The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to evolve, and by 2025, several characters have undergone dramatic transformations. Some characters who were once sidelined in the MCU timeline are now leading major teams. Others have taken dark or surprising turns, completely changing the trajectory of the MCU’s future.

The post-Endgame landscape, especially with Disney+ shows and new vphases of the Multiverse Saga, has opened doors for deeper development, shocking deaths, and mᴀssive shifts in allegiances. Whether it’s legacy characters or newer additions, the MCU has redefined many of its key players in ways that no one saw coming just a few years ago.

10

Thunderbolts Ross Is Now In Prison After A Red Hulk Transformation

Captain America: Brave New World

Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has long loomed in the background of the MCU as a hard-nosed government official, but 2025 marked his most explosive evolution yet. First, he became President of the United States, then he transformed into the Red Hulk. Rumored for years and finally confirmed onscreen, Ross’s transformation was as violent and catastrophic as expected.

However, instead of joining a heroic cause or staying on a leash, Red Hulk’s uncontrolled rampage led to mᴀss destruction. Ross was arrested and imprisoned on the Raft. The once proud Secretary of State is now a cautionary tale of unchecked power.

This complete downfall flips his character arc on its head. It turned a longtime manipulator of heroes into a fallen monster. Unlike many MCU foes, Ross survived, suggesting Red Hulk could once again emerge.

9

Bucky Barnes Is In An Active Superhero Team Once More

Thunderbolts*

After decades of wandering and emotional isolation, Bucky Barnes has finally found purpose again. This time, he’s an official member of a functioning superhero team. While the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series hinted at Bucky’s healing process, 2025 cemented his return to action with the Thunderbolts.

This marks a major turnaround from his days as a reluctant hero weighed down by trauma. Now, Bucky is no longer just Cap’s best friend or a shadowy ᴀssᴀssin. He’s leading missions, forging team dynamics, and contributing to major global conflicts. Not to mention his new role as a US Congressman.

Bucky’s evolution into a true team player places him in a totally new category in the MCU. Once considered unstable and too dangerous to trust, Bucky is now someone others rely on. His new status reinvents him as one of Marvel’s most balanced and redemptive figures.

8

Valentina Is Seemingly The Nick Fury Of The New Avengers

Thunderbolts*

Controversial, mysterious, and manipulative, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has slowly taken over the kind of role Nick Fury once held. Yet unlike Fury, Val doesn’t play by the old SHIELD rulebook. As of 2025, she was the inadvertent driving force behind the Thunderbolts, leading to her announcing this new team as the New Avengers.

Whether she’s forming morally grey teams or influencing global politics, Valentina has become the ultimate shadow player. What makes her arc so compelling is how naturally she slipped into this role across multiple shows and films, appearing everywhere from Black Widow to Thunderbolts*. She’s not just a puppet master anymore.

Valentina is effectively the MCU’s new strategic anchor. This shift completely transforms her from an obscure comic cameo to a major force with long-term ramifications. With Thunderbolts*’s ending, however, she has had a major shift in power regarding her new team.

7

Taskmaster Is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

Thunderbolts*

After years of lingering as a character with unrealized potential, Taskmaster’s journey came to an abrupt and final end in 2025. Antonia Dreykov, once a mind-controlled ᴀssᴀssin with pH๏τographic reflexes, found freedom thanks to Natasha Romanoff. However, her story never fully rebounded.

After being recruited by Valentina, Taskmaster was among the antiheroes gathered at the O.X.E. in Thunderbolts*. She is killed in the ensuing fight by Ava Starr, before the group team up together. Her death was brutal and sudden, marking one of the MCU’s most sobering character exits in recent years.

It also reshapes her arc from pawn to tragic figure. While she didn’t get the same sprawling arc as other characters, Taskmaster’s end brings emotional weight and closure. Her death also crystallizes the Thunderbolts lineup against Valentina. A once-cold figure is now remembered with unexpected reverence and loss.

6

Riri Williams Made A Deal With The Devil

Ironheart

Introduced as a promising prodigy in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri Williams’ evolution took a dark and unexpected path by 2025. In her solo series Ironheart, Riri made a Faustian deal with Mephisto. In an attempt to save the life of her friend, Natalie, Riri strikes a bargain with Marvel’s Devil-like figure.

The terms of this deal and its long-term consequences are left intentionally vague. While her intentions were noble, this deal has pulled her into murky territory. The bright, idealistic genius who once seemed like a clean successor to Tony Stark now operates in a gray area.

