Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has given us plenty of memorable characters, but which MCU characters deserved more time on our screens?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been a recurring presence on the silver screen for over a decade now, entertaining audiences worldwide while many of its films dominated the box office.
However, the recent release of Avengers: Endgame marks the end of an era for the shared universe, closing the chapter on the Infinity Saga that was the very foundation for its first three phases. Having said that, it also marks the beginning of a brand new one.
With the MCU finding itself at a temporary crossroads, now seems like a good time to reflect on the few things it could improve upon going forward. Of course, one of those very things is giving the spotlight to some of its more under-appreciated characters.
Over the past decade, there have been quite a few great supporting characters who just never got the love and attention that they truly deserved. With that in mind, let’s utilize those Infinity Stones and prepare that quantum realm as we take a trip back through time to determine some of the beloved MCU characters who deserve more screen time in the MCU.
**WARNING**
The following list contains spoilers from Avengers: Endgame. If you don’t want the film spoiled for you, do not click on.
15. Harley Keener
Harley Keener was undoubtedly one of the MCU’s most unexpected gems.
Making his debut in Iron Man 3, the unsuspecting child walked into his garage to find Tony Stark seeking food and shelter after the Mandarin’s fleet had destroyed his home. From there, the pair formed an unlikely partnership as Harley agreed to help Tony in return for being allowed to tag along on his mission nearby in Tennessee.
He then helped him track the Mandarin to Miami and, during that time, also managed to repair the damaged Iron Man suit. He was later rewarded for all of his hard work when he returned home to find that his garage was overflowing with new computer and robotic equipment – equipment that was accompanied by a note from Tony, or as Harley knew him “The Mechanic.”
With knowledge of computers and machinery far beyond his years, Harley proved to be an effective ally for Tony during his time of need and he was an interesting choice of character for Iron Man to interact with during such a dark period of his life.
And that contrast between a usually sarcastic adult suffering from PTSD and the child-like innocence of Harley created an intriguing dynamic. However, due to the quick pacing of Iron Man 3, Harley unfortunately spent a lot of that time being effective off-screen, robbing us of a significant chance to see him in action.
Ty Simpkins had great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. and, as we’ve seen from his strong performances in Insidious and Jurassic World, the young actor has a bright future ahead of him. With his surprise cameo return in Avengers: Endgame, now would be the perfect time for his character to make a comeback and show us all what he’s capable of for a more extended period of time.
Given his expertise when it comes to technology, he’d certainly be a great successor to Iron Man and could very well hold his own in a spin-off movie or series. Make it happen, Marvel!
14. Janet van Dyne
Michelle Pfeiffer is absolutely no stranger to superhero movies, given that one of her best-known roles is undoubtedly as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Batman Returns. So, her appearance in last year’s Ant-Man and The Wasp was a homecoming of sorts for her.
Though her character, Janet Pym, never actually appeared in 2015’s Ant-Man, she was, in a way, the emotional core of the entire Ant-Man story. Not only was Janet’s disappearance into the subatomic quantum realm responsible for Hank’s abandonment of the Ant-Man shrinking program, it essentially destroyed his relationship with his daughter Hope – due to the fact that he blamed himself for her “death.”
However, Scott Lang’s involvement in their lives (and his unwittingly successful attempt to go subatomic) gave both Hank and Hope, well, hope that their beloved Janet could still be alive.
When the character finally returned, making her on-screen debut in Ant-Man and The Wasp, she gave a whole new meaning to the word “radiant” – oozing quantum energy that even gave her the ability to cure the film’s villain Ava Starr (a.k.a. Ghost).
Reinvigorated and ready to return to her life, her reunion with her family was undoubtedly one of the MCU’s most fulfilling moments and more than that, it has left the Ant-Man saga in a very interesting place.
She’s given her family a new lease on life and, after they have suffered for so long, it would be nice to see how having her back in their lives would change their dynamic for the better. Furthermore, despite her limited screen time, Michelle Pfeiffer had absolutely no problem stealing the show. That alone is more than enough reason for us to see her do it all again in a more significant role in the future.
13. Agent Maria Hill
Agent Maria Hill has been a recurring presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since she made her debut in The Avengers. Nick Fury’s most-trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she is almost always by his side, with the partnership reaching new levels of trust and loyalty in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when she helped him, Cap, Black Widow and Falcon take down Hydra.
Though she did go onto appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and even made a few appearances in the TV show Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., she hasn’t been given much of importance to do since the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D. – which is, without a doubt, a darn shame.
