Many of the characters that have been introduced into the MCU have seen some significant changes over the franchise’s fifteen-year history.
Many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have seen significant changes over the franchise’s fifteen-year history. Marvel Studios kicked off the MCU in 2008, revolutionizing comic book movie adaptations, bringing hundreds of heroic characters to life in over thirty feature films, eight TV shows on Disney+, and two Special Presentations so far, though the collection is constantly growing. The MCU has given many characters vastly different arcs from their comic counterparts that have given them completely separate adventures over the years.
The joy of Marvel Studios’ shared universe is that audiences can see these characters grow and develop over time. While superhero action plays a huge role in any MCU project, the characters are the crux of Marvel Studios’ growing MCU franchise, and some of them have seen some pretty significant changes since their debuts. While these are sometimes only changing small details, some have seen their entire physical forms altered, vast differences in their mental states, and even journeys into villainy for some. Here are a few of the most changed characters in the MCU.
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10Rocket Raccoon
Among Marvel’s strangest characters, Rocket Raccoon debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy. The genetically-engineered raccoon-like creature began his MCU journey as a cranky bounty hunter and mercenary with a penchant for stealing prosthetic limbs. A crucial aspect of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has been the exploration of family, something which has been key in Rocket’s journey in the MCU. While many aspects of his personality have stayed the same, Rocket has changed massively since his 2014 debut.
Rocket’s most significant change came during Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which saw him lose most of his family of Guardians to Thanos’ snap. Rocket softened as a character and learned to appreciate the value of other people, which made his family’s return in Endgame even more powerful. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to explore Rocket’s origins with the High Evolutionary, which will put Rocket’s new outlook on the world to the test in the team’s final adventure together.
9Thor Odinson
In his earlier MCU stories, Thor was introduced as a one-dimensional character, going through some minor changes to transform him from the self-absorbed God of Thunder into a man worthy of being Asgard’s King. However, it was Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, giving Thor a comedic edge, that began to develop him into a well-rounded hero. Ragnarok showed Thor realizing his true potential as a hero after losing everything he thought gave him his power, including his hammer, Mjolnir.
Dealing with the deaths of his mother, father, and brother while also coming to terms with the destruction of Asgard, Infinity War was a pivotal moment for Thor, as it was his failure to kill Thanos that sent him spiraling into a depression that lasted throughout the five-year Blip in Avengers: Endgame. These changes were monumental for Thor in the MCU, far removed from the one-dimensional hothead that was introduced back in 2011’s Thor. Despite the divisive Thor: Love & Thunder making some questionable choices with the character, his MCU journey isn’t finished yet.
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8Bruce Banner A.K.A. The Hulk
This gamma-irradiated hero has been through major changes in practically every MCU project he’s appeared in. Aside from a change in actor between The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, Bruce Banner epitomizes physical changes in the MCU. Starting as a dim-witted but immensely strong rage creature, the Hulk quickly learned how to function as part of the original Avengers team, continuing into Avengers: Age of Ultron which also introduced a tentative romance between the Hulk and Black Widow.
Thor: Ragnarok saw the Hulk take control, sidelining Banner, with Avengers: Infinity War having the opposite problem, but it was Endgame that saw the most significant change for Banner. Merging his Banner and Hulk personas, “Smart Hulk” had access to the strength of the Hulk and the genius of Banner simultaneously, and although this was a shock to audiences, there is now a consensus that Marvel Studios needs to revert the Hulk back to his angry origins. A rumored World War Hulk project could see this happen.
7Doctor Strange
2016’s Doctor Strange debuted Stephen Strange in an MCU film that led the arrogant neurosurgeon on a journey of healing. After a tragic car accident, Strange loses the use of his hands but sets out on a journey to seek the Ancient One in Kamar-Taj, who could potentially heal him. While there, however, doors are opened for Strange, which makes him change his career path from world-renowned surgeon to Master of the Mystic Arts.
Where Strange initially cared for nothing but himself, his journey into the world of magic and alternate dimensions gave him a greater purpose. Equipped with the Time Stone, Strange is a pivotal character in the battle against Thanos and helps MCU newcomer America Chavez in escaping the clutches of the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Though major aspects of his character have changed over time, Strange has never lost his dry humor and slightly arrogant touch.
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6Bucky Barnes A.K.A. The Winter Soldier
Despite originally being a supporting character in Captain America: The First Avenger, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes has become one of the MCU’s most complex characters. The MCU has taken Bucky from expendable best friend to HYDRA’s secret weapon, the Winter Soldier, to a hero battling the Flag Smashers alongside Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Bucky’s major changes have been in his mental state and personality, particularly when breaking free from HYDRA’s mind control.
