As a company, Marvel has been around for over eighty years, and it has given the world hundreds of superheroes and villains, all of whom have their own unique characteristics, skills, and powers. Some of these characters became so popular that they received their own TV shows, and some even appeared in a few retro video games. In 2008, Marvel released Iron Man, a movie that surprised many in terms of quality and financial success.
That film jump-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now spans 24 films including Black Widow, which was recently released with plenty of easter eggs. Many of the characters who appear in the MCU are decent representations of their comic book counterparts, but some characters definitely deserved a much better outing.
Updated May 16, 2022, by George Voutiritsas: Thanks to the success of both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU has once again proven that the superhero genre remains just as popular as ever. The MCU has built quite the following since 2008, and fans continue to be drawn to the universe because of its characters. For the most part, the MCU has done a pretty decent job of adapting the comics, though some of the movies have missed the mark a few times when it comes to certain characters. This list already featured several heroes and villains who have been misused in the MCU in some way, but has been expanded to include a few more Marvel characters who deserved better now that phase 4 is underway.
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness!
12 Reed Richards Was Neither Smart Nor Fantastic
Reed Richards made his long-awaited MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though, aside from the initial wow factor, it was extremely lackluster. Like his comic book counterpart, Richards is considered to be the smartest man in the world, yet he tells Scarlet Witch exactly how to stop Blackbolt from destroying her.
He says that Strange is the greatest threat to the multiverse, even though Wanda's actions would technically destroy the entire multiverse. Worst of all, Wanda literally rips him to shreds in a matter of seconds. Not only does Richards not use his powers in combat, but he also comes across as being very weak as well.
11 John Walker Was Vilified & Disliked For Nothing
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced MCU fans to the new Captain America, but before Sam Wilson accepted the role, John Walker was the one who was given the name and shield. Both versions of Walker are decorated army veterans, but the comic version actually went on to lead several Avengers teams.
The MCU version was vilified for killing a super-soldier terrorist and was stripped of both the shield and the name. This would be fine if he was not driven down this path by Sam and Bucky, who refused to work with him and treated him poorly simply because he wasn't Steve Rogers. Considering Walker's valor, Steve would've approved of him, which makes the whole situation even worse.
10 Sif Has Never Received Proper Screentime
Sif made her MCU debut in 2011 in the original Thor movie, where she fought a few frost giants and Asgard's Destroyer. However, she was only seen very briefly in the sequel and didn't even appear in Thor: Ragnarok, even though the rest of her friends were killed off. She did make an appearance in Loki, but only as a time-looped illusion.
Most of Sif's screentime has come in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, where she actually played a significant role, but no one really knows if the show is even part of the main MCU anymore. In the comics, Sif is supposed to be a warrior-goddess who can teleport through time and space, and she can travel through dimensions. Instead, she has been relegated to a side character with little more than wasted potential.
9 Thanos Was Devalued In What If...?
What If...? is an animated series that shows what would've happened if certain MCU events had happened differently. The 8th episode focused on Ultron succeeding, and it showed him in full control of Vision's body. Thanos appears shortly after with all of the other Infinity Stones, and Ultron just cuts him in half like butter.
Thanos is still the MCU's best villain, and he is the strongest villain that the Avengers have ever faced, but What If...? severely damages his legacy. Originally, Thanos was a force that could only be defeated by using all 6 Infinity Stones, but What...If? suggests that he was not all that threatening after all.
8 Malekith Is Arguably The Worst MCU Villain
The MCU has given the world a ton of hilarious memes, but no meme can make Thor: The Dark World a good movie. There might be some action in the first act, but it still feels like a slog, and things only get a bit better when Loki agrees to help Thor. Malekith was the movie's main villain, and as far as MCU villains go, he is quite possibly the worst.
Malekith's goal was to claim the Aether and use it to destroy Asgard along with the rest of the universe. The MCU version of Malekith has virtually no character or personality, and he never feels like a real threat, which is astonishing seeing as he eventually wields the power of an Infinity Stone.
