Giddy with anticipation over their upcoming superheroic slate — Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers — Marvel Studios is eyeing mid-list characters for mid-budgeted films. But does anyone really want a Dazzler movie?

Last week, it was revealed that Marvel's favorite Agent of SHIELD, Nick Fury, will be showing up in Kenneth Branagh's movie version of Thor... which apparently came as a surprise to the actor who plays him, Samuel L. Jackson.

Despite being burnt by experiences writing the last two X-Men movies, screenwriter Zak Penn told an audience at the Los Angeles Film Festival that he's excited to be writing the upcoming Avengers movie. The big difference? Guest-stars and co-operation, apparently.

During an interview yesterday on the set of Iron Man 2, Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige explained what lies ahead for the rapidly expanding universes of Marvel movies, providing information on everything from Captain America to Ant-Man to The Avengers.

The spiritual father of Marvel's Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk aren't necessarily who you might expect. At today's Adapting Comics To Screen panel, Stan Lee may have been happy to accept his share of the glories, but Incredible Hulk screenwriter has someone much more recent in mind: Ultimates writer Mark Millar.

Between mecha-fighter Iron Man's second movie, coming in April 30, 2010, and military-sponsored super-soldier Captain America, coming May 6, 2011, Marvel Comics' upcoming movie slate has a very militaristic feel. But where's the peaceful shrinking scientist Ant-Man, who communicates with ants? Apprently his movie's on…