The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an interesting beast in that it’s one of the few adaptations of a comic that actually seems comfortable dipping into obscure characters. Just look at DC for a comparison point. Almost every Batman series ends up involving the Joker and Two-Face at some point. Superman always uses either Lex Luthor or Zod. There’s no creativity there. The MCU breaks that mold by allowing creators to use who they want, how they want, where they want. As a result, the MCU has wound up rather diverse, with an enormous cast of fan favorites who, quite honestly, did not begin as favorites.

With so many different superheroes to choose from, and so many characters in the diverse MCU, it’s actually quite easy to miss some appearances. Some of these characters show up in cameos, under different aliases, or are integrated so subtly that you may have forgotten they even existed. Other characters, ones you may be championing for, may also never show up either. For as generous as the MCU is, it isn’t a charity nor can it contractually add some favorites to the roster. How many characters have you ended up missing? How many do you want to be in the franchise, but unfortunately never will be?

25 ALREADY: Nomad

Best known for his role as The Captain, Steve Rogers had a brief stint in the comics where he became disillusioned with the Government and forewent his strips in favor of a new identity: Nomad, the man without a country. With a new suit, no shield, and no allegiances, Nomad marked a shift for Steve Rogers’ character.

A Captain in name only. 

Naturally, Nomad has yet to be seen in the MCU. Or has he? By the end of Civil War, Steve Rogers has completely abandoned his shield. Come Infinity War, he’s fighting in a new, darker costume similar to Nomad’s and his cowl is nowhere in sight. Considering where Steve’s character is in the movie, it’s clear the Russos were playing with the idea of Nomad.

24 NEVER: Deadpool

With the confirmation that the MCU will be able to use Fox characters sooner or later, fans have become antsy in regards to which characters will be given life in Phase 4 onwards. We can assume that the X-Men will likely be integrated given their immense popularity, but don’t expect to ever see Deadpool.

When it comes down to it, Deadpool simply cannot fit into the MCU on a tonal level. Disney’s streaming service is already going to have a max rating of PG-13, and Deadpool is a character who only works at R. We’ll likely continue to see him get films, but any integration into the MCU is a pipe dream at best.

23 ALREADY: Howard The Duck

Almost counter-intuitively, there are still people who go out to watch each new movie in the MCU, but fail to stay for the mid and post-credits scenes. These are those fabled few who care enough about the movies to watch them, but not enough to watch them in their entirety. If you’re one of these moviegoers, you may have missed the inclusion of one very specific character.

All three Howard the Duck fans can rest easy. 

Deemed too absurd for even the MCU, no one could have guessed that Howard the Duck would eventually make an appearance in the franchise, but, against all odds, he found his way into Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s not a substantial role by any means, but the post-credits scene does show explicitly show us Howard the Duck with the Collector. Maybe he’ll join the team in Vol. 3.

22 ALREADY: Red She-Hulk

Considering Bruce Banner has no supporting cast to speak of in the MCU, it can be hard to believe that a character like Red She-Hulk actually exists in the movie canon. After all, the most meaningful relationship Bruce has in the entire series is with Black Widow, a character not part of his comic roster.

You’re forgetting something, though: The Incredible Hulk is still canon. This means that Betty Ross exists. Which means that the character who becomes Red She-Hulk is canonically in the MCU, she just hasn’t transformed yet. Obviously, the MCU refuses to acknowledge that Betty is someone who exists, but super fans know the truth.

21 NEVER: Spider-Gwen

Considering how far removed the MCU depiction of Spider-Man has been, it perhaps goes without saying that we won’t be seeing Gwen Stacy anytime soon. As a movie series, the modern Spider-Man has been moving away from previous iterations of the character with a more refined, unique take on the character’s world.

You can’t have Spider-Gwen while Spider-Man is still young. 

His entire supporting cast has gotten a substantial makeover and Peter Parker feels like an actual teenager for the first time ever. Given how interconnected the movies are as well, there’s just no room for Gwen Stacy if the MCU is going to commit to MJ as a love interest. Naturally, no Gwen means no room for Spider-Gwen. Plus, she’s in Into the Spider-Verse.

20 ALREADY: Abomination

Isn’t it a shame that not a single member of Bruce Banner’s rogue gallery has made it into the MCU? Nearly twenty films and no one has given the Hulk the personal, emotional challenge he deserves. Except for Abomination from that movie the MCU likes to pretend doesn’t exist, but very blatantly does.

