We’re all very aware of the true A-listers in the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. After all, a great majority of them are the titular characters in the best Marvel movies. But while those heroes and villains are regularly celebrated and adulated, however, there is a whole league of players who don’t get nearly enough credit for their contributions and presence in the canon.
That ends today! The supporting characters highlighted on this list may never have the fan bases of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man or Chris Evans’ Captain America, but they at the very least deserve recognition for their individual impacts and general excellence.
Shaun Toub as Ho Yinsen
Does the Age of Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe even begin without the work of Ho Yinsen? His input and ingenuity helping Tony Stark invent the Iron Man suit and escape his abductors in Afghanistan was invaluable – to say nothing of the fact that he saved Stark’s life by using a chest-embedded magnet to protect him from the bits of shrapnel in his body post-explosion.
Peter Billingsley as William Ginter Riva
I think we can all relate to William Ginter Riva on some level. He was a skilled scientist at Stark Industries hired to work on arc reactor technology, but he apparently never got much love from executives – as illustrated by Obadiah Stane tearing him a new one in Iron Man and his decision to team up with Quentin Beck in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Ty Burrell as Leonard Samson
There are villain origin stories that play out akin to Leonard Samson’s role in The Incredible Hulk – with Bruce Banner stealing the heart of his girlfriend, Betty Ross – but his story is a bit more complex than that. Yes, he calls in a tip that causes a confrontation between the Hulk and the soldiers under the direction of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, but he has a true “good guy” moment before the end when he puts the general in his place.
Garry Shandling as United States Senator Stern
Garry Shandling sadly passed away in 2016, but before the legendary comedian/filmmaker left us, he brought us one of the best low-key villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Senator Stern is the kind of smarmy politician that nobody likes, and that’s perfect for his confrontation with Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 – but his role in the canon gets even better in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when it’s revealed that he is secretly a Hydra agent.
Maximiliano Hernández as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Jasper Sitwell
When first introduced, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Jasper Sitwell seemed like one of the good guys, frequently partnering aside fellow operative Phil Coulson, but he executes a skilled heel turn with the revelation that he is a Hydra spy and ends up getting a seriously intense death (pulled by Winter Soldier out of a speeding car driving on the highway).
Stanley Tucci as Abraham Erskine
Would you be able to identify the pure goodness of Steve Rogers after weeks of performing probably hundreds upon hundreds of physicals for conscription candidates? Abraham Erskine was not only a genius as a scientist, but he also had an adept sense of ethics, and it led to the creation of arguably the greatest hero in the MCU.
Tommy Lee Jones as Chester Phillips
It was really the combined efforts of three people who helped reveal Steve Rogers to be the perfect Captain America: one is Abraham Erskine, another is Peggy Carter, who has no place on this list because of how beloved she is, and the third is Chester Phillips. His hard-nosed, “convince me” perspective was the Super Ego to the Id and Ego of Erskine and Carter, and he helped change MCU history.
Neal McDonough as Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
In a feature about underrated Marvel characters, one feels compelled to include Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan, who earns the credit of being the most memorable member of Captain America’s Howling Commandos during World War II (with the exceptions of Cap and Bucky, of course).
Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian
I made an effort to not include any principal MCU villains on this list, but I’m making an exception for Aldrich Killian. There are more flamboyant and dramatic antagonists in the canon, but he spent years planning and executing an intelligent transformation and world conquest plan, and he very nearly succeeded (going as far as to get the Vice President of the United States on board).
John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey
One could make the argument that the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Ravagers don’t get to save Xandar and the Nova Corps from Ronan The Accuser if it’s not for the kind, gentle presence of Rhomann Dey. After all, he’s the one who ultimately sells Nova Prime on the idea of a team-up.
Martin Donovan as Mitchell Carson
I have to give a lot of credit to Mitchell Carson. Various parties spent decades trying to get ahold of Hank Pym’s Pym Particles without success, but he walked away with a vial of the stuff before the implosion of Cross Technologies. We don’t know what he ended up doing with the shrinking technology, but he gets credit for his win nonetheless.
Chris Sullivan as Taserface
Taserface won’t be remembered for having an outsized impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his one-and-done appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but this can be said: he most definitely succeeded as a walking punchline (courtesy of his ridiculous name) and earned his fiery death.
Michael Mando as Mac Gargan
Mac Gargan is underrated in the sense that the urgency to see his ascent to Spider-Man villainhood seems to be underappreciated. The guy has a serious score to settle with the wall-crawler, who left him badly burned and disfigured prior to his arrest, and it would be awesome to see him make the transformation into the comic book antagonist Scorpion.
Karl Urban as Skurge
Yes, Skurge starts out on the wrong side of the morality scale when he is introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, and yes, he comes across as a bit of a blowhard, but let’s give the guy credit for properly acting on a change of heart when he realizes the error of his ways and for sacrificing himself to ensure the defeat of Hela.
Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster
Bill Foster has a somewhat antagonistic role in Ant-Man And The Wasp, as he is technically helping the foe that the film’s titular heroes are trying to stop, but that work doesn’t come from a “villain” place. He wants to simply use his skills as a scientist to help a young woman with a rare condition – and he puts his foot down mightily when said woman crosses a line. Fingers are crossed we’ll someday get to see him go big as Goliath.
Martin Starr as Roger Harrington
Whether or not Roger Harrington is a good teacher/chaperone is debatable, but for what it’s worth, the incredible sadness of his life story makes for valuable dark entertainment: He goes from being a promising young student at Culver University to being stuck as a divorced high school teacher, and while he got remarried, that relationship ended when his wife pretended to disappear during the Blip.
J. B. Smoove as Julius Dell
Like Roger Harrington, Julius Dell is a questionable chaperone, but the guy can certainly provide you with a smile during a crisis, and to his credit, he doesn’t actually lose any students during the big trip through Europe. He also deserves a lot of credit for standing with Peter Parker following the (now forgotten) revelation that he is Spider-Man.
Meng'er Zhang as Xu Xialing
There are many cool new characters introduced in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, and the titular hero’s sister doesn’t get enough love as a result. Xu Xialing is not only a skilled badass who is formidable in the fight, but she also must be now recognized as one of the most influential people on earth given her role as the leader of the Ten Rings.
Kit Harington as Dane Whitman
Dane Whitman is only featured in Eternals at the beginning and end, but with just those scenes alone he manages to launch a fascinating mystery and a whole lot of questions. It hasn’t been announced yet, but bring on a Black Knight movie!
Daley Pearson as Darryl Jacobson
It was easy to love Darryl Jacobson as Thor’s put-upon roommate in the short film Team Thor, but there isn’t enough appreciation for the fact that the God of Thunder made up for his bad behavior by moving Darryl to New Asgard and getting him a job as a tour guide.
David Dastmalchian as Veb
There are a lot of weirdos who live in the Quantum Realm, but none are quite as weird as Veb: a blob who oddly has the ambition to have “holes” like many of his Freedom Fighter compatriots.
Maria Bakalova as Cosmo
Cosmo doesn’t get all that much screen time during the three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the holiday special, but what’s not to love? She is sweet, friendly, and loyal, and her only real character flaw is not tolerating anyone calling her a bad dog.
Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn
The Marvels is an underrated movie in general, but arguably its most underrated quality is Dar-Benn (my second primary antagonist exception after Aldrich Killian). The film could have fleshed out her narrative a bit more, but she has a fascinating perspective as the leader of a planet who is doing her best to save her people.
Chloe Bennet as Skye / Daisy Johnson / Quake
Now that there are Disney+ MCU shows, the original age of Marvel Television is somewhat forgotten, but that just means that there isn’t enough love out there for Skye a.k.a. Daisy Johnson a.k.a. Quake. The Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. hero has an awesome superpower and used it to excellent effect on the ABC series.
Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
Melinda May doesn’t have the advanced abilities of Quake, but she is awesome enough that I wouldn’t bet against her in a battle with a superhero or supervillain. She is not just a human weapon, but also an adept strategist.
Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
Foggy Nelson got a lot of hate as a side character on Daredevil, so allow me to use this forum to push back against criticism. He’s a bit goofy, but he’s a loyal friend, has a strong moral compass, and is a dedicated partner with Matt Murdock at their law firm
Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres
Given that he is about to play a supporting role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, Joaquin Torres might be just a few months away from getting the appreciation he deserves. For now, though, we can recognize him as an underrated member of the Falcon And The Winter Soldier cast who proved to be an energetic and talented sidekick to Sam Wilson.
Eugene Cordero as Casey
When first introduced in Loki Season 1, Casey was a highlight for the moments of levity he brought to the show, but the character gained some real complexity in Season 2 and became a key member of the team working to repair the Temporal Loom.
Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15
Hunter B-15 is another TVA employee who doesn’t get the love from fans that she should – if not only because of how consequential she is in Loki’s overarching narrative. Her siding with Sylvie and Loki in Season 1 of the Disney+ show proves to be a major turning of the tide and helps permanently change the Time Variance Authority.
Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne
A lot of appreciation for Jack Duquesne comes from upended expectations. He seems like he is an obvious villain when he is introduced in Hawkeye, what with him being secretive, overly friendly and Kate Bishop’s mother’s new boyfriend – but he flips the script by the end and joins the heroes in their battle against the true antagonists.
Antonia Salib as Taweret
What’s not to love about a sweet, talking hippopotamus? Not only that, but Taweret is a goddess who also has quirks and insecurities, and that’s endlessly endearing. She is easily one of the best things about Moon Knight, but doesn’t get enough love.
Josh Segarra as Augustus "Pug" Pugliese
Josh Segarra is really talented when it comes to playing the “good dude” (see: his performance in the Max original series The Other Two) and he builds on that part of his resume as Augustus "Pug" Pugliese in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. There are a lot of people who create problems and cause havoc in the life of Jennifer Walters, but Pug is a guy she can always count on in a crisis.
