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Part of the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, across its films and television series, is how much the characters resonate with fans. From the main characters to the supporting cast and even villains, the inhabitants of the MCU appeal to a wide and diverse array of fans. Many characters in the MCU have their own fanbase, whilst some, like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, retain near-universal popularity.
The popularity of many characters has only increased throughout the MCU, but there are some for whom this is not the case. For a few characters, their popularity peaked in an earlier outing, and fans consider them to have overstayed their welcome, shown diminishing returns, or simply not been used as well by the end of Phase 3.
5 Bruce Banner & Hulk’s Storyline Resolves Itself Off-Screen
Bruce Banner and The Hulk have had an unusual time across the MCU. The Incredible Hulk was the worst-performing of Marvel’s Phase 1 films, and there was controversy when Ed Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo. In The Avengers, however, both Banner and the Hulk won fans over, with Ruffalo’s performance endearing him to many, and the transformation in the third act being considered one of the movie’s signature moments.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Banner struggled from a weak storyline with Natasha Romanoff and disappeared at the end of the film, but the two bounced back with Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, with their relationship developing and setting the stage for a storyline where the two learn to work together, raising their popularity once more.
In the time skip in Avengers: Endgame, however, this development happens entirely off-camera, with the two co-existing as a figure resembling Professor Hulk from the comic books, with little focus. Banner, as one of the core six, is still a popular character in the MCU, but fan disappointment over his development being skipped over has dented his popularity.
4 Star-Lord Sabotages The Plan Against Thanos
Peter Quill’s role in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 won fans over and helped elevate the team’s popularity to almost on par with the Avengers. A charismatic portrayal from Chris Pratt, coupled with the trademark humor of the team, and Quill’s skills despite being (seemingly) a normal human saw him among the favorites of many fans.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Quill starts off well, with his relationship with Gamora deepening, and seeming to give him a more emotionally mature and compelling role in the film, as well as an interplay with Tony Stark that sees their egos clash. The tipping point, however, comes during Avengers: Infinity War, once the Guardians and Avengers have Thanos in a trance and are preparing to take the Infinity Gauntlet.
Star-Lord learns that Gamora is dead, and begins to attack Thanos before the teams are ready, breaking his trance. Thanos retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet, defeats the Guardians and Avengers, and ultimately goes on to wipe out half of all life. While Doctor Strange claims that it would’ve happened in any case, many fans still hold Quill responsible for the failure to stop Thanos.
3 Sharon Carter Had Wasted Potential
Sharon Carter surprised fans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier by having a large role in the story. She is one of Captain America’s key supporters even when he is hunted by SHIELD, has hints of a romance with Steve throughout the film, and takes an active role in fighting Crossbones and HYDRA in the climax.
While her connection with Steve drew questions due to her relation to Peggy Carter, Steve’s previous love interest, she nonetheless won herself fans.
In Captain America: Civil War, however, Carter’s role was downgraded, with her having a far less relevant role in the story as Steve’s SHIELD contact helping him to trace down Bucky. She disappears from the film after returning Steve and Sam’s equipment and sharing a kiss with Steve. This vastly reduced role disappointed many fans and harmed her popularity.
2 Hawkeye Peaked In Age Of Ultron
Hawkeye’s early run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe saw him as the least-developed of the Avengers. With a mere cameo in Thor, and then spending most of The Avengers brainwashed by Loki. Nonetheless, in Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, Clint Barton won himself supporters with his new role as the emotional center of the team, and his relationship with the Maximoff twins.
After that, however, Barton is absent from Avengers: Infinity War, and when he returns in Avengers: Endgame, the plot sees the popular Black Widow sacrificing herself so that Barton can see his family again. While Hawkeye nonetheless still has popularity, many fans have said that they would have rather seen Romanoff live than him, and were disappointed by his role in the film.
1 Thanos Became A More Generic Villain In Endgame
After years of cameos and offscreen mentions, Thanos finally took center stage in Avengers: Infinity War and became one of the most popular villains the Marvel Cinematic Universe had seen. With his protagonist-like role in the story, genuine belief that he was in the right, and respectful interactions with many beloved heroes, Thanos was compared to other popular villains like Killmonger and even Loki.
With his combat prowess, several impressive fight scenes, and dealing the Avengers their worst defeat ever, he left an impact few characters had on the MCU. As a result, he became very popular with fans.
In Avengers: Endgame, however, that Thanos dies, and his past self comes to the present to retrieve the Infinity Stones. While still impressive, and with Josh Brolin’s portrayal, this version of Thanos has a more generic plot to destroy the universe, and less time is spent exploring his character. Fans still found his defeat satisfying, but this iteration of Thanos had less of an impact on fans than his predecessor.
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