With theMarvel Cinematic Universegrowing larger than ever, it’s easy to forget that several once-prominent characters have quietly vanished. Whether sidelined by studio plans, multiverse complexities, or ongoing development delays, many figures fromthe MCU timelinepoised for more screen time have disappeared for years. In a constantly evolving universe, the absences are becoming harder to ignore.
The MCU’s sprawling universe is so expansive and interconnected that developments can ripple throughout and force a change of trajectory. This is especially noticeable with characters left to languish after their introduction. While many of these characters have appeared in alternate realities inWhat If…?, this list focuses exclusively on Earth-616, considering characters missing from the mainline MCU universe.
10White Vision
Last Seen In WandaVision
White Vision debuted inWandaVision(2021), where he was last seen flying off into the sky after recovering his memories from the original Vision. This incarnation was built from Vision’s destroyed body by S.W.O.R.D.. Importantly, helacks the emotional connection to Wandathat the original and the Hex-created Vision had.
White Vision’s fate was left ambiguous, leaving to ponder his fate as an Avenger. However, the MCU announced a spin-off series titledVision Questin 2022, which was said to follow his journey post-WandaVision. Frustratingly, since that announcement, there have beenno concrete updates.
Vision also hasn’t made any appearances in other Marvel projects, despite beingone of the MCU’s most powerful characters. With so much multiverse chaos and threats involving synthetics and AI, Vision’s absence feels more glaring with each passing phase. With numerous Avengers teams forming in the wake ofThunderbolts*, hopefully, he’ll return to the fray soon.
9Kang / The Council of Kangs
Last Seen In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania
Kang the Conqueror was being built as the MCU’s next big bad, filling the large, Infinity Stone-bejewelled shoes left after Thanos’s defeat. Much like Thanos, the MCU began teasing his arrival in advance, withvariants from across the multiverseappearing inLoki. His fully formed appearance inQuantumaniawas intended to set upAvengers: The Kang Dynasty.
The movie would have depicted him assembling the “Council of Kangs,” teaming up with his own variants to conquer the multiverse. Unfortunately, Jonathan Majors, who played Kang, was dropped from the MCU aftera flurry of abuse allegations, leading to a conviction. This prompted the pivot toAvengers: Doomsday.
Marvel has quietly dropped its Kang narrative completely, despiteemphasizing his importance to the multiverse and the TVA. While understandable, this leaves several promising narratives tantalizingly out of reach. While it’s likely Kang will return at some point, it probably won’t be until Majors is a distant memory.
8Tommy Maximoff
Tommy Maximoff, Wanda’s speedster son fromWandaVision(2021), hasn’t appeared in the main Earth-616 continuity since the series. Tommy, along with his brother Billy, was created by Wanda’s Westview Hex and disappeared along with it. His next appearance was inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022), though that versionbelonged to a different universe.
However, Tommy’s Earth-616 future seems to be slowly forming. InAgatha All Along, Agatha and Billy worked to place Tommy’s spirit into a drowning boy. While audiences saw glimpses of this,Tommy himself has yet to be revealed.
The show ends with Billy Kaplan and Agatha Harkness setting out to find him. Still, despite this setup, the mainline Tommy Maximoff hasn’t appeared, and there’s still no confirmation of his actual reappearance. His future role in the Young Avengers or another major arcremains in limbo.
7The Eternals
Last Seen In Eternals
Marvel’sEternals(2021) introduced ten new heroes andexpanded the MCU’s cosmic lore dramatically. However, since then, the entire team has been missing. This is especially galling as the movie ended with half of the Eternals departing Earth and the others being abducted by Celestial Arishem.
Eternalsset up a massive cosmic conflict. It also introduced Thanos’s brother Eros, played by Harry Styles. WhileEternals 2has been mentioned in rumors, Marvel Studios has confirmeda sequel isn’t being considered.
Despite connections to Earth’s mythology, the multiverse, and larger threats, the characters haven’t appeared in any subsequent MCU film or show. Theclosest reference to anything fromEternalscame inCaptain America: Brave New World. There, Celestial Island, created from the hand of an emerging Celestial, was central to the movie’s adamantium plot.
6War Machine
Last Seen In Secret Invasion
War Machine, aka James “Rhodey” Rhodes, hasn’t had a major MCU appearance sinceSecret Invasion.While Rhodey appeared throughout, he was revealed to bea Skrull impersonator. The real Rhodey was returned at the end of the miniseries, with the implication that he had been missing since some time afterCaptain America: Civil War.
Originally, War Machine was set to headlineArmor Wars, a movie spun off from the scrapped Disney+ series of the same name. However, that project has undergone major delays. Itcurrently remains in development limbo.
