While it may be one of the biggest film franchises on the planet,The Avengersfranchise has its fair share of characters that did not get the love or limelight they deserved. In a world full of some of the greatest superheroes on the planet, it’s quite obvious that there would be some star players, like the likes of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans), who shine brighter than the rest because of their importance to the story and their place among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Still, just because those characters shine brighter doesn’t mean those around them are any less important or well-written. An underrated character can also be one who was underutilized and could have done far more with their screen time.The most underrated characters in everyAvengersmovie made a great impressionwith the limited time they had, often stealing whatever scene they had, even if their overall contributions to the story weren’t as highly regarded as their fellow Avengers.
1Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)
‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ (2012)
When it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) typically are the most well-recognized and highly regarded. However, there is another major player who’s been part of the MCU almost since the beginning, who doesn’t get nearly enough of the attention she deserves: the one and only Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders).
Introduced inMarvel’s The Avengers, Hill is Fury’s right hand and most trusted advisor, being privy to many of his plans and acting as his staunch and steadfast ally. Hill’s role in the first movie is rarely regarded and, if so, not as much as she should be. She came the closest to stopping Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in the opening sequence and protected the Helicarrier during Act Two’s big action setpiece; most importantly, she did it all with no superpowers, armed only with a gun and her unbreakable conviction.Hill’s character grounded Nick Furyamong the Marvel titans surrounding them, making her a crucial member of SHIELD who never really got the respect she deserved. To make matters worse,Hill died an unceremonious death, cementing her asone of the MCU’s most underappreciated heroes.
The Avengers
2Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
Of the new superheroes added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe throughAvengers: Age of Ultron, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) so easily got swept under the rug. His lack of importance among the ever-expanding canon of Marvel heroes is partly due to his (very) untimely death at the end of the film, which served Hawkeye’s (Jeremy Renner) and Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) character arcs rather than his own.
When watchingAvengers: Age of Ultron, it’s easy to think that the folks over at Marvel really wanted to add Scarlet Witch to the Marvel Cinematic Universebut didn’t know what they wanted to do with Quicksilver. There’s also the fact that the MCU was actively competing withthe unexpectedly popular version of Quicksilver(Evan Peters) in theX-Menfranchise at the time, making it feel like they were almost scared to fully integrate him into their universe. But for the time he did spend in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quicksilver made his mark with his cool powers and the close bond he shared with his sister. Almost a decade after his demise,Quicksilver keeps inspiring fan theories, indicating he made an impact despite his limited time in the spotlight.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
3Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
When it came time for the Avengers to finally face off with the mad titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin), the original Avengers cast led the charge against his forces, with Captain America and Iron Man at the forefront of the two teams. But an original Avenger that didn’t get utilized to her fullest potential and still made a huge impact with the time she had was Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
It’s no secret that it was always going to be difficult to integrate a character without powers or an iron-armored suit into a plot likeAvengers: Infinity War. However, Black Widow has always been a major player in the movies, never allowing her lack of superhuman powers to limit her and instead relying on her cunning, wit, and spy training.Infinity Warsees Black Widow taking down Corvus Glaive(Michael James Shaw) pretty much all on her own, resulting in one ofthe most satisfying deaths in the MCUand confirming her value as a fighter and ally. As the film progressed, though, she didn’t get as much attention as she deserved. The sequel allowed her more time to shy, but her highly divisive death makes her lack of prominence inInfinity Warseem even more of a waste.
Avengers: Infinity War
4Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd)
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
It’s quite obvious thatAvengers: Endgamewas always going to be a film about the original six Avengers, as it effectively doubled as a sawn song and a victory lap for them. However, Scott Lang/Ant-Man also found himself in the action, largely because he’s played by the beloved fan-favoritePaul Rudd. Still, due to the focus primarily, and understandably, staying on the original six Avengers, Ant-Man was typically played off as a joke/comedic relief, used as a punching bag by everyone, from Nebula (Karen Gillan) to Rhodey (Don Cheadle).
When he did get to stand under the spotlight, though, Ant-Man created some amazing moments for the film. It’s also fair to note thatAnt-Man literally allows the film’s plot to happen; if not for him, the Avengers would have never come up eith their time-travel plot device to use to save half the universe. Ant-Man’s reunion with Cassie Lang (Emma Fuhrmann) is one of the most emotional scenes in the movie, and he also has some badass moments during thefinal battle against the villainous Thanosand his army. So, while he may have been a bit outshined by the original six Avengers and the surprisingly poignant Nebula, Ant-Man did some amazing things when he could.
