The Marvel Cinematic Universe organizes itself into phases. That way, anyone who wants to jump on the hype train can know the order to watch the movies and shows. However, looking at the franchise through the lens of years paints a very different picture. Of course, just because two projects come out in the same year doesn’t mean they connect directly, but they both reveal the feel of the MCU at that time. For example, 2014 was one of the better years in the franchise’s history, with both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy hitting theaters. On the flip side, 2013 was one of the weakest, delivering two lackluster solo movies in Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.
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2025 has been a bit of a mixed bag. This year saw the release of a couple of excellent projects and a few that didn’t hit their marks. However, all of them feature characters who deserve a future in the franchise. It’s just a shame that a few of them might not get one. Here are five great MCU characters from 2025 we’ll probably never see again.
5) Red Hulk
Rather than being a proper follow-up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: Brave New World acts as a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, making Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, the main villain. His whole plan revolves around getting back at Thunderbolt Ross by turning him into the thing he hates the most: a Hulk. While Ross gets his anger under control and puts the Red Hulk back into the bottle, it’s hard to imagine him having a future in the franchise, especially since Harrison Ford doesn’t sound all that excited about the prospect of reprising his role.
4) Infinity Hulk
Speaking of Hulks, another one shows up in the animated series Marvel Zombies. Infinity Hulk houses all of the energy of the Infinity Stones within him, and Scarlet Witch decides that she’s going to pick a fight with him. Despite a group of fearless heroes trying to get in her way, her undead army makes quick work of them and opens a path for her. The end of Marvel Zombies doesn’t reveal what becomes of Infinity Hulk, but whatever happens, it’s probably not good for him, since he has all of his energy drained. The best he can probably hope for is a peaceful death.
3) The Last Black Panther
Marvel Zombies wasn’t the only animated series from Marvel Studios this year. In Eyes of Wakanda, War Dogs from various points in history work to collect the vibranium that’s been taken from their home. “The Last Panther” flips the script, though, making the War Dogs put the vibranium back where they found it to help the future queen of Wakanda. She doesn’t get much screen time, but she’s as fierce as all of her predecessors, doing whatever she can to protect her home from threats that wish to do it harm.
2) Sidewinder
The Leader isn’t a physical presence, using his brain to solve his problems, so he sends Sidewinder, the leader of SERPENT, to be a thorn in Sam Wilson’s side. Sidewinder puts up a good fight against the new Captain America, but he still ends up in custody. That’s where he really shines, though, because he turns on his boss and proves he can be an asset to the Star-Spangled Man. Unfortunately, Sam’s plate is pretty full for the foreseeable future, so he probably won’t be reaching out to Sidewinder again.
1) Mole Man
Just like Captain America, Mister Fantastic has to play nice with one of his enemies in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The titular team reaches out to Mole Man when they realize that Galactus is coming to Earth and not looking to take any prisoners. Subterranea opens its doors to the surface dwellers, and the Fantastic Four is free to save the day. However, Mole Man won’t be much help against Doom. He’ll probably just hang out in Subterranea and let everyone else handle the tough jobs.
Would you like to see any of these MCU characters again? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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