5 Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters Who Deserved More Attention

The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s vast array of more than 40 movies and TV shows has brought hundreds of characters from the comic book pages to the screen. The likes of Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) headlined the MCU’s opening three phases, and their arcs were front and center. During and since then, a number of heroes, villains, and supporting characters have been underused, underdeveloped, and killed off before they could achieve their full potential. The unrealized capabilities of smaller characters has been a weakness of the MCU since its inception. This has begun to improve as the franchise develops more TV series on Disney+ rather than exclusively producing major standalone and team-up movies. Still, the wrongs of the MCU’s past remain unchanged.

These five deceased MCU characters deserved more attention to their arcs during their time in the franchise.

Maria Hill

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) entered the MCU in 2012’s The Avengers. The former S.H.I.E.L.D commander went on to feature in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, and 2023’s Secret Invasion. Throughout her 11-year MCU tenure, Maria worked closely with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Avengers. When it appeared she would take on a more advanced role in the Fury-centric Secret Invasion show, Maria was shockingly killed at the end of the first episode during Skrull ambush.

Even though she existed as a supporting character, Maria deserved a more detailed arc. The skilled agent doesn’t see much development over more than a decades-worth of projects, and the MCU could have done much more with Maria before haphazardly dumping her from the franchise. A mainstay character such as Maria warranted a project in which she serves as a lead or co-lead, but the MCU opted for an untimely end to her promising, yet underdeveloped, story.

Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver

MCU fans were introduced to Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) in Avengers: Age of Ultron along with his sister Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). After aligning with the villainous robot Ultron (James Spader), the Maximoff twins eventually helped the Avengers in the battle of Sokovia. Pietro’s super-speed abilities made him a unique MCU hero, but he was sadly killed by bullet wounds while shielding a civilian.

Pietro’s brief appearance in the franchise was a disappointment for many fans. While Wanda went on to pursue one of the MCU’s most compelling character arcs to date, Pietro was solely purposed toward instilling high stakes and consequences in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Quicksilver’s arc should have extended beyond a single film, as it would have been fascinating to see him grow into his powers alongside his sister.

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May Parker

May Parker (Marisa Tomei), the aunt and caretaker of Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), made her MCU debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Her subsequent appearances include 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. May tragically died during the Green Goblin’s bomb attack in the most recent Spider-Man film.

Of course, May was always meant to be a supporting character in Spider-Man’s story, much like Peter’s Uncle Ben and Aunt May were in Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy. Even so, the MCU’s version of May saw her story conclude far too soon. The franchise set up an intriguing side plot involving May’s relationship with Stark Industries’ head of security Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), yet their romance was written off as a mere fling.

Gorr the God Butcher

Gorr the God Butcher served as the primary villain of 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder. The character’s tragic backstory revolved around the loss of his young daughter, which he blamed on the gods. Gorr, empowered by the Necrosword, embarked on a crusade to vanquish every god for their careless disregard for starving and disadvantaged people. In the end, Gorr was defeated by Jane Foster/Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman) and Thor. The problem with Gorr’s lone MCU film lies in his severe lack of screen time and jarring tonal clashes with Love and Thunder‘s humor. Established as a grim and sinister being with an unbridled thirst for vengeance, Gorr never kills a god on-screen following the movie’s opening sequence. Moreover, Love and Thunder‘s overdone silliness made Gorr’s few scenes feel like they took place in an entirely different film.

It’s unconscionable to waste an actor as talented as Bale, and Love and Thunder did not take advantage of the star, who impressed in his small role. Gorr would have served best in either a different project or in multiple projects to better develop his persona. Unfortunately, Gorr’s killing spree failed to mesh with Love and Thunder‘s story, and it’s tragic that the MCU likely won’t afford the character another chance.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) never should have just been a side character. The hero made her MCU debut in 2010’s Iron Man 2, and played a role in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Following her sacrificial death in Endgame, Natasha finally got her solo film with 2021’s Black Widow, focusing on the character’s familial escapades in between Civil War and Infinity War.

Today, many recognize the MCU’s colossal failure of restricting Natasha to the sidelines and only granting her a solo adventure after her demise. Black Widow‘s bad timing reduced the movie’s stakes and ensured no future sequels. Natasha, who grew in popularity over the years, should have led a trilogy of films as Iron Man, Captain America, and other prominent male heroes did. The MCU’s limited focus on Black Widow made for an overall underwhelming arc worsened by her half-baked romance with Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in Age of Ultron. Regrettably, fans of the hero will never get to see her in the perpetual advanced role she deserved before taking her final bow in the franchise. The MCU’s failure of Black Widow ranks among its biggest missteps to date.

All of the MCU titles mentioned in this article are available to stream on Disney+.