10 Underrated Marvel Characters That Deserve Their Own Movies

Black Widow

Black Widow is one Marvel heroine that truly fails to get the spotlight she deserves. As a character, Black Widow has depth that hasn’t yet been explored on the big screen. While Marvel films have shown off her impressive combat abilities and tactical decision making, Black Widow’s origins and personal life are hardly explored in a meaningful way. It’s a shame because Black Widow has quite a bit of content to explore considering just how prevalent of a figure she’s been throughout Marvel’s history.

Outside of the character herself, it’s hard to ignore the new wave of appeal Black Widow has been given with the help of Scarlett Johansson. Her on-screen portrayal of Black Widow has been earning the character new fans ever since she took the role in 2010’s Iron Man 2. Since then she has been bringing the former Russian spy to life on screen in the Avengers and Captain America films in a way that is truly captivating.

Iron Heart

Every hero has to call it quits at some point and when Iron Man stepped away from his glory days in the Marvel comics, it allowed a new heroine to step forward. Riri Williams is nothing short of a super genius so when a dear friend fell victim to a random act of street violence, she did what any genius would do—create her own version of the Iron Man suit and become a super hero herself. Of course, it took a bit of time.

Riri was in college by the time she finished the suit but she never lost sight of her tragic inspiration and desire to push her intellectual gifts to new heights. Riri Williams eventually finished her own version of Iron Man’s suit and became the Iron Heart. Now that Robert Downey Jr. is getting close to the end of his Iron Man days it could be the perfect time to introduce Iron Heart to the MCU.

Moon Knight

It’s quite a shame that Moon Knight flies as far under the radar as he does. Moon Knight is one of Marvel’s few heroes that demand a dark tone and epic urban feel. If Marvel wanted to do a Moon Knight film right, they should definitely be eyeing Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy for inspiration. Moon Knight also allows Marvel to tap into a variety of different elements. While Moon Knight is a street-level hero he also has origins that tap into the far more magical side of Marvel’s universe.

Of course, it does seem like someone in Hollywood knows of the potential a Moon Knight movie could have. Several times rumors of a standalone Moon Knight film have hit the web but with no confirmation, details or anything else to support the backless and overly optimistic claims, fans are still left just crossing their fingers. For now, we can only hope that this schizophrenic vigilante will make his way to the big screen soon.

She-Hulk

The Marvel Universe presents many heroes who are essentially gender swapped versions of another more popular hero. This is a common trend in the comic world but if you’re opinion of She-Hulk fails to go any further than the Hulk with boobs, you’re really selling this character short. She-Hulk, or Jennifer Walters, is Dr. Bruce Banner’s cousin who was accidentally given a strain of Hulk DNA during a blood transfusion. Dr. Banner just wanted to save his cousin’s life after she was shot but those pesky super powers always get in the way, don’t they?

The transferred DNA gave Jennifer the ability to turn into her very own version of the Hulk. What makes her version so interesting, however, is that this is not a hero that operates with little consciousness and tons of rage. Instead, She-Hulk is weaker than the actual Hulk but allows Jennifer to maintain full control even when she’s in that form. She also has far more control over when she wants to turn into the She-Hulk or not.

Nova

The Nova Corps has played a role in the MCU thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy, but Nova himself hasn’t had his own big screen debut. While a variety of different characters have appeared in the Marvel Comics as Nova, the original hero is the only truly deserving of a solo film. Richard Rider was just a normal teenager who was given a huge responsibility—take the powers of the Nova Force and use them to defend earth and the rest of the universe.

As you can imagine, the journey from just an ordinary kid to being a superhero in charge of the well being of an entire universe is a rough transition but one that Rider took on valiantly. It’s enough to create an interesting origin story in movies and also make room to see Nova’s powers take center stage in dramatic combat.

Kamala Khan

Kamala Khan may be a relatively new addition to the Marvel family but her fan base is massive. Kamala Khan was introduced as the new Ms. Marvel back in 2014 and immediately earned a ton of support from fans who had been asking Marvel to pack some diversity into its heroes. A shape-shifting Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey certainly does just that. As a hero, Kamala Khan would be a great character to take to the big screen because she offers more than enough opportunity for comedic gold.

