Marvel Ruins Five Iconic MCU Super Heroes

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Age of Ultron

Credit: Marvel

Some of the earth’s mightiest heroes have had great stories, while other MCU super heroes are not having their proper story told in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Avengers original lineup which Marvel may be about to reboot
Credit: Marvel Studios

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When fans think of a perfect MCU story, they think of Chris Evans’s Captain America or Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. These characters got the best stories in the MCU because their stories end beautifully, and they had the proper amount of time to grow. If it weren’t for Steve Rogers getting a second chance to be with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), his story wouldn’t be the same.

The MCU isn’t perfect, though, and some characters don’t get the same amount of attention when their stories are told. Over the years, fans have noticed that a few characters deserved more, and this is just a brief guide going over just five of the super heroes that deserved more despite the MCU being riddled with more. With the Multiverse Saga introducing more heroes every year, it seems that the MCU will have more candidates that fans will consider ruined after a while.

5. Nick Fury

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury marvel
Credit: Marvel Studios

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Just to be clear, Samuel L. Jackson has done a fantastic job as Nick Fury, but the character’s role in the MCU has been lackluster for almost a decade. When he started the Avengers initiative and helped gather the different super heroes to fight Loki (Tom Hiddleston), that’s the Nick Fury that fans love. Around the time of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), it became clear that Nick Fury’s time in the spotlight wasn’t the same.

Once his role as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. faltered, his role in the MCU became messy. He was an influential character with so many resources, but Marvel Studios couldn’t decide what to do with the character. Once he became a pivotal character in the Captain Marvel franchise, it felt like Nick Fury’s story just became less interesting because it was mostly about Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and the Skrulls.

Nick Fury shocked in Marvel's 'Secret Invasion'
Credit: Marvel Studios

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Marvel’s infamous Secret Invasion proves that Nick Fury’s story should’ve ended sooner. The Skrull invasion was nothing like the comics and was honestly a disappointment for many. Nick Fury’s war against the Skrull felt like an afterthought when it should’ve been so much more. While Nick Fury is still showing up in the MCU, it’s clear that the character is less exciting and that’s a shame because he’s one of the reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe is happening.

4. Quicksilver

Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron
Credit: Marvel Studios

Aaron Taylor Johnson starred as the speedster, and barely anyone remembers this. Why? Because Quicksilver straight-up died too quickly. Marvel made a bizarre decision to kill one of the fastest super heroes in the MCU by having him run in front of bullets to take one for the team and save Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye.

While this sacrifice helped Elizabeth Olsen’s Black Widow unlock more of her rage and stop some Ultron bots, it wasn’t worth it. Like, nothing about that scene deserved to happen because now that mutants are slowly entering the MCU, it’s painfully obvious that Aaron Taylor Johnson was robbed of a role, and that’s a shame that Marvel decided it was worth doing in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

3. Bruce Banner/Hulk

Mark Ruffalo as Hulk in Avengers: Endgame mcu
Credit: Marvel Studios

Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk might have some amazing moments in the MCU but his track record is all over the place. Marvel doesn’t know what to do with the Hulk most of the time. Sometimes, the Hulk is a menacing presence that fans should be afraid while other times, Ruffalo’s version of the Hulk is just used for awkward comedy that doesn’t pan out. After Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Marvel decided that the Hulk and Bruce Banner should be combined for Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame (2019).

While this idea was interesting, it became really stale when Marvel overused some of the jokes and made the character seem less powerful once Banner was behind the wheel. In Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Mark Ruffalo’s role is just confusing and not interesting because fans want to a powerful Hulk and the MCU’s Hulk is just slowly turning into a joke.

Hulk talking to his cousin, Jennifer Walters
Credit: Marvel Studios

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Fans are not interested in seeing an Avenger who can only talk science and not be able to have their own movies. While Marvel didn’t have the movie rights from Universal, it was obvious that the character had less time to become interesting because his role was stuck in other MCU projects, leading fans to only see the Hulk in random roles that sometimes felt out of the blue. Marvel still has time to redeem the Hulk’s character, but it doesn’t seem like they want to take the effort to help make the Hulk a threat again.

2. Adam Warlock

will poulter as adam warlock in guardians of the galaxy 3 close up
Credit: Marvel

After the Infinity Saga, it’s so frustrating that Adam Warlock appeared after the Avengers fought Thanos when the character played such a pivotal role in the comics. It was Adam Warlock who used the Soul Stone and used its power to bring back super heroes that Thanos dusted to help turn the tide. Obviously it wasn’t that simple, but Adam Warlock was the super hero that could challenge Thanos any day of the week.

Marvel chose to make Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel that super hero whose powers threatened the Mad Titan, but Adam Warlock’s presence in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) isn’t great. It’s sad seeing him as a young version of himself that is still learning because he comes across as an odd super hero who can do a lot of good, but still is clueless on some things. Marvel has placed Adam Warlock on the Guardians of the Galaxy when he should be getting his own movies and fighting villains by himself, but Marvel Studios isn’t interested in having the super hero be stronger in the MCU just yet.

1. Black Widow

Black Widow using a LG Lotus Elite LX610 in The Avengers
Credit: Marvel Studios

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Scarlett Johansson deserved so much more. Just like Nick Fury she was one of the pillars of the MCU and somehow Marvel screwed up. She had an amazing story in the Avengers franchise while also appearing in a few other movies as a supporting character, but it was odd because her story was barely the focus.

It was clear that a Hawkeye and Black Widow would be super easy to make, but Marvel Studios never greenlit that movie. Jeremy Renner got his own Disney+ series, which is essentially him handing the torch to Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, while Johansson got her own MCU movie that was a huge disappointment.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in 'Black Widow' on Disney+
Credit: Marvel Studios

After ruining Taskmaster and giving the super hero a messy story riddled with plot holes and lackluster CGI and action, Black Widow (2021) came after the super hero died to save the universe from Thanos. She made the ultimate sacrifice and then got a movie right afterward and that felt wrong. The fact that Black Widow was the MCU’s first female super hero and didn’t get her own film until after her story was over is crazy. Instead of Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel being the first MCU movie, the actress deserved to have some of her stories told.

There is a lot of different things that Marvel could’ve focused on, but it’s clear that the MCU wasn’t ready to allow a female super hero to be a leading star for the franchise when the movies were just starting. If anything, Black Widow is a clear example of what not to do and here’s hoping that Marvel learns from their mistakes.

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