12 Marvel Characters Who Quietly Disappeared—and Likely Won’t Return

12 Marvel Characters Who Quietly Disappeared—and Likely Won’t Return

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced hundreds of characters over the years, but not all of them stick around.

Some heroes and villains appear once or twice before vanishing without explanation, leaving fans wondering what happened.

While Marvel keeps expanding with new projects, certain characters seem to have been quietly written out of future plans, either because their stories didn’t connect with audiences or because the MCU’s direction has shifted away from them.

1. Hercules

Remember that exciting post-credits scene in Thor: Love and Thunder?

Hercules showed up with his father Zeus, promising an epic confrontation.

The brief appearance teased a major storyline that seemed ready to explode into future Thor adventures.

Yet years have passed without any follow-up whatsoever.

Thor’s future remains uncertain after Love and Thunder’s disappointing box office performance.

Marvel has pulled back from developing sprawling cosmic side stories that don’t directly serve the main narrative.

Industry insiders suggest Hercules was meant for a larger role that got scrapped during creative reshuffling.

Without concrete plans for another Thor film, this legendary hero will probably remain a fascinating one-scene cameo rather than a recurring character.

2. Love

Gorr’s daughter received a second chance at life through Eternity’s power in Thor: Love and Thunder’s climax.

Thor adopted her, and she gained incredible cosmic abilities that could reshape reality itself.

The film positioned her as potentially one of the universe’s most powerful beings.

However, Thor: Love and Thunder became one of Marvel’s more divisive entries.

Critics and audiences complained about inconsistent tone and underdeveloped storylines.

The lukewarm reception essentially stalled any momentum for these characters moving forward.

Without clear direction for Thor’s next adventure, Love exists in creative limbo.

Her immense power level creates storytelling challenges, and Marvel hasn’t hinted at plans involving her.

She’ll likely remain an interesting footnote rather than a developed character.

3. Thena

Angelina Jolie’s warrior Eternal battled both Deviants and her own mind throughout Eternals.

Her struggle with Mahd Wy’ry added emotional depth while her combat skills provided spectacular action sequences.

The film’s ending suggested she’d embark on cosmic adventures searching for other Eternals.

Eternals received mixed critical reception and didn’t perform as well as Marvel hoped financially.

Despite setting up multiple storylines, Marvel has never officially announced a sequel.

Years have passed with complete silence about these characters’ futures.

Industry reports suggest Eternals 2 has been quietly shelved indefinitely.

Without that continuation, Thena and her companions have essentially disappeared from Marvel’s roadmap.

Her story remains unfinished, but audiences probably won’t see resolution anytime soon.

4. Sonya Falsworth

Olivia Colman brought sharp wit and intensity to this MI6 operative in Secret Invasion.

Her character worked alongside Nick Fury, navigating Skrull politics with cunning and ruthlessness.

Fans appreciated her no-nonsense attitude and complex moral choices throughout the series.

Unfortunately, Secret Invasion received mixed reviews and underperformed compared to other Marvel shows.

The storyline wrapped up neatly without leaving obvious threads for Sonya’s return.

Marvel has since pivoted toward cosmic adventures and multiverse storytelling.

With the MCU’s current focus shifting away from Earth-based spy thrillers, Sonya’s specific skill set doesn’t fit upcoming projects.

Her story feels complete, and no announcements suggest she’ll appear again anytime soon.

5. Scarlet Scarab

Layla El-Faouly transformed into Egypt’s first superhero during Moon Knight’s thrilling finale.

Her connection to the goddess Taweret gave her wings and enhanced abilities.

Fans loved seeing an Egyptian hero representing her culture authentically on screen.

Moon Knight proved popular with audiences and critics alike, earning praise for its darker tone and cultural representation.

Despite this success, Marvel hasn’t confirmed a second season.

The company’s shifting priorities and crowded release schedule create uncertainty for many characters.

Without Moon Knight Season 2 officially greenlit, Scarlet Scarab’s future remains questionable.

May Calamawy delivered a fantastic performance, but Marvel’s scattered planning means promising characters sometimes get left behind.

Her heroic debut might unfortunately become her only appearance.

6. Patsy Walker

Jessica Jones’s best friend underwent a dramatic transformation throughout the Netflix series.

Trish Walker discovered her own abilities and became the vigilante Hellcat. Her journey from talk show host to superhero explored ambition, jealousy, and the cost of power.

The show ended with Trish imprisoned for her crimes, providing closure to her complicated arc.