7 Whiplash's Backstory Was Changed
Iron Man started the MCU, and it's still regarded as one of the franchise's best installments, but its sequel is nowhere near as good. Iron Man 2's biggest weakness is arguably its villain, as the movie could not decide whether Whiplash was the main villain or a side villain who hijacks the main villain's plan.
In the MCU, Whiplash's father becomes a disgraced and impoverished scientist because of Howard Stark, which causes Whiplash to go after Tony. In the comics, Whiplash's father is killed by an Iron Man imposter who is framing Tony. The original backstory would have made Whiplash a much more relatable, conflicted, and interesting villain.
6 Drax Has Become Comic Relief
Dave Bautista has done an amazing job bringing Drax the Destroyer to life, and he has caused millions of fans to laugh with his mannerisms and dialogue. The MCU's version of Drax is indeed loveable, but he has basically become comic relief.
In the comics, Drax thwarts many of Thanos' plans, and in doing so, he leaves a large trail of bodies behind. He may toss out a joke every once in a while, but he is nowhere near as comedic as his MCU counterpart. If the MCU wants Drax to be taken seriously as a hero, he needs to act like the real Destroyer.
5 Hank Pym Should Have Had A Larger Role
Hank Pym finally joined the MCU in 2015, but fans got a much older version who no longer wears the Ant-Man suit. Michael Douglas portrays the character well, but his overall impact on the franchise has been relatively minuscule.
Hank may have been the original Ant-Man in the comics, but he was also the man who created Ultron, one of the greatest threats the Avengers have ever faced. The MCU decided to strip Hank of one of his greatest and worst achievements only to then hand it over to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
4 Abomination Was Introduced For A Fight Scene
The Incredible Hulk is an old superhero show that many people have forgotten about, and that is mainly because the MCU has a movie with the same title. A lot of people do not consider the MCU's Hulk movie to be canon, but Tony's appearance in a post-credit scene confirms it.
Captain Emil Blonsky served as the movie's main villain, and he transforms into the villain, Abomination by transfusing Bruce Banner's gamma-irradiated blood. Unfortunately, Abomination was only in the movie for one fight scene before never being seen again. He does seem to appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but it looks like he'll be nothing more than a cage fighter.
3 Ronan Literally Lost Because Of Starlord's Singing & Dancing
Ronan the Accuser was the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy, and he was a formidable and strong villain. His reputation was somewhat tarnished in Captain Marvel, but what really hurts his character is the manner in which he gets defeated in Guardians.
Ronan was literally inches away from destroying Xandar, but he stopped because Starlord started singing and dancing to an 80s song. Ronan was a Kree warlord who defied and betrayed Thanos, but he went out like a fool. It is true that the moment was funny, but it ruined Ronan's menacing persona.
2 Corvus Glaive Should Never Lose A Fight
In the grand scheme of things, Avengers: Infinity War is just another forgettable movie with an amazing ending, but it did feature every member of Thanos' Black Order. Corvus Glaive proved that he was a capable fighter, but Disney ended up nerfing him for the MCU.
In the MCU, Corvus is capable of healing critical injuries within a few hours, but he is still able to die. In the comics though, he is immortal as long as his glaive is not destroyed. His blade also received a nerf, as it is supposed to cut through anything, even atoms.
1 Dormammu Is A Major Villain Who Couldn't Stand A Time Loop
Dormammu is likely millions of years old, and he is one of the strongest magic users in all of Marvel. Dormammu was ready to attack Earth, but he was stopped by Doctor Strange, who used the Eye of Agamotto to trap him in a time loop.
The Eye may be one of the MCU's strongest weapons, but it shouldn't have even worked on Dormammu the way that it did. Dormammu is supposed to be Strange's main threat, but he turns into a pained child because he can't handle doing the same thing over and over again. What makes this even worse is the fact that he could have easily tricked Strange into undoing the loop.