10 Underrated Supporting Marvel Characters Who Deserve Solo Series

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Over the years, Marvel Comics has introduced hundreds of heroes, along with countless sidekicks and supporting characters. Thanks to the vast Marvel Universe, there’s plenty of room for them to appear in titles like The Avengers, X-Men, and the Spider-Verse. However, many of these characters have never received a solo series, despite strong fan interest.

The truth is, there are simply too many characters for Marvel to give them all a spotlight, and most readers understand that. While many shine in supporting roles, there are a few underrated Marvel heroes who clearly deserve a breakout chance. They’ve got the motivation, backstory, charisma, or power to carry a series of their own.

10

Elsa Bloodstone Could Have an Action-Packed Solo Series

This Monster Hunter Is Pals With Jeff the Land Shark

“That’s right, Captain Overbite… never mess with a Bloodstone!”

Elsa Bloodstone was born into a renowned monster-hunting family. As the daughter of Ulysses Bloodstone, she was raised from a young age to fight monsters. Her early encounters included battling the Blight Beast before moving on to even more formidable foes. Since then, Elsa has built a strong reputation, taking on monsters and teaming up with heroes like Jessica Jones and Deadpool.

Some of her adventures have drawn more attention than others, but she certainly deserves another shot at the spotlight. She’s been part of Battleworld, Multiversal Chaos, the Leviathan Tide, and Monster Island. During the latter, Elsa even became friends with Jeff the Land Shark, who’s become a breakout Marvel character. Elsa is a strong, layered character who could easily carry a solo series.

She Inherited the White Tiger Amulet from Her Brother Hector

“Your time is done. I’m the beast that hunts in the darkness now. I’m the monster who even monsters fear. I’m the White Tigers. You want a deal? This is your deal: Give me everything you have. Now. Or crawl away and die and I’ll do it without you.”

Ava Ayala is the fifth Marvel character to take on the role of White Tiger. She inherited it from her niece, Angela Del Toro, and before that, Ava’s brother, Hector, held the White Tiger mantle. Hector’s version of the White Tiger was recently seen in Daredevil: Born Again, so now is a smart time for Marvel to introduce White Tiger to a wider audience.

As White Tiger, Ava has teamed up with many heroes and groups. She began by joining Avengers Academy before moving on to the Heroes for Hire, who later rebranded as the Mighty Avengers. Since she’s had a presence in so many series, lots of Marvel readers are familiar with Ava, but a solo book would really give the character a chance to come into her own.

8

Blue Marvel Deserves to Join the Ranks of Marvel’s Other Supergeniuses

Adam Brashear Is a Powerful and Brilliant Hero

“One of my old enemies is back and the Avengers need my help. … That’s what heroes do.”

Dr. Adam Brashear is one of the smartest heroes in the Marvel Universe, though he often doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Also known as Blue Marvel, Adam is a super-genius and an expert in theoretical physics. As a superhero, he’s incredibly strong, nearly invulnerable, and capable of absorbing and manipulating energy, including antimatter. Combined with his intellect, this gives him nearly limitless potential.

Blue Marvel is best known for his roles in the Mighty Avengers and in the Ultimates, where he faced cosmic-level threats before they could reach Earth. The team encountered a wide range of challenges, made even more complex by their commitment to avoiding violence as the default solution. Many of Marvel’s most beloved characters, like Tony Stark and Reed Richards, are known for their intellect, so it makes sense to give a supergenius like Blue Marvel some time in the spotlight.

7

Justice Deserves to Break Away from the New Warriors

Vance Astrovik Has the Depth for a Solo Book

“I served my time for what I did wrong! Who’s going to give me something back for what I’ve done right?”

Vance Astrovik was originally known as Marvel Boy, but today, he goes by the name Justice. As a teen, he helped found the New Warriors after he was rejected by the Avengers. Since then, he’s worked with both teams and has played a role in major Marvel events like Secret Invasion and Dark Reign, but he hasn’t had a series of his own.

One of the more interesting things about Justice is that he’s actually a mutant. His telekinetic powers emerged when he was a teenager, and he accidentally used his abilities to kill his abusive father. Justice was once engaged to Firestar, an important member of the X-Men, but aside from that, his involvement with Marvel’s mutants has been minimal. Between his tragic backstory and his untapped X-Men connections, there’s a lot Marvel could do with a Justice series.

6

Singularity Is a Beacon of Hope in the Marvel Universe

Marvel Could Use More Cosmic Comics

“What do I tell them? Everything? Nothing? No, perhaps something in between. They are not the same. I can look and I can see this. But somehow they are still the same. Still brave. Still selfless. Still heroic. But they are not my friends. They are not even friends to one another. Not yet.”

Singularity is a cosmic being in the Marvel Universe, possibly even a sentient quantum singularity, as her name suggests. Her full origin remains a mystery, but she first appeared during the events of A-Force. She quickly bonded with the team, becoming a symbol of hope and inspiration for both characters and readers.