Cobie Smulders brings a certain authenticity to this role that, even though the character is somewhat underdeveloped, we completely trust and believe in her. She’s a determined agent, a great fighter and, most importantly of all, she possesses a desire to always do the right thing – which ultimately allows her to act like a moral compass for Fury whenever he’s forced to consider making some questionable choices.
Thankfully, Agent Hill will get some much-needed screen-time this summer when Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters. Once again supporting Nick Fury, she will assist her boss in making Peter Parker see what he’s truly capable of whenever he becomes Spidey. Given that there aren’t quite as many superheroes in this one, it may give us a chance to finally get reacquainted with her – something that, at this stage, is long overdue.
12. Sam Wilson/Falcon
Steve Rogers’ present-day right-hand man came in the form of Sam Wilson – a veteran U.S. Air Force Pararescueman. Originally befriending each other through running, the pair instantly hit it off, but their friendship reached new heights when Sam agreed to help Steve take on the corruption of Hydra’s resurgence and, in doing so, ended up bringing down S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
With his jet-powered wingpack, Sam takes to the skies with his submachine guns as the superhero known as Falcon. One of The Avengers’ later recruits, he played a supporting role in Captain America: Civil War, assisting Cap save his other best friend, Bucky Barnes, from death in an event that caused a huge divide among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. He would then offer his services once more to the newly reunited, larger version of The Avengers as they battled Thanos.
Like many of the characters on this list, Falcon has appeared quite regularly throughout the MCU’s run, popping up in six movies so far, but, outside of his debut in Captain America: The Winter Solider, he hasn’t had any really significant character stories.
Anthony Mackie may be incredibly reliable in the supporting role, but he’s proven on one more than one occasion that he’s capable of leading as well. That said, with the events of Avengers: Endgame now teasing a very, ahem, Star-Spangled future for Sam, as well as the fact that he (and Cap’s other buddy Bucky) will headline Disney + series Falcon & Winter Soldier, it looks like he’s finally going to get the attention that he deserves in Phase Four of the MCU.
11. Sharon Carter/Agent 13
Sharon Carter showed up at a very interesting time for the MCU. Debuting early on in Phase Two (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), she was a victim of both what came before and what came after.
Being Peggy Carter’s niece, Sharon had rather large shoes to fill in both the “reliable agent” and “potential love interest to Captain America” department (given how wonderful her Aunt Peggy had been in both roles), while the fact that she showed up just as S.H.I.E.L.D. fell limited her future appearances. Thus, in spite of an engaging performance from Emily VanCamp, Agent 13 never got a significant chance to prove herself as a character.
In a way, there was just too much going on that it seemed like Marvel Studios just didn’t know which direction to take her after her identity as Peggy’s niece was revealed. Initially, it looked like they were still intent on taking her in the same direction as her comic book counterpart by having her become Steve Rogers’ modern-day love interest, but their eventual kiss was more of a parting farewell than a declaration of love.
In hindsight, this was the absolute right choice on the creative team’s part because there were just too many comparisons to Steve’s relationship with her aunt and it was pretty clear that Sharon was just never going to compete with the legend that was Peggy Carter.
Now that Avengers: Endgame has established the end of Captain America as we know him, it’s confirmed that Sharon and Steve aren’t destined to be together, which finally opens the former up to exciting new possibilities.
With it looking likely that she’s going to appear in Disney+’s Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series, Sharon Carter can show the world just how badass she is without being forced into the modern-day equivalent of her aunt’s position in the MCU.
The character is every bit like her aunt in that she’s badass, efficient and unafraid to do whatever it takes for the greater good, but she’s also her own (equally badass) person – and it’s only fair that, as the MCU moves into uncharted territory, it gives her (and VanCamp) an overdue chance to shine.
10. Jane Foster
Jane Foster gets a bad rap and, to be quite honest, a lot of it is undeserved.
Whether it has to do with the fact that she was introduced during a time where Marvel were still trying to figure out what did and didn’t work within the MCU, or that there simply wasn’t much development done to her character outside of her love story with Thor, fans and critics seems to have a kind-of love/hate relationship with her.
That being said, there’s no denying her importance to the MCU. Thor may be the all-powerful savior of The Avengers that evened the odds in their battle against Thanos but, as you’ll probably recall, he wasn’t always like that. In fact, it was his relationship with Jane that made him see that humanity was worth saving – a lesson that ultimately made him a much better person.
