14 Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters That Were Completely Wasted

With the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, came an influx of awesome, super cool characters that completely hypnotized us. The MCU became a behemoth and the world’s most profitable franchise not by any fluke. Its characters also had a huge role to play. But not every one of them could have their time to shine. Some of them were lost to the void of obscurity and mediocrity because of storyline loopholes and plot mismanagement. Presenting – 14 MCU Characters that were completely wasted!!

 1. Hawkeye

Hawkeye is one hell of a dude. His bow and arrow have come handy so many times that we have lost count. Clint Barton was introduced to the MCU in 2011’s Thor movie. But he only came to the spotlight at the beginning of 2012’s The Avengers. He has shown increasing resilience and extreme ability that has made him earn his place in the Avengers. But the way Marvel has ensured we do not see a glimpse of him anymore in the latest movies, right after Age of Ultron showed us that he is, in fact, a family man, is not just cruel but also unethical.

 2. Arnim Zola

The guy was not much to look at or think of when he made his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger. He was thought to have been lost to the pages of time after being captured by the Allies and sent to prison. Then it was later found out in The Winter Soldier that Zola was indeed alive and now exists as an A.I in an underground facility. This version of Zola is actually truer to the comic books. But what happened to him after that? Nobody knows.

 3. Quicksilver

Quicksilver’s death rang many alarms in the comic book community who went to the movies. Speedsters are typically faster than bullets by multiple times. And Quicksilver is considered the fastest mutant ever. So when Pietro was killed by a flurry of bullets like he was some ordinary human being, it was a shock for the viewers.

 4. Jane Foster

Jane Foster is the love interest of Thor Odinson both in the comic books and in the MCU. Played by the talented and beautiful Natalie Portman on screen, she made her mark in not just one but two movies, namely Thor and Thor 2: The Dark World. We still have not seen Jane in action ever since Thor 2. Some say Natalie Portman and the Studio executives got into an altercation. But why should the character suffer from a petty Hollywood feud??

 5. Sharon Carter

The granddaughter of Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter was the love interest of Captain America as well as in the comic books. In the movies, we also saw a blooming romance as Carter came to Steve Roger’s aid during The Winter Soldier and also shared a kiss with him in the events of Civil War (right before the aircraft hangar fight scene). After that, Carter has not been seen. Agent 13 is gone and Captain America seems like he just does not care.

 6. Mantis

Mantis’ character is not AWOL per se. But she is kind of misused. In the comic books, Mantis is a beat of a woman when it comes to superpowers. She shares a special connection with the universe and is way more than just being a vessel of empathy. The movies only use her as a therapist and as a psychic doctor of sorts. She needs to be given due recognition but it seems like she won’t be getting any anytime soon since GOTG Vol. 3 is already put on an indefinite hold.

 7. The Inhumans

There seldom comes a time when Marvel fails to utilize a section of the superhero community as a cash cow to launch a franchise. The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the other heroes have all been successful on the screens (more or less). That does not apply to another major Superhero community from Marvel Comics that failed to make their mark even in the TV Universe just due to the slipshod implementation of the project. Inhumans are now forever scarred and well beyond repair as an on-screen project that Marvel needs to stay away of for at least ten years.

 8. Skurge

Skurge The Executioner is a warrior that even Thor hesitates to fight against in the comic books. In the comic books, Skurge is a powerful warrior who also happens to be Asgard’s greatest hunter. He carries with him the enchanted Blood Axe, a weapon that can stand against Mjolnir in combat. The movies turned him into a brainless hipster who became an honourless henchman. That is not acceptable Marvel. Turn him back into the awesome warrior that would fearlessly follow Thor into the gates of Hell to fight Surtur. Turn him back ASAP!!!

 9. Lady SifJamie Alexander is hot. Lady Sif is even hotter. Thor had a romantic interest in Jane Foster but after Thor 3 showed us that they both had dumped each other, every fan believed that Lady Sif, who was already teased by Odin to be a potential bride to be for Thor in The Dark World, would come back and serve the Odinson.  That did not happen. Lady Sif was not just absent in Thor Ragnarok but also Infinity War. She was later revealed to have been killed along with half of the universe after the infamous Thanos Snap.

 10. Crossbones

Brock Rumlow began as a Shield Agent who was in secret, a Hydra spy that had infiltrated Shield and was now working alongside Cap in his task force. After the events of The Winter Soldier, everyone believed him to be dead. But Rumlow returned with a horrible disfigured face and with a new sense of vengeance – to kill Captain America at all costs. He blew himself up five minutes into the beginning of Civil War. It is one thing to baby proof or misuse a character but it is another thing to kill him off right when the guy truly embraces his comic book identity.

 11. Korg and Miek

Korg and Miek are two characters that were never in the Ragnarok storyline to begin within the comic books. They were actually characters exclusive to the Planet Hulk Storyline. In a race to introduce humour to Thor 3, Korg’s voice was dumbed down beyond repair which permanently affected his character depth. Miek was even greater atrocity. The comic books show Miek as a powerful insect-based entity that controlled giant hives of alien swarms and mind controlled the Hulk to almost destroy the world. The movie shows him as a half-assed, mute warrior that has knives for index fingers.

 12. Maria Hill

Maria Hill has been nothing but a support beam in the MCU. Whenever someone is in need of a right hand, Maria Hill comes to the rescue. She has been reduced to a second hand status in the movies. In the comics, Hill had a much larger role to play. She was a go-getter. When the Civil War happened in the comics, Maria was the one leading the charge for the pro-registration forces. She even had the guts to use cosmic cubes to brainwash any anti-registration hero or villain that they captured.

 13. Baron Zemo

He is only a ‘Baron’ in the comic books. The movies showed him as a war veteran that lost everything due to the Avengers going on an adventure trip in Sokovia. He does not have the back story, the purple costume or the tremendous amounts of resources at the disposal of his comic book counterpart. He is just a guy. That’s it. To be honest, Zemo is still alive and Marvel could make him come back with a greater vigour as the leader of the Masters of Evil. But to be frank, we are not counting on that possibility too much.

 14. The Mandarin

This was not a mistake. This was an Atrocity!!! The Mandarin can give even Thanos a run for his money in pure villainy. Most of the villains in Marvel Cinematic Universe are so baby proofed that they lose their essence and become something else entirely. Ben Kingsley’s brilliant performance as the Mandarin gave us some hope before that was also snatched away when it was found out that he was just an impostor. The real Mandarin was also confirmed to exist in the MCU in All Hail the King one Shot but his whereabouts are also unknown at the moment.