Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced many characters, and some of them could benefit from another look. Early on, the MCU often struggled with uninspired villains who didn’t feel like worthy opponents for its heroes. But it wasn’t just villains – the MCU also missed the mark with a few heroes. Fortunately, there’s potential to fix those mistakes. Shows like She-Hulk demonstrated the MCU’s ability to redeem villains, successfully reimagining Abomination, and Shang-Chi did something similar with Trevor Slattery, the actor who played a fake Mandarin.
We’re taking a look at five characters from Marvel movies and TV shows—some villains who didn’t live up to their potential, and some heroes who deserved a better storyline—who we think deserve another chance.
5) Taskmaster
The main issue with the movie version of Taskmaster is that it didn’t use the character as he’s known in the comics. The film needed a female villain with a connection to the Red Room, and that storyline worked well, but it shouldn’t have been Taskmaster. Tony Masters, the comic book version of Taskmaster, is a popular Marvel villain who would be a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just like the MCU eventually introduced the real Mandarin after the events of Iron Man 3, they should now introduce the true Taskmaster, now that the movie version is gone.
4) Justin Hammer
Despite being in one of the weakest Iron Man films, Iron Man 2, Justin Hammer stood out as a great villain. The movie attempted a larger scope but fell short, partly because Whiplash didn’t feel like a credible threat, and the final battle with generic robot drones lacked a personal connection. Hammer, however, was a compelling, slick, and Elon Musk-esque antagonist who deserves a return. While previously considered for the Armor Wars project (which is currently stalled), Marvel should find a way to bring him back and cause some trouble for our heroes.
3) The Inhumans
The TV show The Inhumans, which aired on ABC, struggled to integrate into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD initially connected to the MCU and later improved by exploring different universes, The Inhumans wasn’t successful. Critics didn’t like it, and many fans were upset with Marvel for seemingly replacing the X-Men with the Inhumans in their comic books. Despite having some interesting concepts, the show never had a chance to really develop, unlike Agents of SHIELD. There’s still potential for the Inhumans to reappear in the MCU, perhaps as rivals to the X-Men or as teammates with the Fantastic Four, as their comic book history allows for both possibilities.
2) Quicksilver
Rumors have circulated about Quicksilver potentially returning, but previous hints turned out to be misleading. Both Fox’s X-Men films and Marvel’s Avengers introduced their own versions of the character – Evan Peters played Quicksilver in the X-Men movies, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrayed him in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Many fans disliked Marvel’s take on the character, and the character died in that film. Although Evan Peters’ version wasn’t entirely faithful to the comics, he was very popular with audiences and even made a brief, deceptive appearance in WandaVision. Now that the X-Men are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s an opportunity to bring Evan Peters back as Quicksilver and get the character right this time.
1) Kang The Conqueror
As a Marvel fan, I have to say the sidelining of Kang the Conqueror is a real letdown. While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania didn’t quite do him justice – he was far more compelling in Loki – the bigger issue is we never really got to see Kang reach his full potential as a major MCU villain. Look, Doctor Doom is a strong pick for Secret Wars, absolutely, but it’s still frustrating to lose a character as interesting as Kang. I’m holding out hope that Marvel finds a way to bring him back someday, maybe even recast the role. He deserves another shot to truly shine.
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2025-12-12 23:14