The Marvel Cinematic Universe has many great characters, but not all of them necessarily have a future within the franchise. Since the MCU first began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, it has grown into one of the biggest and most successful franchises in cinematic history. Its many movies and TV shows have adapted the stories and characters of Marvel Comics onto both the big and small screens, earning a considerable following of loyal fans along the way. Naturally, the MCU has many powerful characters, as well as many who have won the hearts of fans around the world, cementing their status as particularly important to the franchise for various reasons.
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Unfortunately, not all of the characters of the MCU remain as relevant as they once were. On several occasions, the franchise has made great use of characters only for them to eventually outstay their welcome, with the MCU outgrowing their respective roles in its story. Sad though it may be, the following characters are all examples of figures that the franchise should leave behind, or at the very least reboot at the end of the Multiverse Saga in order to give them a fresh start, because their existing stories have all run their course.
3) Happy Hogan
There are several MCU characters who deserved more attention, and Happy Hogan is arguably one of them. His supporting role in the franchise’s three Iron Man movies and later in two Spider-Man films cemented him as a great sidekick character with excellent comedic potential. Jon Favreau’s performance throughout his appearances was great, but that doesn’t change the fact that the character’s story is pretty much over. With Iron Man and Aunt May dead and Peter Parker forgotten by the MCU, nothing is tying Happy to any current heroes. Any Iron Man return will presumably cast a new actor in the role as a Tony Stark variant, so there’s no reason to involve Happy in their story either, as they either need their own original character as a sidekick or a recast version of an existing MCU figure. As much as we’ve loved him throughout his appearances to date, it seems that Happy Hogan’s time in the MCU has now come to a natural conclusion.
2) Nick Fury
Nick Fury is one of Marvel’s great spy characters, and he has played a vital role in establishing the MCU’s story as it stands. As the man responsible for founding and assembling the Avengers, Nick Fury’s MCU legacy speaks for itself. The former director of SHIELD has played a major role in several heroes’ respective stories, but it’s now time for the MCU to let him go. The franchise’s first attempt at giving Nick Fury a solo story, Secret Invasion, was an unmitigated disaster, and stands out as one of the worst chapters in the entire MCU. Though the blame doesn’t necessarily lie with Nick Fury as a character, it simply appears that his time as a major player in the MCU’s story has come to an end, as he’s already affected a huge part of the franchise’s narrative. It’s far better to let the character leave on a high rather than string his story along just for the sake of it, and it’s hard to imagine anyone but Samuel L. Jackson playing the role, so it’s time for Fury to retire from the MCU for good.
1) Luis
From his very first appearance, Michael Peña’s Luis was a standout MCU character for one key reason: he’s hilarious. The way Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp used Luis as a comedic foil was exceptional and helped the Marvel movie trilogy appeal to fans of the MCU. The character is often counted as one of the franchise’s best comedic figures, but despite being a fan favorite, it’s time for the MCU to leave Luis behind. Of course, he was already absent from Ant-Man’s last cinematic outing, but the sad fact is that characters written for pure comic relief are no longer landing with audiences the way they once did. Fans are now expecting to see characters with a little more narrative depth, and while moments of comedy are fine, the franchise has grown beyond sidekicks that simply serve as a source of comedy and have no other purpose. As great as Luis was, hopefully we won’t be seeing him again in Ant-Man’s MCU future.
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