Yes, The Incredible Hulk is still canon in every sense of its being. Not only does Betty Ross exist, so does Abomination, one of the Hulk’s more pressing foes. Interestingly, Abomination is still alive by the end of the movie meaning that he could potentially still appear in future films. He likely won’t, but we did see Red Skull in Infinity War so anything can happen.

19 NEVER: Venom

Look, even if Venom wasn’t getting his own movie this clearly was never going to happen. When it comes down to it, Spider-Man 3 did a lot of bad for Venom’s image. Good on Sony for giving the character another chance, but the MCU was likely never going to take that risk, especially considering how hard it was to get Spider-Man for a movie.

Tom Holland versus Tom Hardy would be interesting to see if nothing else. 

In light of the new Venom film, and the fact it actually did fairly well at the box office, Sony is going to have their claws locked into the character for the foreseeable future. Get ready to see Tom Hardy headlining a mediocre trilogy that may or may not get cancelled after the second movie. Just don’t expect to see him in the MCU.

18 ALREADY: Man Ape

Black Panther did a lot of good for the MCU, and one of the best things it did was basically stripping the name “Man Ape” away from M’Baku. An unfortunate title that does make sense contextually, Man Ape just isn’t a good enough name for a character considering the implications.

In keeping the character’s name “M’Baku,” a tighter identity can be crafted while still being rooting in said character’s history. M’Baku isn’t just some made up name, it has context in Marvel. As a whole, the MCU also just likes to refer to characters by their real names instead of their alter egos. He’s M’Baku, not Man Ape.

17 ALREADY: Quicksilver

Unless you’re one of around half a dozen big Quicksilver fans, chances are you don’t even remember that Pietro was actually in the MCU at some point. Present for Age of Ultron, and only Age of Ultron, Quicksilver unfortunately never made it out of his debut movie, relegated to an eternity of obscurity.

Quick-who? 

It certainly doesn’t help that his X-Men counterpart, played by Evan Peters, is far more interesting and likable. Peters Quicksilver is a charming character with an interesting role in his canon. MCU Quicksilver is bland and uninteresting. When you’ve got Peters Quicksilver, why would you ever bother remembering MCU Quicksilver?

16 NEVER: She-Hulk

The MCU has been quite interesting in that it has established itself as a franchise eager to use secondary and obscure characters. It does not shy away from adding in superheroes you wouldn’t expect to see in the movies. With that in mind, She-Hulk would be a good fit, right? Wrong.

This desire to use lesser known heroes goes twofold. Why add another Hulk when that spot can be served for a character in need of better representation? When it comes down to it, we likely won’t be seeing any major replacements for the original Avengers. She-Hulk would be inherently tied to the original Hulk which would only hurt her character in the long run.

15 ALREADY: Egghead

It’s worth noting that although Egghead is a villain in the comics, he is not particularly villainous in the MCU. While he still more or less works on the side of the antagonist, albeit only retroactively as he passes away before the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp actually begins, his movie counterpart is a pretty decent guy.

Who knew Egghead was actually a pretty decent guy? 

Ghost’s father, Egghead inadvertently triggered her condition after being ostracized by Hank Pym. That said, it can be argued that Ghost is only the way she is because Hank ultimately fired and discredited Egghead, otherwise known as Elihas Starr, of his contributions to Pym’s legacy. He’s a much nicer man in the MCU than the comics. Shame we never got to meet him properly.

14 ALREADY: Crossbones

Now Crossbones? His MCU counterpart is not a particularly good guy. Also, he’s actually in the MCU! Crazy, right? The reason you may now remember Crossbones may be due to just how minimal his roles have been in the films. Appearing only in The Winter Soldier and Civil War, both of Crossbones’ appearances have been incredibly brief.

Worth noting, Crossbones is scheduled to appear in The Avengers 4 which does mean he actually managed to survive Thanos’ snap. As was the case with The Winter Soldier and Civil War, it is incredibly unlikely we’ll be seeing him for more than five minutes.

13 NEVER: Captain Britain

Speaking of The Captain, don’t get your hopes up for Captain Britain. Not only is he a character who actually exists in the Marvel universe, Captain Britain also falls under the She-Hulk clause. While he may be second rate (arguably even third rate,) no good can come out of him being in the MCU.

No need for a discount Captain. 

