In The Last 40 Years, There Are Only 8 Marvel Characters Who’ve Only Had 1 Solo Movie

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Only eight characters in the movie history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other Marvel franchises have been given only one solo movie, while many other notable characters have received sequels galore. It has often been great to see Marvel’s live-action heroes develop and grow over several solo movies, with sequels giving actors the opportunity to explore new sides to their iconic characters, but not everyone has been so lucky. In the 40-year history of Marvel’s live-action feature films, there are a number of characters with only one solo movie.

Eight unlucky Marvel characters have only starred in one solo movie in the decades since Howard the Duck became the first feature film adapted from a Marvel Comics property. Some of these characters have appeared in crossover and team-up movies, and some have even received solo TV shows, but none have ever appeared in a solo feature film since their originals. This is surprising in some cases, and inevitable in others, though it remains to be seen which heroes will be given solo movies in Marvel’s live-action future.

8

Howard The Duck

Universal Pictures’ Howard The Duck Released In 1986

1986’s Howard the Duck has come to be known as one of the worst movies ever made, so it’s no wonder the obscure Marvel Comics character has not been given another solo movie in the years since. Willard Huyck’s Howard the Duck starred Chip Zien as the voice of the titular anthropomorphic duck opposite Lea Thompson’s Beverly Switzler, the companion and girlfriend to Howard in Marvel Comics. Howard the Duck was originally intended to be an animated movie, but became live-action due to contractual obligations, which might have doomed the movie from the get-go.

Howard the Duck is one of Marvel Comics’ weirdest characters, intended to be silly and satirical. Unfortunately, this didn’t translate very well onto the screen back in the ’80s, and has only recently worked somewhat well in Marvel Studios’ already-wacky Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Howard finally realized his animated dreams as a central character in several What If…? episodes, voiced by Seth Green, but it seems unlikely that Howard the Duck will ever get another solo movie, as Marvel would surely want to avoid repeating the ’80s’ movie’s mistakes.

7

Daredevil

20th Century Fox’s Daredevil Released In 2003

Daredevil has become one of Marvel Studios’ most popular and beloved characters thanks to Charlie Cox’s interpretation of the Man Without Fear on Netflix and now in the MCU. However, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen wasn’t always so successful, as Ben Affleck’s depiction in 2003’s Daredevil, developed before Marvel Studios gained the rights to the character, wasn’t up to the standard set by Cox. The fact that Ben Affleck only got one solo movie as Daredevil wasn’t for lack of trying, however, as he did reveal his criteria for returning to the role.

Ben Affleck noted that he would have wanted to explore Daredevil’s darker storylines from Marvel Comics in possible sequels to the 2003 movie, including the Guardian Devil and Born Again events. During a 2006 interview, Affleck suggested that playing Daredevil had “inoculated” him from ever playing another superhero, though he suited up as Batman in the DC Extended Universe ten years later. It’s very possible that Charlie Cox’s adventures on the small-screen could lead to his appearance in a solo movie as the MCU’s Daredevil, so Matt Murdock might not be on this list for long.

6

Elektra

20th Century Fox’s Elektra Released In 2005

Jennifer Garner appeared alongside Ben Affleck’s Matt Murdock as Elektra Natchios in Daredevil, and while Affleck didn’t receive a sequel of his own, Garner reprised her role in a spinoff, 2005’s Elektra. In the movie, Elektra protected a man and his prodigy daughter from the Hand, contributing to a lackluster storyline that received a lot of criticism. Elektra, a legendary supporting character to Daredevil, has since been reinvented by Élodie Yung in the MCU, and there are hopes that she’ll reprise the role, but this is unlikely to happen in a solo movie.

Elektra has been credited with “ruining” Jennifer Garner’s career and even damaging the idea of female-led superhero movies, perhaps contributing to the MCU not releasing a female-led movie until 2019’s Captain Marvel. Jennifer Garner returned as Elektra in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, giving her the chance to poke fun at her last appearance as the Greek assassin and her subsequent marriage and divorce from Ben Affleck. Elektra is very unlikely to star in another solo movie, but could certainly appear alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil or any number of other MCU characters.

5

Black Widow

Marvel Studios’ Black Widow Released In 2021

Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff was a significant part of the MCU from almost the very beginning and for over a decade, debuting in 2010’s Iron Man 2. However, she only got given her first and only solo adventure as a retrospective storyline following her demise in Avengers: Endgame, as 2021’s Black Widow movie caught up with Romanoff in the gap between Civil War and Infinity War. It’s shocking that it took this long for Natasha Romanoff to get her first solo movie, and an even bigger insult is that she only got one solo project in her entire MCU career.

