12 Marvel Characters You Didn't Notice Are Already In The MCU

They were there. You just didn't notice.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness The Living Tribunal
Disney/Marvel Comics

With the never-ending expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comic fans are getting increasingly eager to see key characters introduced. When will we see the first official image of the MCU's Fantastic Four? Where is Galactus? Are we going to see the Avengers battle The Beyonder? And most importantly - Where. Is. Stilt-Man? (Obviously, he's being saved for the last movie.)

However, there are some superheroes and supervillains that fans are dying to see in the franchise, not knowing they're already a part of it. As we have mentioned in previous lists, people like Miles Morales, Silk, Man-Thing, Jocasta, The Human Torch, and Hellcow have already showed up.

Of course, there are all sorts of reasons why you may not have recognised these iconic characters. Maybe they only had a fleeting cameo. Perhaps you didn't recognise them without their colourful costume. You may have been thrown off if they went by their civilian identity, since you're only familiar with their superhero persona.

If you know your Marvel lore inside-out, you should've spotted some of this elusive lot. But only true believers would've noticed all of them.

12. Egghead - Ant-Man And The Wasp

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness The Living Tribunal
Marvel Studios

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, the diminutive duo face off against a master thief called Ava Starr. Due to her unstable molecules, Ava has the ability to phase through solid matter, which has left her with the moniker, The Ghost.

Ava reveals to Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne how her body has been left in a molecular flux after she was exposed to quantum energy. In a flashback, we see this quantum explosion killed her father, Elihas, who worked at Hank Pym's facility.

The name, Elihas Starr, may not ring a bell to most, but many comic readers should recognise his less than flattering soubriquet - Egghead. Egghead is one of Ant-Man's earliest villains, debuting only three months after Pym officially became a superhero. Because they have been at each other's throats for half a century, it was nice to find some way to implement the egomaniacal scientist into the film.

At least, it would've been nice if Marvel fans recognised him! Due to his regularly shaped bonce and the utter lack of egg puns, many viewers didn't notice this cameo.

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85