The Marvel Cinematic Universe has many powerful characters, but not all of them seem to be a priority for the franchise. Since the very beginning of the MCU in 2008, Marvel’s flagship franchise has consistently introduced new and exciting characters into its continuity. This has seen the balance of power continuously tip as new heroes and villains are introduced, eventually branching out on a cosmic and even multiversal scale. For example, there are many extraterrestrial, synthetic, and powerful magic users in the MCU, putting some of its earliest heroes to shame when compared in terms of raw strength or enhanced abilities.
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However, just because an MCU character is powerful, it doesn’t immediately guarantee them an important role within the franchise. In fact, on many occasions, the franchise’s most powerful heroes seem absent from upcoming Marvel releases, with no confirmed future in sight. All of the following characters are still alive and presumably active within the franchise, but their respective MCU futures have all yet to be specifically confirmed.
6) Starfox
While there are several MCU post-credits scenes yet to be resolved, Eternals is perhaps the movie that made the biggest promises that are yet to be fulfilled. One of the movie’s post-credits scenes introduced Eros, the brother of Thanos, who committed himself to joining the Eternals’ cosmic cause. Despite being an incredibly powerful hero in his own right, nothing more is known about Starfox’s future than it was when Eternals was released.
5) Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock is one of the MCU’s most overpowered heroes, as evidenced by his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Warlock possesses an array of superhuman abilities that make him one of the franchise’s most formidable cosmic heroes, but other than being confirmed as one of the members of Rocket’s new Guardians of the Galaxy team, little has been officially confirmed about his future. Considering his power level, it would be a waste for Adam Warlock to be forgotten, but Marvel hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about what’s next for the character in the MCU.
4) G’iah
While Secret Invasion is considered one of the worst MCU TV shows, it did introduce the franchise’s most powerful individual character. Over the course of the show’s story, the Skrull G’iah became infused with the Harvest, a combination of the DNA of countless MCU heroes and villains. This resulted in G’iah becoming one of the strongest characters in the entire MCU, but Secret Invasion‘s poor reception has ultimately led to there being no official announcement of when she might return.
3) Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is one of the MCU’s most prominent and powerful female heroes, and has played a key role in two solo movies as well as Avengers: Endgame. She was last seen in The Marvels, where she formed the eponymous team, but despite her incredible cosmic-level power, her MCU future is currently unconfirmed. While many believe she will make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday later this year, Brie Larson has not been officially announced as part of the cast, leaving her future seeming uncertain.
2) The Eternals
The hype surrounding the debut of the Eternals was pretty huge, as they’re an entire team of god-like beings. Their 2021 movie fell pretty flat, though, with only a handful of fans truly engaging with the characters. Even so, the team is a massively powerful one and plays a key part in the MCU’s wider story in connection to its cosmic characters, so it seems especially odd that no indication of their future has been announced. Not only has there been no announcement as to when they might next appear, but it seems that Eternals‘ cliffhanger ending might go unresolved for quite some time.
1) Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch’s role as Doctor Strange introduced a whole new magical dimension to the MCU, and the hero soon became a fan favorite. His role in the latter part of the Infinity Saga and his pivotal place in the Multiverse Saga make him not just a powerful MCU character, but an incredibly important one. Even so, the next official appearance of Doctor Strange has yet to be confirmed, and while some believe he may appear as a surprise villain in Avengers: Doomsday, there’s no clear evidence of when and where his next MCU appearance might be.
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