5 Marvel Characters the MCU Is Seriously Missing Out On

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken the legends of Marvel Comics and made them more popular than ever. Iron Man went from an important character with mid-level sales to the most popular superhero in the world. The Avengers finally caught the attention of the greater pop culture and Marvel rode that to the bank. Marvel Studios brought the core of the classic Marvel Universe – Captain America, Thor, ol’Shellhead, Hawkeye, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Nick Fury – to the big screen and as the years have gone on introduced more and more heroes and villains to their universe, plumbing the depths of the House of Ideas’ history. With the X-Men and the Fantastic Four finally coming to the MCU, though, it looks like we’re getting an influx of even more great characters.

The MCU is basically done with the Avengers side of the Marvel Universe for the time being – mutants are going to take over just like they did in the comics in the ’80s – which is a shame. There are still some amazing characters out there, ones that could fit beautifully into the MCU. They would add something missing, taking movies and shows in entirely new directions. The MCU missed out on these five Marvel characters, each of them bringing something unique to their stories that could have been amazing in live action.

5) White Tiger

George Perez is the greatest Avengers artist ever, and just one of the greatest artists ever period. He did amazing work at Marvel and DC Comics over the years, giving readers fantastic images in every book he was involved in. George was also something of an adroit writer, creating numerous best of all time characters in his career. However, one of the best is also one who has barely gotten any spotlight over the years, White Tiger. Hector Ayala was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City, eventually just stumbling upon an Amulet of Power in front of the Sons of the Tiger Kung Fu School. He became the White Tiger, fighting crime in Spanish Harlem with the heroes of New York City. Perez made a character for young Hispanic fans like him and his old adventures are outstanding (I learned about him from some reprint editions that I had found somewhere and they were amazing to my young mind). Hector was eventually killed in battle and replaced with his niece Angel Del Toro, who fought alongside heroes like Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage like her uncle before she too was killed. Finally, her niece Ava Ayala has become the latest White Tiger, wowing readers with her adventures. It’s a mantle that is basically unknown and would have been amazing as a Netflix show back in the day or at Disney+ today.

4) Miracleman

Miracleman is one of Alan Moore’s greatest works, his earliest attempt at superhero deconstruction. Premiering in the UK as Marvelman, he was based on a British Shazam clone from ’50s. Michael Moran was a journalist who ended up discovering that when he said the word, “Kimota”, he gained fantastic superhuman power, gaining memories of a life as a superhero. Over the course of the series, released in the United States by Eclipse Comics as Miracleman, the truth behind his powers and past are revealed. It’s an astounding work of fiction, but for years you couldn’t read it unless you hunted down the very expensive Eclipse copies. The ownership of the character was up in the air for years, with Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane fighting over the rights. Gaiman won and sold them to Marvel, who reprinted the series and planned to release the final two books in the saga (which are never going to be finished because of the allegations against Gaiman). Miracleman wouldn’t really fit in the MCU, per say, but now there’s a multiverse out there. A Miracleman Disney+ series could redefine what superhero stories could be, but for some reason, Marvel never wants to use the character the right way.

3) The Great Lakes Avengers

A member of the Great Lakes Avengers, Mr. Immortal, has appeared in the MCU, but we need to see the whole team there. The group is made up of mostly useless heroes – Doorman, Flatman, Dinah Soar, the aforementioned Immortal, Big Bertha (a supermodel who became plus-sized and gained super strength and durability), and later Squirrel Girl – who wanted to try to make a difference in the world. However, they usually just got in the way and the Avengers allowed them to use their name as long as they stay in the Great Lakes states, fighting evil there. Sometimes, they escape containment and have wild adventures The Great Lakes Avengers are some of the most fun Marvel characters ever. Their stories are perfect for the more comedic minded MCU, but can also have some pathos to them, as seen in the fantastic G.L.A.: Misassembled. The team is one of the coolest out there, a superhero group that let fans look at numerous sides of the superpowered community. We’ve seen the best, now it’s time to see the rest.

2) Stingray

Iron Man has some amazing armors, but he is far from the only armored hero out there. Over the years, Marvel has introduced numerous armored heroes and one of them would be awesome in the MCU, especially with some recent developments. Walter Newell was an oceanographer who built a special underwater armor to use to map the ocean’s floor. He eventually ended up finding Atlantis and working with Namor the Sub-Mariner, battling threats to the world under the waves and beyond. This would get him the attention of the Avengers and he would eventually join the team as Stingray. Namor debuted in the MCU just a few years ago and it would be awesome to learn more about his Atlantis. Stingray could do that perfectly, taking readers on awesome adventures under the waves with the Atlanteans. Plus, we could get more Namor in the offering, which is always a good thing. Stingray has been mostly MIA as the underwater Marvel Universe has gotten less important, but the MCU could have changed all of that.

1) Machine Man

Machine Man was created by comics legend Jack Kirby when he returned to Marvel in the ’70s. Introduced in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the character was soon brought to the mainline Marvel Universe. Machine Man was the robot known as X-51, created by Dr. Abel Stack for the military. Abel loved his robotic son and worked to remove the self-destruct mechanism from his body, dying in the process. X-51 was able to escape and became a fugitive, going by the name Aaron Stack. He did his best to keep a low profile, but his father raised him to help the people around him, becoming the superhero Machine Man all while ducking the forces arrayed against him. X-51 is one of the best robots in comics, doing his best to be both a machine and a man. I fell in love with him because of Earth X, and he has a rich history that would be perfect for an MCU project.

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