7 Marvel Movie Characters Who Disappeared With No Explanation

Every year brings new Marvel productions to the forefront, offering fans a plethora of choices to explore. While it’s safe to say that not every movie or show has been a massive hit, there have been plenty of successes along the way. What’s more interesting is the sheer number of characters that have been introduced (or teased) and then promptly forgotten about. Maybe Marvel was testing the waters, or maybe there simply wasn’t enough room in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to fit these characters in the long term. Whatever the reason, fans are still lamenting the sudden disappearance of these characters.

The MCU has massively expanded over the years, so it’s only natural for the creatives to try and slim down the cast here and there. We saw it happen throughout Thor’s films, with many of his Asgardian friends, not to mention family, falling to the threats they faced. While that’s a more extreme example, it is still happening across the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, for every carefully explained exit, there’s at least one character who didn’t get an explanation for their absence or disappearance. At least it means we can hold onto the hope that we’ll see them in a future production.

1) Doc Samson (Ty Burrell)

Last Seen: The Incredible Hulk

Naturally, not every side character can be expected to have an extended plot or relevance. However, when certain names get dropped, fans tend to assume that there’s something more going on. That is the case for Doc Samson, first introduced to the MCU in The Incredible Hulk. His name immediately made fans assume that we’d eventually be seeing some variation of Leonard Samson. In the comics, he’s one of many characters who become exposed to Gamma radiation, though his take is pretty different from the rest. Since then, he’s gone through a lot, including some changes in who he works with.

The MCU tells a very different story, as Leonard Samson is first introduced as Betty Ross’ new partner. He’s a psychiatrist working for Culver University, changing his backstory a bit from the comics. However, he still had a forged connection with Thaddeus Ross, including being one of the triggers for the Battle at Culver University. Since then, we haven’t seen his character at all. Betty and Thaddeus both made an appearance (minor and major) in Captain America: Brave New World, but Doc Samson was left out.

2) Liz Toomes (Laura Harrier)

Last Seen: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Elizabeth “Liz” Toomes played a fairly major role during Spider-Man: Homecoming, portraying the potential love interest of the latest incarnation of Peter Parker. So, naturally, fans expected to see a whole lot more of her in later movies. As the daughter of Adrian Toomes (The Vulture), her potential romance with Peter Parker got very complicated. Spider-Man: Homecoming included an impressive throw-down fight between The Vulture and Spider-Man, resulting in Adrian Toomes’ arrest. That didn’t necessarily have to spell the end of Liz and Peter’s budding relationship, since she didn’t know the full story.

Sadly, viewers never got to learn how their relationship could have gone. While we know Liz visited her father in prison, her role hasn’t come up in later films. Their ending is a bit of a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that Peter got a chance to apologize to Liz for what happened at the dance (the parts he could talk to her about). The bad news is that this was their final interaction on screen. While there’s always a chance that future movies will come full circle, the longer her absence, the less likely it feels.

3) Aaron Davis (Donald Glover)

Last Seen: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Fans have been excited since the moment Donald Glover was announced for Spider-Man: Homecoming. So it’s a bit surprising that nothing new has been done with this character/actor combo. In the comics (and Spider-Verse films), Aaron Davis is Miles Morales’ uncle and the infamous Prowler. So, Aaron Davis making his way into the MCU is a big deal, and fans were eager to see where the story led from here. Which is currently not very far.

In the MCU, Aaron Davis appeared for only a few moments. It all begins when Spider-Man (Peter Parker) uses his webbing to capture Aaron for an impromptu questioning, which goes comically wrong. While Peter gets some of the answers he needs, he also gets a lesson in how (not) to interrogate a suspect. The scene ends with Davis realizing he’s still webbed to the car, meaning he’ll have to cancel his meeting with Miles. He hasn’t made another appearance in the MCU, though a variant arrived in Across the Spider-Verse.

4) Madame B. (Julie Delpy)

Last Seen: Avengers: Age of Ultron

During the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, MCU fans finally got a glimpse of Black Widow’s backstory. These flashbacks included scenes from the Red Room, with Madame B. and Dreykov sitting front and center for many of them. In other words, she was the one responsible for training Natasha and other female assassins, so it would have been reasonable to assume that we’d see more of her during Black Widow’s solo film. Those assumptions were proven wrong, with Dreykov becoming the sole focus.

Given how long fans had to wait for a Black Widow solo film, it is a bit disappointing that any known character from her past was left out. Fans can infer a lot from Madame B.’s absence; perhaps Dreykov got rid of the competition. Or maybe Madame B. fell to one of her students (that would certainly be a karmic ending). However, without the MCU giving us any solid answers, these will only ever be best guesses.

5) Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly)

Last Seen: Guardians of the Galaxy

Rhomann Dey played an interesting role in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. As a member of the Nova Corps, he was a natural counter to Peter Quill during his Ravager days. He likewise plays a bit of comedic relief, allowing fans to enjoy this slightly unexpected take on a Nova Corps member. Many Nova fans were hoping that this would be the start to something more, but sadly, that has not (yet) been the case.

Neither Rhomann Dey nor the Nova Corps has made another appearance in the MCU. During the events of Avengers: Infinity War, it was mentioned that Thanos had attacked and presumably decimated Xandar. So it feels somewhat reasonable to assume that the Nova Corps, Rhomann Dey included, fell trying to protect the planet. We can hope that isn’t the case, but until the MCU tells us otherwise, this is pretty much all we have. With a potential Nova TV series on the horizon, we may finally be getting the questions we’ve been asking, but only time will tell.

6) Dr. Helen Cho (Claudia Kim)

Last Seen: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Dr. Helen Cho is one of those characters who can blend into the background, but her story played an important role in the main plot. She’s an exceptionally talented geneticist and the leader of the U-GIN Research Group. Given her appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it isn’t hard to guess (or remember) the role she played. It all started when the Avengers needed her help healing Clint Barton. From there, things quickly take a turn, as we all know how Ultron was accidentally created. During that time, she was taken by Ultron and ordered to create a body for him. She was able to corrupt the process (with some help), and that nearly cost Dr. Cho her life.

Thankfully, Dr. Cho survived Ultron’s wrath. More importantly, her foundation for Ultron became The Vision’s new body, laying the groundwork for a beloved character (and every plot related to him). Despite this, Dr. Helen Cho hasn’t made any new appearances since then. Last we saw of Dr. Cho, she was touring the Avengers Compound. Does that mean she moved in, or does her absence imply that she turned down the opportunity?

7) Dane Whitman (Kit Harington)

Last Seen: Eternals

The moment fans saw that Kit Harington was cast to play a supporting character in Eternals, we knew that there was something more going on with the story. Comic fans immediately recognized the character name, Dane Whitman, as a known character from Earth-616. He’s gone through many names throughout the years, Bloodwraith, Gan Josin, The Pendragon, but most often, he’s known as the Black Knight. He’s a complicated character with a long history in the comics, so fans were naturally intrigued to see how his story would go.

Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for those answers. While Dane Whitman did obtain his famous Ebony Blade during the credit scenes of Eternals, nothing more has come of it. Last we saw, a strange voice was asking if Dane was ready for it, leaving that thread dangling. Here’s hoping that Dane’s story is one of several teased in the credits but left to be forgotten.

What forgotten Marvel character are you the most upset about?

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