The first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was tasked with introducing a lot of characters for the first time, and many of them received lackluster endings or treatment by the later films of the series. Compared to the other phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase One had a lot of heavy lifting to do, with nearly every Phase One MCU movie introducing brand-new heroes, villains, and even entire worlds. This meant that many characters were introduced for the first time here, and a good deal of them have since been done dirty by the franchise.
Some of the more obscure characters in phase one were only ever briefly on screen, never to be seen again despite brimming with potential for future stories. Others persisted well into the movies of Phase Four and beyond, only to meet unsatisfying fates that betrayed their earlier importance. Whatever the case, the outcomes haven"t been amazing for every character the franchise introduced for the first time in Phase One.
10 Maria Hill Dies unceremoniously in a series few people watched Practically the unofficial 7th member of the Avengers" original starting lineup, Cobie Smulders" Maria Hill was a dedicated agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was instrumental in helping the team fend off their earliest foes. Joining in the fight against Loki and Ultron, Hill was an invaluable second-in-command to Nick Fury, serving as a fearless field leader while still fitting in with the eccentric group of superheroes in their quieter moments. Suffice to say, she deserved a better fate than she got in Secret Invasion.
Far and away one of the lowest-regarded Disney+ MCU series, Secret Invasion sees Maria Hill unexpectedly die at the hands of the Skrull shapeshifter Gravik, taking the form of Nick Fury himself. Not only does this reduce the death of such an important character to cheap shock value, but due to how few fans actually got around to Secret Invasion, many still might not realize that Hill is dead at all. The fact that she was gunned down believing her old friend and mentor was the one to pull the trigger only adds further insult to injury.
9 The Original Human Torch Forever stuck in a glass tube Not to be confused with The Fantastic Four member of the same name, the original Human Torch was one of the first heroes ever published in a Marvel comic. Originally fighting with Captain America and Namor in the throes of World War II, Jim Hammond is an android creation built with pyrokinetic powers, making for a particularly valuable superhero. Yet in Captain America: Brave New World, a synthetic man clearly homaging the character remains little more than a background Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans, appearing in a glass tube at the 1943 Stark Expo.
It would"ve been phenomenal to see the original Human Torch in action during Captain America"s escapades against HYDRA in his first MCU movie, burning down Nazis left and right. His robotic nature could"ve allowed him to survive to the present as well, giving Captain America a rare familiar face upon emerging from the ice. Sadly, all this potential was instead left on the table for the Human Torch to remain a simple piece of set dressing.
8 The Leader Was set-up as a major villain only to never return Thanks to the tricky and ambiguous legal situation regarding The Hulk"s solo films, the green goliath hasn"t had the chance to see many of his villains from the comics realized in the MCU. That didn"t stop The Incredible Hulk from trying to sow the seeds for future appearances for Hulk characters, including noteworthy villains from the comics. The most egregious example is Samuel Sterns, who might"ve one day been known as The Leader.
At the end of The Incredible Hulk, gifted cellular biologist Doctor Samuel Sterns is heavily implied to become the classic Hulk villain The Leader, whose gamma-irradiated mutation expanded his mind rather than his muscles. The last Dr. Sterns was seen was in an obscure tie-in comic, which sees Black Widow easily take him into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Allegedly, The Leader will finally re-appear in the cast of Captain America: Brave New World, but it"s safe to say the MCU took way too long to pay off the Phase One teaser.
7 Doc Samson Could've been a great foil to The Hulk Another Hulk villain who never got the chance to live up to his comics potential, Doctor Leonard Samson is one of the most important Hulk characters to remain stuck in The Incredible Hulk. A psychiatrist who is madly in love with Betty Ross, Doctor Leonard Samson is a jealous man, envious of Bruce Banner"s history with his beloved Betty. Played excellently by Ty Burrell of Modern Family fame, Samson is the one responsible for snitching on Bruce"s whereabouts to General Ross, instigating the film"s climax.
In the comics, however, Doc Samson gains gamma-infused super strength nearly on the same level as The Hulk himself, gaining long green hair rather than a raging monstrous persona. Samson could"ve served as an interesting foil to Bruce Banner over the course of the series, but alas, The Incredible Hulk would be his first and last appearance. Samson didn"t even get the tease of becoming a future villain that The Leader did.
6 Betty Ross The MCU's most forgotten love interest As badly as Doc Samson was swept under the rug, the very reason for his inclusion in the story of The Incredible Hulk was made equally irrelevant at the same time. Liv Tyler"s Betty Ross is easily the most overlooked and forgotten of the MCU"s romantic storylines, despite how important her character initially was to Bruce Banner. Despite being the only one to look past The Hulk and seek out Bruce Banner to try to help him, Betty Ross is soon after abandoned by the MCU without as much as a second thought.
Betty Ross" lack of future appearances is made extra frustrating by the fact that her father, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, is still a significant player in many later entries of the MCU. Not only that, but Bruce is quick to forget about her, developing a relationship with Natasha Romanoff instead. Like The Leader, Liv Tyler"s Betty Ross will finally make a long-awaited return in Captain America: Brave New World, but seeing her in a movie sans Bruce Banner seems to make little sense.
