Given the massive roster of characters the MCU now has to deal with, it is inevitable that some have had to go. In some cases, these characters were killed off, whether abruptly or to meet the needs of the story. In other cases, they were simply forgotten about and never seen again.
However, just because a character is seemingly gone doesn't mean that fans are ready to say goodbye. The MCU fans on Reddit have highlighted some of the dead or missing MCU characters they would most like to see make a return to the cinematic universe.
Black Widow
By the end of Phase 3, it was clear that some of the original heroes would be leaving the MCU. Black Widow was the first of the original six Avengers to bow out with her sacrificial death in Avengers: Endgame which some fans felt was not the send-off the character had earned.
But while the mantle of Black Widow seems to be passing to Yelena, there are some fans who would like to see Natasha Romanoff return somehow. Redditor Zelectro acknowledged that undoing her death immediately would be a mistake but thought "maybe in 10-20 years" it might be fun to revisit the character.
Shocker
Shocker is a fairly well-known Spider-Man villain in the comics and made his debut as one of Vulture's henchmen in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The character was last seen facing off with Spider-Man at the high school before being webbed to a bus.
It is likely he was thrown in prison along with his boss Adrian Toomes, but that doesn't mean he can't come back in some future movie. Redditor DepressedVonchi hopes to see the character again with a little more substance and "not a generic faceless crook."
The Leader
The MCU is known for its fun foreshadowing, planting the seeds for what is to come in the future. However, one of those exciting teases has yet to be fulfilled with Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk.
Sterns was last seen becoming infected by Bruce Banner's gamma blood as it mutated his brain, hinting he would turn into the villain The Leader like in the comics. The character has been missing since Phase 1 yet Redditor DragonzordR holds out hope he could return "even as the main villain in She-Hulk."
Ghost
The MCU is also not afraid to make some drastic changes to their characters, such as with Ava Starr aka Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The character is not at all like the comic book counterpart of the villain, though she proved to be a rather sympathetic antagonist.
Even though she didn't make as large of an impact as some other notable villains, there are many who would love to see the character return and be explored deeper. Redditor duffinbraden noted that with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on the way, they "don’t see how she can’t be in it."
Red Skull
As one of the most significant Marvel villains of all time, Red Skull has had a surprisingly limited part in the MCU thus far. After disappearing for a long time following his apparent demise in Captain America: The First Avenger, Red Skull made brief cameo appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
While it is confirmed he is still out there, he is a very different character now and seemingly stuck on Vorimir. But Redditor Phoenix4AD feels the idea of "an old Captain America villain meeting with the new Captain," aka Sam Wilson, is too good to pass up.
Betty Ross
The Incredible Hulk was very much an overlooked MCU entry for a long time. However, with characters like Thunderbolt Ross and Abomination making their way back into the MCU, some fans think there is a chance Betty Ross could appear as well.
Betty was Bruce Banner's love interest in the movie yet disappeared following her one appearance. Redditor blackbutterfree expressed a desire to see Betty return "as her current version of Harpy" from the comics which sees her transformed into a flying gamma monster.
Justin Hammer
The MCU had a reputation early on for killing off their villains quickly. Ironically, one of the few major villains to have survived in those early movies was Justin Hammer who has yet to reappear. The wacky and somewhat comedic villain was last seen being arrested in Iron Man 2 as well as a brief cameo in Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King which shows him still in prison.
As he is still out there and alive, many fans have expressed a desire to see Sam Rockwell reprise the role eventually. Redditor cbekel3618 stated that are "hoping we see Hammer return in Armor Wars."
Iron Man
Surely the most significant death in the MCU thus far has been Iron Man. As the hero who started it all, seeing him give his life to defeat Thanos is already a defining moment in the franchise. Yet even as iconic as it was, some fans still want to see the character come back.
Given Robert Downey Jr's long tenure in the cinematic universe and the impact of his death, it seems very unlikely fans will see him again. However, Redditor DisasterMother2838 admitted to wanting to see him "finally face Wenwu" and fulfilling the hero-villain dynamic from the comics.
Ikaris
With a large cast of heroes in Eternals, the plot twist that Ikaris betrayed his team was a fairly shocking one. While the character seemed dedicated to fulfilling his mission, in the end, he seemed overcome with regret and flew directly into the sun, seemingly killing himself.
However, many found that the character and Richard Madden's performance were too good to only get one movie. Though the future of the Eternals franchise is unclear, Redditor rompe_palle suggested Ikaris could return and "not have his full memories."