TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis known to deviate quite a lot from the comics, and a lot of these changes have to do with characters.The MCU continually introduces new characterslike Phil Coulson or Xu Wenwu, giving obscure ones like Ronan the Accuser or Malekith a much bigger role, or reinventing some like Vulture or Mordo to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
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The MCU also features many characters from the comics who eventually became superheroes or supervillains, yet don’t have any powers in the movies. Or at least not yet, as there is definitely a possibility for some of these characters to get superpowers in future movies and series, the same way Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts eventually became Rescue inAvengers: Endgame. So here are some MCU characters who should get their super-identities from the comics in the future.
Thunderbolt Ross as Red Hulk
General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played byWilliam Hurt, has been part of the MCU since the beginning, first appearing inThe Incredible Hulkas the titular character’s arch-nemesis, like he had been for a long time in the comics. Ross has made several other appearances in the MCU since, but all of them had nothing to do with the Hulk.
In the comics, Ross eventually became a red version of the Hulk known as the Red Hulk, which he was turned into by A.I.M. and Doc Samson to better fight the original Hulk, and became a powerful villain across the Marvel universe before eventually becoming an anti-hero. IfMarvel Studiosever decide to make a new Hulk solo movie, Thunderbolt Ross as Red Hulk would be the perfect antagonist, as a way to conclude the two characters' arc fromThe Incredible Hulk.
Ned Leeds as Hobgoblin
Making his live-action debut inSpider-Man: Homecomingplayed byJacob Batalon, Peter Parker’s best friend Ned Leeds has since become a fan-favorite character and the subject of many internet memes. However, this version of the character is vastly different from the comics. In those, Leeds was Peter’s fellow reporter at the Daily Bugle, and eventually became the third incarnation of the supervillain Hobgoblin after being brainwashed by the original one to serve as a stand-in for him.
Hobgoblin is a supervillain who has seen many incarnations over the years, being essentially a second Green Goblin, and Leeds’s version wasn’t really the most interesting. But now that the Green Goblin has technically been introduced to the MCU, perhaps Batalon’s version of Ned could don the Hobgoblin costume as a more heroic version of the character.
Flash Thompson as Agent Venom
Tony Revolori’s version of Flash Thompson is definitely an unusual take on the character, being presented as a spoiled rich kid who bullies Peter verbally rather than physically, and going to MIT after graduation instead of enlisting in the army. In the comics, Flash fought in the Iraq war in which he lost both of his legs and became an alcoholic.
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He then became the new host of the Venom symbiote after the latter separated from Eddie Brock, and became the anti-hero Agent Venom, a super-powered operative for the army while controlling the symbiote with drugs, before eventually becoming the next Anti-Venom. Now thatthe Venom symbiotehas officially found its way to the MCUas teased inSpider-Man: No Way Home’s post-credit scene, there is definitely a chance of Flash coming across it at some point.
Cassie Lang as Stature
First introduced inAnt-Manas a child, Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie is now a young adult thanks toEndgame’s timeskip, and while she is confirmed to play a major role inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumanianext year, we still don’t know if she will actually become a superheroine. In the comics, Cassie became the superheroine Stature as part of the Young Avengers, using Pym particles to both shrink and grow.
What makes Stature special compared to other Pym-particle-using heroes is that her powers are affected by her emotions, growing when she gets angry and shrinking when she feels guilty, seemingly out of her control. Seeing as Cassie is being recast again with the older actress Kathryn Newton, it is very likely that she will finally acquire superpowers inQuantumania,and probably the mantle of Stature along with them.
Bill Foster as Goliath
WhileLaurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster has technically already worn the mantle of Goliath/Giant-Man in the past, his super-identity is only briefly alluded to inAnt-Manand the Wasp, and is never actually shown. In the comics, Bill Foster has adopted the three different super-identities of Black Goliath, Giant-Man and Goliath, all with the power to grow giant, and was an important partner to Hank Pym, both in the lab and in crime-fighting.
While he likely won’t return inQuantumania, there is definitely a possibility that we will see Foster as Goliath in the future, either played by Fishburne or as a recast younger version in a potential prequel about Pym’s past as Ant-Man.
Phineas Mason as Tinkerer
Spider-Man: Homecomingwas the occasion for many Spider-Man villains to make their live-action debut, most notably Vulture and both versions of Shocker. Another one of them was Phineas Mason, an engineer who creates all sorts of gadgets for Toomes' gang.
Mason is known in the comics as the Tinkerer, an engineer capable of creating gadgets from scratch, and is usually depicted older than his movie counterpart, often being employed by other villains to make gadgets for them. Unlike other members of Toomes' gang who are arrested or killed, Mason’s fate is left unknown at the end ofHomecoming, leaving the door open for a return under the Tinkerer mantle.
Mac Gargan as Scorpion
Another Spider-Man villain who made his live-action debut inHomecoming,Mac Gargan’s movie incarnation is simply one of Toomes' goons without any powers or gadgets. In the comics, Gargan was originally an investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to uncover Spider-Man’s identity. Jameson and Dr Farley Stillwell then turned him into the supervillain Scorpion with the goal of being an adversary to Spider-Man, possessing similar abilities of precognitive sense and wall-clinging, as well a cybernetic scorpion tail armed with projectiles.
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But the procedures turned him insane, and he became a rogue element swearing vengeance on both Spider-Man and Jameson. While his backstory would obviously be different, it is definitely possible that Gargan will undergo a similar transformation in the MCU replacing Jameson with Toomes, especially withHomecoming’s post-credit scene teasing both characters' return.
Aaron Davis as Prowler
Even though there are no plans for Miles Morales to appear in the MCU for now, his uncle Aaron Davis appeared inSpider-Man: Homecoming, played byDonald Glover. This version of Davis is seemingly a regular criminal, with the name Prowler not mentioned in the movie.
But in theUltimate Spider-Mancomics as well as the animated movieSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,Aaron is secretly Miles' archenemy as the supervillain Prowler. So when Miles eventually shows up in the MCU, Donald Glover’s Prowler will be the perfect villain for his debut movie.
Betty Roth as Harpy/Red She-Hulk
Just like her father Thaddeus Ross became Red Hulk, Bruce Banner’s love interest Betty Ross also acquired superpowers in the comics, first becoming the mutant bird hybrid Harpy before ultimately becoming the self-explanatory Red She-Hulk.
Both transformations were at the hands of A.I.M and Doc Samson, and Betty has gone back and forth between being a non-powered heroine and a supervillain several times in the comics. While she has appeared in many TV and film adaptation, both of her super-identities have yet to appear on-screen, and the MCU would be the perfect place for either’s debut, although she would probably have to be recast.
James Falsworth as Union Jack
The rather obscure character James Montgomery Falsworth appeared inCaptain America: The First Avengeras a secondary character. In the comics, Falsworth is also known as the superhero Union Jack, a British super spy without powers who fought against the Nazis.
He was often accompanied by his son Brian Falsworth, who became the second Union Jack before becoming the supersoldier Destroyer. While Marvel would have a hard time bringing Falsworth into the current MCU storyline without completely reinventing his character, there is always the possibility of a spin-off about his time serving in WWII.
