It’s getting more and more difficult to keep track of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s ever-expanding roster of characters, especially when a number of them probably won’t return again. The franchise’s handling of its numerous heroes, villains, and other figures involves elevating some to faces of the MCU, killing others off, and sometimes, completely abandoning their story.
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The latter scenario is the case with several characters as the MCU approaches Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, and a presumed new era afterwards. Fans might be delighted to see some faces from poorly received projects excluded from the MCU’s future, and others may come as more of a disappointment. Either way, viewers shouldn’t expect everyone from past MCU phases to come back.
The following five MCU characters are most likely gone from the franchise forever.
1. G’iah
The MCU should want to erase Secret Invasion from fans’ memories as much as possible, given the 2023 Disney+ series’ abysmal reception. Emilia Clarke’s G’iah was introduced as a prominent character in Secret Invasion, as the skrull refugee and daughter of Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) became one of the MCU’s most powerful characters thanks to the Super Skrull Machine and the Harvest.
By the end of Secret Invasion, G’iah possesses the abilities of the MCU’s most powerful heroes. This appeared an interesting setup for G’iah’s future, however Marvel has not indicated any plans for her next appearance. Although nothing is confirmed, fans still shouldn’t hold out hope for Clarke’s return as G’iah. The MCU’s crackdown on content will likely shelve her and other characters introduced Secret Invasion, such as Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth.
2. The Eternals
The Eternals also look like victims to a poorly-received project. Despite its gorgeous visuals and unique new team of heroes, 2021’s Eternals became, at the time, the MCU’s only movie to post a “rotten” critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Even so, rumors of a sequel swirled in the wake of the film’s release, but more recently, all signs point to the MCU leaving the Eternals behind for good. In July 2024, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige stated that “There are no immediate plans for Eternals 2,” shutting down any hope of the group’s return.
The deaths of Richard Madden’s Ikaris, Salma Hayek’s Ajak, and Don Lee’s Gilgamesh in Eternals confirmed their MCU exits, but even the surviving members, including Gemma Chan’s Sersei, Angelina Jolie’s Thena, and Barry Keoghan’s Druig, aren’t likely to be used anywhere else. In Eternals’ post-credits scene, Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman finds the Ebony Blade, awakening the voice of Mahershala Ali’s Blade. This tease also appears headed for a dead end, as Ali’s upcoming Blade movie has been delayed indefinitely. In a similar vein, the introduction of Harry Styles as Thanos’ brother Eros/Starfox also appears dead in the water.
[RELATED: 5 Marvel Characters That Have Been Wasted by the MCU]
3. Sharon Carter
Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter first appeared in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, followed by a small role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. The grand-niece of Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) worked for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D before joining the CIA. Sharon’s most recent appearance in the 2021 Disney+ show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw her lead a new life as a black market art dealer in Madripoor, later rejoining the CIA as the Power Broker. One would imagine a continuation of Sharon’s MCU story, but her absence from Captain America: Brave New World casts serious doubt on her future in the franchise. None of the MCU’s confirmed upcoming projects offer a realistic possibility for Sharon’s return, so for now, her arc appears over.
4. Karl Mordo
2016’s Doctor Strange introduced Chiwetel Ejiofor Karl Mordo as an experienced Master of the Mystic Arts member before he left the coalition of sorcerers at the end of the movie. Doctor Strange‘s post-credits scene revealed Mordo’s new mission to dispose of all the world’s spell-casters. The main MCU version of Mordo hasn’t appeared since, as 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured a variant of the character serving as a part of Earth-838’s Illuminati.
Interestingly, it was later confirmed that the MCU’s Mordo was originally slated to die at the hands of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in Multiverse of Madness, but his gruesome demise was eventually scrapped. So, Ejiofor’s Mordo remains alive, but the deleted scene possibly indicates that the MCU had no plans for his future. Of course, Doctor Strange 3 leaves the door open for Mordo’s return, but the MCU’s apparent abandonment of the character’s story following Doctor Strange‘s post-credits scene signals that his arc has probably come to an end.
5. Kang the Conqueror
Following Jonathan Majors’ 2024 conviction for assault and harassment in a domestic violence case involving his ex-girlfriend, Marvel quickly pivoted away from the character, sealing his MCU fate. The multiversal villain with countless variants was built up as the franchise’s next big bad in projects like Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but Majors’ off-set behavior and Quantumania‘s poor reception led to the cancellation of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in favor of Avengers: Doomsday, introducing Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom as the MCU’s next major villain.
It remains to be seen if the MCU will address Kang’s in-universe fate or if his storyline will simply be left hanging following Loki Season 2. Regardless, MCU fans will see neither Majors reprise his role nor a recast of Kang in the near future.
The MCU’s newest movie, Thunderbolts*, is now playing in theaters.
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Bob looking angry in Thunderbolts*
