Marvel Comics has created some of the most well-known heroes and villains in fiction. Characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Doctor Doom, Magneto, Sabretooth, Thanos, and many more have become household names thanks to the House of Ideas’ great stories in comics, TV, movies, video games, and more. However, superhero stories are about more than just the big fights — or at least they should be — and the company has also created some of the best supporting casts in the history of the comic industry. Some of them have even reached rarefied levels of stardom that even the majority of main characters can’t match.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, Pepper Potts, and more have all become stars, but they are far from the only supporting cast members that have the “it” factor. Looking at the publisher’s books over the decades, there are numerous supporting cast members who could easily be stars. These seven Marvel supporting characters should be bigger stars, with the barest bit of work needed to take them to the highest levels.
7) Deathdream
Uncanny X-Men has been the best X-book since its 2024 debut, and one of the best parts of the comic are the Outliers. These four young mutants give readers new characters to fall in love with, and each of them is cool for different reasons. However, the one that fans seem to love the most is Deathdream. This Japanese mutant can talk to the dead and has various other death-related powers that he’s exploring. However, what makes him so great is his personality. He’s a strange sort, and there’s a certain childlike charm to the character, as well as a darkness that makes the whole thing interesting. Deathdream can be a superstar, and it wouldn’t really take much work.
6) The Daily Bugle Staff
Spider-Man is Marvel’s most relatable hero, and a big reason for that over the years has been The Daily Bugle. The metropolitan New York City newspaper was run by J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson, with numerous staff members like Ben Urich, Ned Leeds, and Betty Brant. Over the years, Peter Parker’s job at the paper was a major source of drama, with Jameson becoming a star because of it. However, the rest of the paper’s staff also deserves their flowers. Marvel could do what DC did with Gotham Central and create an awesome book starring Jameson, Robertson, Urich, and more, making the paper’s staff the stars they should be.
5) Misty Knight
Misty Knight should have been a superstar for decades, but for some reason Marvel never really pulls the trigger on her. Knight was created around the time that Marvel was all in on “blaxploitation” in the ’70s, becoming a private investigator with a robot arm, and ended up teaming with Colleen Wing (during the ’70s, Marvel made a lot of martial arts characters like Wing as well, because kung fu movies were also pretty popular back then). Knight and Wing were basically Luke Cage and Iron Fist as women, but Knight was always the star. She’s become a C-list street level character, but she has the potential to be so much more.
4) Lindsay McCabe
Lindsay McCabe was a member of the supporting cast of Spider-Woman (Vol. 1), acting as the best friend of Jessica Drew. She didn’t have any superpowers and was just a common Long Island girl, but she was the perfect partner for Jessica, helping her in every way she could. Later, she’d end up hanging out with Wolverine on Madripoor, reuniting with Drew, with the two of them becoming P.I.s on the island. McCabe is exactly the kind of no nonsense, fun character that can work in any kind of setting (the fact that she worked in Wolverine (Vol. 2) shows how versatile she can be) and Marvel could easily make her into something more with just a little bit of spotlight.
3) Sharon Carter
Captain America is Marvel’s greatest soldier, battling against evil alongside the Avengers, the military, and SHIELD. One of the most important characters in his history is easily Sharon Carter, the SHIELD agent who he’s been in a years long relationship with. Sharon is an awesome character. She’s skilled, she’s interesting, and she’s well-known enough to make an impact, having showed up in the MCU. Sharon should have starred in numerous miniseries by now, and she’s cool enough where she could easily have an ongoing from the right creative team.
2) Moira MacTaggert
Moira MacTaggert is a rather popular character, having been a member of the X-Men’s supporting cast for decades, and played a key role in the creation of the Krakoa Era. Some would argue that she’s reached her popularity ceiling, but if plans weren’t changed, she would be much more popular than she is now. See, at one point, Marvel had planned a Moira comic from Al Ewing (!) and Adam Kubert (!) that would have dug into the character’s new status quo as a mutant. However, Krakoa Era plans changed, and instead we got her rather underwhelming villain turn. Giving her a book from two of Marvel’s best during the best X-era in decades would have made her a superstar.
1) Rick Jones
Once upon a time, Rick Jones was the linchpin character of the Marvel Universe. Based on DC’s Snapper Carr, the teen was the reason that Bruce Banner was caught in his own gamma bomb blast. He was the person who called together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Hulk to battle Loki, laying the groundwork for the Avengers. He worked with Captain America as Bucky. He played a huge role in the Captain Marvel mythos, wearing the Kree Nega-Bands and living with Mar-Vell (and later his son Genis-Vell) in his head, with the two able to change places in Negative Zone because of the Nega-Bands so that the Kree hero could battle evil after being trapped there. Jones faded away as the teen touchstone character (teens that were reader inserts) became less popular. Rick is a key part of the Marvel Universe’s history, and there are so many ways to make him a superstar in the 21st century.
What are your favorite Marvel supporting casts? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
Image Courtesy of Prime Video & Dark Horse Comics
