Top 10 Marvel Heroes and Villains You Will Never See in the MCU

Hey, it’s okay: there are plenty of other great heroes for the Marvel Studios team to chose from! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Marvel Heroes and Villains You Will Never See in the MCU.

For this list, we’re looking at characters who – either due to Marvel not owning their rights or their concepts being too strange – are unlikely to show up in the Cinematic Universe.

#10: Deadpool

The Merc with a mouth is one of Marvel’s most popular modern heroes, especially after his record-breaking solo movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Originally conceived as a parody of Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke and introduced in issue 98 of The New Mutants, Wade Wilson proved popular enough to get his own mini-series. Flash forward two decades, and Deadpool is everywhere! However, one place fans are unlikely to ever see him strut his stuff is in the MCU, as Fox owns the rights to the highly profitable anti-hero.

#9: Onslaught

With such an epic name, this sentient mutant would fit in perfectly alongside Thor and Ultron. Unfortunately, that is pure just be wishful thinking. Spawning from the consciousness of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto – two of the most powerful mutants in existence – Onslaught combines the worst of both men to birth a devastating and hate-fueled creature. Introduced in 1996, his original run ended with a massive crossover battle against the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. As 20th Century Fox own the rights to the X-Men, MCU’s Avengers have one less villain to worry about.

#8: Super-Skrull

Here, things get a bit complicated. Kl’rt is a Skrull representative sent to destroy the Fantastic Four, who had foiled their plans to take over Earth. A mighty warrior gifted with the four abilities of the heroic family; Super-Skrull is a central figure in the Empire’s lore, developing from a typical villain to somewhat of an anti-hero. First, some good news – Marvel recently surprised everyone by announcing the inclusion of the Skrulls in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. Sadly, as the rights are still shared with Fox, characters like Super-Skrull are out of Marvel’s jurisdiction: so close, but yet, so far.

#7: Death

While Marvel has every right to include this hugely significant Cosmic Entity into the MCU, introducing the physical manifestation of Death this late in the game may be a hard pill for mainstream audiences to swallow. This eternal being is not a clear-cut villain, often preferring to observe over creation rather than raise hell herself. In the comics, Death is Thanos’ entire reason for being, as all his actions are motivated by a desire to impress and court her – and he’s not the only one, as Deadpool also has his own thing going with her. While her ambiguous concept might not fit well within the MCU, there are rumors that Thor Ragnarok’s Hela is set to replace Death’s role in Infinity War.

#6: Miracleman

Who owns Miracleman? That is a question many have pondered over the years, one that is still kind of hard to answer. Originally known as Marvelman, a British superhero from the 50s published by L. Miller & Son, this Captain Marvel substitute gained a following after receiving a gritty makeover from Alan Moore, and later Neil Gaiman. After Todd McFarlane purchased assets from Eclipse Comics, a decade-long battle started over who actually owns the character. Recently, Marvel purchased the rights from Mick Anglo, Marvelman’s original creator, but have yet to use him for anything new.

#5: The Silver Surfer

Introduced to the comic world over 50 years ago, this humanoid space traveler is an icon of Marvel Comics. Those dying to see the charismatic character on the big screen will need to settle for 20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Silver Surfer, as they own the rights. Despite the movie receiving less than stellar reviews, Fox hired J. Michael Straczynski – who would later assist in the production for Thor – to pen a script for a spin-off with the metallic astronomer as the protagonist. With the recent disastrous Fantastic Four reboot, The Silver Surfer might be best left to the comic page.

#4: She-Hulk

With the Hulk’s inclusion in the Avengers, his female counterpart should be a straightforward addition to the MCU. Sadly – things are never that simple. Universal holds the distribution rights for a Bruce Banner solo flick which makes debuting his cousin considerably trickier. A popular character in her own right, Jennifer Walters rose to fame as a fourth wall breaking bad-ass, whose day job consisted of defending superheroes in a court of law. As awesome as She-hulk could be on screen, her backstory is too directly tied to Banner and she would really need to be introduced in a solo Hulk movie.

#3: Galactus

Directly linked to The Silver Surfer, this legendary villain is a stable of Marvel Comics and capable of standing toe to toe with any hero. While mostly known for his antagonistic run against the Fantastic Four; Galactus has also repeatedly clashed with Thor. Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Infinity War is heavily influenced by the early 90s’ Infinity Gauntlet series, which included an appearance by the God-like being. As – once again – 20th Century Fox own the rights to Galactus, the most fans might ever get is whatever that cloud thing was at the end of Rise of the Silver Surfer.

#2: Fantastic Four

After four less than stellar films based on Marvel’s first family, no other license would benefit as greatly from an appearance in the MCU. The first superhero group created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; the Fantastic Four comics were near unstoppable for decades, offering a more optimistic alternative to the gritty heroes of later years. While things look grim for the family following the failure of the 2015 reboot and the comic being cancelled, there is some hope for a revival as the recent Marvel Two in One series brought back the Human Torch and the Thing.

#1: X-Men

What we wouldn’t do for the chance to see Wolverine and Iron Man share the same screen – but alas, Quick Silver & Scarlet Witch are the best fans can hope for. With the X-Men series proving extremely profitable for 20th Century Fox, they would be out of their minds to let them go. Counting Deadpool and the Logan trilogy, The X-Men Cinematic Universe spans ten projects, with a handful being good enough to stand alongside Marvel’s best releases. The two companies did negotiate the trade of two characters – Ego the Living Planet and Negasonic Teenage Warhead – but its unlikely any fan favorites will make the jump.