The 10 Marvel Characters That Deserve Their Own MCU Series, Ranked

There are many heroes, anti-heroes, and villains throughout Marvel. And while some have been portrayed in television shows and movies in the MCU franchise, there are others that deserve a little more time in the spotlight. Characters such as Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Dr. Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) “sidekick” Wong (Benedict Wong) have been seen in films and series, but the projects never dove into their origin stories or what they do when they’re not helping an Avenger.

With so much source material to work from and a fanbase that would love to see more characters on the small screen in their own series, Marvel should think about pulling another Echo and taking some of those heroes and villains who weren’t main characters in their debut projects and giving them some more screentime. There are just so many with interesting backstories and powers that it would be a shame to keep them between the pages of a comic book and not explore their lives on another medium. From Nova and Elektra to Beta Ray Bill and Laura Barton, here are some Marvel characters that really should have their own MCU television show.

10 Yelena Belova

Created By Devin Grayson and JG Jones

Marvel fans first see the character of Yelena Belova in the film Black Widow and then again in the miniseries Hawkeye. In the former, viewers learn that she is the “sister” of Natasha, another girl taken when she was a young girl to train in the infamous Red Room and become a Widow, a highly-skilled spy and assassin who has had her brain chemically altered to do the bidding of Dreykov. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Yelena wants nothing more than to get revenge on Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) for what happened to her sister on Vormir, not knowing the full story and that Natasha’s death wasn’t his fault.

While Yelena is in those two projects, as well as the 2025 film Thunderbolts, it would be interesting to see the character in her own show, diving deeper into what happened after the events of Black Widow and her adventures trying to free the rest of the Widows; a project that is longer than two and half hours. Or, Marvel could look deeper into the comic lore and how she comes under HYDRA rule, being genetically altered after she sustains injuries fighting the New Avengers. Yes, HYDRA is technically gone in the MCU, but with the multiverse in play, anything is possible, right?

9 Tommy Maximoff

Created By Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung, Steve Englehart and Richard Howell

Introduced as one of the illusionary twins of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) in WandaVision, Tommy Maximoff is shown as having the same powers as his uncle, Quicksilver, meaning he has superhuman speed. He has a minor role in the series and disappears once Wanda’s illusion breaks. The thing is, Marvel can do a lot with the character, especially considering the comic book stories surrounding him.

At the end of Agatha All Along, viewers see Billy (Joe Locke) go in search of his missing brother, a soul that wound up inside a recently deceased boy’s body. Marvel can do a lot with the character to bring Tommy back into the MCU! In the comics, Billy and Tommy both wind up reincarnating, with the latter winding up in a facility for powered people and being experimented on. A series surrounding Tommy’s journey from a wandering soul to a powered person (who needs to learn his powers) who winds up being put in a facility would be very entertaining, especially since it is the Young Avengers who wind up coming to his rescue in the comics. His growth, becoming the Young Avenger Speed, and reunion with his reincarnated twin brother need to be explored!

8 Ghost Rider

Created by: Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog

A stuntman named Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) who made a deal with “Satan” in Ghost Rider or a guy named Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) who just wanted to save his brother in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Marvel anti-hero Ghost Rider has had many iterations in the comics as well as on both the small and large screen. No matter what his name is or how he became the rider, one thing is certain: he deserves his own television show that dives into one of the iterations of the character.

Since there are so many riders, even a Phantom Rider, aka Carter Slade, it would be interesting to see Ghost Rider tackling a plot of his own and not just as a side character like Reyes in AoS. Interestingly enough, Luna was in talks of developing a spin-off series surrounding his character, but it was eventually shelved. With each rider having their own story of how they got the spirit of vengeance, it would be interesting for Marvel to dive deeper into the character’s lore and how they aren’t selling their souls to Satan or gaining the spirit of vengeance but rather making a deal with Mephisto. That bit of information would be an excellent tie-in to other Marvel television shows.

7 Wong

Created By: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Seen as the deadpan sidekick who winds up dealing with Dr. Strange’s antics, Wong shows up throughout a few different MCU projects, both on the small and silver screens. He is a master of the mystic arts of Kamar-Taj, has a no-nonsense attitude, and will do whatever it takes to keep the Ancient One and the Sanctorum he resides in safe. While he is a fan-favorite, Wong deserves his time as the main character with some more comic book-accurate personality traits.

In the comics, Wong is portrayed as a guy who is born into Kamar-Taj, someone who’s studied the musical arts his entire life. The thing is, he’s also a master at martial arts, something that is not seen in the MCU. It would be interesting to see Wong showcase skills outside of magic and how he deals with being the Sorcerer Supreme in New York, an honor he does not get in the comics but could definitely have earned, considering his aptitude in both martial and mystical arts. Since Wong is a fan-favorite character in the MCU, pretty much making it the Wong Cinematic Universe with all his cameos, it’s only fair that the character gets his own show!

6 Barbara “Bobbi” Morse

Created By: Len Wein and Neal Adams

Known as Agent 19 or the Mockingbird, Barbara “Bobbi” Morse is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a skillset similar to that of Black Widow. She is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, with firearms and her signature weapon, a pair of batons that can be turned into a single bō-staff during combat. Viewers are first introduced to the character, played by Adrianne Palicki, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, an undercover HYDRA operative who became a member of Coulson’s team and quickly became a fan-favorite. The thing is, Agent 19 is also seen in Hawkeye in the form of Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) and not Bobbi Morse.

