Marvel Studios has made many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe significantly more important than they were in Marvel Comics. Over the last 17 years, Marvel Studios has adapted dozens of complex and interesting characters from Marvel Comics into the live-action MCU, but has also made some major alterations when translating from page to screen. This has changed the roles of some low-level Marvel Comics characters, and has made them some of the most important characters in the MCU.

Many characters in the MCU are very faithful to their Marvel Comics counterparts, and some important figures from the comics have had smaller roles or are yet to appear at all. However, the MCU has also seen many characters grow in importance. Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s Alexander Pierce, Black Panther’s Nakia, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Yondu and Doctor Strange’s Wong, among others, have reaped the benefits of these changes. As the franchise continues to grow, there’s no telling how many more low-level characters from Marvel Comics will become even more important in the MCU.

10

Alexander Pierce

Alexander Pierce Debuted In The MCU In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Robert Redford made his MCU debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Alexander Pierce, a senior official at SHIELD, an old friend of Nick Fury’s and a member of the World Security Council who also happened to be a high-ranking HYDRA operative. This added detail made Alexander Pierce a much more important character in the MCU, as his Marvel Comics counterpart is not affiliated with HYDRA in any way. Alexander Pierce heading a faction of HYDRA in the MCU meant he was a huge threat in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, rather than an ally.

In the MCU, Alexander Pierce is revealed to be the Winter Soldier’s handler in the modern era, while this role was ᴀssumed by KGB General Aleksander Lukin in Marvel Comics. Tying Pierce, a long-time friend of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, into the HYDRA web in the MCU meant that each character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier was personally impacted by the emergence of HYDRA within SHIELD. This made The Winter Soldier feel more grounded, despite changing the MCU for good, so Alexander Pierce’s importance in the movie can’t be understated.

9

Roger Harrington

Roger Harrington Debuted In The MCU In The Incredible Hulk (2008)

You’d be forgiven for not knowing this Spider-Man franchise character by name, but even Roger Harrington, the science teacher and coach of the academic decathlon team at Midtown School of Science and Technology, has been given more importance in the MCU. Sure, in Marvel Comics, Harrington is the principal of Midtown High School during Peter Parker’s time there as a teacher, but he saw very little development before being killed by a future version of the Chameleon in 2006. Roger Harrington has seen much more action in the MCU.

Martin Starr first appeared as Roger Harrington, then an unnamed student at Culver University, in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, so it was great to see him return as Peter Parker’s teacher in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. In the MCU, he has been in jeopardy in the Washington Monument, escorted Peter Parker’s class to Europe during Mysterio’s attacks, and welcomed Peter Parker back to the school after his superhero idenтιтy was revealed. Roger Harrington has been a familiar face throughout the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise.

8

Nakia

Nakia Debuted In The MCU In Black Panther (2018)

Nakia is far from an inconsequential character in Marvel Comics, having been depicted as one of Wakanda’s most formidable warriors, becoming obsessed with King T’Challa, who didn’t reciprocate her desire, and being transformed into the villainous Malice by Killmonger. However, Nakia still has far more significance in the MCU, most notably through her romance with T’Challa. The chemistry between Lupita Nyong’o and the late Chadwick Boseman was fantastic, and this became even more emotional and heartbreaking in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Nakia was a member of the Dora Milaje (“Adorned Ones”) in Marvel Comics, a role which she renounced in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, the Dora Milaje not only acted as the personal guard of the Wakandan throne, but were also King T’Challa’s ceremonial wives-in-training, an element many will be grateful was removed from their MCU depiction.

Wakanda Forever dealt with the grief and tragedy of losing both Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa, so Nakia’s role as his romantic partner was pivotal. Most notably, Nakia acted as the vehicle to introduce her and T’Challa’s son, Toussaint, a.k.a. Prince T’Challa, to the MCU. Marvel Studios has made the right choice not to turn Nakia into a villain in the MCU, as she is far more powerful and important as the love-interest to T’Challa and mother of Toussaint, who could lead the MCU’s Black Panther franchise in future movies.

7

Talos

Talos Debuted In The MCU In Captain Marvel (2019)

In Marvel Comics, Talos the Untamed is little more than a Skrull soldier, and a lackluster one at that, as he is continuously ridiculed and humiliated due to him not being able to shapeshift like other Skrull. This small and inconsequential role is a far cry from Ben Mendelsohn’s depiction of Talos in the MCU. First seen in Captain Marvel, Talos was introduced as a respected Skrull General who employed Carol Danvers, Nick Fury and Maria Rambeau’s help to find his lost family aboard Mar-Vell’s orbiting laboratory.​​​​​​

Following the events of 1995, Talos elected to remain on Earth and aid Nick Fury, taking the opportunity to invite all Skrull refugees to also come to Earth while Fury and Danvers searched for a new home for them across the stars. This meant that Talos opened the door for over a million Skrull to quietly invade the Earth, living among humanity, and Talos unfortunately lost his life before he could see the consequences of this decision. Talos’ legacy will live on through his superpowered daughter, G’iah, the Super Skrull, however, ensuring he remains important in the MCU’s future.

6

Yondu Udonta

Yondu Udonta Debuted In The MCU In Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Originally, Marvel Comics’ version of Yondu Udonta was an alternate version from a future where he was the last survivor of his species and became a founding member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yondu fights the tyrannical Badoon with the likes of Captain America, Sharon Carter and the Thing, but the mainstream iteration of Yondu is based on his MCU counterpart. Since Earth-616’s Yondu debuted after the MCU’s iteration, he has had much less development, giving Michael Rooker’s Yondu even more importance in the MCU.

