The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for threading characters across multiple films in order to provide a continuity in an ever-evolving series of interconnected stories. However, there are several prominent MCU characters that have been given short shrift, and we’d like to point out the ones that have stuck out to us the most since the saga began with 2008’s Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Check out our list of The 12 Most Disposable MCU Characters in the gallery below!
Now when we say “disposable” we don’t necessarily mean Marvel just killed them off quickly, although some of them do qualify for that distinction. Over the course of 14 movies, these characters have either been marginalized, misused, easily recast or swept aside after being introduced. Others have actually stuck around but don’t serve much of a function within the larger universe. In some cases they only exist for exposition, and if they were swept under the rug not too many fans complained. We still love these movies, though, warts and all!
Check out the list below, and let us know if there are any other MCU characters who deserve to be called “disposable” in our comments section below!
The 12 Most Disposable MCU Characters
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Col. James Rhodes (a.k.a. War Machine)
While it's easy to say that this character originated by actor Terrence Howard was swiftly replaced by Don Cheadle for Iron Man 2, that's not what makes him disposable. Cheadle has actually done an admirable job with the character, but since he took up the mantle of War Machine, he has continually been portrayed as an ineffective bungler getting his suit taken over (Iron Man 2), getting captured (Iron Man 3), being undercut by the more powerful heroes (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and, ultimately, crippled (Captain America: Civil War). He's even totally excluded from the opening Avengers sequence of the latter movie despite being a part of the team. After five films Rhodey deserved better.
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Betty Ross
The Hulk's main squeeze spent a good chunk of time in The Incredible Hulk as a damsel in distress played by Liv Tyler, and even though she's meant to have an important emotional connection to Bruce Banner she has yet to reappear. Her poppa, Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), did pop up again in Civil War, but Banner seemed keen to spark a romance with Black Widow in Age of Ultron, with Betty all but forgotten. There are rumors she might take part in the upcoming Avengers sequels, but that has yet to be confirmed.
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Pietro Maximoff (a.k.a. Quicksilver)
Aaron Taylor-Johnson's portrayal was over rather quickly, pun intended. It seemed as if Joss Whedon only introduced the speedster so he could kill him off for a big dramatic punch in Age of Ultron. Although it was effective (and certainly differentiates him from his Fox X-Men franchise counterpart), we wish we'd gotten a little more time with him. As Hawkeye said, "That quick little bastard, I miss him already!"
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Jane Foster
Landing a star of Natalie Portman's caliber for the first Thor was a big coup for the MCU, but Foster only made a couple seconds of the first Avengers as a still image on a computer screen, and was merely mentioned in passing in Age of Ultron. While she did return for the underwhelming Thor: The Dark World, the romance solidified at the end of that film was apparently all for naught as she and the big guy are broken up by the start of this November's Thor: Ragnarok. Apparently Portman wanted out of the franchise for whatever reason, and thus Foster's arc remains unresolved.
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Justin Hammer
This bizarro world version of Tony Stark made for a formidable adversary in Iron Man 2, as the genius weapons manufacturer used a lot of corporate maneuvering and Mickey Rourke's supervillain to irk Iron Man. While Sam Rockwell's Hammer made an appearance in the Marvel One-Shot short All Hail the King, the "father" of War Machine has yet to disrupt the MCU with his presence and it's kind of a bummer, as he's one of ol' shellhead's greatest adversaries in the comics.
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The Warriors Three (Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun)
These allies of Thor are some of the most fun characters in the comics, yet the movies have severely underutilized them. In Thor they were given a decent introduction (though Volstagg could have been funnier), but in Thor: The Dark World Tadanobu Asano's Hogun left the picture early on to stay with his family, Zachary Levi replaced Joshua Dallas as Fandral, and the Falstaff-ian Volstagg became merely another weapon-wielding warrior man as opposed to the more overtly comic figure he's meant to be. Hopefully Thor: Ragnarok will make up for this.
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The Howling Commandos
One of Jack Kirby's best creations was The Howling Commandoes (who served under the original WWII-era Nick Fury in the comics). While they were awesome in Captain America: The First Avenger, their only appearance since was as a photo in a Smithsonian exhibit in Winter Soldier. While Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) made an appearance on the Agent Carter TV show, we hope the MCU doesn't forget the whole crew the next time they need a 1940's flashback.
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Happy Hogan
Original Iron Man director Jon Favreau gave himself the part of Tony Stark's faithful bodyguard, but once Tony became Iron Man his role became a little superfluous. Eventually he transitioned into working for Pepper Potts (his love interest in the comics!), and even though he had some funny scenes in Iron Man 3, we feel like Happy is kind of a man without a country (or story function) within the MCU. He will appear again alongside his old boss in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so let's hope he gets to be more than just a part of Tony's entourage.
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The Other
Alexis Denisof's The Other was the de-facto voice of Thanos in the first Avengers movie, built up as a scary and formidable cosmic adversary. Unfortunately, when he popped up again in Guardians of the Galaxy he was knocked off by Ronan pretty swiftly and with little fanfare. It seemed like a bit of a cheat, but we suppose there are plenty more loyal subjects to Thanos where he came from.
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Taneleer Tivan (a.k.a. The Collector)
Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun, spirited sci-fi adventure movie that has little to do with the machinations in the rest of the MCU... until we get to The Collector. As played to bizarre effect by Benicio del Toro, Taneleer's big scene is an interesting one full of easter eggs, but it bogs down the story a bit as he takes us into exposition hell explaining what the Infinity Stones are. If this were a movie divorced from obligations to the MCU, this scene would be the first on the chopping block.
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Maggie Lang
The immensely talented Judy Greer has given many funny, touching and memorable performances. Sadly, her role as Scott Lang's ex-wife in Ant-Man isn't one of those. Her part as Maggie is the stereotypical lecturing ex-wife character, a thankless part for a very good actress that never goes beyond her function as a roadblock to Lang's daughter Cassie. We pray that in Ant-Man and the Wasp she's allowed to do more than nag and scowl at Scott.
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The Ancient One
This was a tough one, as Tilda Swinton's exquisite portrayal of The Ancient One was one of our favorite parts of Doctor Strange. She does, however, get offed at the start of the third act, with no indication that she'll be back in astral form Obi-Wan style. If she doesn't come back at least once more it will be a terrible waste of a great characterization by one of our finest actresses.
