The MCU didn’t write the book when it came to utilizing great characters and villains only to ditch them in the same movie. Back in X-Men 2, a villain was brought out to play that we never saw again. It sounds as though the woman that played her, Kelly Hu, would love to bring Lady Deathstrike back to play in the MCU, which would be all kinds of awesome since the X-Men are still on their way according to all reports, though it’s not certain yet who will take on the role of Wolverine. A lot of fans would likely want to see Logan and Yuriko throw hands once again, especially since in the comics, Lady Deathstrike is a truly deadly individual that didn’t get nearly enough screentime or lines in X2. But the big hope is that if she did manage to make her way into the MCU, she would have more to say since she wouldn’t be under the control of the same man that held Wolverine under his thumb for a bit, Stryker. Just imagine Lady Deathstrike being unrestrained and able to tear up anything or anyone that was in her way.
Hearing that Kelly Hu would like to take on the role again is fun since she does have what could be called the right look to take this role back, but it will be interesting to see what happens in regards to such a desire. Hu is currently in her early 50s, so one would almost think that if she did manage to make an appearance that she might be a slightly older version of Yuriko, or perhaps the aging software that so many talks about could be used in this case. What’s important to note is that she’s taken on the role before so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to think that she could do it again. But maybe a little more backstory would be provided this time around, perhaps in a limited series on Disney+ or within a movie dealing with the X-Men or a related group. Yuriko’s history with Logan is well-known to many fans, and it’s even a hope that it would bring Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, back into the fold in an engaging manner.
In the comics, Weapon X was a big deal for a while and it’s been seen that the program spawned more than one gifted soldier that was capable of becoming something other than a weapon for the government. Some might remember that in the Hulk vs. animated feature that the green goliath took on Wolverine, Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and Deadpool at one time. That’s not likely to be made canon since it was both animated and it brings together characters that haven’t been seen together on screen at this point, but it would be kind of interesting. Perhaps casting someone younger to take on the part of Wolverine would make such a story work, but it’s fair to assume that such a thing won’t be coming to the big or small screen anytime soon since it’s already been done. More than one director and/or producer has made it clear that they don’t want to adhere entirely to the comics, which means that whatever we’ve seen in the comics or animated movies at this point might not be considered as source material unless it’s bound to be picked apart for relevant elements.
However it happens, it would be nice to see Lady Deathstrike make her way to the MCU to offer up another great villain that has enough depth, skill, and ferocity to last for more than one appearance. It might be nice to see villains that are capable of getting down and dirty make their way into the MCU since it’s a little more entertaining to see heroes go up against villains that aren’t going to go down so easily. When it comes to sheer toughness and skill, Yuriko has her weaknesses and has been handed more than one defeat in her criminal career, but she’s not a pushover, and considering that she’s able to go toe to toe with Wolverine, she’s not afraid to get in a down and dirty scrap.
With the way the MCU has been going as of late with the multiverse and time travel, it’s fair to think that Kelly Hu would be able to make her way into the MCU without any de-aging software since it could be that she’s a version of the character from a different time. As long as she’s allowed to make her way into the MCU that’s all that a lot of fans would care about. Of course, seeing her as a cybernetically-enhanced killer would be great as well. Hopefully, Kelly will be given the chance, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the days and months to come.
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