While Marvel Comics’ original Yondu, coming from Earth-691, debuted in 1969’s Marvel Super-Heroes #18, the reimagined version first appeared in 2016’s Star-Lord (Vol. 1) #2, over a year after Yondu made his MCU debut.

In the MCU, Yondu commanded the Ravager faction employed by Ego to kidnap his children from across the universe and deliver them to him. Yondu soon learned what Ego was doing with them, so refused to hand over Peter Quill, instead raising him and becoming his father figure. Yondu was vital to Peter Quill’s evolution into a founding Guardians of the Galaxy member and captain, Star-Lord. Without Yondu, Star-Lord wouldn’t exist, and so neither would the Guardians team itself. Yondu continues to have huge significance to the likes of Rocket and Kraglin, and will never be forgotten.

5

Nebula

Nebula Debuted In The MCU In Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

While Yondu became one of the most important characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s MCU history, so did Karen Gillan’s Nebula, despite starting her journey as a terrifying and troubled villain. Had Nebula remained on this villainous path in the MCU, her timeline might have looked similar to that of her Marvel Comics counterpart, who has always been a villain, or at least an antihero. However, Nebula gained much more significance in the MCU during Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, where she established herself as a new bona fide hero.

Nebula’s growth and transition from villain to hero over the last decade has been fantastic to see in the MCU, taking her from child of Thanos and Ronan’s lackey to a formidable member of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, and now the leader of a brand-new society. Her new role as an actual hero makes her far more important than she ever was as a villain, particularly since her own personality has had time to expand and shine. It would be great to see Nebula return to the MCU to continue this incredible development.

4

Erik “Killmonger” Stevens

Killmonger Debuted In The MCU In Black Panther (2018)

Certainly, Marvel Comics’ Killmonger has been around for much longer than Michael B. Jordan’s live-action MCU character, giving him more substance, but the MCU’s version is still more important. This is due, in large part, to the familial connection that Marvel Studios established between Killmonger and Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, as the pair were cousins in the MCU. This gave Black Panther a much more personal and intimate feel while fleshing out the world of Wakanda, and gave the battle between T’Challa and Killmonger real meaning, rather than just being good vs. evil.

In Marvel Comics, Killmonger’s Wakandan parents were killed by raiders led by M’Demwe, who takes in the young N’Jadaka and raises him to be a formidable warrior. Killmonger’s resentment towards Wakanda grows until he returns to wage war out of pure vengeance. The MCU’s Killmonger carried a much more relevant and important message of social injustice and racial discrimination, which made him one of the MCU’s most understandable and relatable villains, and also one of the franchise’s most important characters.

3

Wong

Wong Debuted In The MCU In Doctor Strange (2016)

Wong is one of the characters who has benefited the most from getting an MCU makeover. In Marvel Comics, Wong was sent by the Ancient One to become Doctor Strange’s servant in New York City, and was given very little to do in the years since his debut in 1963. In the MCU, however, Wong has gone from strength to strength, first as Kamar-Taj’s stoic librarian, then to Doctor Strange’s right-hand-man, and now to Sorcerer Supreme, making him one of the most powerful and important characters in the entire MCU.

Wong’s overtly racist depiction in Marvel Comics has been completely erased for the MCU, with the formidable magic-user instead being a beacon of acceptance and generosity. Benedict Wong has done a fantastic job at detailing Wong’s growth over the last nine years, and is expected to continue this in the upcoming Avengers movies and a possible Doctor Strange 3. Wong is one of the most skilled magic-users in the MCU, and one of the most well-connected and beloved characters, so it will be great to see him grow even further.

2

Peggy Carter

Peggy Carter Debuted In The MCU In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter has had a much more central role in the development of the MCU than her Marvel Comics counterpart ever did. In the comics, Margaret “Peggy” Carter joined the French Resistance as a teenager and fought alongside Steve Rogers’ Captain America several times, eventually falling in love with him. Peggy even worked with Howard Stark before joining SHIELD. In the MCU, however, Peggy Carter was involved in Steve Rogers’ super-soldier transformation and subsequently went on to form SHIELD, becoming a much more important figure.

Crucially, the majority of Peggy Carter’s stories in Marvel Comics involve her being a supporting character to Captain America. In the MCU, however, Peggy Carter has recently seen a huge amount of growth as an individual superhero in her own right, with What If…? introducing the super-soldier Captain Carter and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marking her live-action debut. Peggy Carter is a formidable hero in her own right in the MCU, and will continue to be one when Hayley Atwell returns in Avengers: Doomsday.

1

Scott Lang’s Ant-Man

Scott Lang Debuted In The MCU In Ant-Man (2015)

In recent years, Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang has become perhaps the most important character in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, Scott Lang’s Ant-Man has been a long-serving member of the Avengers and a mentor to young heroes himself, but Marvel Studios made the unᴀssuming Ant-Man crucial to the survival of half the universe. Avengers: Endgame’s Time Heist would not have happened had it not been for Scott Lang’s return, which, in turn, means none of the Multiverse Saga would have unfolded, making Scott Lang a pioneer of the MCU.

Paul Rudd’s future as Scott Lang’s Ant-Man hasn’t yet been confirmed after the disappointing performance of 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Paul Rudd has done a brilliant job at delivering the hilarious and emotionally intelligent Scott Lang for the last decade, and we’ve seen him grow in confidence and ability throughout his MCU career. This culminated in him taking on epic Multiverse Saga villain Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, in which he was prepared to sacrifice his life to save others. Scott Lang’s Ant-Man is a wonderful and daring hero in Marvel Comics, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not be what it is now without him.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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