Top 10 Avengers Members You'll Never See on the Big Screen

With his gritty, street-level crime fighting style and brooding demeanor, this agent of vengeance would definitely feel laughably out of place amidst the wise-cracking members of the Avengers. A mercenary-turned-mentally unstable vigilante, Marc Spector is known for his excessive use of force and no-nonsense attitude when it comes to punishing the wicked. His origin story involves a trip to Egypt, a near death experience and possession via the Egyptian god Khonshu. So… while did he join the West Coast Avengers for a time, he comes with way too much baggage for the current big screen line-up. On the other hand, a Netflix series? That’s something we could see working very well.

With a name like “Whizzer” do we really need to elaborate as to why this one-time Avenger will never make it to the big screen? The only way it could work would be as a minor easter egg, in which one of the Avengers gets a dog that pees everywhere, names it Whizzer and jokes about making it a member of the team. In the comics however, he’s called the Whizzer because he can run at superhuman speeds, meaning you know, he whizzes around. After his golden age heroics, he spent years as an amnesiac homeless man, before being placed under the care of Tony Stark, which is how he briefly became an Avenger in the 1970s.

A 13 year old boy in the body of a man with superhuman abilities. Where have we heard this one before? Oh yeah, it’s a character called Shazam - also known, somewhat confusingly, as Captain Marvel - who also had some originality issues to the point where DC sued Fawcett Comics over Shazam’s similarities to Superman. So… yeah, suffice it to say that Rage’s origin is problematic. Which is too bad, because in the comics, he’s also very much taken on an identity of his own. But, after working with the Avengers for some time, the issue of his age saw him demoted. Suffice it to say, this is a can of worms the MCU really just doesn’t want to open.

Back in the day, it was a lot easier to get on the Avengers. You didn’t need to be a God, a super soldier or a world class spy. Sure, those remarkable types were indeed welcome, but really… all you needed was a schtick. And therefore, as a descendant of Arthurian Knight Sir Percy of Scandia, scientist Dane Whitman was more than qualified. You’ve got a winged horse and magic sword too? Fantastic! That equipment list does more harm than good to his eligibility for the live-action Avengers though. Thor is just about all the magical fantasy they can handle. Besides, do the Avengers really want to have to build stables at HQ?

What was it with the ‘60s/’70s Avengers and their interest in medieval types? Were villains locking fair maidens in towers and employing dragons, or were they just trying to fill some sort of quota of characters from every period in history? This conflicted villain initially joined the Avengers with the intention of double-crossing them, but after some time he turned over a new leaf and became honest member. Unlike Black Knight however, he doesn't bring any magic to the table… just unparalleled swordsmanship. Though he feels utterly useless in a modern context, we do have him to thank for introducing Mantis to the Avengers in the comics, so that’s something at least.

Honestly… Jocasta is a pretty interesting character. Unfortunately, her backstory is just too complicated, and, based on the trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the opportunity to introduce her has already come and gone. She was a robot created as a partner to Ultron. Not seeing eye to eye with his nefarious ways however, she repeatedly sided with the Avengers, who eventually asked her to become a member. Sadly, given that the MCU version of Ultron has already come and gone, and that Vision became the Ultron-inspired member of the team, it seems unlikely that any member would repeat the mistake of creating advanced AI. But hey, at least she got a little easter egg.

This plucky Great Lakes Avenger has become somewhat of cult fan-favorite character. Perhaps it’s because she’s so refreshingly good-spirited and positive. She’s been deemed a “low threat” by the Office of National Emergency, but her squirrel powers - though not particularly badass - are still pretty cool. She can jump and climb like a squirrel, has superhuman strength, a prehensile tail and the ability to communicate with squirrels. Over the years, she’s served as member of the New Avengers and the U.S. Avengers, but likely still wouldn’t fit alongside the original MCU Avengers. Given that a “New Warriors” TV show is in the works, we’ll be seeing Squirrel Girl on the small screen sooner than we think.

We’ve got one word for you: “redundant”. Though Hercules continues to be a significant (albeit b-list) presence in the comic books, there’s simply no room for him in the MCU. Look at how much time, effort and world-building went in getting Thor to make sense within the context of this shared cinematic universe. Only Thor, an original Avenger with enduring popularity could warrant that sort of labor. Even if they wanted to do it, Hercules would require too much legwork, with far too little payoff to make any sort of sense. One mythological god from one culture is just about all this franchise can handle… we don’t really need the in-comic discount equivalent.

He’s a character with a lot of potential, but given the success of Wonder Woman, Wonder Man is disadvantaged. And as far as the MCU is concerned… well, that’s where it gets complicated. You see, in the comics, Simon Williams became a stuntman and actor in between stints with the Avengers. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn brought actor Nathan Fillion on-board to play Simon Williams the actor, just not Wonder Man. And those scenes got cut. While he may eventually get the easter egg he deserves, the fact remains that because of the potential conflict with DC, fan confusion over his name, and his b-list status, Wonder Man will likely NEVER serve as an actual MCU Avenger.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions

Two-Gun Kid

Jack of Hearts

Doctor Druid

Can you handle the level of power that the Sentry brings to the table? The MCU sure can’t. Honestly, the heroes within the comics rarely can either. He’s described as possessing the “power of one million exploding suns”. So yeah… a hero like that doesn’t leave his teammates with much to do. Furthermore, Bob Reynolds has an absurdly complicated comic book history that involves a lot of retroactive mind wiping and, unfortunately for him and every other being in existence, serious psychological issues that render him dangerously unstable. Taken all-together... he’s a wholly unsuitable character for the MCU, but a pretty compelling hero to read about in the comics.