Black Widow has appeared in every Avengers movie and has crossed over into other characters’ stories, but it was 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron that ignited interest in a solo project exploring Romanoff’s backstory. 2021’s Black Widow failed to give us the story we really wanted, however, as Romanoff’s history was only briefly examined. It would have been great for Scarlett Johansson to headline more Marvel Studios movies, but it seems this will now never be the case, given Natasha Romanoff’s demise, Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney and her branching out into new franchises, such as Jurassic World.

4

Shang-Chi

Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings Released In 2021

While Black Widow took over a decade to get her first solo movie in the MCU, Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi debuted in his solo adventure, but hasn’t been seen in live-action since. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of the most successful and praised installments in the MCU’s divisive Phase 4, and Liu’s new Ten Rings-wielding hero is one of the franchise’s most exciting new fixtures, so it’s surprising Marvel hasn’t capitalized on this acclaim. A sequel, despite not being officially announced, is apparently in development, but it’s unclear when the MCU’s Shang-Chi 2 will release.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton is currently working on 2026’s Spider-Man 4, so it seems Shang-Chi 2 may be pushed back even further. It’s likely Simu Liu will have a key role in Phase 6’s Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, as he is one of the MCU’s most powerful new heroes and as the Ten Rings are still a huge mystery that needs exploring, but it might be several years before he returns in a solo movie. It’s a shame this formidable character hasn’t been utilized better in the MCU.

3

Morbius

Columbia Pictures’ Morbius Released In 2022

Now, it comes as little surprise that most of the characters in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe have only starred in one solo movie, as Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures never quite mastered the trick of developing effective and enjoyable movies for its Marvel antiheroes. While Tom Hardy’s Venom trilogy was something of a success, 2022’s Morbius was the franchise’s first major failure, grossing only $167.5 million globally. This commercial and critical failure made it inevitable that any idea of a Morbius sequel would be canceled fairly quickly.

Lead star Jared Leto suggested that Morbius could appear alongside characters such as Mahershala Ali’s Blade and Tom Hardy’s Venom in future projects, but this will not be the case. The cancelation of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe following Kraven the Hunter’s release in December 2024 effectively ended any plans for sequels to any of the SSU’s projects, if they existed to begin with. Morbius could, of course, be reinvented for the MCU proper, given his prominence among the Midnight Sons, which has been rumored for the MCU, but nothing has yet been confirmed.

2

Madame Web

Columbia Pictures’ Madame Web Released In 2024

Similarly to Morbius, 2024’s Madame Web also marked a considerable flop for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. This one is perhaps more surprising, however, as not only were Morbius’ creative team invited back to work on Madame Web, but the February 2024 movie marked the first time any Spider-Man-like heroes were included in the SSU, so it had more potential for success than the franchise’s other projects. Unfortunately, Dakota Johnson’s wooden performance as Cassandra Webb contributed to an incredibly poor reception, reportedly leading to plans for a new franchise being abandoned by Sony.

Dakota Johnson has since noted that she doesn’t “make sense” in the superhero genre, suggesting it is very unlikely she’ll make another superhero movie. This, along with the SSU’s cancelation, makes it unlikely that any future Madame Web solo movies will be developed. The strong relationship between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, however, means Cassandra Webb could be recreated for the MCU, perhaps allowing her to be more comic-accurate, though this will surely be in a Spider-Manmovie and not in a dedicated Madame Web project.

1

Kraven The Hunter

Columbia Pictures’ Kraven The Hunter Released In 2024

2024’s Kraven the Hunter was the final nail in the coffin of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, even though it centered on one of the most iconic and popular Spider-Man villains in Marvel Comics’ history. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s return to the superhero genre almost a decade after Quicksilver’s death in Avengers: Age of Ultron saw him debut as Sergei Kravinoff, but Kraven the Hunter received criticism even before its release for not pitting Kraven against Spider-Man. Grossing only $62 million globally, Kraven the Hunter was an epic failure for Columbia and Sony, so it certainly won’t lead to a sequel.

It does seem very likely that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will one day face Kraven the Hunter in the MCU proper, whether that be Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s version or a new iteration. This probably won’t include a solo movie for the villain, however, and could instead feature Kraven the Hunter as the primary antagonist of a future Spider-Man movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This means that 2024’s Kraven the Hunter might be the character’s only solo project ever, which is a disappointing prospect, though this could, of course, change.

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