Since the inception of the MCU, several characters have appeared on the big and small screens. Some have enjoyed the spotlight and popularity while some have merely “existed” for the sake of existing in the universe. But the majority of the fans believe that only a few characters have had the opportunity to be part of the movies and series. But no one can raise fingers at the studios since they have brought more come book players than we know. These heroes, supporting heroes, and villains have made small appearances that easily skipped our notice. We have already mentioned 15 such characters in Part-1. Here are 10 more comic book characters in the MCU movies you missed- Part 2.
1. Union Jack
Union Jack was a British superhero known for possessing excellent combat skills. The suit has passed on through generations and various version of Union Jack has fought alongside Captain America, Captain Britain and Iron Man in the comic books. The Union Jack during World War I was James Montgomery Falseworth who bravely fought the Central Powers. James’ son Brian was one of Cap’s companions during WWII. But in the MCU, it was James who fought alongside Captain America as a member of the Howling Commando.
2. The Leader
While the gamma radiation turned the scientist Bruce Banner into an angry green monster, the same radiations transformed a mediocre guy Sam Sterns into a supergenius with green skin and an overgrown head. Sam was introduced in The Incredible Hulk as an already smart man before he was bombarded with the radiation. The audience saw Sam’s head-turning green and growing in size before the movie ended. What happened to the character after that is still unknown.
3. Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is one of the most powerful and ancient characters in Marvel Comics. Whether it was merely name-dropped in the MCU or if it was an Easter egg is yet to be found out. He was mentioned in Doctor Strange when Mordo called his artifact as The Staff of the Living Tribunal. The Living Tribunal is an entity that watches over the universes of Marvel and ensures that there is balance in the realities of Marvel.
4. Phantom Rider
There have been numerous Phantom Riders before Ghost Riders in the Western-themed Marvel Universe. One of them was James T. James aka Hellfire who was recruited by Nick Fury in the Secret Warriors only to be killed later after being discovered as a spy for HYDRA. There has been James from Australia in Agents of SHIELD who also ended up betraying SHIELD. This James could be the Phantom Rider of MCU where Ghost Rider and Old West heroes (mentioned in Part-1) exist.
5. Zodiac
The Zodiac was a cartel in the Avengers founded by Cornelius van Lunt. Each leader was named after the zodiac sign he/she belonged to. The group got a nod in the Marvel One-Shot Agent Carter where the titular character navigated the Zodiac and discovered a chemical weapon labeled with the Zodiac key logo. The Zodiac Key was also seen in the Collector’s collection in Guardians of the Galaxy.
6. Madame Masque
Madame Masque was a supervillain who covered her face with a golden mask. She had a love and hate relationship with Iron Man on the pages. Madame Masque was also known as Whitney Frost who appeared in Agent Carter season 2 and a power-hungry villain with a high IQ.
7. Man-Thing
Man-Thing was the alter-ego of Dr. Ted Sallis, a biochemistry professor. After injecting himself with his version of Super-Soldier formula and crashing into a swamp in a car accident, Ted transformed into Man-Thing. He has super-strength, malleability to pass through matter, and the ability to fly. His ex-wife, Ellen was a villain in Iron man 3 who was powered by the Extremis, which was also a Super Soldier inspired serum. Agent Maria Hill had also mentioned his name in Agents of SHIELD, episode “Nothing Personal”.
8. Mandarin
Of course, no one missed the joke that MCU made out of one of the most powerful and dangerous enemies of Iron Man. The intimidating Mandarin in Iron Man 2 later turned out to be a desperate and drunkard actor Trevor Slattery. But on realizing its mistake, MCU rectified the situation with Marvel One-Shot “Hail to the King” where the phony Mandarin was kidnapped by the real supervillain who not happy with Trevor for imitating him. We can expect the real Mandarin to appear soon.
9. The Original Human Torch
Before Captain America, the Marvel comics had issued the first Marvel Comics #1 in 1939 featuring the android version of the original Human Torch. He was introduced in a science exhibition by Professor Phineas Horton in the comic books. The android was displayed in a similar fashion in the Stark Expo in Captain America: The First Avengers of MCU when Steve Rogers walked past the glass tube titled “The Synthetic Man”.
10. Manifold
The secretive Nick Fury had discreetly trained and prepared his own army of Secret Warriors who possessed mutant powers. One of them was Eden, also known as Manifold who could literally mold and tear space, reality, and time, thus allowing himself to teleport wherever he wishes to. Manifest made an appearance in the 3rd season of Agents of SHIELD, episode “The Inside Man”. His code name was SW4-7-2009 which was a nod to the book issue Secret Warriors #4, July 2009.