5 The Red Skull Captain America's greatest foe reduced to a cameo Few characters overcame their greatest villains in the MCU as quickly as Captain America did. A HYDRA leader and vile Nazi sympathizer obsessed with obtaining power from supernatural sources, The Red Skull is Captain America"s ultimate contemporaneous enemy. Though the skeletal supervillain may have existed in the past, Marvel Comics have found endless ways to bring him to the present alongside Captain America with his youth somehow intact, and the MCU could"ve capitalized on him better to make for a dangerous recurring villain.
Instead, the next time The Red Skull is seen after being teleported across the ether by the Cosmic Cube, he"s reduced to little more than a cameo for knowledgeable fans, taking on the role of a glorified tour guide at the behest of a sentient Infinity Stone. If that weren"t bad enough, he doesn"t even get the chance to interact with his old enemy, mingling with Thanos, Gamora, Hawkeye, and Black Widow instead. Stranding Red Skull on a random far-away planet for so long certainly left a lot of great villainous potential on the table.
4 The Warriors Three Were dispatched of all too easily The move from traditional fantasy storytelling to cosmic spacefaring comedy high jinks throughout Thor"s MCU journey ended up leaving quite a few members of his bloated supporting cast from 2011"s Thor in the dust, namely, the Warriors Three. Consisting of Hogun the Grim, Fandral the Dashing, and Volstagg the Svelte, this trio of elite Asgardian warriors each bore their own signature weapon and unique personality, making for great companions to the Mighty Thor. Though they get a decent reprise in Thor: The Dark World, all three are dispatched unceremoniously soon after.
In Thor: Ragnarok, each of the Warriors Three are killed easily by the murderous Hela, with two of them barely causing her to break a sweat. Considering that the three are supposed to be Asgard"s greatest warriors outside of Lady Sif and the gods themselves, this was a disservice to their established characters. Thor doesn"t even have time to react to their deaths on-screen, despite the fact that they were supposedly his best friends.
3 Whiplash Ended his own life for no good reason Despite the difficulties of Mickey Rourke"s performance in Iron Man 2, Whiplash certainly had the potential to be a major recurring Iron Man villain. A gifted scientist with a similar knack to Tony for making powerful weapons out of scrappy working conditions, Ivan Vanko had it out for Iron Man due to what Howard Stark"s actions did to his own father. With his dangerous energy whips and army of militarized drones, Vanko could"ve been a resourceful villain to see come back in a tertiary role in the future.
Sadly, Iron Man 2 more or less forces Whiplash to write himself out of the story by initiating a poorly-thought-out kamikaze attack, initiating a self-destruct sequence on his own suit attempting to take Tony out with him. Considering how much he was able to improve his technology over such a short time span, it"s a shame the MCU never gave Whiplash the chance to further revise his creations as a tenacious recurring threat. Sadly, like most MCU villains, Whiplash dies perhaps a little bit too early and inconsequentially.
2 Justin Hammer A charismatic bad guy and fan-favorite Whiplash isn"t the only villain in Iron Man 2 with squandered potential, with Sam Rockwell"s Justin Hammer being one of the franchise"s biggest missed opportunities. Unlike Whiplash, Justin Hammer is actually something of a fan-favorite, from his Sam Rockwell-mandated dancing skills to his slick used car lot personality and colorful language. After his ill-conceived plan is thwarted by the actions of Ivan Vanko and Tony Stark, Justin Hammer is never seen again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Unlike Whiplash, the MCU doesn"t even have the excuse of death to justify Justin Hammer"s absence in future films, with the character canonically still rotting away in Seagate Penitentiary. There"s no reason Hammer couldn"t have returned at all in the following years since Iron Man 2, at least as a Hannibal Lecter-style consultant from prison, if not a major antagonist. Hammer"s cocky smile would have certainly been a sight for sore eyes during some of the MCU"s more recent low points.
1 The Hulk Was completely subsumed by Bruce Banner Writing out the persona of The Hulk is by far one of the most criminal treatments of a Phase One character the MCU has gotten away with. As much of an Avenger as Bruce Banner himself (If not more so), the latent personality that is The Hulk was always a fan-favorite, from his childish tantrums to the dark shadow he cast over Bruce Banner"s life. Hulk"s psyche is explored a great deal more in Thor: Ragnarok, which featured more Hulk speaking lines than any other MCU movie, only for his development to be stalled and curtailed.
After being humiliated in combat by Thanos, The Hulk refuses to manifest, causing Bruce Banner to essentially permanently be rid of him in the five years following Thanos" snap. Though he controls a Hulk-like body, Bruce Banner has since eliminated the personality of The Hulk entirely from Avengers: Endgame onward, writing the character out completely off-screen. Few MCU characters from Phase One have been wasted as badly as The Hulk has.
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