The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of memorable characters, but just as many unforgettable D-list or lower characters fill out the series’ roster. It’s no secret that cinematic superhero universes like the MCU succeed or fail based on the strength of their characters, and it takes unique personalities, incredible acting talent, and fun powers to be remembered by fans. is required. But for as many unforgettable performances as the MCU movies offer, there are as many unmemorable characters.
Many of these characters are civilian supporting characters who aren’t well-known in the comics, but some should get more attention than they do in the MCU. Other villains are forgettable, illustrating the MCU’s problems with crafting good antagonists, and leaving hordes of undeveloped villains left in the shadows. The MCU isn’t alone in making this choice, with some Marvel movies from the early 2000s having particularly dry casts.
10
betty ross
incredible hulk
Despite the early successes of the MCU, The Incredible Hulk has been left hanging by most of the cast on the franchise side due to the legal situation surrounding another solo Hulk movie. Granted, this isn’t a huge loss in most cases, as Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross is one of the most memorable romantic movies the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever put out. Ta. Betty, the daughter of General Ross, who was actively hunting the Hulk, instead tried to comfort the Hulk and help Bruce find a way to manage him.
Tyler’s performance is what makes the character so memorable, as evidenced by the fact that few fans even noticed her absence after Mark Ruffalo was recast as the Hulk in The Avengers. It was of no use. It’s hard to think of one thing that could describe this character other than being a scientist and in love with Bruce Banner, making her pretty one-note. With her finally back in Captain America: Brave New World, it will be interesting to see what the MCU does to bring her back.
9
daben
marvels
Sadly, even recent releases in the Marvel Cinematic Universe still include villains that are nearly impossible to remember. Enter Darben, who played the villain behind the financially flop superhero movie Marvels. Like Ronan of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, Dar-Ben, a dedicated Kree warrior who has attained the title of Accuser, tells his girlfriend that the civil war that has torn his home planet apart has begun. seeks revenge against Captain Marvel, whom she recognizes as Captain Marvel. In order to restore the Empire’s former glory, Durven sought to use the Quantum Bands to extort resources from inhabited worlds like Earth.
Dar-Ben is as forgettable and mundane as any villain in the MCU, with little personality, unique powers, or compelling motivations. Everything she does is essentially a female retelling of Ronan the Accuser, including when she uses the same heavy Kree gavel as a weapon. It’s no exaggeration to say that alternate villains like Darben contributed to Marvel’s box office failure.
8
cypher
X2
For the most part, Fox’s X-Men universe has been very good at making its cast of mutant characters memorable, even if they only appeared briefly. That being said, there was certainly a horde of characters in the background of the movie, the most obscure and unremarkable of which was definitely Cipher from X2. After being briefly listed on Stryker’s list of mutants, Cipher is captured by his assault team during a raid on the X-Mansion, but is later rescued.
Cypher had one of the most hidden mutant powers ever, being able to understand and speak all human languages fluently. It’s hard to imagine that such powers would cause him to be ostracized and bullied to the point that he had to turn his life upside down to live with the X-Men. Cypher could easily consider himself a particularly gifted polyglot. In any case, no particularly cinematic or impressive mutant abilities are realized in the film, and Cipher remains buried deep in the memories of even the most avid X-Men movie buffs. .
7
Eric Selvig
Thor
The supporting cast of the first two Thor movies, from the down-on-their-luck Warriors Three to Jane Foster’s human companions, have had a pitiful time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since. But perhaps none of them will always be as memorable as Eric Selvig, the famous astrophysicist whose entire perception of reality changed when he met a walking Norse god. The Swedish professor has appeared in three Thor movies and two Avengers movies, but has failed to make much of an impact.
Selvig doesn’t appear in the MCU so much that it’s easy to forget who he is by the time he inexplicably reappears on screen to help Thor find a hidden (or literal) fountain of knowledge. Of course, as with most of the Thor mythos, Selvig becomes the butt of jokes in Thor, where he is arrested for public nudity at Stonehenge and spirals into mindless insanity. Masu. It’s hard to blame anyone for not remembering Eric Selvig in the first place.
6
david banner
hulk
Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk is one of the most forgotten Marvel movies of modern times, and for good reason. Rather than being a fun superhero movie, the movie has a dark, depressing tone of tragedy, mixed with eye-wateringly bad early CGI and split-screen editing that mimics comic book panels like oil and water. It boasted some dismal performances. Ang Lee settled on none other than Bruce Banner’s abusive father himself, David Banner himself, as the Hulk villain. David Banner becomes a type of Marvel’s Absorbing Man.
