How Every MCU Superhero Got Their Nickname In Canon

Warning: SPOILERS for WandaVision Episode 8 - "Previously On"

Here's how everyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe got their nickname or superhero codename in-canon. The MCU has grown exponentially since Iron Man kicked it all off in 2008. After 23 films, many more superheroes have joined the original six Avengers who assembled in 2012. But a common feature of the MCU is a general de-emphasis or outright lack of using superhero codenames.

The overall disuse of the superheroes' codenames or "funny nicknames", as they're called in WandaVision, is actually one of the keys to the MCU's success. Millions of fans around the world love the MCU because of the focus on the characters as people and not as superhero icons. The fact that the Avengers refer to each other by their real names and spend most of the time out of costume may rankle comic book purists, but it makes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), and even alien gods like Thor (Chris Hemsworth) feel like authentic people who aren't defined by their colorful costumed identities. The Avengers also mostly eschew having secret identities so that even the ordinary man on the street knows Tony Stark is Iron Man - and likes him much better for it.

As the MCU proliferated with superheroes, how they each got their codename or nickname is as varied as the heroes themselves. Many heroes were given their identities by outside entities and simply liked and adopted the names. Others grudgingly accepted that they would be publicly known by a funny nickname. For some, the codename is a professional moniker or designation that comes from an employer organization like SHIELD and S.W.O.R.D., or an affiliation such as the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Meanwhile, other prominent heroes, including members of the Avengers, surprisingly have yet to adopt a codename in the MCU, even if fans know them by that identity from Marvel Comics.

Even from the start, the MCU made clear that it is its own entity that only takes inspiration from the Marvel Comics source material and ventures off in its own direction, according to the creative needs of the movie (and now TV) universe. The MCU is only going to get bigger as WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and several other Disney+ TV series enriches the universe. But in terms of the MCU movies thus far, the various ways each hero got their nickname are as diverse as the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are themselves.

Iron Man

Tony Stark goes by many names - "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" - but the one he was proudest of was Iron Man. Stark didn't pick the name for himself, however; Tony adopted "Iron Man" after The Chronicle newspaper published a front-page article with the headline "Who Is The Iron Man?" after Stark killed Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges). Tony was so captivated by the name Iron Man and the "spectacular" idea of himself as a superhero that he abandoned SHIELD's cover story that Iron Man was a bodyguard and publicly declared "I am Iron Man!" to the press. The rest is MCU history.

Hulk

Originally played by Edward Norton in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner's angry green alter ego seems to have named himself in the MCU. In the climactic battle against the Abomination (Tim Roth) in Harlem, Hulk declared "Hulk smash!" When Mark Ruffalo took over the role in 2012's The Avengers, he avoided saying "Hulk" and used euphemisms like "The Other Guy", but SHIELD and Tony Stark referred to Banner's mean, green monster as the Hulk. So, at some point in between the two films, "Hulk" became Banner's gamma-powered alter ego's name.

War Machine

James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who already had the nickname "Rhodey", became War Machine after he stole a silver suit of armor from Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. Since Tony was dying from palladium poisoning, he went on a self-destructive binge at his birthday party and drunkenly endangered his party guests. Rhodey donned the silver armor to fight Tony, who taunted, "You wanna be the War Machine?" during their brawl. Rhodey then left with the suit and turned it over to Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who augmented its artillery and arsenal. In Iron Man 3, Rhodey's War Machine suit was painted like the American flag and he was called Iron Patriot, but he went back to War Machine by the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Captain America

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers was transformed by the Super Soldier Serum but because Hydra killed Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), it prevented more American super-soldiers to be made. In order to safeguard Rogers, the USO sent him on a fundraising stage tour, made him wear a star-spangled costume, and named him Captain America. As Cap - which is just an abbreviation of his hero name - Steve later starred in a series of propaganda films. But it wasn't until he joined World War II and battled Hydra all over Europe that Steve Rogers made the name Captain America into a legend.

Thor

Thor Odinson is the real name of Thor, who was born in Asgard 1,500 years ago and was destined to replace his father, Odin Borson (Anthony Hopkins) as King. As for Thor's nickname, the God of Thunder, that was bestowed on him due to his power to summon mystic lightning, just as other Asgardian royals also have nicknames: Thor's older sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) was the Goddess of Death, his adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is the God of Mischief, and Odin was the Allfather.

Black Widow

Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) was an assassin trained by Russia's Red Room who defected and joined SHIELD. Agent Romanoff's SHIELD designation is Black Widow and she was called "Black Widow" in Russian when she was held prisoner by Russian gangsters at the start of The Avengers. Romanoff has also been referred to as "Widow" and she was called by her full codename by a STRIKE agent in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but the Avengers affectionately referred to Romanoff as, simply, Nat.

Hawkeye

Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) made his MCU debut in a cameo in 2011's Thor and he was referred to as "the Hawk". Like Natasha Romanoff, Hawkeye is Barton's SHIELD designation because of his unerring marksmanship, although he was more often referred to as Agent Barton and the Avengers called him by his real name. When they were home in the Bartons' Missouri farmhouse during Avengers: Age of Ultron, Clint was called "Hawkeye" by his wife Laura (Linda Cardinelli). When Disney+'s Hawkeye series premieres, a new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), will be trained by Barton to join him as the world's greatest archers.

