It's all disconnected.
Once upon a time Marvel Studios was a land of opportunity. A place where besmirched names like Robert Downey Jr. could forge themselves a future and unknown actors like Clark Gregg and Hayley Atwell could portray characters loveable enough to earn themselves spin-offs with shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter.
Now, however, the opposite seems to be the case, with well-known and celebrated thespians filling the ranks of countless projects with blink-and-you'll-miss-it roles that are likely to never appear on screen again.
I want to preface this list by stating that I still very much love the MCU even if most of the projects mentioned below killed the momentum of the once-beloved mega-franchise juggernaut, this is simply an unbiased take on characters we likely won't see again due to the nature of their roles, controversy in the spotlight, or simply lack of interest on the part of the actor themselves.
Long gone are the days of ten-movie contracts for every main actor now that there are too many franchises in the mix, and that leaves a lot more up in the air, and a lot of dangling plotlines and misplaced characters.
10. Park Seo-Joon as Prince Yan (The Marvels)
Why not kick the list off with low-hanging fruit? Not only is Park Seo-Joon the most recognizable actor in Korea but he plays a character many die-hard comic fans have likely never heard of. Add to that the disastrous box office results and the cringe-worthy scenes the actor occupied and it is unlikely the actor would even be interested in returning if they got an invite to begin with.
9. Bill Murray as Lord Krylar (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
One of the last comedians we expected to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bill Murray would have been better off staying in bed. Ignoring the fact that he has zero reason to appear in the film other than to attempt to humiliate Michael Douglas's Hank Pym, his single scene still feels too long as the Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters actor somehow managed to outlast their welcome with next to no screen time.
Even if Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hadn't ruined the franchise - and possibly the MCU as a whole - it's unlikely anyone in the audience or cast would think fondly enough on this role to bring him back on screen.
8. Emilia Clarke as Giah / Super Skrull (Secret Invasion)
Game of Thrones cemented Emilia Clarke as a lovable actress for the fanbase and she should have had a very bright future beyond the popular eight season run on HBO. Upon her initial casting fans were excited to see her as the Skrull Queen but the series garnered little to no interest in fans with it's small scale and limited number of existing Marvel heroes present.
Sure, the actress did well enough with the material she was given, but considering she didn't appear in The Marvels in any shape or form, its clear that not even Kevin Feige plans to revisit that mess anytime soon. Even when Rhodes is ultimately addressed in Armor Wars, its unlikely that this bastardized version of Super Skrull will be mentioned or ever appear on screen alongside the likes of the Fantastic Four. Even though audiences won't revisit this particular Game of Thrones star anytime soon in the MCU, she's likely to be joined in obscurity by fellow cast member Kit Harington.
7. Kit Harington as Dane Whitman / Black Knight (Eternals)
Yes, Dane Whitman appeared in a post-credit scene that featured the voice of Mahershala Ali's Blade, but given all the trouble that film has been seeing behind-the-scenes, it will be surprising enough if fans receive a proper Daywalker movie period, let alone one that brings back the talents of Kit Harington.
If they're smart, Marvel will focus on properly adapting the character himself before forcing a crossover between the vampire and a character most audience members won't even recall. It's sad to say that we're more likely to revisit Richard Madden's Ikaris before his Game of Thrones' castmate down the line.
6. Gael Garcia Bernal as Jack Russell (Werewolf By Night)
Werewolf By Night was met with a surprisingly warm response considering the black-and-white aesthetic and adult-geared action alienated a chunk of the Disney audience. Many people who loved the grittiness of Daredevil found fun in this project and the recent color version allowed for some of the most brutal scenes in the MCU to date. Still, that isn't enough to revive this character down the line and there aren't a lot of projects that he would necessarily fit into, edging Werewolf By Night into the territory of "Marvel Spotlight" with the likes of Echo.
It doesn't help at all that even the most die hard Marvel fans were few and far between when it comes to recognizing the character from the page before his MCU announcement, and with the way things are headed this is just another character and, unfortunately, actor, who will remain in obscurity in this universe rather then on a proper team in future entries.
5. Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)
Sure, this character was expected to be a one and done with his appearance in Moon Knight. There's always the possibility that he could make an appearance in a rumored second season of the Disney+ series, but even if that does come to fruition it is more likely that the focus will be shifted primarily to Jake, the only personality we haven't spent time with yet under the mask.
It's hard to imagine that Marvel sat down with Hawke presenting him with the option of a return anyways, as it is likely this actor was able to be nailed down due to the limited nature of the role. Still, it's not hard to see why Hawke was on their list to begin with as the Training Day actor brought gravitas to a role and made memorable a character that didn't exist to many casual comic readers before this show's release.
4. Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius (Loki)
If you had told us that Owen Wilson would be the most beloved thing to come out of the MCU post-Endgame we would have found hilarity in it, but not only did Loki stand apart from many of the other Disney+ offerings as a substantial series, but Wilson, too, stood out as a major player despite his character being a relative unknown amongst fans.
He was welcome as a part of the second season but after the introduction of fellow TVA Agent Oroborous, it's unlikely that we will see these beloved characters reappear, even in the most likely of places, Deadpool 3.
3. John Krasinski as Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
This one is sort of a given with the cameo nature of the original role. Still, with fellow Illuminati member Professor X played by Sir Patrick Stewart most likely reappearing in Deadpool 3, Binary Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch appearing in The Marvels (and likely also Deadpool 3), and Captain Carter's Hayley Atwell reprising her role in every other episode of What If...? Season 2, it almost feels necessary to put a damper on expecations that this version of Mr. Fantastic will reappear, especially now that Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) has been revealed as the new frront-man for Marvel's First Family.
2. Rusell Crowe as Zeus (Thor: Love and Thunder)
Who cares if there was an after credit scene that teased Hercules? After the mess that was Thor: Love and Thunder Feige and Co. would be hard pressed to waste an actor as big as Crowe in a role as big as Zeus again.
Fans were given a movie with Christian Bale ass Gorr the God Butcher and Russell Crowe, the Gladiator himself, as one of the most well-known and powerful Gods and somehow an action scene between these movie stars didn't write itself. After wasting such a big actor, it would be a big surprise to see him return, even in a future Thor title.
1. Tenoch Huerta as Namor the Sub-Mariner (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
This one is a bit of a perfect storm. Not only is the Black Panther franchise in disarray after losing Chadwick Boseman, but it's going to be hard to get "M-She-U" naysayers to get behind Shuri wearing the mantle of Wakanda's protector. Wakanda Forever did a good enough job at fleshing out Namor and his people that they could easily be a one and done thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Reasonably, it would only make sense for the Talocheans to be present in things like Thunderbolts that feature the ocean as a plot point, and sure, we are revisiting Ironheart soon, who spent time with Namor, but even if there wasn't Mephisto and Armor Wars to balance on her plate, there is also the aspect of Huerta's recent sexual assault case, having been accused by singer Maria Elena Rios.
If Marvel was on the fence about bringing back this widely-criticised version of Marvel's first mutant, the actor's controversy in the spotlight likely solidifies that decision.
What do you guys think of this list? Who do you think is most and least likely to make a reappearance? Is there anyone we missed that you'd like to add? Share your thoughts in the comments section as usual!