Marvel Studios has officially introduced its next major comic book hero in Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey. After months of secrecy surrounding Sink’s role, Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s recent release has confirmed the Stranger Things star is indeed playing one of Marvel’s most famous mutant heroes. However, the way in which Jean Grey is introduced in the film may feel familiar to MCU fans.
The superhero genre draws on many classic tropes surrounding its comic book heroes and villains, and Marvel Studios has not been afraid to utilize those when adapting these heroes to the screen. One common archetype in MCU films is to introduce a character initially as a villain or antihero, only for them to undergo a redemptive arc on their path to becoming a hero, or for their bad behavior to make them a favorite among fans.
This has become true once more in the MCU with Jean Grey’s inclusion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where she was revealed to be the main villain of the movie, and the one responsible for mind-controlling people across New York, threatening their lives and causing trouble for Spider-Man. This was far from the expected arrival for Jean Grey in the MCU, who is traditionally known as one of the X-Men’s foremost heroes.
While Jean becomes Spider-Man’s target for a large chunk of the MCU film, it’s soon revealed that she is not the real villain after all, and is actually a grief-stricken teenager looking for her lost sister, who was taken and experimented upon by a greater evil: William Metzger (Tramell Tillman) and the Department of Damage Control. Jean’s motivations, revealed late in the film, shift her from villain to a more relatable antihero, and by the end, she is seen on a path towards heroism.
Jean Grey’s shift from villain to walking the path of a hero is something many MCU characters have done before her, and she now joins the ranks of those most beloved antiheroes or ex-villains.
The MCU’s Villain to Fan-Favorite Pipeline
Tony Stark
Marvel Studios’ first major hero in the MCU was Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Introduced in the first MCU film in 2008, Tony Stark is initially not a very good person. He’s a charmer for sure, but he’s also a billionaire weapons manufacturer, with a reputation for being a womanizer, arrogant, and selfish.
Tony’s brush with death and captivity in Iron Man is a wake-up call that sets him straight, prompting him to put his genius and reand a reformed man, both in and out of the suit
Wanda Maximoff
Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron also follows the villain-to-hero arc the MCU frequently uses. Initially, Wanda and her brother, Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), are freed from captivity by the robot villain, Ultron, who recruits them to his cause. After learning Ultron’s true motivations, Wanda decides to side with the Avengers, thus switching her from villain to hero.
However, Wanda’s arc didn’t end there, as the character’s grief over losing Vision led her to become the villain once more in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Nevertheless, the Scarlet Witch has cemented herself as a favorite among Marvel fans, who are eager to see the character return despite her villainous tendencies.
Another fan-favorite character who has done the villain-to-hero switch perhaps more than any other in the MCU is Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.
After serving as a villain in Thor and The Avengers, Loki had some redemptive moments in Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War, with his arc most recently cementing itself in hero territory in his Disney+ show Loki, where he sacrificed himself to become the God of Stories. Loki has always been a morally gray character, but that’s only made fans love his mischievous nature even more.
Agatha Harkness
Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness revealed herself as a secret villain in WandaVision, where she sought to take Wanda’s chaos magic for herself. After being defeated and trapped in Westview by Wanda, Agatha continued her self-serving behavior in Agatha All Along, only for her tragic backstory to be revealed, further humanizing her. Eventually, Agatha finds herself teaming up with Wanda’s son, Billy Maximoff, who brings out her more sympathetic nature and draws her away from her villainous arc.
Bucky Barnes
Steve Rogers’ best friend, Bucky Barnes, was a dedicated soldier until he was captured and brainwashed by HYDRA, turning him into the villainous Winter Soldier, who was responsible for unspeakable acts. Steve eventually helped break HYDRA’s control over Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier,shifting Sebastian Stan’s character from villain to hero.
Nebula
Gamora’s sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), was initially a nemesis for the Guardians of the Galaxy, operating under the will of her evil adoptive father, Thanos. However, once she turned against Thanos, Nebula became a valued member of the Guardians team, helping them to save the galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Avengers: Endgame.
Yondu
Michael Rooker’s blue-skinned alien bounty hunter Yondu was introduced as an antagonist in Guardians of the Galaxy, before his connection with his adoptive son, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), helped him find redemption before his death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Wolverine
Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine in several iterations now, but his character in Deadpool & Wolverineisn’t the typical hero many might expect from the X-Men team member. The Wolverine fans come to know that Deadpool & Wolverine is considered the “worst” Wolverine in the Multiverse. He is shown to be depressed, regretful, and cynical. Nevertheless, his adventure with Deadpool reignites his heroic spirit, and he’s much more firmly in the superhero camp by the end of the movie.
BONUS: Thunderbolts
The Thunderbolts are, by nature, a team of antiheroes forced into superhero roles. All the team members come from chequered pasts: Ava Starr was the villain in Ant-Man and The Wasp, Yelena is an ex-Red Room assassin still taking private jobs, Red Guardian was once allied with Dreykov, US Agent fell from grace after killing someone as the new Captain America, and Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier.
While their villainous antics bring them together at first, throughout Thunderbolts* the team goes on a journey that cements them as unlikely heroes, to the point they are not proclaimed the MCU’s New Avengers.
