Not long ago, it looked as if Marvel was going to produce an adaptation of Runaways, the comic created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona about teenagers on the run after they discover their parents are supervillains. The project got as far as casting before the studio abruptly pulled the plug in late 2010 in order to focus on The Avengers.

Iron Man 3 and "Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King" screenwriter Drew Pearce told Total Film he's "still super-proud" of his Runaways script, saying now may be the perfect time for the project to move forward, as "people are becoming aware of superheroes inside of the [Marvel Cinematic Universe]."

"It's a reverse twist on the Spider-Man theme that 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,' because it's actually a movie where that relates to the parents and not the kids, and I've never seen a movie that does that, superhero or otherwise," he said. "The realization that your parents are fallible people, being heightened immeasurably by the fact that they're super powered people who are using their superpowers for evil and not good. I just think it's the most potent idea and the script that exists at the moment takes an almost grandiose, almost Godfather-esque view of the crime syndicate."

While Pearce said he's "keeping my fingers crossed" that Runaways will find a place in Marvel's Phase Three plans, he conceded it isn't especially likely at this point.

"It's just not as obvious as a single male superhero character, it's not as marketable, and I think that'll always be a hurdle with it," he said.