Bucky’s next appearance will come as a member of the MCU’s first Thunderbolts team, which will put the Winter Soldier front and center as the team’s defacto leader. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Bucky making amends for his time as HYDRA’s super-powered assassin, but it could be that Bucky’s story is set to regress in Thunderbolts as his previous Disney+ series showed how easily he could fall back into his old patterns. Bucky’s story is far from over, so his character will only continue to develop in hopefully positive ways.
5Peter Parker A.K.A. Spider-Man
At first glance, the MCU’s Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, doesn’t seem to have changed that much. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home saw the young web-slinger stripped of his anonymity, battling to protect not only himself and his friends but the entire Multiverse too. Marvel Studios has taken this friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man and turned him into a powerful Avenger, and since Marvel Studios has confirmed Spider-Man’s MCU future, it seems he has a lot more development on the way.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the final nail in the coffin for the relaxed and joyful Peter Parker, as his Aunt May was killed at the hands of the Green Goblin. After losing his parents, his Uncle Ben, his Aunt May, and now his friends thanks to Strange’s mind-wipe spell, Parker is entirely alone, so it’ll be interesting to see how his story develops in future MCU projects. His Spider-Man variants certainly left a mark on him, hardening the MCU’s Peter Parker into a more worldly and prepared superhero.
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4Wanda Maximoff A.K.A. The Scarlet Witch
It’s hard to think of an MCU character who has suffered as much loss as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, but this has all added to her incredible development since her debut in the end-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Initially fighting with Ultron against the Avengers, Wanda and her twin brother Pietro soon joined the MCU’s superhero team. While Pietro lost his life in the battle, Wanda became an official Avenger, though this didn’t last long before their disbandment in Captain America: Civil War.
After Thanos killed Vision in Infinity War, a taste of Wanda’s true power displayed itself, first in the final battle in Endgame and then in the creation of the Westview Hex in WandaVision. WandaVision revealed that Wanda Maximoff is the Scarlet Witch, whose power was amplified by the Mind Stone. As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda realized the full force of her power, but this led her down a dark path, becoming the villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and apparently meeting her demise in Mount Wundagore, but there is speculation that she will return to redeem herself in the MCU’s future.
3Nebula
Nebula’s MCU storyline has come as a surprise to many who might not have expected her to be an important character. The MCU has taken Nebula from Thanos’ lackey to an official member of the Guardians of the Galaxy family, as shown in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Similarly to Rocket, Nebula’s major changes came in the space between Infinity War and Endgame, which saw her form connections with the Avengers and fight to bring back their lost loved ones.
Nebula’s initial bitterness and anger, directed towards Thanos and Gamora, came from years of being tortured by her adoptive father and forced to compete in battles against her sister when all she wanted was love. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will explore a more sensitive and human side to Nebula, shown already in trailers that have displayed a more human appearance to the character, stripping her of the metallic components on her face. That’s not to say that Nebula isn’t still a terrifying and formidable warrior, but she now understands the value of family also.
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2Loki
Loki has had a confusing journey in the MCU, as the God of Mischief has died on numerous occasions and is now a variant of the main Loki residing outside the timeline in the Time Variance Authority. The original Loki took several years to go from Thor’s back-stabbing (literally) and power-hungry brother to the sort-of-hero that he became in Thor: Ragnarok and the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War. However, this led to Loki’s actual death by Thanos, which seemed to cut his story MCU short permanently.
Avengers: Endgame saw a 2012 variant of Loki escape the Avengers, however, which spawned the Loki series on Disney+. This variant Loki went through the same amount of development as the main Loki, only condensed into a one-episode learning curve detailing his variant’s life and death, giving him a major reality check. It now seems as though Loki is setting out to save the entire Multiverse from Kang the Conqueror, in a wild change from his previous team-up-with-the-villain mentality.
1Tony Stark A.K.A. Iron Man
There’s MCU characters that have changed, and then there’s Tony Stark. Iron Man saw the MCU’s original hero change the course of history with his proclamation that he was Iron Man, but that was only after he shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries and used his genius to miniaturize his arc reactor technology and develop the Iron Man armor. The self-obsessed and disillusioned Stark instantly changed his entire philosophy after learning the error of his ways, choosing to do good for good’s sake rather than thinking of the monetary benefits.
This idea continued throughout his MCU career, as even when he creates Ultron, he does it with the best of intentions. He even chooses to mentor young emerging heroes such as Peter Parker, showing faith in the younger generation and a desire to pass on his heroic legacy. This became especially important in Avengers: Endgame, which saw Tony Stark sacrifice his life to save the universe, paying the ultimate price to do the ultimate good. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen few changes as significant as Iron Man’s storyline.
