The MCU has spent years bringing all types of superheroes and villains into their own TV shows. Disney+, for example, released all five episodes of Echo on January 9 as a follow-up the Hawkeye series. It has fans wondering what other underrated Marvel characters deserve the same creative treatment.
Each new MCU phase brings a new flavor of storytelling–some more upbeat, and others more willing to explore darker subject matter. Regardless, new faces bring in more potential to widen the range of Marvel universes beyond the ever-popular Earth 616. Besides, doesn’t everyone love a new adventure?
Underrated Marvel superheroes in their own TV show could lead fans down the rabbit hole of new genres within the comics.
Captain Universe
With so many Spider-Man characters making their big MCU debut, the underrated Marvel superhero Captain Universe deserves the TV show treatment. This character doesn’t have just one alter ego. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole host of powerful beings to bring this cosmic being to life.
Speaking of which, Captain Universe has major multiverse potential. The Enigma Force that powers it also helps maintain different dimensions. It’s Uni-Visions powers give it a sort of cosmic awareness and its matter/energy manipulation promises fan-favorite fight scenes. It even comes with a super suit.
Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman
In an MCU overrun with Spider-Man characters, many fans have become overwhelmed with webslingers. But with Jess Drew making her official debut as Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, there may be room for one more. She at least has fans begging for more of her backstory.
This underrated Marvel character deserves the full exploration of a TV show. She’s got super speed, contaminant immunity, and can even shoots electricity from her hands. Jessica also has a complicated relationship with the anti-hero Spider-Man, aka Miguel O’Hara. Curious minds want to know what that’s all about.
Greer Nelson/Tigra
Nothing says underrated superhero quite like joining the Avengers without a single feature or mention in the MCU. Fans who’ve only seen movies and TV shows have never heard of Greer Nelson. Unlike comic fans, they don’t know she’s the alter ego of Tigra — champion of the Cat People.
Her powers include classics like speed and strength. She also has claws that cut as deeply as her empathetic powers make her feel. More importantly, though, her vigilante antics have brought her into contact with Marvel conflict already introduced throughout the MCU. So, she’d fit right in with the current roster of heroes.
Heather Douglas/Moondragon
Marvel fans love underrated superheroes and big battles. Even more, however, they love a comeback story. Something about a redemption arc gets them invested in characters with a shady past. Just ask Loki. Heather Douglas goes down a dark path after a chance encounter with Thanos’ spaceship ends with her parents dead.
While she takes on a few monikers along her evil journey, she becomes Moondragon after deciding to fight for good. Her work with the Valkyrie and the Defenders means she could slide seamlessly into the larger MCU storylines. Plus, she could bring much needed LGBTQIA+ representation to the Disney+ TV shows.
Dr. Adam Brashear/Blue Marvel
As the MCU enters the next phase of superhero stories, underrated characters like Dr. Adam Brashear deserve their time to shine. He has crossed paths with the likes of Namor, the Watcher, and even President JFK himself. Such a fantastical story deserves thorough exploration in a TV show format.
By night, the good doctor fights evil as Blue Marvel. His powers of invulnerability protect him from all manner of attacks and his cosmic intelligence ensures he always know what he’s up against. This makes him a prime candidate for going toe-to-toe with potential foes like Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom.
Robert Reynolds/Sentry
Sometimes the best superhero stories show the dark side of their main characters. Ones like Moon Knight go even further and allow mental health complexities to enter the chat. Robert Reynolds fights many internal battles on a daily basis. But he doesn’t let that stop him from saving the day as the Sentry.
At times, he gets caught up fighting the sinister part of himself known as the Void. Other times, he puts his immense physical and pyschic powers toward helping the Avengers fight off evil Skrulls. Such an underrated journey needs to telling on a TV show where fans can marvel at his physical and mental strength.
Alpha Flight
The MCU has been preparing fans for the next big team-up since the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fought their last battles. So far, the newest superheroes have been introduced in other popular Disney+ movies and TV shows. Marvel seems hesitant to introduce a team made up of new faces.
Still, fans might make an exception for Alpha Flight since its members include powerful characters like Nemesis and Shaman. A TV show about an underrated team of superheroes could be fun. Throw in cameos from fan favorites like Deadpool and Sam Wilson’s Captain America for a definite hit.
Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl
TV shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law revealed that fans have a taste for the lighter side of superhero content. So, a TV show about one of the most underrated Marvel characters would fit in perfectly. Who better to bring to the forefront than Squirrel Girl? It wouldn’t be the first time an MCU series got a little weird.
Doreen Green manifested her strange abilities at 10 years old, around the time she met her squirrelly sidekick Monkey Joe. Squirrel Girl doesn’t fit the conventional idea of a superhero for most. But an eclectic TV show following her heroic, oddball antics certainly wouldn’t leave viewers bored.
Jericho Drumm/Doctor Voodoo
Unfortunately, Marvel has a long-time familiarity with borderline — if not outright — offensive characters. This shouldn’t stop them from exploring the story of Jericho Drumm working under the alias Doctor Voodoo. If anything, putting him at the center of a TV show could bring nuance to this underrated character.
What If? Season 1 introduced the concept of zombies to the MCU. Doctor Voodoo just so happens to specialize in necromancy. Plus, he’s worked with the Sorcerer Supreme and battled the demon lord Dormammu. It’d be easy to introduce him in the next Doctor Strange movie before leading his own story.
Hercules
Just because Thor has all but exited stage left within the MCU doesn’t mean we won’t have a godly presence to replace him. In fact, Thor: Love and Thunder introduced one into the MCU during one of its end-credit scenes. The god in question? Hercules, the half-mortal son of the mighty, all-powerful Zeus.