When Marvel began reviving Netflix characters like Daredevil and Kingpin, Trish notably didn’t make the list.

Her story concluded definitively without loose threads requiring continuation.

Marvel’s selective approach to bringing back Netflix heroes suggests Trish won’t return.

Her character arc reached its natural endpoint, and unlike Jessica or Luke Cage, she doesn’t fit current MCU directions.

Fans should consider her story complete.

7. Man-Thing

This beloved monster made a surprise appearance in the excellent Werewolf by Night Halloween special.

Fans got excited seeing the swamp creature rendered with practical effects and genuine horror atmosphere.

His brief role suggested Marvel might develop a supernatural corner of the MCU.

Werewolf by Night received critical acclaim and fan enthusiasm, yet Marvel hasn’t announced follow-up projects.

The company teased a supernatural universe including Blade, but that film faces endless delays and creative troubles.

Man-Thing hasn’t been mentioned in any future plans.

Without a confirmed supernatural storyline moving forward, Man-Thing feels forgotten.

His appearance now seems like an isolated experiment rather than franchise building.

He’ll probably remain a cult favorite curiosity instead of a recurring character.

8. Taskmaster

Black Widow reimagined this comic book villain as Antonia Dreykov, Natasha’s tragic victim turned weapon.

The film revealed her photographic reflexes came from technological enhancement rather than natural ability.

Her story connected directly to Natasha’s dark past with the Red Room.

Initial plans suggested Taskmaster would join the Thunderbolts team.

However, the roster changed significantly during production, and she got dropped entirely.

This sudden shift left the character without purpose or direction in future stories.

Many fans felt disappointed by this version of Taskmaster compared to the comics.

Combined with her removal from Thunderbolts, Marvel seems to have quietly abandoned the character.

She’ll likely remain a one-film experiment rather than a recurring threat.

9. Pietro Maximoff

Wanda’s twin brother died heroically in Avengers: Age of Ultron, sacrificing himself to save Hawkeye and a child.

His death represented one of the MCU’s genuinely permanent losses.

Many fans hoped WandaVision might resurrect him through Wanda’s reality-warping powers.

Instead, the show introduced “Fake Pietro,” played by Evan Peters from the X-Men films.

This clever twist initially excited audiences who thought it meant multiverse connections.

However, the reveal that he was just a random guy named Ralph crushed those hopes completely.

Marvel confirmed through this storyline that the real Pietro stays dead.

Unlike other characters who return through time travel or variants, Quicksilver’s story ended in Sokovia, making him a rare permanent casualty.

10. Adam Warlock

Will Poulter finally brought this cosmic being to life in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

His character arrived childlike and confused, learning about morality throughout the film.

Comic fans had waited years for his introduction after post-credit teases.

Unfortunately, Adam Warlock appeared far too late to matter in the MCU’s cosmic storyline.

The Guardians disbanded at the film’s conclusion, scattering to different corners of the galaxy.

Marvel has scaled back cosmic adventures in favor of multiverse and street-level stories.

Without the Guardians team to anchor him, Adam Warlock has nowhere to go narratively.

His introduction felt like fulfilling an old promise rather than building toward something new.

His MCU journey appears finished before it truly began.

11. Sharon Carter

Agent 13 shocked audiences by revealing herself as the Power Broker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s finale.

Her transformation from loyal agent to cynical criminal reflected disillusionment after being abandoned by her country.

The twist set up potentially major storylines about corruption within institutions.

Despite this dramatic reveal, Sharon hasn’t appeared since.

Thunderbolts moved in different directions without including her criminal empire.

Other political storylines in the MCU haven’t referenced her operations or influence.

Emily VanCamp’s availability and Marvel’s shifting priorities make Sharon’s return increasingly unlikely.

Her Power Broker arc feels abandoned rather than developed.

What seemed like a major twist now appears to be a dead-end storyline that won’t receive proper resolution.

12. Sersi

Gemma Chan’s character served as the emotional center of Eternals, connecting these immortal beings to humanity.

Her power to transform matter created visually stunning moments.

The film ended with her kidnapped by Arishem, setting up what should have been a crucial rescue mission.

That cliffhanger will likely never resolve.

Eternals 2 appears unofficially canceled, with no crossover appearances planned for any Eternals characters.

Marvel hasn’t even hinted at addressing the unresolved storylines from the first film.

Sersi has completely vanished from the MCU’s published roadmap and insider reports.

Her unfinished story represents one of Marvel’s most frustrating loose ends.

She’s become the poster child for characters who received major setup but no payoff whatsoever.