When it comes down to it, Captain Britain is just another version of The Cap but without any of the history or context, the latter has. Captain Britain can surely be an interesting character in the hands of a competent writer, but he’d just be distracting and pandering which does really fit the MCU’s MO in terms of representation.

12 ALREADY: The Real Mandarin

Iron Man 3, for as much hype as it generated pre-release, was not able to satiate every fan. Specifically, the reveal that the Mandarin was not really who he said he was ended up being a massive blow to the movie, effectively destroying all its tension. That said, this does not mean the real Mandarin doesn’t exist in the MCU.

As disappointing as it may be, the real Mandarin was indeed Aldrich Killian all along. Yes, Tony Stark’s pale-faced nemesis ended up taking the role of his comic counterpart’s arch enemy in the end. Interestingly, the comic side of the MCU posits the idea that there is another, realer Mandarin hanging around, but that idea likely won’t come to life for one reason.

11 NEVER: Riri Williams

Tony Stark probably isn’t make it out of The Avengers 4 alive. While this means we won’t be seeing a “real” Mandarin, it also means we won’t be seeing Tony’s successor, Riri Williams. For a successor story to work in a new character taking the role of Iron Man, we would need more than one movie of build up.

It’s simply too late to add Riri. 

Not only that, Riri Williams is a rather new character in the context of Marvel. She was only created in 2016 so a movie involving simply does not have enough to lift from adaptation wise. On top of that, she fills the same role She-Hulk and Captain Britain do. The MCU does not need another Iron Man.

10 ALREADY: Stone

Stone is just one of those characters you kind of assume isn’t in the MCU for obvious reasons. He’s not really connected to any major superhero, his role is rather minimal whenever he shows up, and he’s far from popular. Stone just has no place in the movies. Where he does have a place, however, is in the TV side.

Granted, even that isn’t particularly impressive for him. Stone makes one incredibly brief appearance in a season 1 episode of Daredevil and his back is turned the entire time. Dialogue later in the series even implies he may not be alive anymore. So he’s technically in the MCU, just not in any meaningful way.

9 ALREADY: Ghost Rider

Speaking of the television side of the MCU, you probably don’t know that Ghost Rider is part of the series’ canon unless you’re one of the twelve fans who actively watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. More an antihero than a straight up superhero, Ghost Rider isn’t just some cameo appearance in the MCU.

Genuinely one of the more surprising inclusions in the MCU. 

Rather, he appears in ten separate episodes and even has his own arc going on, connecting all his appearances. He is a legitimate character who develops, influences the plot, and keeps the story moving. Honestly? While so few people keep up with the television side, Ghost Rider is suited for a TV format, making him a good fit.

8 NEVER: Norman Osborn

While Sony was kind enough to let the MCU borrow Spider-Man for a few films, don’t expect that same kindness extended to Peter Parker’s larger rogue gallery. More specifically, don’t expect to see the Green Goblin anytime soon. Not only does Sony like to keep a tight tab on their villains, Gobby’s been done.

One thing that separates the MCU from previous Marvel adaptations is how it prefers to use lesser known characters. You get the shtick by this point, but it needs to be hammered in. Why waste time on Norman Osborn when other villains are waiting to be fleshed out for modern audiences?

7 ALREADY: Night Nurse

Interestingly, Night Nurse appears in two separate instances within the MCU. On the movie side, Night Nurse can refer to Christine Palmer from Doctor Strange. Her role isn’t particularly substantial in the movie and she hasn’t appeared since, but she’s a clear Night Nurse analog. The other is Claire Temple from the Netflix side.

Pick your favorite. 

Claire Temple is blatantly meant to be the actual Night Nurse in regards to the MCU with someone even calling her “Night Nurse” in passing. She also better fits the comic depiction of the character, sharing more traits with her counterpart than Christine Palmer. It’s genuinely quite strange that the MCU has two potential Night Nurses, though.

6 NEVER: Carnage (Movies)

No film in the MCU will ever be rated R. At most, they’ll be PG-13 and stay there. Battles won’t be too bloody; characters won’t perish in obscene ways; and language will be kept in moderation. Naturally, this means that a Carnage movie simply cannot be done. He is too violent of a character for the MCU.

Not only that, given the success of Venom, Carnage is the kind of character Sony would likely prefer to keep for themselves. The MCU version of Spider-Man fighting Carnage would be too morbid for most audiences, but Tom Hardy Venom? That could potentially work rather well so long as they go for an R rating.