10 Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters Who Are AWOL
Heroes and villains missing in action.
Marvel Studios has been building an expansive universe populated by iconic comic book characters for almost a decade now, and most of the storytelling and been tight, thorough and fan-pleasing.
The comic book giant's movie arm has adapted and handled most of these heroes and villains with the utmost care. Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark and the character's arc has been largely true to the comics, if you can overlook most of Iron Man 2.
The same goes for the other main Avengers, but this isn't always true of the MCU's supporting cast. Some characters have fallen into the cracks between sequels or found themselves caught up in plot threads that lead to oblivion.
This is a problem that dates back to the first phase of the MCU as several characters from the pre-Avengers era are still missing in action, but it's an issue that persists. In the latest movie, Thor: Ragnarok, several key characters from the previous films were AWOL and, in some cases, their omissions were felt.
It's possible that Marvel will reveal the fates of some of these absentees in future films, but others could will be lost to the ages.
10. Betty Ross
The Hulk seemed to forget all about his main love interest when Marvel swapped Edward Norton for Mark Ruffalo. Betty Ross hasn't been seen in the MCU since 2008 and that doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.
The Green Goliath has since struck up a budding romance with Black Widow, and his previous squeeze, traditionally depicted as the love of his life, hasn't been given so much as a passing mention since The Incredible Hulk.
Fans were reminded of her absence in Captain America: Civil War when her father General Thaddeus E. 'Thunderbolt' Ross made a cameo appearance, but it's almost as if Betty has been written out of MCU continuity along with Ed Norton.
Perhaps things would have been different had messy rights issues not prevented Marvel from making more Hulk solo films, but as it stands, it doesn't look like the world will ever know what became of this character.