Top 10 Favorite MCU Characters
The MCU is the biggest franchise going right now, and my favorite franchise of all time. One of the main reasons for that are the characters that they introduced and greatly developed. So, today I wanted to share my 10 favorite MCU characters.
NOTE: There will be SPOILERS for certain characters, so be careful with what you read.
Honorable Mentions:
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Hela
Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Alexander Pierce
Peter Quill/Star-Lord
10. Bruce Banner/The Hulk: This is a character that they haven’t really given a big story arc in the movies that he is in, but he is a great side character in the movies that he is in. I dug both versions of the character played by Mark Ruffalo and Edward Norton, and both gave off different vibes for the characters. And I think he works best as a side character, when he is a lead. I don’t think that fully worked. But Hulk in The Avengers and Thor Ragnarok is great as he plays off with his fellow Avengers. The visuals (for the most part) are very cool on the character, besides The Incredible Hulk and Endgame. And even I dug Professor Hulk in Endgame and it was nice to see something new with the character. I’m very curious on how Marvel will progress his character in She-Hulk and other MCU projects. So, with maybe a few mis-steps here and there this is still a great character in the MCU that is a nice spice character that adds something new to the movie that he is in.
9. Adrian Toomes/The Vulture: Going into Spider-Man: Homecoming, I didn’t have high expectations for The Vulture. But, I left the theater and loved Michael Keaton as the character. He’s one of the villains in the MCU that doesn’t have a big master plan to destroy the city or the world. No, he's an arms dealer and is doing bad things to support his family. And his small plan fits the tone of this movie, Homecoming is one of the smallest MCU movies in scale. Michael Keaton can be so evil in this movie, but also can kind of likable in other scenes. One of the best MCU scenes is the car ride to the dance, where Keaton puts the pieces together on how Spider-Man actually is. And that scene builds the tension and you don’t know what is going to happen next. In the teaser trailer for Morbius, Michael Keaton appeared in that trailer. So I’m very curious to see how he is going to tie into that movie. So, this is one of the best MCU villains and most well-rounded villains. And just one of the best MCU characters, period.
8. Thor: Another one of our original Avengers on the list, and this is a character that they have given quite the arc to. Where in each movie they take away something, The Dark World they took away his mom, Ragnarok they took away Odin and his hammer, Infinity War is brother and his best friend. But no matter how much he has lost he keeps on fighting and being the god of thunder. There is that line in Infinity War when Thor is talking with Rocket and Thor says “what more could I lose?”. And I think that line perfectly captures his arc through-out the movies that he is in. The Big Lebowski plot line in Endgame has definitely grown-on me and I think that is a nice way to progress his character. This is a character that gets some of the best moments inside the movies that he is in. His entrance in Wakanda in Infinity War is the best moment of that movie. Chris Hemsworth is just pretty fantastic as the character, Thor has always had this sense of humor about him. But in Thor, The Dark World, and The Avengers he wasn’t given a whole lot of funny moments. As the movies go along he seems to get more funny. So this is a character that I’ve really liked what they did with his character.
7. Erik Kilmonger: This is a villain that might have one of the best motivations inside of the MCU. He is Wakandan in blood, but didn’t live in Wakanda. And Wakanda has all of this technology but doesn’t share it, and Kilmonger wants to have Wakanda share their technology and weapons. But his view of doing that makes him villainous, so we can really see where he is coming from and understand why he is doing what he is doing. His world views change the actions of T’Challa. The mid-credit scene is T’Challa telling the world that Wakanda is going to help the world with their technology. And that scene wouldn’t have happened without Kilmonger’s world view. He’s a very well written character, but also a very well acted character. Michael B. Jordan as the character is fantastic, and you can really buy him as the threat toward Wakanda and has somebody that you really root for at other points in time. With the devastating loss of Chadwick Boseman, I’m curious and wondering if they are going to use his character in Black Panther II. With having a great world view, great performance, and interesting future potential he is one of the best MCU characters.
6. Peter Parker/Spider-Man: What I think makes him so much is getting to see the world of the MCU through a perspective of a high schooler. We saw a perspective from a hero out of time, a billionaire, and a god. And having a high schooler’s perspective adds something new and interesting to it. And Tom Holland is easily without question my favorite Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield didn’t feel or look like a high schooler. But the way that Holland plays Peter Parker fits the tone of the MCU and being a high schooler. And by the nature of the Spider-Man character he is one of the more fun and likeable characters inside of the MCU. I also really enjoyed the father son relationship between Peter and Tony, and I feel like having Peter in Tony’s life changed Tony as a person. And I know a lot of people on the internet don’t like the fact that Spider-Man feels too much like Iron Man jr. And I can understand where people are coming from to an extent, but I like that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios tried something different with this world and these characters.
5. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: This is an example of a character that they have slowly developed as the movies went along. When we first saw in Iron Man 2 she was really just a pretty face, with The Avengers we learned about her dynamic with Hawkeye, and with each movie they added another layer to her character and made her one of the most interesting characters inside of the MCU. I’m very curious to see how they develop her character in Black Widow. This is a character that wouldn’t have been in my top 10 back in 2014 or 2015, because they didn’t have a lot to do. Scarlett Johansson does a great job of being the spy but can also be emotional when she needs to be, and that is because Johansson is a great actress. But Endgame is the movie where we really got to see a broken version of Natasha that we didn’t see before. And that scene where she learns about what Hawkeye has actually been doing as Ronin, we see the broken side of her come out. So, this is a very well rounded character that I’m curious to see where they take her in Black Widow.
4. Loki: One of the fan favorites when it comes to the legacy of the MCU. In the early stages of the MCU with Thor, The Avengers, and The Dark World, Loki became this big massive character that everybody wanted to see more of. And then we got a lot more of him since then, and later this year we will be getting a Loki tv show. What makes him so interesting, is that he is on the side that most benefits him. He is a villain when he needs to be, and a hero with Thor when he needs to be. So you never really know which side he is going to be on. Of course, Tom Hiddelston is fantastic as the character and can play the villainous and the hero side of Loki really well. Loki’s dynamic with Thor is one of the best things to come out of the Thor trilogy. And the main reason for that is because Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddelston have a lot of chemistry. But the thing that makes him a top 5 character for me is his arc. In the first Thor and Avengers movie he is a full on villain, The Dark World he’s an anti-hero, Ragnarok he’s a hero helping Thor. And when his death in Infinity War happens you feel that he died a hero, and his arc paid off really well. So this is a fantastic addition to the MCU.
3. Thanos: The great and big bad of the MCU, that we first saw in the mid-credit scene of The Avengers. And then in Guardians and Age of Ultron we saw more of him. And then in Infinity War was when Thanos was in his prime, and destroying the Avengers. What makes Thanos such a great character is the fact that he thinks that he is the hero in his own story. All he wants to do is make it easier for families to eat, but the way he goes about doing it is he wants to destroy the universe...not the best idea to solve that problem. So we can see where he is coming, and that makes him a compelling villain. I love that in Infinity War, Thanos was front and center and in the story. Because all of our heroes were developed and they gave Thanos a great story. Somebody on the internet thought that Endgame made him a less interesting character, I can kind of see where people are coming from, but I have never felt that way. Thanos was still awesome and made for a powerful threat against The Avengers. The visuals for Thanos look incredible, and you 100% believe the visuals that you are seeing an 8 foot tall alien on screen. And he is my favorite MCU villain and in my top 3 favorite MCU characters.
2. Tony Stark/Iron Man: Tony Stark aka Iron Man is the heart and soul of the MCU. The MCU would not exist without this character. This is an example of a perfect casting inside of a movie. It’s so hard to imagine anybody else but Robert Downey Jr. being Iron Man, he captures that nature of the character so well. And Robert Downey Jr. can play the playboy billionaire and the hero protecting the universe so well. Even when he has a small part in Spider-Man: Homecoming he adds another layer to it and makes every scene that he is in better. In the original Iron Man movie I think is when this was best used, but he makes everyone around him better. He has great chemistry with everyone around him. But the big thing that puts him this high is his arc. In the original Iron Man he is just a spoiled billionaire playboy that only cares about himself, and with each movie he learns something about himself. And by the time you get to Avengers Endgame and his final moments are powerful, powerful stuff. So he is easily without question one of the best characters inside of the MCU. Now, I know some people would probably put Tony at number 1, and if you said so people have very solid arguments.
1. Steve Rogers/Captain America: If you know me or have been around on my blog you know how much I love the Captain America character. And love so many things about him. I think that similar to Iron Man, Captain America has a great arc through-out the MCU movies. He starts off as this skinny kid who wants to do good, and when we get to Endgame he is still that good natured guy but is willing to be a one-man army against Thanos and his big army. So, he’s somebody that I think his arc is what really puts him at the number 1 spot. This is a character that always gets some of the best moments inside of the movies that he is in. Especially in Infinity War his entrance scene is great, the scene with him, Thor, and Groot is fantastic. And in Endgame most of the best moments of that movie involve him. And Chris Evans plays the scrawny Steve Rogers and the hero out of time so well, and Evans is now one of my favorite movie actors of all time. And I know this is a small thing but I think that Captain America has some of the best costumes inside of the MCU. Put the arc, moments, performance, and costumes together and you get my personal favorite MCU character.
That is my 10 favorite MCU characters. What is your favorite MCU character? What are some MCU rankings of Top 10s you want me to do?
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