Top 10 MCU Characters Who Will Never Get Their Own Movie

Wanda Maximoff, A.K.A. Scarlet Witch, was initially introduced as an antagonist in the second “Avengers” film, before becoming an Avenger herself. Maximoff has powerful telekinetic abilities that allow her to move objects with her mind, as well as influence other people’s minds to make them see or do things. However, despite her cool powers and interesting character moments, Maximoff is unlikely to see a movie of her own, as she’s not popular or recognizable enough to justify a stand-alone adventure. Also, Marvel has yet to release a film starring a female hero, but more on that later.

A veteran of the U.S. Airforce involved in pararescue, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, became an ally of Captain America in his second movie and showed his aptitude with a winged jetpack. He also supported Cap during the Avengers’ civil war. Wilson is principled, loyal, and has a great sense of humor and some awesome equipment to boot. Even so, Wilson has been so supportive of Cap’s goals that we don’t know much about his own. Although he’s a great…ahem…”wing man,” we’re not sure he’s ready to fly solo.

Charm will only get you so far. Loki is a charismatic and compelling character, beloved by many fans of the MCU. Unfortunately, there’s just one teensy little issue standing between him and a starring role – he’s a villain. Thor’s adopted brother and a master of illusions and scheming, Loki has been a major antagonist in several of the MCU films and is mass murderer – full stop. While Tom Hiddleston plays him brilliantly and Loki does have redeeming qualities, having teamed up with his brother against greater threats, he’s still a very bad guy, and “Marvel” has yet to take a chance on a protagonist this morally bankrupt.

Speaking of darker characters, the Winter Soldier is another character whose villainous deeds are a definite black mark against him. Originally beginning his life as Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s best friend, he was eventually captured by Hydra and brainwashed into becoming their best assassin. Although we’d love to see a solo movie centered on him, (maybe something in the vein of Jason Bourne with a robot arm?), it would be a definite departure from Marvel’s typical formula, which has worked so well for them that they’ve yet to deviate from it significantly, so far.

A movie about a rude, sarcastic, violent talking raccoon? Sign us up! Rocket is a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the team’s pilot, resident mechanical whiz, and is generally an asshole. While Rocket’s still more likely to get a movie than Groot, since his vocabulary consists of more than three words, it would nevertheless be a tough sell. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is an obscure property already, and while it proved an unexpected hit, a movie focused on just one of an obscure group of superheroes may be an even bigger risk. We’d love to see an origin story for him though.

An artificial lifeform originally meant to house Ultron’s mind, Vision was given life by Tony Stark and Thor and a mind by Stark’s A.I. Jarvis and one of the Infinity Stones. Vision then aided the Avengers against Ultron and became an Avenger. Although he’s a fascinating character we’d love to see more from, as well as one of the strongest ones in the MCU, Vision’s backstory is a bit convoluted to explain again in a solo movie, and given his importance to the overarching story of the MCU, it’s improbable that ol’ Viz will receive a story of his own.

Oh, Rhodey – you never stood a chance. Colonel James Rhodes is a member of the U.S. Airforce and one of Tony Stark’s staunchest allies and friends. Rhodey also dons an Iron Man style suit and works as War Machine, usually fighting alongside Tony and/or for the military. Similar to Falcon, War Machine is a great support character, but doesn’t have the same star power as the hero he’s supporting; although in this case it’s even more pronounced, since he has all the same abilities as Iron Man, but without Tony Stark’s genius and charisma. We’re sure War Machine stories are great, but…we’re with Thor on this one.

The eye-patch sporting former director of SHIELD and the man responsible for bringing the Avengers together, Nick Fury has been a tremendously influential and important part of the MCU. A film focused on him would definitely be welcome, since he’s one badass son of a bitch. Unfortunately, Fury has been largely missing from the MCU for the last several years, likely due to his actor Samuel L. Jackson’s busy schedule. In many ways, he’s already passed the torch on to others, so Fury’s time in the spotlight may be over, although it was nice while it lasted.

A former agent of S.H.E.I.L.D. and of the Avengers, as well as an expert marksman with a bow, Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, had an uphill battle gaining fan support, given his lack of time in the spotlight and his odd choice of weaponry, which drew derision from some. Even so, while he is genuinely liked by most fans, Barton is not the biggest crowd-pleaser when it comes to the Avengers. Like several of our prior entries, he’s a great supporting player, but we doubt Hawkeye would “hit his mark” on a target as elusive as a movie of his own. We’re afraid the general public might react like Black Panther.

You all saw this coming. Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow, is one of the MCU’s most prominent female heroes. While she was an assassin and has plenty of red in her ledger, she’s more recognizable and heroic than other darker characters, she has an intriguing past ripe for an origin story, and she just plain kicks ass! However, plans for a Black Widow movie have been kicked around for years with nothing materializing except vague promises for the future, and given how “Marvel” plans everything out in advance, that’s hardly reassuring. “Marvel” has been doing great work, but its lack of a female led movie has been disappointing.