Despite being a longstanding Avenger and close ally of Tony Stark, Rhodey has largely been sidelined during the multiverse and cosmic upheavals. It’s been years since audiences saw the real War Machine suited up and in battle. Even more frustrating is that Rhodeyisn’t listed among the cast members forAvengers: Doomsday, meaning he might not encounter Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom.
5Everett Ross
Last Seen In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Everett Ross, the CIA operative played by Martin Freeman, last appeared inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022). There, he evaded being arrested by his ex-wife Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Before that, he played a supporting role inBlack Panther(2018) andhad minor involvement in broader MCUintelligence matters.
Ross was once seen as a bridge between Wakanda and the rest of the world. However, his story has since stalled afterthis role became slightly redundantwith other characters such as Ironheart filling this void. While Ross did appear inSecret Invasion, he was revealed to be a Skrull impostor, with the real Everett still missing.
Although his ties to Val, the CIA, and Thunderbolts-related operationscould easily justify a return, Ross has been absent from key global developments in the MCU, such asThunderbolts*orCaptain America: Brave New World. With no confirmed future appearances, Ross remains in narrative limbo, missing from screens for nearly three years now.
4America Chavez
Last Seen In Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness
America Chavez exploded into the MCU with multiverse-hopping powers inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022). She waspoised to be a major player in the Multiverse Sagaas one of the few characters able to traverse the multiverse. At the film’s end, she began training in the mystical arts at Kamar-Taj, hinting at a significant future role.
However, years later she has yet to return. Despite her connection to the multiverse and potential team-ups with characters like Doctor Strange, Wong, or the Young Avengers, America hasn’t been referenced or shown in any other MCU project since. Her unique power setwould make her vitalin any battle across dimensions.
However, despite this, she remains sidelined. As Marvel pivots its multiverse plans, America Chavez’s roleseems increasingly undefined. Despite being introduced as vital, she’s completely disappeared.
3The Hulk
Last Seen In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, last appeared inShe-Hulk: Attorney At Law(2022). Throughout the series, he briefly mentored his cousin Jennifer Walters and later revealed he had a son, Skaar. Yet despite massive implications,Hulk has since disappeared.
More surprisingly, Hulk doesn’t appear at all inCaptain America: Brave New World(2025), which functions as a spiritual sequel toThe Incredible Hulk(2008). It featured characters like The Leader and Thunderbolt Ross, whose fates were inextricably connected to Bruce and his gamma experiments. Hulk’s exclusion from a movie so deeply tied to his legacy isa glaring omission.
Given how central Banner was in the early MCU phases, his current lack of involvement is frustrating.Hulk has been repeatedly sidelineddue to rights issue with Universal Pictures. Yet despite finding a way around this for his villains, Marvel failed to do so for the Jade Giant himself.
2Aaron Davis
Last Seen In Spider-Man: Homecoming
Aaron Davis, played by Donald Glover, was introduced inSpider-Man: Homecoming(2017) as a small-time criminal who mentioned his nephew. This was a clear nod to Miles Morales, whowas actually based on Glover. Glover returned briefly inSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse(2023) as a live-action Prowler variant.
However, that appearance was in a Sony production and not considered canon to the MCU. SinceHomecoming, Aaron Davis hasn’t reappeared in any MCU projects, despitegrowing demand for Miles Morales’ introduction. Even the MCU’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is pushing for Miles’s entry in the near future.
Aaron Davis’s appearanceconfirmed Miles’s existence. If Miles does appear, Aaron might not be far behind. As Marvel is preparing to explore Peter Parker’s street-level connections further afterSpider-Man: No Way Home, the time is perfect to follow up on this thread.
1Baron Mordo
Last Seen In Doctor Strange
Earth-616’s Baron Karl Mordo was last seen officially inDoctor Strange(2016). The movie ended with a thrilling tease wherein Mordo wasset up as a future antagonistwho declared he would begin eliminating rogue sorcerers. Yet whenDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022) arrived, it instead featured a multiverse variant of Mordo from Earth-838.
More galling, Mordo’s war against sorcerers was reduced to an off-hand comment. Mordo’sprevious position as an ally was restored, acting as a member of the Illuminati. The mainline MCU’s Mordo has not appeared since his post-credits tease nearly a decade ago, despite his ominous new mission.
While his appearance inMOMwas fun, itwas extremely unfulfilling. Marvel didn’t bother to follow up on the original Mordo arc, or indeed any variant since. For a former ally-turned-potential-villain of Strange, his silence across Phases 3 and 4 makes him one of theMCU’s biggest dropped threads.
