4 Years Later, One of the MCU’s Most Powerful Characters Just Returned (And A Fan-Favorite Died Soon After)

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe often brings back characters after many years. We recently saw Tim Blake Nelson reprise his role as Samuel Sterns, also known as The Leader, in *Captain America: Brave New World*. He hadn’t appeared since *The Incredible Hulk* in 2008! These returns usually happen when a character has a significant role to play, suggesting Marvel Studios had long-term plans for them. However, this week brought back a surprising character – one that Marvel’s Kevin Feige previously stated wouldn’t be returning in a sequel.

The first four episodes of the new animated series *Marvel Zombies* launched on Disney+ on Wednesday, and they brought back a lot of familiar faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (be warned: there are spoilers ahead!). Along with Simu Liu reprising his role as Shang-Chi, the show features returns from Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Hailee Steinfeld, Dominique Thorne, and Iman Vellani. F. Murray Abraham is back as Khonshu from *Moon Knight*, and Elizabeth Olsen appears as Wanda Maximoff for her ninth Marvel project. The biggest surprise of all? Ikaris from *Eternals* makes an unexpected return in the first episode.

Marvel Actually Acknowledges the Eternals Characters

While it’s been a shorter wait than some Marvel villains have faced, it’s been four years since Ikaris first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is a significant gap. Although the movie *Eternals* wasn’t a huge hit when it came out, it did introduce some potentially powerful characters. Ikaris is often compared to Superman – even more so than The Sentry – because, along with typical superpowers like flight and super strength, he also has laser eyes.

It’s really unsettling seeing Ikaris’ role in *Marvel Zombies*. Blade and Moon Knight explain that he’s stuck in this never-ending fight with zombie Captain Marvel, and neither of them ever really wins. They only pause their battle when something else grabs their attention. That’s exactly what happened with Kamala, Riri, and Kate. As soon as they showed up and tried to escape, Captain Marvel instantly turned on Kate and, well, disintegrated her. It wasn’t like Ikaris *caused* Kate’s death, but he definitely didn’t do anything to prevent it either. It’s a tough thing to watch.

Marvel Confirms Ikaris Is Among The MCU’s Most Powerful

The movie Eternals shows that even when working together, the other Eternals couldn’t beat Ikaris. He was only defeated when he chose to sacrifice himself by flying into the sun. While this seemingly removes him from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, his recent appearance in Marvel Zombies confirms just how powerful he is compared to other Marvel characters.

The fact that Ikaris was locked in an endless fight with a zombie version of Captain Marvel reveals just how powerful both characters are. The Marvel Cinematic Universe often needs explanations for why Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) isn’t immediately resolving every conflict, as her abilities are so strong she could easily end most threats herself – think of *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*. By showing Ikaris as a match for her, the MCU demonstrated that he was one of its most formidable heroes.

It’s still unknown how Ikaris’ power fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. He seems to be as strong as Captain Marvel, which could mean he’s on par with powerful characters like Thor and the Hulk. However, *Marvel Zombies* makes one thing clear: no one in the MCU is individually more powerful than Wanda Maximoff. She not only controls the zombie hordes, but can also effortlessly destroy heroes at a molecular level.

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2025-09-27 21:45