David Banner is played by the brilliant actor Nick Nolte, but you can’t help but feel like Lee exploited a Machiavellian villain. There was no reason to pair him with a completely unrelated C-list villain, and his final lightning appearance at the end of the movie looks laughably goofy. For some reason, David Banner isn’t as memorable as the CGI gamma dog that Hulk punches in the groin in the first half of the movie, which is one of the things that’s difficult about rewatching 2003’s Hulk.
5
Yon Rogg
captain marvel
Sadly, Captain Marvel gets a 2/0 when it comes to memorable villain matchups. In her only solo film, Carol Danvers reveals her amnesia and confronts Kree military official Yon-Rogg, played by Jude Law. He initially appears to be a close friend and ally of Carol Danvers from her time in the Kree Empire’s Starforce, but his hand in manipulating the powerful heroine is soon revealed and his true nature… will be revealed.
It’s incredibly obvious that Yon-Rogg is a twisted villain, and Jude Law makes no attempt to subtly portray the true villain’s motivations, but worse than that, he simply It’s boring. Although Yon-Rogg has the physical advantage of being a member of the Kree tribe, he is unable to put a candlestick on Captain Marvel during battle and never feels threatened. Captain Marvel has a lot of memorable elements, but Yon-Rogg certainly isn’t one of them.
4
crossbones
Captain America: Civil War
The Marvel Cinematic Universe sometimes requires filler villains to pad out bland action setups early in the movie before the major conflict begins. Brock Rumlow, also known as Crossbones, is one such minor antagonist who confronts Captain America and his team in Captain America: Civil War. Although often forgotten, Bullock actually appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as one of the main Hydra agents who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. at the behest of Alexander Pierce.
By the time the MCU brings him back in costume, it’s hard to remember that Crossbones was actually a SHIELD infiltrator to begin with. His Jolly Roger-themed armor and pneumatic punching gauntlets are kind of cool, but he’s handled very easily by Captain America, and he’s one of the many faceless masked thugs the Timeless Man has faced. He’s just one of the culprits. His ultimate suicide bombing left a permanent scar on the Avengers, but Crossbones had the personality of a wet paper bag.
3
baron von strucker
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Crossbones isn’t the only Hydra villain to be given secondary villain status early on in a major MCU crossover movie, and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is somehow even more memorable. Baron von Strucker, a high-ranking leader of Hydra operating in Europe, first appeared in the mid-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His Hydra cells stole Loki’s scepter and used it in experiments, eventually creating Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.
Baron von Strucker, who leans into Captain America’s pulpy 1940s aesthetic, sports a bizarre-looking modern high-tech monocle on his bald head. Other than this, this villain has few memorable traits that flesh out his motivations and reasons behind his dedication to Hydra (something that any Hydra villain in the MCU could honestly use) It didn’t get enough screen time at all. By the time he is defeated, it becomes incredibly difficult to even remember who Baron von Strucker was in the first place.
2
malekith
Thor: The Dark World
With one of the most skipped movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s filmography, it’s no wonder Malekith is such a forgettable villain. Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, is the epitome of the classic fantasy villain, trying to plunge the world into vague eternal darkness for uninteresting reasons. His design is also nothing special, just a boring all-black outfit and chalky white skin.
Doctor Who actor Christopher Ethelston has made no secret of his distaste for working in the MCU, describing the lengthy make-up process as painful, and admitting that he was a bit of a pain in the ass for Thor: The Dark World. He was talking about the script. This indifference certainly shows in the few moments where he is able to express emotion through makeup, dropping an unforgivably dull performance that makes an already common villain all the more memorable. Between Ethelston’s antics, the script, and the boring visuals, Malekith’s name has only been mentioned once since Avengers: Endgame and becomes the punchline of a joke.
1
Kirigi
electra
The Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly has its share of bland and forgettable characters, but some of the most terrifying and boring antagonists of the weird early 2000s Marvel movies, like Elektra, It doesn’t reach. Take a look at Kirigi, perhaps the most boring and forgettable Marvel villain to ever appear on screen. In Elektra, Kirigi is the leader of the Hand clan of mutant warriors and appears to be responsible for killing Elektra’s mother when she was a young girl.
Kirigi is a painfully milquetoast ninja villain with vague super-speed abilities who looks more like a background extra in a Kurosawa film than the main antagonist. Even within the confines of the Elektra movie, Kirigi is less memorable than his minions, and other mutants like Tattoo at least have more interesting powers. With generic powers, no personality to speak of, and no clear goals or backstory, Kirigi may be the least memorable Marvel movie character to date.
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