Hercules has a lot more eyes on him these days, making him a little less underrated. This only gives him a higher chance of attracting viewers with his own TV show. He has potential to work with Loki as well as the Marvels and their cosmic chaos. Hercules interacting with Captain Marvel could be hilarious.
Most of the time, audiences root for the superheroes. But seeing an interesting villain make waves and get close to achieving their sinister goals causes quite the thrill.
Amora the Enchantress
Speaking of Asgardian gods, not all of them have gone the straight and narrow path of seeking justice. Amora the Enchantress made a name for herself by using trickery and seduction to fulfill all of her nefarious needs. Her extensive list of powers — including the ability to cry jewels — only makes her more formidable.
Imagine if someone like her took the lead in her own TV show? Maybe she’d follow in the footsteps of Thor and Loki, eventually becoming a better person. But it might be fun to let the underrated villain revel in her own destruction. Her dealings with Baron Zemo could even have her cross paths with Sam Wilson’s Captain America.
The Skrull
Secret Invasion turned out so bad that many fans pretended it never happened. So, the Skrull have a chance to make a triumphant comeback with much more wicked intentions. Fans would surely appreciate a TV show willing to explore the underrated dark side of the Skrull population on Earth.
The primary abilities of the Skrull revolve around shifting their physical form. Marvel introduced many of them in the comics as villains. While trying to make them more victims than perpetrators, they’ve lost their edge. Now fans need another show exploring the sinister implications of these underrated Marvel characters.
Dr. Franklin Hall/Graviton
The MCU has thus far explored all manner of villains — such as the mad Titan, the power-hungry billionaire, and the vengeful victim. But no notable bad guy with supreme gravitational powers has emerged. . . yet. Dr. Franklin Hall could change that for the better (or worse, depending on one’s perspective).
A TV show would focus on how the doctor became the fearsome Graviton. This could work as a stand-alone series while setting him as the big bad among the Thunderbolts. The underrated Marvel character would have fans falling all over themselves while causing all kinds of fun mayhem for new superheroes.
The Void
Also known as Dark Sentry, the Void periodically takes over Robert Reynolds and turns him into a wretched being. Most people unknowingly refer to the Void when discussing overpowered Marvel characters. It can move at warp speeds, control weather, fly, manipulate matter, and never worry about death.
Yet, the Void’s connection to Reynolds often traps it within more human limitations. Such an underrated Marvel villain in a TV show could do numbers. Most MCU main characters work toward preserving all things good. Things get a lot more twisted when the main character can (and might) destroy the world.
Morgan Le Fay
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness showed MCU executives the box office appeal of villains in lead roles. Like Scarlet Witch, Morgan Le Fay also warps the world into chaos and can control time. This underrated Marvel character just hasn’t had the same chance to show eager fans what she can really do.
If the Black Knight makes a return, Morgan Le Fay can easily take a turn as the one who brings him back into power. She’s one of the strongest yet underrated characters in the Marvel universe. Any TV show following her journey could officially bring in the mythological Celtic elements hinted at in Eternals.
Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer
Out of all the underrated Marvel villains who could lead their own TV show, Norrin Radd doesn’t exactly spring to mind. His debut in the infamous movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has already put him in the spotlight. He suffers no lack of screentime or introduction to the general population.
Yet, he needs a fully-formed show now that the MCU has brought Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic into the heroic fray. Radd’s journey into becoming the Silver Surfer would play out beautifully in a stand-alone series. It would do him more justice than the 2007 movie.
High Evolutionary
While MCU fans have a love/hate relationship with most villains, they have a hate/hate one with the High Evolutionary. His reckless animal endangerment and ego-driven science experiments in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made him enemy #1. This only gives more appeal to a TV show about him.
What made the High Evolutionary such an awful person? Why does he allow his arrogance to drive him into such sloppy yet clinical ideas? He might be far from underrated. Still, a Marvel TV show following his story from when he loses track of Rocket Raccoon to their dramatic reunion could spark interest.
Beyonder
Calling Beyonder an underrated villain might stretch of the imagination. He becomes a cosmic entity in the Marvel comics with the power to shape the adventures of the various characters. Still, his godlike curiosities lead to the Secret Wars which shake characters up — sometimes to their final resting place.
The MCU currently has plans for the movie Avengers: Secret Wars. Ahead of this momentous release, a TV show introducing Beyonder could turn into the best movie for the studio. It just needs good timing and a well-planned story. The Beyonder could even break the fourth wall with a certain green superhero.
Annihilus
Meanwhile, Annihilus represents the typical villain. His metallic suit, spike shoulders, and blankly lit eyes strike fear against his enemies. In a TV show, he could bring the type of scary energy needed in the otherwise happy-go-lucky MCU landscape. He might even have the potential to become the new Thanos.
Okay, maybe he lacks the same appeal. This underrated Marvel character can still build an audience by terrorizing the new set of superheroes. Since so many newcomers have their own insecurities, fighting someone with the ability to induce fear sounds terrifying. It also sounds perfect for a stand-alone series.
Mephisto
Last but certainly not least, it seems only fair for Mephisto to receive his own TV show. Marvel fans anticipated his introduction in WandaVision. They expressed delight when he appeared in What if? Season 1. Now, the rest of MCU fans deserve to see where all the fuss came from and if he deserved it.
He could potentially make his official live-action debut fighting against the X-Men or Queen Shuri’s Black Panther. But it would excite the fans beyond belief if he became the lead in a TV show. His dark, mystical powers have a bigger place in the MCU. Only time will tell what exactly that means for everyone else.