Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios' entire slate was hit by pandemic-related delays. The MCU eventually returned, but thanks to the launch of Disney+, it was with TV shows as well as movies.
As a result, the past few years of the Multiverse Saga have delivered more stories than the entirety of the decade-plus-long journey which culminated with Avengers: Endgame. However, that's led to a lot of hit-and-miss projects and the introduction of a huge number of new characters...who we've yet to see return!
There were a handful of heroes and villains from those first few Phases who ended up vanishing but it feels like there simply won't be room for many of these new additions to the MCU moving forward. That's the case even with two Avengers movies on the horizon, and Marvel Studios has seemingly thrown this lot at a wall without currently knowing what will stick.
To see the Phase 4 and 5 characters we don't think will return to the MCU in the near future, click on the "Next" button below.
7. Werewolf By Night
Werewolf by Night remains one of the best, and most original, stories told by Marvel Studios in recent memory.
Bringing horror into the MCU, we were introduced to the title character alongside the likes of Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone. However, it's feeling increasingly like this really was a one-off standalone tale rather than a Special Presentation which sets the stage for future adventures exploring a new side of this shared world.
Blade could change things, of course, but we don't see anyone other than Elsa showing up there. Now, with Disney looking to decrease the amount of MCU content on its streaming platform, we simply can't figure out when and where Jack and Ted could next show up.
6. Dane Whitman
Kit Harington was largely wasted in Eternals and Marvel Studios missed a trick by not sending the seemingly mild-mannered teacher on that trip with Sersi and her fellow immortals (there were just too many characters).
However, after witnessing the woman he loves being plucked from Earth by a massive Celestial, Dane returned to his ancestral home and considered wielding the Ebony Blade before the voice of Blade could stop him. The plan from there had been for Black Knight to appear in the Blade movie.
Those plans have since changed, and the decision to scrap what once looked like a co-starring role for Harington has left the actor stuck in MCU limbo.
5. Hercules
The less said about Russell Crowe's Zeus, the better, but the actor got serious in Thor: Love and Thunder's mid-credits scene by introducing his character's son, Hercules. Played by Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein, it seems the stage was being set for Thor and Hercules to clash down the line.
Unfortunately, Bob Iger has since said Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania's poor performance is an indication Marvel Studios needs to stop making so many third and fourth instalments of franchises.
We don't think this means Thor is about to be sidelined, but Love and Thunder received a tepid response and didn't exactly break box office records. Even Chris Hemsworth has criticised the movie so when are we supposed to think this clash will happen?
4. G'iah
After a strong start, Secret Invasion ultimately underwhelmed. The messy, rushed finale saw Talos' daughter, G'iah, become the MCU's most powerful super-beings by transforming into a Super-Skrull who has the abilities of Captain Marvel, Thanos, Thor, and more.
However, rather than heading into the cosmos or joining The Avengers, this shape-shifter instead agrees to be a spy for Sonya Falsworth. It's a baffling conclusion for the character, though we'd assume the idea was to set the stage for Secret Invasion season 2.
There's no way that's happening and with The Marvels seemingly totally separate from this TV series despite featuring Nick Fury, we don't think this Super-Skrull (who got nowhere near enough screentime to develop a personality) is going to make her presence felt in the MCU again anytime soon, a shame all things considered.
3. Starfox
We might as well list the entire Eternals cast here, but for now, we're focusing on Harry Styles' Eros/Starfox.
This was a great casting decision on Marvel Studios' part and, had the movie not been a critical and commercial disappointment, we may well have been gearing up for a sequel as soon as next year. As things stand, all of these characters are stuck in limbo and we're left with a massive cliffhanger unlikely to be addressed.
While we won't miss Patton Oswalt's awful CG Pip the Troll, there was real potential with Thanos' half-brother. Thanks to his incredibly successful singing career, Styles remains busy outside of Hollywood so bringing him into the MCU was always going to be a challenge.
2. Namor
In June, Tenoch Huerta was accused of sexual assault by musician and activist Maria Elena Rios. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star strongly denied the allegations but it's now unclear whether he has a future in Hollywood.
Either way, the aforementioned sequel left Namor in a strange place. Still not known to the wider world, he returned to Talokan and chose to bide his time, waiting for the day he could convince Shuri to join him in his eventual war against the surface world.
Black Panther 3 may well tell that story but it still hasn't been announced. Sure, a future Avengers movie could show Shuri convincing Namor to help fend off Kang but, as things stand, we can't help but think this was a one-and-done appearance.
1. Moon Knight
We don't want this to be the case, but boy, where the hell is Moon Knight? Despite being a perfect opportunity to introduce Rama-Tut, the Disney+ series was largely standalone and ended on an exciting note after a confusing couple of episodes.
Oscar Isaac only signed up for six episodes and while the response was a mostly positive one, is that enough to convince the actor to return? It's hard to say but a hero who should be a major player in the Multiverse Saga and beyond feels like something of an afterthought right now.
Perhaps that's a result of what's felt like very condensed storytelling in recent years. Either way, Marvel Studios needs to appreciate that, if they're delivering this much content, asking fans to wait years before seeing these characters again is too much...