10 Marvel Heroes Fans Totally Forgot Were In Live-Action, Ranked

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There has been a plethora of live-action Marvel adaptations over the years. Even before the iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe took pop culture by storm, the iconic heroes of the Marvel Universe were being adapted in television and film for decades. With there being so many adaptations of the beloved comic books, fans are bound to have forgotten about some of the less-remembered character adaptations that have been featured over the years.

Whether they were throwaway appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, forgotten television cameos, or unpopular adaptations featured in maligned projects, there have been so many recognizable Marvel characters that live-action movie and television fans have completely forgotten about.

10

Charlie-27 Appeared Alongside Other Classic Guardians In Minor Cameos

Seen In: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

First appearing in the pages of 1968’s Marvel Super-Heroes #18, Charlie-27 was one of the original members of Marvel’s first Guardians of the Galaxy team. Alongside heroes like Vance Astro, the original Yondu Udonta, and Martinex T’Naga, Charlie-27 was instrumental in bringing one of Marvel’s most popular modern teams to life.

Charlie-27, alongside other lesser-known Guardians characters from the comics, appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, played by beloved character actor Ving Rhames. He was shown to be one of Yondu’s old friends and comrades, and the film’s finale, depicting Yondu’s funeral, allowed for Charlie-27 and others to appear in minor supporting roles to honor their fallen brother.

9

Shatterstar Was a Member of the Ill-Fated X-Force

Seen In: Deadpool 2 (2018), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

The son of iconic X-Men characters Longshot and Dazzler, Shatterstar first appeared in 1991’s The New Mutants #99. Co-created by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, Shatterstar has never gained as much traction and popularity with fans as other Liefeld creations like the Merc with the Mouth himself, but he has remained a consistent supporting character in the realm of the X-Men for the last few decades.

Deadpool 2 featured one of the most hilarious and immediately-iconic series of character deaths ever shown in a comic book movie, and Shatterstar was, unfortunately, featured in the massacre. Joining Deadpool’s new X-Force team, Shatterstar met a grisly fate alongside the majority of his teammates when he inadvertently parachuted into spinning helicopter blades. His death was a hilarious addition to the film, but the minor size of his appearance has left him forgotten by many fans. Shatterstar also made a brief appearance in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which suggest that Lewis Tan’s version of the character could appear in future Marvel films.

8

Doc Samson Briefly Appeared In a Minor Supporting Role

Seen In: The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Doc Samson is one of the most engaging, emotionally complex supporting characters in the Hulk’s stories. A psychological power-house in addition to his great physical strength, Samson has squared off toe-to-toe with the Hulk on a mental front many times, and has found himself allied with the green giant time and time again in books like The Incredible Hulk and the recent The Immortal Hulk.

In 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, actor Ty Burrell portrays Leonard Samson, the ex-boyfriend of Betty Ross and former rival of Bruce Banner. Though Leonard is barely featured in the film, and he doesn’t yet have the gamma-powered abilities of his comic counterpart, his appearance is a wonderful nod to his iconic comic roots.

7

Thunderbird Was a Classic X-Men Who Found New Life On TV

Seen In: The Gifted (2017-2019)

John Proudstar, aka Thunderbird, is one of the X-Men’s most important members. Featured as an original member of the revamped team of X-Men first assembled in the pages of Giant-Size X-Men #1, Thunderbird was a shocking casualty of the team’s first major mission. Later brought back from the dead, Thunderbird has remained a major player in the X-Men universe for decades.

The Gifted was an underrated and often-forgotten live-action Marvel series that was released on FOX from 2017 to 2019. While on the air, the series featured appearances by some of the coolest and most underrated characters from the entire X-Men pantheon. Characters like Polaris, Blink, and the Stepford Cuckoos all made appearances, and Thunderbird stood out as a consistently excellent addition to the cast. The show has its die-hard fans, but it has unfortunately been forgotten in recent years.