However, after his two-year departure from Earth separated them, Thor: The Dark World made it clearer than ever that The Son of Odin was destined to be with her. And be with her is exactly what he did when he refused to become the King of Asgard and returned to Earth, reuniting with her so that they could live happily ever after… or so we thought. Unfortunately, it was later revealed in Thor: Ragnarok that the pair had split up.
Whatever your opinion on the character (and her relationship with Thor), it was pretty underwhelming to find that they had split up off-screen. Jane was far too important to Thor’s narrative just to be thrown aside because she couldn’t be factored into the third movie and, after spending years invested in these characters, we (and Jane) deserved better than that.
With the original iteration of the MCU officially gone, now would be the perfect time to catch up with character. Not only would it give the-powers-that-be a chance to focus on her own development, it would also allow us all to find out what actually happened between her and the God of Thunder.
9. Loki
It might seem like a bit of a cliché to put Loki on this list, given that he’s practically everyone’s favourite MCU character and that he’s appeared in a lot of the universe’s outings, but those right there are the exact reasons why he’s here.
First and foremost, Tom Hiddleston may just be both the MCU’s most enigmatic and charismatic performer. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Loki would have become the beloved character that he is had Hiddleston not been portraying him, because there’s a unique charm to his performance that ensures it’s impossible to hate the adopted son of Odin – no matter what unspeakable acts he has committed.
It’s almost as if the term “scene stealer” was invented purely for him because, make no mistake about it, every time he is on-screen, he steals the show. And that brings us nicely to our second point: He just hasn’t been on-screen enough. Granted, he’s been in six MCU films but, if you really think about it, he spent a lot of those movies off-screen.
While it’s true that he had hefty roles in both The Avengers and Thor: Ragnarok, he spent most of Thor in Asgard (the film’s main narrative primarily focused on Earth) and had just around 15 minutes of screen time in Thor: The Dark World – and can we really count his brief appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame as anything other than cameos?
With Tom Hiddleston now set to headline a Loki TV series on the Disney+ streaming service, it’s going to be great to see this wonderful supporting character finally get the starring role that he deserves.
8. Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
When Steve Rogers’ beloved best friend, Bucky Barnes, fell to his death in Captain America: The First Avenger, nobody (well, non-comic fans at least) could have expected him to return as the antagonist of the sequel, The Winter Soldier. But alas, he did – due to an experiment that saw him fitted with a robotic arm and trained to become an assassin.
Bucky’s been through a lot throughout the course of the MCU and, thanks to Sebastian Stan’s multi-layered performance, we have felt every part of it. He’s been a best friend, a soldier, a trained warrior and even a prisoner in his own body. However, as seen in Captain America: Civil War and, later Avengers: Infinity War, his friendship with Steve was enough to help him break through his programming and ultimately remember the hero that he once was.
Having said that, this change-of-heart brought one negative with it, and that was the fact that he was subsequently given very little to do on-screen. Sure, he was involved in the MCU’s most iconic battle sequences as he helped the team battle Thanos and, in the process, completed his well-crafted redemption arc, but from a storyline standpoint, he received very little attention.
It’s not uncommon for superhero films and/or TV shows to push former villains into the background once their redemption is complete but, given that Bucky had a huge tie to Steve, it would have been nice to see the pair get to spend some more time together.
Thankfully, he’s going to get the attention he deserves as he will be joining Falcon in the pair’s upcoming co-headlined TV series on the Disney+ streaming service.
Just don’t reduce him to a background character this time, okay?
7. Valkyrie
One of the more recent additions to the MCU, Valkyrie burst onto the scene in Thor: Ragnarok when she used her impressive skill-set to subdue the God of Thunder and took him to the Grandmaster.
A former Valkyrie on Asgard, she was the last of her kind following Hela’s reign of destruction and, upon making it out alive, she left her home and relocated to Sakaar, becoming one of the Grandmaster’s most formidable warriors. She would then later rescue Thor and help him, Loki and Hulk return to Asgard to stop Hela once and for all.
From the deaths of her fighting family to her guilt over being the last remaining Valkyrie – all of which manifested through a drinking problem – there is an incredibly deep backstory there just waiting to be explored and, given that she’s one of the more intriguing characters to show up in the Thor franchise, it would sure be a treat to see Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie return in a leading capacity in the coming future.
Her subsequent role as the protector of New Asgard allowed Valkyrie’s journey to come full-circle, as it was quite the redemption of sorts for her. However, that in itself has opened up endless possibilities for the future of both the character and New Asgard itself, especially now that she has been appointed its queen.
