Top 10 Most Underutilized Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters
Some characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe get plenty of time to shine. They have full story arcs, memorable moments, and major roles in the overarching narrative. Others, however, never get that chance. This list focuses on those underutilized characters, the ones who had potential but were sidelined due to limited screen time, writing choices, or external factors like actor availability.This isn't about underrated characters. Underrated implies a lack of appreciation, but that's not the issue here. Instead, these are characters who simply weren't given enough material to work with. Maybe they had an intriguing setup but never got proper follow-through. Maybe they had an interesting backstory that was barely touched on. Or maybe they were introduced in a way that suggested they'd play a bigger role, only to be forgotten or written out too soon. Whatever the reason, they didn't get the focus they deserved, and as a result, they never reached their full potential.
Now's your chance to highlight the MCU characters who could have been so much more. Who do you think was the most wasted? Vote for the ones you believe should be at the top of this list.
He was literally only in one movie, Age of Ultron, unfortunately dying without much development other than his super speed and experimentation, not to mention being with Ultron. I was sad to see an Avenger actually die in the movie, especially a new one. Even though Wanda lives on for more movies, it was really bad to see her brother go.
Sif is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted commonly in association with the superhero Thor. Based on the Norse goddess Sif, she was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #102 (March 1964)... read more Oh Sif, you really should have been more utilized in the Thor movies. Just a supporting role in the first two movies and never appearing in Ragnarok at all. Maybe Loki, posing as Odin between movies, exiled her, but this prevented her from being in that movie regardless. Then it was confirmed that Thanos's snap killed her offscreen.
Yeah, it would have been awesome for Sif and other Asgardian characters to get more attention.
Just like Sif, these three guys never got utilized much at all, despite minor roles in the first two Thor movies. What's worse is that they are pretty much immediately killed by Hela in Ragnarok. Hogun at least had an entire army helping him, but she single-handedly slaughters everyone. Fandral gets it worst.
Benicio del Toro plays a rather enigmatic role, but his roles have always been minor, with his best being a Thor: The Dark World mid-credits scene and a more interesting role in Guardians of the Galaxy. He's supposed to be a villain too. We don't even know what happens to him in Infinity War. Whether or not he was killed by Thanos is hard to tell.
Am I one of the only ones who wishes there was a second Hulk movie? He gets barely any screen time in the Edward Norton movie, showing only shades of villainy which we never see again for the rest of the MCU. I hope there's a new movie for the Hulk with this guy as the antagonist.
He could have been an interesting villain. Despite being somewhat cliché, he had that villainous tone, even letting Loki be his underling. The next time we see him in Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan kills him in an argument in Thanos's throne room. Really lame.
The comics make him out to be one of Captain America's main adversaries. His double-agent stunt in Winter Soldier is fine, but it's a minor role. Much like other characters, in a sequel movie (Civil War in this case), he's basically the starter villain, killed in the first part of the movie.
Heimdall is a fictional character from Marvel Comics who is based on the Norse god Heimdallr. He serves as the guardian of the Bifrost Bridge and is known for his extraordinary senses. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Heimdall is portrayed by Idris Elba and appears in several Thor and Avengers films... read more Naturally, Heimdall has been rather underutilized throughout the series. It kind of sucks for Idris Elba not to get much of the screen time his character deserved. At least he was the best character in Ragnarok, sending the Asgardians to safety and protecting them while Hela took over. Still, his underutilization cannot be ignored.
Another Hydra villain without a lot of screen time. He's responsible for the test subjects Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, as depicted in Winter Soldier's post-credits scene. He has a slightly bigger role in Age of Ultron, but is unceremoniously killed off by Ultron later on.
Wong is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the loyal sidekick and valet of Doctor Strange, who is the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth... read more The all-powerful Sorcerer who passionately fought the Black Order and then left... for a sandwich?
The Newcomers
Completely disappeared following Spider-Man: Homecoming. A romance arc for Peter Parker is gone because her dad was the villain.
Klaw is a fictional character in Marvel Comics. He is known as a supervillain who converts sound into physical mass using a device on his hand. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is portrayed by Andy Serkis, appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther. First main villain of Black Panther, who even showed up in Age of Ultron. Played by the enigmatic Andy Serkis, whose personality made him quite the madman for this.
But he just had to get sidelined.
We'll see if Korath gets more development in Captain Marvel, since he and Ronan are in that movie, even though he gets killed in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Hopefully, he will become a good Marvel villain.
Shuri is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is the younger sister of T'Challa, the Black Panther, and a princess of Wakanda. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she is portrayed by Letitia Wright and is known for her genius-level intellect and technological... read more This one is now arguable since she is the main protagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and clearly stood out as the new Black Panther following Chadwick Boseman's death.
She will certainly return in Avengers: Doomsday as well.
Just recently watched this movie. They were trying to find a cure for her when the snap happened. She was interesting.
Howard the Duck is a fictional character featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik and first appeared in 1973. The character is known for his satirical tone, appearances in multiple Marvel series, and his cult-favorite 1986 live-action... read more
Ultron is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is widely recognized as a major adversary of the Avengers and has a complex connection with several team members, particularly his creator Hank Pym... read more
We have three Guardians movies, and Kraglin only feels like a named lackey.
Yondu's second-in-command has a nice change of heart and ends up being a good crew member in Guardians 2. In Guardians 3, he inherits Yondu's fin and arrow, learns to use it, gets a vision of his buddy for the finale, and that's kind of it for his role.
Sure, he spars with Cosmo the space dog, who is another new Guardian of the Galaxy, but Kraglin is mostly just around.
Played by Ralphie from A Christmas Story, he is a scientist formerly employed by Stark before defecting to join Quentin Beck. He worked well with Beck's drones and illusions. It was William who relayed Beck's last message before Beck died, revealing Spider-Man's identity. This is very interesting for such a minor character.
Rocket Raccoon is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen, the character first appeared in Marvel Preview #7. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is voiced by Bradley Cooper and appears as a key member... read more Hard disagree after watching GOTG3. Previously, Rocket was the shooter and pilot overall, but he does enough legwork, understands what Groot says easily, and even became a survivor of the Snap, helping the Avengers.
In GOTG3, the movie explores his past while he's in a coma, and it's solemn. But by the end of the movie, he becomes the true leader of the new Guardians (spoiler alert: Peter retires as leader, by the way).
Loki Laufeyson, also known as Loki Odinson, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of Thor and is known as the "God of Mischief." In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston.
Daredevil is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby... read more