5 actors the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has already wasted

The decade-and-a-half-old MCU has seen a lot of big names filter in and out of its ranks over the years. For some, they’ve appeared once or twice. Meanwhile, others didn’t have a long run, and that’s fair considering the hundreds of characters that were part of this universe.

Many would say that it was very cool to see these celebrities take part in the movie franchise. However, there were some moments where it felt like Marvel wasted the opportunity to give the celebrities the limelight they truly deserve or gave them one-off roles that made fans ask for more.

5. Christian Bale

Many could agree that Christian Bale carried Thor: Love and Thunder. The former Dark Knight actor played Gorr the God Butcher, and his time on screen was phenomenal. Sadly, his character died by the end of the film with a near-zero chance of him ever returning to the MCU. Marvel Studios may have wasted a potential great actor to play a strong role in this film franchise.

4. Cobie Smulders

The former How I Met Your Mother actress was featured in a handful of MCU titles, and Secret Invasion could have been Maria Hill’s time to shine as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Fury’s ally. Instead, she was killed off in episode one, which shocked many fans, including myself. This death felt like Marvel Studio’s way of removing a character that stood alongside Fury for many years in the cheapest way possible, rather than showing the aftermath of years of working together.

3. Angelina Jolie

Are we going to see Angelina Jolie again in the MCU? Unlikely, considering that the events of Eternals were never mentioned elsewhere in the franchise. Thena was one of the few surviving Eternals who was able to stop the Emergence from happening and traveled into space in search of others like them. Since then, we haven’t heard much from her or the rest of her team, so fingers crossed they will play a role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

2. Hayley Atwell 

Hayley Atwell has already expressed her views about her cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and how the film didn’t give her character justice. The reasoning for her death wasn’t that great either as, according to Variety, it was done to highligt the threat Wanda poses. Captain Carter was first introduced in the first episode of What If…? as this capable woman who’s able to throw a punch and face danger. Atwell has played Peggy Carter (and her variants) since the early days of the franchise. To see her objectively awesome variant get killed off in one swoop was such a huge disrespect for her character and what she brought to the MCU.

1. Patrick Stewart

Speaking of early deaths, while Charles Xavier has died multiple times in the X-Men franchise, people didn’t expect that it would happen in the Doctor Strange sequel. Just like Captain Carter and the rest of the Illuminati, Xavier’s death was brutal. It’s currently unknown if Patrick Stewart will return to the MCU one way or another. However, the way he was killed off just showed that Marvel is willing to let go of anyone, including Marvel alumni with huge potential to take part in the Multiverse Saga.

Marvel has reintroduced some characters over the years. However, it seems like the recent titles were willing to cast these big-named actors and celebrities, only to have them killed off in an instant. This is such a shame since actors have starred in numerous major projects or were featured in multiple Marvel films, only to appear once and never be seen or heard from again. The best way to utilize these actors is to let their characters leave an impact in the MCU, not just use them for the sake of star power alone.