With Thor now off in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, this has left the future of the Thor franchise a little uncertain and, with Valkyrie leading the people of New Asgard into a new era, it would be the perfect time for a spin-off focusing on the realm’s new queen.
A starring role or not, it doesn’t really matter, because Thompson radiates on-screen and, if anything, it proves that we just haven’t seen enough of her.
6. The Ancient One
There was something remarkable about Tilda Swinton’s performance as the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange that made it absolutely impossible to look away from her whenever she was on-screen – and given that she appears in a film headlined by the eccentric character of Stephen Strange, that really says a lot. But she didn’t just own the role, she commanded it and, with ease, portrayed The Ancient One like the all-knowing, all-powerful, un-aging being that she was.
A mystic and a teacher, she could sense danger and overpower it 99.9% of the time and she played a vital role in giving the world the hero it needed in Stephen Strange. Unfortunately, that minute fraction of danger that she couldn’t ward off was down to the fact that her gifts would only allow her to see up to her death and, upon that tragic event, she could finally rest, knowing that the world was in Doctor Strange’s capable hands.
The Ancient One is, without a doubt, one of the most alluring and enigmatic characters to ever grace the MCU, so to have her only play a significant role in one film would be a major missed opportunity. Granted, the character is dead in the present but as we’ve seen with films like Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel, the MCU loves a good period piece, so there’s always a chance that she could (and, quite frankly, she should) show up in Phase Four.
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Furthermore, as we saw with Avengers: Endgame, magic and mysticism are both continuing to play an increased role so, with Doctor Strange 2 on the horizon, there’s a strong possibility that she could return through some form of mystic arts.
5. Lady Sif
Long before he fell in love with Jane Foster or brought down Hela with Valkyrie, Thor was fighting (and winning) battles alongside the formidable warrior known as Lady Sif.
Portrayed by Jaimie Alexander, this Asgardian fighter almost always accompanied Thor and the Warriors Three on battle missions – assisting Odin’s son as they battled the Frost Giants, the Destroyer and Loki in Thor as well as helping him take on the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World. However, she was conspicuous by her absence in Thor: Ragnarok (the result of Alexander’s scheduling conflicts with her TV show Blindspot).
In hindsight, this absence may have worked in her favor as Hela’s reign of terror saw the Warriors Three killed and ultimately resulted in the destruction of Asgard – so who knows how things would have gone down for Sif had she been present when all of this took place?
Though Joe Russo claimed that, even though she was absent in Avengers: Infinity War, she was actually disintegrated by Thanos, the events of Avengers: Endgame eventually undid all of that. So, in conclusion, Sif is still very much alive – which she may not have been had Alexander been part of Ragnarok.
Due to Alexander’s great performance, Sif had such great chemistry with the God of Thunder that many fans called for them to be romantically paired together. Unfortunately, that never happened – which is hardly surprising considering that she wasn’t on-screen that often.
With it now being all-but-confirmed that Sif is still alive, it’s time to find out what she’s actually been up to all this time and why the character wasn’t on Asgard when everything went to hell. Undoubtedly one of the MCU’s most underdeveloped characters, now is the time to let her shine.
Surely New Asgard needs a badass warrior to protect it, right?
4. Okoye
Black Panther was undoubtedly a triumph on all counts. Not only did it possess an excellent story, stunning visuals and one of the greatest movie scores of all time, it also had an incredibly rich line-up of both cast and characters. While a lot of that well-earned acclaim went to both the hero, Black Panther, and the villain, Killmonger, there was equally as much love for another character.
The head of the Dora Milaje – Wakanda’s all-female troop of T’Challa’s bodyguards – Okoye was a formidable warrior that would stop at nothing to serve her king and, perhaps more importantly, protect her country and its people. A loyal character who always did what she thought was right, it was this exact philosophy that ended up creating some of the film’s most compelling conflict as she had to choose between serving Wakanda’s new tyrannical ruler or the family of its former king – a conflict which, in turn, made her the film’s most intriguing character.
It didn’t matter whether she was showcasing her impressive fighting skills on the battlefield, or offering her expertise to the council, Okoye was commanding at everything she did. Of course, a large part of this was down to Danai Gurira’s powerful performance, which helped the character stand out in a film that was already full of well-developed and layered personalities.
If we’ve learned anything from Gurira’s performance, it’s that Okoye is just too rich of a character to play a supporting role. Her powerful screen-presence was show-stealing even during Okoye’s reduced roles in both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. With that in mind, it would be nice to see her given even more to do in the upcoming Black Panther sequel and, perhaps, even headline her own film/TV series.
