Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

DVD artwork displaying various Infinity Saga protagonists with Thanos in the background

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe that involves productions of superhero films and television series. These productions star various titular superheroes; they are independently produced by Marvel Studios and are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plots, settings, casts, and characters.

Marvel Studios

Marvel Television

Overview of central characters

The

The Multiverse Saga
".

S.H.I.E.L.D. and creator of the Avengers; Phil Coulson, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; and Loki, Thor's adopted brother whose plans to achieve world domination prompt Fury to assemble the Avengers.[1]

Valkyrie.[1][2] Meanwhile, Rogers returns to the past and reunites with Peggy Carter
(introduced in Phase One). This phase concludes the story arcs of Stark, Rogers, Romanoff, Loki, Gamora, and Thanos. Alternate and past versions of those characters return in following phases to varying degrees.

Watcher
.

Monica Rambeau
(introduced in Phase Three) team up as the Marvels, which inspires Kamala to assemble a superhero team of her own, starting with Bishop.

Reception

The depiction of adapted and original characters in the MCU has been generally positively received,[3] with the portrayal of superhero protagonists mostly positive. IGN opined, "With heroes ranging from super-spies to super-soldiers to space raccoons, the MCU has gifted us with some of the most memorable champions in movie history."[4] Meanwhile, reception of the MCU's depiction of its villains has been more mixed, with some media outlets coining the term "villain problem" to describe this shortcoming.[5][6][7] Collider described the villains as "Achilles' heel" of the shared universe,[8] with Phase One and Phase Two most commonly criticized for having weak or unmemorable villains.[9] The villains of Phase Three were hailed as an improvement over the villains of the previous two Phases,[10][11] while villains of Phase Four have also been praised.[12]

In an analysis of the MCU's villains, Michael Burgin of

Looper described the MCU's villains as "fairly compelling criminals",[6][14] while Eric Diaz of Nerdist described them as being unappreciated despite being the weakest part of the franchise.[14]

Some villains were more well received than others, with

Malekith — and motivations seem weak at best."[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Marvel Cinematic Universe recap: What happens in every MCU film up until Avengers: Endgame". The Independent. April 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Rao, Sonia; Tan, Shelly. "Everything that's happened leading up to 'Avengers: Endgame'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Langmann, Brady; Miller, Matt (May 20, 2021). "The Best Characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ranked". Esquire. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Fowler, Matt (November 1, 2021). "The 25 Best Marvel Heroes in the MCU". IGN. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Burgin, Michael (May 19, 2019). "From Strucker to Infinity: Ranking the Villains of the MCU". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. ^
    Looper.com. Archived
    from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (November 8, 2017). "Marvel has a villain problem. Thor: Ragnarok is a textbook example". Vox. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 9, 2020). "Every MCU Movie Villain Ranked from Worst to Best". Collider. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (May 13, 2015). "The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Movie Villain Problem". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  10. SyFy Wire. Archived from the original
    on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Nedd, Alexis (October 4, 2018). "Marvel had a huge villain problem. Then Phase 3 happened". Mashable. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Robinson, Tasha (April 29, 2021). "Marvel Studios' TV shows are fixing the MCU's biggest flaw". Polygon. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Trinos, Angelo Delos (May 14, 2021). "10 MCU Villains Who Are Just Better In The Comics". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Diaz, Eric. "Every MCU Villain Ranked from Worst to Best". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  15. ^ Jain, Tushar (February 17, 2021). "5 MCU Villains Fans Loved (& 5 Fans Hated)". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  16. ^ Darney, Caroline (May 5, 2020). "Every Marvel Cinematic Universe villain, ranked from forgettable to iconic". SB Nation. Retrieved May 20, 2021.