can take their pick of costumed crime fighters — many of whom, in direct opposition to recent superhero-movie trends, are kick-ass women. So how about these Avengers, Marvel?

First on the list: Hawkeye. Arrow-slinging superheroes might be passé, but as one of the longest-serving members in the Avengers ranks, the venerable Hawkeye is no more antiquated than Captain America himself. Then there are Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. An X-Men tie-in could help revive that faltering film series, and these long-standing Avengers, twin offspring of Magneto and former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, could help. Next: Black Panther. A Black Panther movie adaptation has been bandied about for years, but the Avengers film would be a fantastic place for this underrated character to land. And finally, every super-team needs a member-in-training, so how about Captain Marvel? Monica Rambeau, the young New Orleans harbor patrol lieutenant who gains the power to convert her body into energy, fits the bill perfectly.

We know this is all unlikely, given Iron Man's post-credits Nick Fury appearance — which functions as an Avengers teaser — but we're still hopeful. Tony Stark and Fury can still appear in The Avengers, but how about giving some other superheroes a chance? —Tammy Oler