Dora Milaje spin-off anyone?
3. Adrian Toomes/Vulture
Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the Spider-Man: Homecoming Big Bad, Adrian Toomes, is an all-too rare breed within the MCU. He’s not a super-solider, nor is he an all-powerful villain determined to destroy the universe with the snap of a finger – he’s just human.
What makes him all the more engaging is that he’s simply a victim of circumstance – a man who found himself becoming increasingly irrelevant in a world populated by Gods and monsters and, for his family’s sake, was willing to do whatever it took to reclaim that relevance. That included salvaging and utilizing alien technology to become the arms-trafficker known as The Vulture.
The Vulture is undoubtedly one of Spider-Man’s most memorable villains and that, coupled with some strong character-building made him a compelling protagonist for Spidey to take on in his debut MCU offering. However, the thing that truly made him stand out was Keaton’s performance.
In a universe overflowing with aliens, robots and everything in between, Keaton’s portrayal of the very human Toomes stands tall as example of well-engineered character development and, quite simply, a damn great antagonist.
As a man desperately trying to support his family, he was both charming and endearing, and yet as a mechanical monster, he was downright terrifying. The veteran performer shone on-screen and, despite his antagonistic role, he made us want to root for him.
With all that in mind, it’s imperative that he return at some point in the future. Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s post-credit scene did tease a redemption of sorts for him and, given that his daughter played a relatively big part in the film too, it would be nice to see the Toomes family make a comeback.
Finally, with the MCU now venturing into uncharted territory in Phase Four, it would certainly work in its favor if they carried over one of their best-developed villains.
2. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff’s debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron appeared to be setting the character up as one of the film’s primary antagonists but, as fans of the comics already knew, she was destined for a more heroic future. That’s a future that she quickly realised as, upon turning on the deadly Ultron, she aligned herself with The Avengers.
Wanda undoubtedly had an integral part to play in Captain America: Civil War, which saw her join Cap’s division of The Avengers after the Sokovia Accords divided the team and, following that, she fell in love with Vision (who was part of Iron Man’s team). The latter’s importance to the overall Infinity saga gave her a greater significance in Avengers: Infinity War as she went up against Thanos to protect him and, words simply can’t describe how gratifying it was to see her exact revenge on the Big Bad in Endgame.
That being said, it still feels like the MCU has barely scratched the surface when it comes to the Scarlet Witch. Not only is she an incredibly rich character (complemented by Elizabeth Olsen’s convincing performance), she is one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful – and yet it feels like that hasn’t fully come across in the films.
The silver lining in all of it is that, like many Avengers, the events of Endgame brought her towards a kind of crossroads, so it would be a wise choice for Marvel Studios to capitalize on that – delving deep as she attempts to figure out her place in the world. That would undoubtedly make for an interesting film/TV series – one that would allow us to get to know Wanda for the amazing character that she truly is.
1. Agent Peggy Carter
You might initially think that putting someone who headlined two seasons of her own TV show in the top spot is a little unusual, but that in itself is exactly why Peggy Carter deserves more screen time. Just like how her placement in the 1940s limited her big-screen appearances (given that most MCU films took place in and around the modern day), her chance to shine in her own TV series was also limited because Agent Carter was unjustly cancelled after two seasons.
None of that, however, stopped her from shining when she was on-screen.
Introduced as Steve Rogers’ love-interest in Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter immediately proved that she was anything but just a love-interest. With an incredibly charismatic performance from Hayley Atwell (who shared some insane chemistry with Chris Evans) and strong writing, Peggy quickly became a fan-favorite who constantly opposed the norms of the time-period and highlighted just how formidable women can truly be.
Though every subsequent film appearance would be limited to guest spots and cameos, she once again shined on TV in the short-lived but brilliant Agent Carter, as the character continued to challenge stereotypes and change opinions as she investigated espionage, battled Hydra and even confronted the first supernatural elements to emerge in the MCU.
Although Peggy’s return in Avengers: Endgame provided a fulfilling conclusion to her arc, there is still so much of her story that has yet to be told, primarily her involvement in the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D. With Marvel once again venturing into the world of streaming=service TV through Disney+, it’s time to revive Agent Carter and give Peggy the justice (and screen time) she deserves.
We know her value and, quite frankly, so should Marvel.
Which of these underappreciated characters would you like to see receive more screen time? Are there any others you can think of? Let us know in the comments below!