Falcon

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is named The Falcon for his winged military harness, the EXO-7 Falcon, and both were introduced in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Sam does not like it when his Falcon suit is referred to as a "bird costume". Wilson was a retired soldier who got into the superhero game and became an Avenger because he befriended Steve Rogers, who he liked to call Captain America out of admiration.

The Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was a U.S. Army Sergeant and the childhood friend of Steve Rogers who was captured by Russians during World War II. Believed dead, Bucky was subjected to brainwashing, physical enhancements including a metal arm, and was designated as the Winter Soldier when he was turned into a Hydra assassin. The Winter Soldier spent decades performing black ops kills, including Howard (John Slattery) and Maria Stark (Hope Davis), before Steve Rogers broke him of his brainwashing and restored his memories and personality.

Guardians of the Galaxy

As alien beings, most of the Guardians of the Galaxy have no need for codenames or nicknames but the exception is their leader, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who gave himself the lofty moniker Star-Lord. Meanwhile, Drax (Dave Bautista) became known as The Destroyer due to his ruthless reputation. However, when the Guardians met Thor in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, the Asgardian gave Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) the nicknames "Rabbit" and "Tree". Thor himself was referred to as a "handsome Pirate Angel".

Vision

Vision (Paul Bettany) used to be JARVIS, Tony Stark's personal A.I. JARVIS evolved into his current Synthezoid form and got his name because he was Ultron's (James Spader) "vision" of a perfect machine form. Vision (or The Vision as he's called by S.W.O.R.D. in WandaVision) not only has a mix of JARVIS and Ultron's A.I. but also some of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's personalities as well, merged together by the Mind Stone.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Both Ant-Man (Scott Lang) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) are legacy heroes. Scott was recruited by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who invented the revolutionary size-changing technology called Pym Particles. Hank's wife Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) was known as the Wasp and the Pyms were SHIELD agents in the 1970s and 1980s before she was lost in the Quantum Realm for decades.

Spider-Man

In the MCU, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and he fashioned a crude, homemade costume to fight crime and protect his neighbors from calamities in Queens, New York. Peter got his superhero nickname because his heroics were recorded by people on the street and streamed online, which got him the name "the Spider-Man of YouTube". Peter ran with the name Spider-Man. He got costume upgrades and became an Avenger after Parker was mentored by Tony Stark, who affectionately referred to Peter as "the Kid".

Black Panther

King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) was another legacy hero who inherited the title of the Black Panther in accordance with Wakandan tradition. The Black Panther, who gained his powers from the heart-shaped herb, is the sacred defender of Wakanda, the most technologically advanced nation on Earth, and its people. The other heroes in Wakanda like Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), M'Baku (Winston Duke), and Shuri (Letitia Wright) simply go by their real names.

Doctor Strange

As Doctor Strange, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) uses his real name as his superhero identity. Strange also holds the title of Sorcerer Supreme, which he inherited from the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and gave him ownership of the Eye of Agamotto, which was revealed to be the Time Infinity Stone. As Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange leads the Masters of the Mystic Arts of Kamar-Taj and they defend the world against all manner of magical threats.

Valkyrie

Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) was introduced in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok as the last of the Valkyries, who were the all-female army known as the greatest warriors of Asgard. Valkyrie simply takes her name and identity from her former comrades-in-arms. It hasn't been confirmed onscreen in the MCU if Valkyrie's name is Brunhilde, who is the Valkyrie in Marvel Comics.

Captain Marvel

Post-Avengers: Endgame, Carol Danvers is known in the MCU as Captain Marvel, although it's not yet clear how she got that codename and how it became popularized. FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) knew Danvers as Captain Marvel in WandaVision, and Spider-Man also called her by that codename in Spider-Man: Far From Home. In Carol's origin story seen in Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers was actually called "Vers" by the Kree during the six years when she had amnesia and served as a member of the Kree Starforce. When Col. Danvers was an Air Force pilot, her callsign was "Avenger", and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was inspired to name the Avengers Initiative and the superhero team after her.

Scarlet Witch

WandaVision finally gave Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) her superhero codename, the Scarlet Witch. The Disney+ series actually made a point of noting that Wanda wasn't called by a "funny nickname", slyly setting up how and why she gains her superhero moniker. Wanda also wore her classic red Marvel Comics costume, which she explained was a Sokovian fortune teller's garb. As Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) explained, Wanda is a powerful practitioner of chaos magic, and her abilities make her the Scarlet Witch.

MCU Superheroes Without Nicknames

Poster for Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Some superheroes in the MCU have yet to adopt a superhero codename or simply don't need one. Wanda's late twin brother Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) wasn't called by his comic book name, Quicksilver, before he died in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Similarly, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) wore a suit of armor and fought Thanos in Avengers: Endgame but she didn't go by her comic book codename Rescue. Guardians of the Galaxy members Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) go by their real names, as does Wong (Benedict Wong). Finally, Nick Fury may not technically be a superhero but he likes to be called simply "Fury".

Next: Every Early MCU Storyline Phase 4 Is Still Telling