10 Underappreciated Marvel Characters Who Deserve More Love

In a world of hundreds and hundreds of iconic characters and titles, the Marvel universe has some true standouts. But what does that mean for those who are not? Turns out, if one looks past the likes of Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and the rest of the most popular heroes, they’ll find some very underrated characters.

It’s not easy to stand out among some of the greatest characters of all time. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not great characters. There are plenty of really lovable characters that truly don’t get the attention they deserve. Whether they’re also a hero or a supporting character, the Marvel universe is filled to the brim with wonderful characters that need more care moving forward.

10 Luis (Michael Peña)

‘Ant-Man’ (2015)

Once a cellmate to Avenger Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Luis (Michael Peña) actually used to get a lot of love from the writers over in the Ant-Man corner of the Marvel universe. The running gag of him quickly recapping events from the films was hilarious and audiences fell in love with him. But after the failure that was Ant-Man and the Wasp, Luis pretty much disappeared from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Around the time Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, fans were wondering where Scott’s good friend went, but eventually, people let it go and forgot. Then, when he was excluded from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, along with the rest of Scott’s lovable crew, it was pretty much confirmed that the appreciation at Marvel Studios for Luis was gone.

9 Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova)

‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ (2022)

Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova), in the Marvel Comics universe, is an incredibly powerful character that is a huge fan-favorite. So, when she was introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe through The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, fans were excited and hoping she’d have a big role in the third and final installment of the series.

It would turn out that Cosmo was incredibly underappreciated by the writers at Marvel Studios. In the comics, Cosmo has some astounding powers. With the ability to not just use telepathy, but create force fields, illusions, bolts of energy and so much more. Instead, she was mainly used as comedic relief and a bit of a plot device in the final battle. Cosmo could certainly be used for so much more, but didn’t find as much love in the writers’ room as she deserved.

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8 Mac Gargan/Scorpion (Michael Mando)

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017)

Nothing is worse than when Marvel introduces a character, teases them for something greater, and then proceeds to never follow-up on their teaser. Arguably, the worst of the bunch came from a scene at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Fan-favorite character Mac Gargan (Michael Mando), more commonly known as the villain Scorpion, was teased to have it out for the wall-crawler.

Unfortunately, though, the executives or writers at Marvel Studios didn’t seem to care enough about the character to ever bring him back and follow-up on their promise. The lack of love for Scorpion at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios is wild and heartbreaking for many Spider-Man fans. It’s caused general audiences to completely forget about him as well, killing the overall appreciation even more.

7 Daisy Johnson/Quake (Chloe Bennet)

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ (2013-2020)

Aside from the iconic Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), the standout character from the first Marvel Cinematic Universe spin-off television series was Daisy Johnson/Quake (Chloe Bennet). A character who was pretty niche and unknown in the Marvel Comics universe became pretty much the second main protagonist of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ever since the series ended, though, fans have seemingly forgotten about her, alongside Marvel Studios themselves.

The worst part is, Daisy was an extremely lovable character and has powers unlike the other heroes occupying the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, it’s clear through how she speaks about the character that Chloe Bennet really loved playing her and put a lot of care and dedication into the role. The fact that she was seemingly forgotten completely and most likely won’t see the light of day again is tragic.

6 Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander)

‘Thor’ (2011)

Once a somewhat big character in the first two Thor films, then forgotten and eventually made into an insignificant character, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) deserved so much more than what she received as a character. In the first two films of the franchise, she had some great moments, but Sif was ultimately very much a side character that was only there to support Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and didn’t have much of a character outside of that.

She was pretty much thrown to the wayside in Thor: Ragnarok, only being mentioned. Her return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Love and Thunder was an underwhelming one, as she was attacked and almost killed by Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) off-screen, and, again, thrown aside for the rest of the movie. Sif is a cunning and lethal warrior who is capable of so much more!

5 Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang)

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021)

It was a huge shocker when it was revealed that Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) had a younger sister named Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) who is just as badass and skilled as he is. Potentially even more so. Obviously, Shang-Chi is the title character and was focused on far more. Not many people acknowledge just how powerful she is in comparison to her brother and father.

After the death of her father at the end of the film, she took on leadership of his organization, the Ten Rings. This is just a testament to how powerful and skilled she actually is; but she doesn’t get brought up much when people recall the film. She definitely deserves more recognition in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

4 Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna)

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ (2013-2020)

While many people have been taking to the internet to fancast the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ghost Rider, they forget that a Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna) already exists and was simply forgotten. Appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Robbie Reyes blew people away as he showed everyone that Ghost Rider exists in this cinematic universe. The impressive thing is that they managed to pull off his difficult VFX on network television.

Ghost Rider is one of the biggest characters in the Marvel Comics universe. So where is Ghost Rider? How could he be forgotten? Especially when he was played by the immensely talented Gabriel Luna. At the end of his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. run, he returns to Hell, so he can easily come back. If Marvel Studios wants a Ghost Rider, there’s one right in front of them.

3 Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones)

‘Iron Fist’ (2017-2018)

The underappreciation for Iron Fist (Finn Jones) comes from a source much different from others. Danny Rand’s television series, Iron Fist, did not do well among fans, receiving poor reviews. This created an all-around bad taste in people’s mouths for the series and, in turn, the character. This was unfair, but the sad reality of the situation.

While the show may not be the best, Danny Rand is still of high quality and deserves a lot more than the treatment he was given. He was written incredibly well in The Defenders and had great chemistry with the rest of the cast, so the character isn’t the problem with his series. Iron Fist is a unique and interesting character that definitely could be utilized in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects; but, it seems fans and critics would rather forget about him.

2 Man-Thing (Carey Jones)

‘Werewolf By Night’ (2022)

As a project in general, Werewolf By Night is an absurdly underrated Marvel Cinematic Universe project. It’s one of the best in a long time. The special presentation didn’t just feature the titular character, though. It brought in a great character from the comics, Man-Thing (Carey Jones).

Along with the project, Man-Thing seems to have been completely forgotten about. Man-Thing is a huge breath of fresh air in a universe of skin-tight suits and armor, a character like this empathetic being is so good to see. He’s unlike anything else and the fact that he’s been pretty much forgotten is a total crime. The Marvel Cinematic Universe could use more different characters like this in their roster of heroes.

1 Jack Russell/Werewolf By Night (Gael Garcia Bernal)

‘Werewolf By Night’ (2022)

Much like Man-Thing, Werewolf By Night (Gael Garcia Bernal) was such a refreshing type of character in comparison to the other Marvel characters in this cinematic roster. Introducing more supernatural characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a great idea and Werewolf By Night was a great start. With Blade, one could hope more characters like this will be introduced. But that’s if Blade ever actually comes out.

But where has he gone? Marvel released a black and white version of the Werewolf By Night special presentation but ever since that release, there’s pretty much been radio silence regarding the character and the world surrounding him. To forget Werewolf By Night and underappreciate him would be foregoing a very special part of the cinematic universe.

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