While Singularity is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters, she never misuses her abilities. She can shield herself and others, create portals, and even time travel. In one instance, Singularity helped Captain Marvel deceive a dangerous foe, Vox, into thinking she had followed his orders and eliminated the Avengers. With her unique mix of power and heart, fans would love to see her explored further in a solo series.

5

Husk Is an Underrated X-Men

Paige Guthrie Should Play a Bigger Role in the X-Men Franchise

“Hmph. Why are all the hot guys either jerks or part of a sinister plot to murder your friends?”

The X-Men franchise features many notable families, including the Guthrie family. Paige, the younger sister of Cannonball, is a talented hero in her own right. Determined to follow in her brother’s footsteps, she entered the world of heroes and danger earlier than most. Since then, Paige has worked alongside the X-Men and has also partnered with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Hellfire Academy.

While she’s appeared across various Marvel Comics, Paige, who often goes by Husk, has never had a solo series. Her abilities let her remove layers of skin to change forms, which is a little gross, but it would be interesting to see what writers could do with those powers in an ongoing series. Since she has so many Marvel connections, popular characters like Wolverine could also guest-star in her comic.

4

Phyla-Vell Once Held the Mantle of Captain Marvel

It’s Time for Marvel to Bring Back This Underrated Hero

“I am the chosen avatar of death. You want to learn about pain? I’ll teach you! … Now, who wants to go save the universe?”

Phyla-Vell is the daughter of Mar-Vell, a Marvel superhero introduced during the 60s, and Elysius, an artificial being created by a sentient computer system. While that’s already an impressive backstory, she’s also served as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and has even held the title of Captain Marvel. A younger version Phyla-Vell appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so she’s even been introduced to the MCU.

Right now, Phyla-Vell is deceased, but this is comic books, and there’s nothing stopping Marvel from bringing her back. They could even resurrect the character in a younger form to better align with her MCU counterpart. In addition to holding the Captain Marvel title, she’s taken on other mantles like Quasar and Martyr, so Marvel has no shortage of options if they choose to give her a solo series.

3

Hazmat Is a Newer Marvel Hero Who Needs More Attention

Jennifer Takeda’s Dangerous Powers Deserve to Be Explored

“Thank you for flying Hazmat air. Please put your tray tables in their upright positions and close your damn eyes if you want to keep them from melting outta your head!”

Anyone who felt sympathy for Rogue in her early days will likely feel the same way about Hazmat, also known as Jennifer Takeda. Hazmat isn’t actually a mutant, but her powers emerged around puberty. Her abilities made her family ill, put her boyfriend into a coma, and even caused the death of her dog. That’s when Hazmat discovered she had a condition known as hazardous physiology.

Hazmat’s body naturally produces deadly substances, many of them radioactive. It’s not something she can control, so she wears a special containment suit to protect those around her. Since Hazmat’s powers make it harder for her to get close to others, a solo book could explore how lonely having superpowers can be.

2

Prodigy Is a Fascinating X-Men Character

David Alleyne Is a Mutant With Limitless Potential

“Knowledge isn’t power. It’s an intrinsic good. It betters the world simply be existing, and it would’ve been criminal to lose this data. And if the choice is between being a criminal or being a super hero? Done. Super hero, dude. No competition. Ask me a harder question next time.”

David Alleyne, also known as Prodigy, is a mutant with limitless potential. A super-genius, he can absorb the knowledge and skills of those around him. He’s been through a lot, including losing his powers during the events of M-Day. Though the Stepford Cuckoos eventually helped restore them, the experience clearly left a lasting impact.

Prodigy was first introduced in the early 2000s as part of the New Mutants Training Squad at the Xavier Institute. He’s been involved in several major events, though he’s often been pushed to the background. For instance, during World War Hulk, he only appeared briefly and was tasked with staying behind to protect the students. More recently, he showed up in the now-cancelled NYX series.

1

Tigra Has Been in the Shadows for Too Long

Greer Nelson Is an Oft-Overlooked Human/Tiger Hybrid

“I’m Tig — I’m Greer Nelson; I’m Tigra; I’m human; I’m Cat-People — I’m so many things, I don’t know what the hell I am. If you can find serenity in that mess… you can have it.”

Like many Marvel heroes, Tigra, also known as Greer Nelson, has been around for decades, and as a result, her backstory has become somewhat complicated. Originally known as The Cat, Tigra was a part of human enhancement experiments that mutated her into a human/tiger hybrid. Later comics connected her to a race of humanoid beings known as the Cat People.

Over time, Tigra has become more like a feline, and while her complicated backstory might be off-putting to some comic readers, it could easily be streamlined in a solo book. It helps that Tigra has connections to many of Marvel’s most famous teams. Not only has she worked with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., but she was a founding member of the West Coast Avengers.

“}]] Marvel Comics has introduced hundreds of different heroes over the years, and many have never gotten a solo series, despite their potential.  Read More