This decision could alienate her from other heroes and put her at odds with SHIELD and Wakanda. Her transformation from spirited inventor to spiritually compromised technocrat is a warning of how the line between innovation and corruption can blur. This is sure to impact Riri’s future in the MCU.

5

Yelena Belova Is The Leader Of The New Avengers

Thunderbolts*

Yelena Belova started out as a snarky, reluctant ᴀssᴀssin with a deep emotional scar. She was driven more by revenge than justice. However, by 2025, she’s done what few thought possible: take up the leadership mantle for a new generation of Avengers.

With the formation of the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*, Yelena stepped up as leader. This transformation sees her mature into someone who understands sacrifice, diplomacy, and big-picture threats. Gone is the sarcastic loner. In her place is a woman commanding missions, mentoring young heroes, and making high-stakes decisions.

Her rise isn’t just a tribute to her sister, it’s her own hard-won evolution. Yelena’s leadership adds a new flavor to the Avengers: bold, brash, and unflinchingly real. It’s a stunning payoff for a character introduced just four years ago.

4

Joaquin Torres Is The New Falcon

Captain America: Brave New World

Joaquin Torres has officially taken flight, literally and symbolically. Introduced as a helpful side character in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Joaquin has stepped into Sam Wilson’s former role as the new Falcon by 2025. What started as a pᴀssing of the wings has evolved into a full superhero idenтιтy.

Though set up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Torres officially gained the тιтle in Captain America: Brave New World. His transformation from military tech analyst to costumed hero reflects the MCU’s continued push to expand its bench with diverse, capable characters. He brings his own energy to the role, leaning into optimism, agility, and a fresh worldview.

No longer just a sidekick, Joaquin is front and center. His evolution marks a rare example of seamless legacy-building in modern superhero storytelling. He is expected to be a central part of Sam’s Avengers in the MCU’s future.

3

Kingpin Became Mayor Of New York City

Daredevil: Born Again

In a jaw-dropping power move, Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, used politics to achieve what crime couldn’t. In 2025’s Daredevil: Born Again, he became the official mayor of New York City. It consequently brought a terrifying legitimacy to his long-running criminal empire.

Fisk’s election storyline, teased in Hawkeye and expanded in Echo, has fully paid off, turning Fisk into a true kingmaker. Now wielding real political authority, he can control law enforcement, policy, and the media under the guise of public service. This evolution makes Kingpin more dangerous than ever.

Fisk is no longer just a brute force or back-alley puppet master, but a legally untouchable figurehead. Daredevil and other street-level heroes now face a system rigged from the top down. Fisk’s reinvention as a political тιтan adds terrifying realism to the MCU, and it totally redefines how supervillains can thrive in plain sight.

2

Sam Wilson Is In Direct Compeтιтion With Bucky And The New Avengers

Captain America: Brave New World & Thunderbolts*

Sam Wilson is officially Captain America, but that doesn’t mean things are smooth. In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam is tasked with forming an official Avengers successor. This is complicated by Valentina announcing the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*.

The flashforward in the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene revealed that the New Avengers are locked in a deep feud with Sam’s Avengers, including a lawsuit for trademark infringement. After the pair’s reluctant journey into being firm allies, this is a distinct change in trajectory.

With both teams in direct compeтιтion, the former friends find themselves at odds once again. Though Bucky is not the leader of the New Avengers, his relationship with Sam has made him the conduit. This will likely be addressed in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will presumably see the teams unite against Doom.

1

Daredevil Lost His Closest Friends

Daredevil: Born Again

Matt Murdock has never had it easy, but by 2025, Daredevil is truly isolated. Daredevil: Born Again opens with Foggy Nelson’s ᴀssᴀssination, killing Matt’s long-term best friend. This leads Karen Page to leave New York City, leaving Matt without either of his closest confidants.

While he tries to leave superheroics behind in his grief, Kingpin’s machinations continue to touch his life. Matt resumed his vigilante actions, despite Fisk’s warnings and his now-dwindling support network. Though he has many friends, there are few left that know he is Daredevil.

However, season 1 concluded with Daredevil recruiting for his war against Kingpin. Season 2 will deliver on this, meaning that by then Daredevil could have some new essential allies. Nevertheless, in 2025, the MCU gave Daredevil an especially turbulent year.