The Marvel Cinematic Universe get down with Marvel Studios adapting the best - known properties they still had the rights to . They did n’t have Spider - Man or the X - man , butthey did have Captain America , Thor , and the Hulk ( kinda ) . As the franchise has gone on , they ’ve gone deeply into their vault of lesser - known characters .

An visual aspect in the MCU – and particularly a solo movie – is a one - way of life tag out of obscureness and into mainstream acknowledgment . Now , once - obscure grapheme like Doctor Strange and Ant - Man area well - known and democratic as any other superheroes . And even lesser - known characters have become even more recognizable than them . So , here are 10 Iconic Marvel Characters Who Were Saved From Obscurity By The MCU .

Nebula

Thanos ’ adopted girl made her MCU entry five twelvemonth ago , but she only got the big role she merit in one of the storylines in this year’sAvengers : Endgame . Asthe culmination of “ the Infinity Saga”and the Avengers ’ last stand against Thanos , it was as good a time as any to give this overlooked comics character her due .

The crazy Titan keep pit Nebula against his other adopt girl , Gamora , and thenreplacing most of her body parts with cybernetic pieceswhen she kept losing the fights . So , it was only right that she play a immense persona in vote down him .

Shuri

Before his movie debut , Black Panther was n’t as boastful as Wolverine or the Hulk , but he was on par with lineament like Ant - Man and Doctor Strange as a fictitious character you did n’t have to be deeply invest in the Marvel Comics macrocosm to be cognizant of . However , you did have to be deep invested to be cognizant of his sister , Shuri .

Thanks to the MCU , this is no longer the case . Rising virtuoso Letitia Wrightmade audience across the Earth come down in love with Shuri , who is sassy , funny , up to , powerful , lovable – she ’s got it all ! In fact , some fans have been asking fora Shuri solo movie .

Groot

Many MCU devotee thought it was softheaded when they heard that a movie calledGuardians of the Galaxywas coming out with a speak tree as a character . They thought it was even crazier when they find outthe producers had cast a vast star like Vin Dieselto voice a character who can only say three word .

However , it did n’t take long for the character to ( pun intended ) produce on audience , peculiarly at the end of his debut pleasure trip in 2014when he said , “ We are Groot,”and sacrificed himself to save the other Guardians . Groot is now a screen icon as well as a comics picture .

Valkyrie

Thanks to Norse mythology , most people were mistily familiar with Thor , as well as the family around him – Odin , Loki , Frigga etc . – but very few masses outside the comic book fan community knew about Valkyrie .

She was n’t introduced into the MCUuntil Thor ’s third solo movie , and even then , she did n’t reappear until this year inEndgame . But she ’s already proven to be hugely popular with moviegoer , and the fact thatThor has just constitute her the Queen of New Asgardsets her up for a burnished future in the MCU . Without the MCU , she might have been doom to a life story of insignificance .

Yondu

Yondu , the drawing card of a chapter of the Ravagers who conjure up Peter Quill as his own son , will not be forgotten by MCU fans any metre soon . At the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2 , a moving-picture show about Quill meeting his biological father and discovering he ’s actuallya mephistophelian scoundrel bended on dominate the universe , we realize just how much Yondu cares about Quill as he give himself to save him .

It’sa heartbreaking moment , particularly since it ’s succeed by Quill ’s actualization that after years of telling the other kids his daddy was David Hasselhoff , he really had “ a somewhat nerveless dad . ”

Korg

It ’s tough to conceive that Korg even existed before his picture debut inThor : Ragnarok , because director Taika Waititi play him himself and really made the character his own , mold him after bouncers he knew from inhabit in New Zealand .

But the gently spoken tilt lusus naturae actually debut in the Marvel Comics storyline “ Planet Hulk , ” whichRagnarokwas loosely based on to make the thirdThormovie sort of a Hulk solo movie without Universal getting to unloosen it . It ’s secure to say that virtually no one would be conversant with the character if it were n’t for Waititi ’s screaming portrayal of him in the MCU .

Gamora

Gamora was wide loved by comic leger readers before James Gunn contribute her to the silver screenland in 2014 , but it was n’t until then that mainstream interview postulate notice of her . It was n’t long before she was popular , though , because she ’s fierce , funny , likeable , and she ’s clearly the strongest and fresh of all the Guardians of the Galaxy ( but let ’s be true , that ’s a blue bar to top ) .

Zoe Saldana has always been terrific in the use , and has made her so popular thatfans are beg she was n’t turned to dustwhen Tony Stark click his fingers at the end ofAvengers : Endgameand she can still appear in the enfranchisement ’s time to come .

Thanos

Comic book readers have always known Thanos as one of the most fearsome and powerful baddie in Marvel lore , but it was n’t until the Russo brothersset out to make him as iconic and right away recognizable as Darth Vaderin their jumbo 2018 epicAvengers : Infinity Warthat mainstream motion-picture fan adopt bill of the purple tyrant .

The sight of the harebrained Titan get into the Infinity Gauntlet with a consummate set of Infinity Stones and thensnapping his fingers to bend realitywas already conversant to diehard comic sports fan , but now , it ’s one of the most terra firma - shatter movie plot twists in recent retentiveness . For the first clip in the MCU , the forged guy won . Thanos would n’t be getting block any time presently .

Rocket

garden rocket has give way from being entirely isolated to becoming one of the MCU ’s most beloved characters . He ’s so well - known now thatmost people have sex he ’s not really a raccoon , he just happens to look a lot like one .

The voice body of work of Bradley Cooper , as well asJames Gunn ’s personable depiction in the writing and direction of the films , have made Rocket an unforgettable part of Marvel canyon . rooter came for the jokes , but stayed for the emotional connection . rocket salad has grown a circle over the course ofhis MCU story arc , and devotee have relished the chance to follow that arc .

Iron Man

It ’s hard to believe now that Iron Man was ever obscure , since Robert Downey , Jr. has spent the last 11 years making himthe most popular superhero in the world , but back in 2008 , Marvel took a danger when they chose him to kickstart their long - running , interconnected film enfranchisement .

Captain America , Thor , and the Hulk were at least vaguely familiar to mainstream audience . But no one outside of the comical al-Qur’an community of interests really knew who Iron Man was . That would all modify as the MCU grow , of course , and now , he ’s as wide known as the legendary likes of Batman and Superman .

NEXT : Tony Stark ’s 10 Funniest Nicknames For Other MCU Characters

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man upset and determined in No Way Home

Spider-Man in the MCU and Jean Grey in Marvel Comics

Gorr at the Altar of Eternity in Thor Love and Thunder

Korg in Thor Ragnarok

Karen Gillan as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Shuri fires the Vibranium gauntlets

Baby Groot plays ELO in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok

Yondu holding the Orb at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy

Korg in Thor Ragnarok

Gamora Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Zoe Saldana

Thanos sword

Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy

iron man explosion

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