While Barton is never said to be the “Mockingbird,” fans were quick to the punch in thinking she was before her retirement from the agency. Whether it is Bobbi or Barton, it would be interesting to dive deeper into their lives, whether it be the former after she leaves S.H.I.E.L.D in AoS or the latter while she was still a member. The two Mockingbirds definitely have stories to tell, and they should have a show in the MCU to tell them.

5 Beta Ray Bill

Created By: Walt Simonson

Mentioned a few times throughout the MCU but never seen on the screen (aside from a glimpse in Thor: Ragnarok), Beta Ray Bill deserves some time to shine. A character first introduced during The Bronze Age of Comic Books, Beta Ray Bill, looks like a monster but turns out to be a hero, someone who is actually worthy of carrying Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. He is proficient in combat and has superhuman strength, speed, and agility while also having an extended lifespan, thanks to genetic engineering and cyborg implants he has.

Once he’s seen as a worthy hero, Bill is granted his own war hammer, Stormbreaker, a weapon fans see Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wield against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame. While the character has shown up in animated series, Bill has never had his own series to showcase his skills or origin story. It would be an interesting tale of a Marvel fan-favorite character to see how he went from having scientists transfer his consciousness and life force into a mean, carnivorous beast, someone with identity issues, to one of the most formidable heroes in the galaxy.

4 Nova

Created By: John Buscema, Marv Wolfman, and John Romita Sr.

A similar concept to DC’s Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps, Nova is part of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic police force that was first introduced in the MCU during Guardians of the Galaxy. Like Green Lantern, Richard Rider takes up the mantle of Nova after another member of the corps dies and gains superhuman abilities from what is called the Nova Force, including flight, strength, and resistance to injuries. Like Carl Danvers, it would be an interesting concept to see Nova traveling throughout the galaxy, helping planets during times of turmoil.

Even an origin story of how Rider takes up the Nova mantle after his home planet of Xander is destroyed. Thankfully, it sounds like something is in the works for this Marvel hero. As of 2022, Marvel Studios has said they are creating a special project revolving around the character with Sabir Pirzada (Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel) taking over writing. There is no telling what story will be told of the fan-favorite intergalactic policeman, but it is something to keep an eye out for.

3 Valkyrie

Created By Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, John Buscema, Steve Englehart, and Herb Trimpe

Considered the strongest of the Valkyrior, Valkyrie has a difficult time when fans are first introduced to the character in the MCU, played by Tessa Thompson. After Hela wipes out her fellow warriors, Valkyrie makes her way to Saakar, where she works for the Grandmaster under the name Scrapper 142. Of course, everything changes for Valkyrie when she meets Thor, channeling her former self to help him first take on Hela and then Thanos. Eventually, Thor anoints her as the King of New Asgard.

While fans have a pseudo backstory for the character, her story kind of ends on a cliffhanger when she becomes the King of a people who believe Thor is their ruler. Showcasing what happened to her and New Asgard after the events of Endgame, since Asgardians have more than one foe in the universe, would be an excellent story to feature Valkyrie’s ideas for her kingdom, a place that is seen very briefly in the MCU, and how she protects those who live there.

2 Elektra Natchios

Created By Frank Miller

First played by Jennifer Garner in the 2005 film Elektra and again in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine, the anti-hero Elektra Natchios was brought to the small screen in a supporting role in the series Daredevil, played by Élodie Yung. For those who know the lore, Daredevil and Elektra have a history with one another. They are seen as adversaries and also love interests, which are portrayed in the film and series. The thing is, the character was kind of done dirty in Daredevil, as her resurrection is swept under the rug and never really talked about again.

The good news is that resurrection leaves a lot of room to play around in the writers’ room. A series could show Elektra finally putting her assassin skills to good use, leaving The Hand behind and donning the Daredevil moniker as she does in the comics. With her violent tendencies and combat expertise, especially with her signature Okinawan sai, a show surrounding her character would surely be action-packed, full of amazing fight sequences, and make for an astounding MCU character arc.

1 Zebediah Killgrave

Created By Stan Lee and Joe Orlando

Played by David Tennant in the MCU series Jessica Jones as a modified version of Zebediah Killgrave, aka the Purple Man, the villain has all the same aspects of the comic book character. If he is in the vicinity, Killgrave is able to control the minds and actions of others, causing complete chaos in the process. He is pretty much a puppet master; there is a lot Marvel can do with this character, even if he was technically killed during Jessica Jones. Hey, it’s the MCU, and stranger things have happened than bringing people back from the dead!

As the main character in his own show, writers could really dive into Killgrave’s comic book lore. They could bring in his Purple Children, his relationship with Kingpin (an already prominent protagonist throughout MCU shows played by Vincent D’Onofrio), and his sinister way of breaking the fourth wall. It would be interesting to bring the ‘Devil’s Reign” storyline to the small screen, showing Kingpin imprisoning Purple Man during his quest to win the election and become President of the United States, using Killgrave’s powers of persuasion to do so.

Next: The 10 Best Original MCU Characters, Ranked