The Marvel Cinematic Universe is not an overtly comedic franchise, but it’s also not an overtly dramatic one. This series of tightly interconnected superhero blockbusters gives us the best of both worlds: hilarious gags and emotional resonance, rolled into one. Of course, to create that balance, the franchise has had to give us characters that are more comedic than anything else.
There are dramatic characters, who we care about for their personal arcs, and there are comedic characters, who we depend on for the laughs. The greatest MCU characters walk a fine line between the two. So, here are 10 Funniest Characters In The MCU.
10. Drax the Destroyer
Drax’s characterization wasn’t overtly comedic in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. He was an alien badass who was driven by the desire to avenge his murdered family. But James Gunn couldn’t resist throwing in some jokes about Drax’s habit of taking everything literally and therefore not understanding idioms.
Surprisingly, that was what the audience responded to the most in the character, so Gunn made it more prominent in the sequel. At first, Dave Bautista was resistant to this development, but he’s since come to embrace the character’s change to play him hilariously as a clueless, arrogant, reckless buffoon.
9. Korg
Taika Waititi based his voice and mannerisms for Korg on the bouncers he knew in New Zealand. Even though Korg is this huge, intimidating warrior made of rocks, he seems completely harmless.
Almost every line that comes out of Korg’s mouth is a hysterical and unforgettable one-liner, whether he’s complaining about the kid on Fortnite who calls him a “d*******,” or introducing himself to new friends with a rock-paper-scissors joke. MCU devotees were relieved to see that Korg had survived the snap and was living on Thor’s couch in New Asgard, playing video games and wearing a giant Hawaiian shirt.
8. Shuri
If T’Challa’s sister Shuri was a scientific genius who spent her days inventing mind-blowing technology with Wakanda’s secret stash of vibranium, that would be enough. But she’s also really funny.
Whether she’s poking fun at her brother or simply cracking a joke, she has countless memorable one-liners in the MCU, from “Great, another broken white boy for us to fix!” to “When you said you would take me to California for the first time, I thought you meant Coachella or Disneyland.” Letitia Wright seems to have really settled into the role of Shuri over the course of her character arc and made her one of the franchise’s most beloved characters.
7. Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the only character in the MCU whose movies could be reasonably described as full-blown comedies. That’s why some MCU fans thought it was unusual that a wacky caper like Ant-Man and the Wasp was chosen to follow the gut-punch cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War.
As it turned out, this would be very important for story as we had to learn about the Quantum Realm and where Scott Lang was before Endgame. Fans were initially reluctant to accept Paul Rudd, known primarily for his “bromantic comedies,” as a superhero, but it’s fair to say that those doubts are long gone.
6. Nebula
Karen Gillan is perfect for the role of Nebula, because she’ll make you care about her when it’s necessary, even when she’s a villain, or she’ll make you laugh any other time. What makes Nebula’s comedic moments work so well is Gillan’s deadpan delivery of every line.
For example, she’ll punctuate a dark, violent moment by taking a bite out of a fruit, spitting it out, and declaring it’s not ripe. And it’s fair to say that fans would’ve been happy to watch a whole movie of Tony Stark and Nebula’s banter as they drifted through space. As a consolation, it was a solid way to open the film.
5. Iron Man
Iron Man was the first character in the MCU, and he’s also one of the funniest. In fact, he’s the whole reason why so many characters in the MCU are funny at all, because he set the tone for the entire franchise with his 2008 solo movie.
Tony Stark always has the perfect pop culture reference to take someone down a peg, whether he’s calling Thor “Point Break” or calling Loki “Rock of Ages.” He also cracks jokes and one-liners constantly, as a character who lives and dies by the power of his quips. Plus, Robert Downey, Jr. was allowed to improvise a lot on the set, which led to some spontaneous hilarity.
4. Star-Lord
James Gunn was initially reluctant to cast Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy, but as his ensuing stardom has shown, it was the right call. Pratt brings the perfect sensibility to the role of Peter Quill to sell the quirky tone of the Guardians movies.
He plays Quill putting on his "legendary outlaw" Star-Lord persona in the same way he used to play Andy Dwyer portraying a character like Burt Macklin or Johnny Karate on Parks and Rec. It works brilliantly. Immaturity isn't always funny, but it is when it's done right, and when Quill tries foolishly to outsmart Tony Stark or emulates Thor's voice in an attempt to intimidate him, it works.
3. Spider-Man
Tom Holland brings the perfect balance of neurotic panic and a sense of awe to the role of Peter Parker that makes him a delight to watch. He's the outsider looking in who can comment on things like superheroes' "made-up names," because he's just a teenage kid who's starstruck by all the cool people he's helping to save the world.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is basically a John Hughes high school comedy with added action set pieces and alien technology. The MCU's Spidey has been built up as a comedic character, and it's what makes scenes like his Infinity War death hit so close to home.
2. Thor
Even Chris Hemsworth himself had gotten bored of Thor before Taika Waititi came along and made him hilarious. Before Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder was just a pontificating, vaguely Shakespearean character who took everything seriously and hardly ever smiled.
Now, he’s a hysterical character whose egotism, high position of power, and backstory ripped from Norse mythology are all played for laughs. Avengers: Endgame completed Thor’s transition into a fully comical character as he went into a deep depression fueled by his failure to kill Thanos and started chugging beer by the keg, gained a bunch of weight, and started dressing like the Dude.
1. Rocket
James Gunn has said that Rocket is the one character in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies that he relates to the most. In fact, the chance to finish off Rocket's character arc is the whole reason Gunn agreed to return to the director's chair for the third Guardians movie. He's one of the most lovable and emotionally interesting characters in the MCU, but he's also arguably the funniest.
He's got the perfect insult for everyone, whether he's condescending to Ant-Man for not understanding space travel or undermining Star-Lord's attempts to declare himself the best pilot in the galaxy. Bradley Cooper delivers every line spectacularly, bringing real humanity and sharp wit to a character made of CGI.
