Marvel Phase 4 Is Giving A Lot Of Failed MCU Characters A Second Chance

Phase 4 is giving a lot of failed MCU characters a second chance. For all its success since it launched with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU has encountered its fair share of bumps in the road, both on and off-screen. By now, everyone is familiar with the franchise's track record of adapting complex Marvel comic book baddies and reducing them to flat, unmemorable, one-off threats (with the likes of Killmonger being the exceptions that prove the rule). The MCU has had similar issues when it comes to its portrayal of women (especially BIPOC women) in the past, often failing to give them the same development as their male peers.

This in particularly evident when you look at the number of female MCU characters who unceremoniously vanished before Phase 3 reached its climax with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. For example, Jane Foster and her assistant/intern Darcy Lewis haven't been seen since Thor: The Dark World (flashbacks aside), and Sharon Carter similarly went off the radar after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Interestingly, though, all three of them will get another shot at success in Phase 4.

Back at San Diego Comic-Con 201, Thor: Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi confirmed Natalie Portman is not only returning as Jane, but will transform into Mighty Thor in the film (as her comic book counterpart did before her). Sharon and Darcy are also coming back for Phase 4, albeit in the upcoming MCU series being developed for Disney+. The former will play a recurring role on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while the latter is part of the ensemble for the Scarlet Witch and Vision show, WandaVision.

Thor Love and Thunder Mighty Jane Foster Natalie Portman

For the most part, these characters didn't fail because they're badly-conceived; the MCU just couldn't figure out what to do with them. Jane was introduced as a driven scientist in the first Thor movie, but was reduced to serving as little more than a glorified vessel for the Ether in The Dark World. Her absence in Thor: Ragnarok was then explained with a throwaway line about her and Thor breaking up, and the character appeared in Endgame via archival footage only. Sharon got something of a similar raw deal; after being introduced as a capable SHIELD agent in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, she shared an awkward kiss with Steve Rogers in Civil War - shortly after revealing her aunt (!) was his old flame, Peggy - and disappeared, her role in the plot fulfilled. Of the three, Darcy was always meant to be the simplest (a comic relief sidekick for Jane), yet even then the Thor movies failed to give her anything substantial to do other than crack tired jokes and mispronounce "Mjolnir."

All of these characters have the potential to shine more in Phase 4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier promises to paint Sharon in a more complicated light by portraying her as a former government agent on the run and pitting her against Civil War's Baron Helmut Zemo. (The latter is also getting a second shot of sorts in Phase 4, evolving him into a more comic book-accurate villain.) Jane as Mighty Thor should have a similarly meaty arc in Love & Thunder, especially if the movie adapts part or all of her cancer storyline from the comic books. Even Darcy ought to feel more at home in the wacky-weird world of WandaVision, a series that is also bringing back Randall Park's Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and the Wasp for more zany antics. With a little luck, all of these supporting players will leave a stronger impression with their second go-round in the MCU than they did their first.

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