10 Hyped Movie Characters (That Did Absolutely Nothing)

Movie overhype is a very dangerous thing. When the populace act like an upcoming feature is going to be the peak of cinema, they're setting themselves up for disappointment.

And yet, it's difficult not to give into the hype-train, since moviegoers get psyched at the prospect of seeing potentially iconic characters on the big-screen.

This problem seems to be getting worse, since marketable heroes and villains are crammed down society's throats, appearing in every TV spot, trailer, and poster, months before the film's release. And because the industry is obsessed with turning brands into cinematic universes a decade in advance, these characters can be teased years before they show up.

Now, that doesn't mean hype can't be warranted. Thanos' introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was built up for years, and yet he exceeded all expectation. Although Heath Ledger's Joker was expected to be a highlight in The Dark Knight, viewers were left in awe of his Oscar-winning performance.

But it would be nice if the studios let us, the paying viewers, decide which characters to like, rather than urging us to obsess over certain figures. After all, the ten film characters on this list were touted as the next big thing, despite delivering absolutely nothing.

When Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) vanished into the Quantum Realm during Ant-Man's climax, some speculated the supervillain wasn't gone for good.

Sure enough, Marvel Studios announced Cross would return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Better still, the character would be reborn as iconic comic book supervillain, M.O.D.O.K. Because the Marvel Cinematic Universe embraces the wackiness of the source material, this big-headed maniac should've fit right in.

However, there was some backlash when it was unveiled M.O.D.O.K. would wear a mask in Quantumania, implying the macrocephalic terrorist's face would be obscured. The filmmakers reassured fans, insisting M.O.D.O.K.'s face would be seen.

But the instant the Scientist Supreme revealed his disproportionate visage in Quantumania, viewers' first thought was, "Yeah, he should've kept the mask on." Rather than giving M.O.D.O.K. a disfigured appearance like his comic book counterpart, his face is stretched out with a simplistic VFX effect, causing him to cross into Uncanny Valley territory. Stoll is fine in the role, but it's impossible to take him seriously, while looking at his exaggerated facial features.

Even though audiences expected M.O.D.O.K. to be a little silly, they didn't need to see his bare ass hanging out.