As a young teen just trying to figure this whole superhero thing out, she uses a lot of hilarious dialogue that is also very relatable. Her entire hero story is underscored by a coming-of-age story that keeps a light-hearted tone when exploring teenage angst and growing pains. All the while, her connection to The Inhumans, frequent comic appearances partnering up with other heroes, her origins as a Marvel fangirl who never expected to become a hero herself and the sheer relevancy of a character like this should make it pretty difficult for Marvel overlook Kamala’s big screen potential.

Tigra

Like most superheroes, Tigra was once an ordinary person whose life was dramatically changed by tragedy. Before Tigra was a nimble cat-like hero, she was first a woman by the name of Greer Grant who fell in love with a police officer named Bill Nelson. Once Bill was killed in an off duty shooting, Grant’s life changed and ultimately sent her down the path that would eventually have her emerge as Tigra.

Greer initially had become a defender of a race of Cat People but eventually captured the Avengers’ attention. Since then Tigra has had a bit of an on-again, off-again and back on-again relationship with the Avengers for a variety of different reasons. Her relationship with the Avengers, her journey to becoming a defender of the Cat People and the sheer variety of adventures she has been a part of gives content creators tons to work with if they want to bring Tigra to theaters.

Spectrum

Spectrum has had a few different aliases throughout her Marvel history. Some know her best as Captain Marvel while others common refer to her as Pulsar or Photon. But as this spunky heroine once told Dr. Brashear, you can call her Spectrum “if you’re nasty.” Spectrum, whose real name is Monica Rambeau, has always been in the crime fighting business. She was once a lieutenant in the New Orleans Harbor Patrol before an attack by an evil scientist changed her life.

She was hit with a wave of extra dimensional energy that ultimately turned her into the underrated hero she is today. Spectrum has the ability to transform into a wide variety of different types of energy, which often allow her to become invisible and untouchable to her enemies. Even if Monica’s personality wasn’t one that is seemingly made to entertain mainstream audiences, her unique powers are more than enough to earn her a blockbuster movie.

Spider-Woman

Not only would Spider-Woman be a joy to see come to life on the big screen but the opportunity to bring her into the MCU is so apparent that it seems like a no-brainer. Spider-Woman was acted as an agent of Hydra and has also stepped up as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She is a meaningful part of the Marvel universe despite the fact that some people only know her as a female version of Spider-Man.

To be fair, the two share plenty of similarities but they also tout enough differences to warrant Spider-Woman getting her own big screen debut. While an origin story movie isn’t out of the question, it’s Spider-Woman’s time spent as an established hero that are far more interesting. While her past shouldn’t be ignored, it’s simply not something that should occupy the majority of her screen time.

Brother Voodoo

In a universe filled with extraterrestrial foes, genetic mutations, entirely new species and advanced science, the presence of magic can easily get swept under the rug. There’s a lot to keep up with in the Marvel universe but thankfully the success of Doctor Strange highlighted the presence of magic in the MCU. Now there are plenty of fans keeping an eye out to see if Brother Voodoo will also be coming to the big screen soon. While rumors suggest we could be seeing the Lord of the Loa in a Doctor Strange sequel, Brother Voodoo would be perfectly capable of holding down his own solo film as well.

Brother Voodoo’s real name is Jericho Drumm and it wasn’t until his brother passed away that he would embark on a journey that would make him a superhero. While Jericho spent more than a decade in the U.S., his brother Daniel had become the local Houngan in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. By the time Jericho returned, however, his brother was dying at the hands of a curse. In his last moments alive, Daniel urged Jericho to visit Papa Jambo who was the one who taught Daniel everything he knew. It didn’t take long for Jericho to surpass his brother’s Hougan skills but Jericho’s power didn’t stop there. Papa Jambo summoned Daniel back from the dead and allowed his spirit to attach to Jericho’s. Needless to say, this made Brother Voodoo an incredibly powerful force to reckon with while also positioning him as a rather unique character in the Marvel universe.