It was recently announced that Marvel had tied up with Netflix for a 60 part TV series package that includes four 13 episodes series and a 8 episodes mini. The full series will feature Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones in their respective shows while the mini will see all them coming together to form a new Defenders team that is different from the team in the comics. Interestingly, I just wrote an article last month that talks about which undervalued comic books to speculate if there was a Defenders movie.  Guess I was half right!

After the announcement, there was a big rush (as always) for the comics that contain the first appearances of these characters such as Luke Cage #1, Marvel Premiere #15 etc. If you have missed out having these comics in your collection, I don’t encourage to rush out now and buy a copy. After all, buying something expensive in the hope of reselling them for an even higher prices is a risky strategy.

The good news is that there are still cheap and under radar comic books that you can speculate on based on this news. Remember one of the techniques I highlighted in my article on spotting undervalued silver age comics was to look at the supporting cast and villains for the main characters. This is a fertile soil which there are many possible books to speculate on. Most of them tend to cheap although the risk is that some might turn out to be duds.

With that in mind, I have round up a bunch of characters which I PERSONALLY think will be featured in the upcoming marvel TV shows.  I specifically pick characters that can create drama on screen since this is a TV show and dramas are a must to keep audience entertained. Examples of such characters include

• Close friends or relatives becoming villains
• Love interests
• Long term villains

All these type of characters tend to do well in dramas so the chances of them appearing in the show will be higher than any other character types. Without further delay, here are the picks, starting with Daredevil.

#1: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #10 – First appearance of Steel Serpent

Every hero needs his or her own Joker. Steel Serpent is the ying to Iron Fist’s yang. He is the son of Iron Fist’s master and I can see how this relationship can translate well into TV drama materials. Steel Serpent’s first appearance is in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #10, which is a black and white comic magazine. His first cover appearance is Marvel Team Up #63.

Updated: After more research, I discover that the steel serpent in the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu is different from the steel serpent that will become Iron Fist’s nemesis.  The one you want to get is named Davos. He is first seen in Iron Fist #1 but not as Steel Serpent. Marvel team up #63 is where the costume and the name is being used. I would say look for the latter as the cover is more visually appealing and is more representative of a first appearance.

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#2: Daredevil vol 1 #254 – First appearance of Typhoid Mary

If you liked Harley Quinn’s craziness, you will love Typhoid Mary. She has a split personality problem that will make her TV appearance extremely interesting if done well. Coupled with being a love interest of Daredevil, you can see how the drama can unfold there.

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#3: Daredevil vol 2 #111 – First appearance of Lady Bullseye

We all know Bullseye will probably make an appearance in the Daredevil TV show given how popular he is with fans. In the event that the studio might not use him, lady bullseye is another great alternative. This is a pretty long shot but the book is cheap to pick up plus it features a great cover of the villain herself.

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#4: Daredevil vol 1 #91 – First appearance of Mister Fear

What makes Mister Fear interesting is the fact that his alter-ego, Larry Cranston, is a formal law classmate with Daredevil. I can see him first appearing in the show as a close friend, before evolving into Mister Fear over a few episodes.  What high drama! If you think this scenario is possible, you can find Larry Cranston first appeared in Daredevil volume 1 #88 but #91 is where he transform into the villain known as Mister Fear. Again, another great cover that is worth picking up even if the speculation fails.

#5: Marvel Premiere #21 – First appearance of Misty Knight

This book is a non brainer. MIsty Knight is the love interest of Iron Fist and is bound to make an appearance. The question is whether her character will be interesting or flat.  In other words, will she be the next Black Widow or Jane Foster?

#6: Daredevil vol 2 #9 – First appearance of Echo

Echo is a perfect love interest for Daredevil as she is also deaf. Her betrayal of DD in the comics is also something that will work well in TV shows.  If you liked this character, you should pick up #10 as well which is Echo’s first cover appearance.

#7: Strange Tales #77 – First appearance of Master Khan

Master Khan was a constant villain for both Iron Fist and Luke Cage. His mystical origin is a good fit for Iron Fist’s origin story so it is likely that he might become another main villain for the hero.  Again, this is a long shot and the book itself is not easy to find at cheap prices.  I would suggest this to be the last book to get on this list.

#8: Cage #3 – First appearance of James Lucas

A typical love hate brother relation between James Lucas and his brother, Luke Cage. This sour relationship eventually becomes the catalyst for James to subject himself to experiments that would turn him into ColdFire. Nothing beats a brother rivalry for melodrama so including James in the Luke Cage TV show is a strong possibility.  His first appearance is in Cage #3 as James Lucas and as ColdFire in Cage #13.

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#9: Iron Fist #15 – First appearance of Powermaster

Powermaster is another one of those villains whi have conflicts with all the 3 main characters. This makes him an ideal candidate to be included in the TV shows as a long term villain. His actual powers make him an good match for Luke Cage so I expect him to appear first in his show.  The bad news is that Iron Fist #15 is already a sought after issue so finding it below $10 will be challenging.

#10: Daredevil #4 – First appearance of Purple Man

Saving the best for last, I believe Purple Man might be the main villain that leads to all 4 heroes teaming up in the Defenders. Kingpin is of course another candidate but given that Purple Man had a much stronger tie in with Jessica Jone, Luke Cage etc, my bet is on him. Again, this issue is not cheap so expect to shelf out some serious dollars for a mid grade condition book. However, if Purple Man becomes the main villain, this issue might see a serious price bump.

So, above are all my speculative picks. Be warn though that even if these characters are announced to be in the show, the books might not still see much price appreciation. It all depends on how well the character is being developed and how popular they will become.  Have fun hunting!