13 Great Actors Completely Wasted In MCU Movies

7. Rebecca Hall - Iron Man 3

Wasted MCU
Marvel Studios

The Role: Maya Hansen

In the alternate universe where all of Marvel's first drafts made it to the big screen, Rebecca Hall's Maya Hansen would have been a much better character in the MCU. But, unfortunately for her, around the time Iron Man 3 was being filmed, Marvel Studios was still being guided by the same sexism that stopped us having any solo female-led MCU movies until 2019.

Originally, Hall's scientist was supposed to be revealed as the real villain of Iron Man 3 and the real puppet master behind The Mandarin's terrorist acts. But in fear of not being able to sell any toys, Marvel made Shane Black change the story and introduce Aldrich Killian as the real bad guy, relegating Hansen to a side-role and then killing her off (something they didn't tell Hall until just before she filmed the scene).

Essentially, Hansen ends up being a nothing character - sort of like an elevated Bond girl to Stark - who you have to suggest probably wasn't the complex, rewarding character Hall had signed on for.

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