6

Medusa Was Royally Misrepresented In Live-Action

Seen In: Inhumans (2017)

Queen Medusa of the Inhumans is one of the most important characters in Marvel Comics history. With a strong connection to the Fantastic Four and the early days of their adventures, Medusa has been around in the Marvel Universe even longer than her husband, Black Bolt.

Though 2017’s Inhumans TV series was universally panned by critics and audiences alike, it did give longtime fans of the comics their first live-action looks at some of the most iconic characters in Marvel’s pantheon. Queen Medusa was unfortunately de-powered, mischaracterized, and underutilized in the lackluster story, and this fact led to many fans completely forgetting or otherwise disregarding the adaptation of the beloved character.

5

Bishop Was Unfortunately Underutilized in His Small Appearance

Seen In: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Played in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past by French actor Omar Sy, Lucas Bishop was shown to be one of the surviving members of the X-Men in the terrifying dystopian future overrun by murderous Sentinel robots. Bishop’s role in the Marvel Comics world is hard to understate, and although he was a cool addition to the film, there wasn’t much to grab onto in terms of characterization.

Bishop is one of the most interesting, thematically and emotionally complex characters in the entire X-Men universe, and the fact that his live-action appearance was relegated to a background character with barely any spoken lines was a huge disappointment to fans, and it left many people entirely forgetting that the iconic mutant had even appeared in the film.

Seen In: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

In the original Marvel comic books, Danny Ketch was the second character to take on the mantle of Ghost Rider after Johnny Blaze. In fact, many of the most iconic aspects of Ghost Rider that fans know and love today came from the Danny Ketch era of the character.

In an homage to the comics, 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance featured Nicolas Cage’s Johnny Blaze looking after a young boy named Danny, the live-action version of the iconic Danny Ketch. Though he doesn’t become Ghost Rider in the film, Danny is powered by the same forces as Johnny Blaze, and it seems that the filmmakers did genuinely care about honoring the source material when it came to the forgotten adaptation of the character.

Seen In: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Jamie Madrox, aka Multiple Man, is one of the most underrated and underutilized characters in the entire X-Men pantheon. His moral ambiguity, incredible power set, and compelling emotional core make him one of the most unique characters in the X-books. Unfortunately, the character has yet to be memorably portrayed on-screen.

Madrox appeared briefly in the third theatrical X-Men film, X-Men: The Last Stand, a film that many fans considered the worst entry in the series at the time. Multiple Man is shown on the same prison convoy as Juggernaut and Mystique, and he joins Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants for the final battle of the film. It’s a forgettable adaptation for the character, and fans are still waiting for the multiplying mutant to be given the adaptation he deserves.

2

Black Knight Was Teased for An Uncertain Future

Seen In: Eternals (2021)

It might surprise younger comics readers to know that Dane Whitman, aka the Black Knight, was actually one of the most consistent members of the Avengers for a number of years in the 1970s and 80s. A core member of the team, Black Knight has, in recent years, become significantly less popular with readers.

This seemed primed and ready to change with the arrival of Kit Harington’s live-action iteration of Dane Whitman in 2021’s Eternals. Unfortunately, the film was panned by critics and fans, and the set-ups and teases that the film established seem less and less likely to be paid off any time soon, leaving Black Knight’s future in the MCU up in the air.

1

Cloak and Dagger Led a Forgotten Series of Their Own

Seen In: Cloak & Dagger (2018-2019)

Ty Johnson and Tandy Bowen, aka Cloak and Dagger, respectively, are one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic superhero duos. Almost never seen apart from one another, the youthful heroes complement each other’s abilities in wonderful ways, and their popularity has only grown in recent months with their prominent role in the hyper-popular Marvel Rivals video game.

Featuring in their very own live-action series on the Freeform network, Cloak and Dagger were given two full seasons of adventures. Despite this fact, many fans of the characters either don’t realize that the series exists or have simply forgotten it. There are certainly fans of the now-forgotten series, but the shocking lack of any reference or fanfare for the characters and their series has left many fans completely oblivious to these iconic heroes’ live-action iterations.

“}]] There’s been tons of live-action Marvel projects over the years, and fans have naturally forgotten some of the iconic heroes featured.  Read More