15 Best Supporting Characters In MCU Movies So Far
3. Phil Coulson
Phil Coulson is one of the few supporting characters in the MCU to have been created specifically for the big screen, and swiftly went on to secure cult status, with his popularity long outlasting his death within the franchise's cinematic timeline.
After the positive reception to his first appearance in Iron Man, both the sequel and Thor gave Agent Coulson an expanded role, as he became the boots-on-the-ground contact for the formation of the Avengers, as well as taking a starring role in the first two Marvel One-Shots. He may have met his demise at the hands of Loki in Joss Whedon's Avengers, but his dry wit and unashamed fanboying over Captain America won him a whole new legion of fans.
While he may have gone on to headline seven seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the only time we've seen Coulson on the big screen since he was 'killed off' was when the de-aged Clark Gregg appeared as a rookie agent in Captain Marvel, in what was one of the most well-received instances of fan service that the MCU had given us for years.
They say that people never really die in comic book movies, so a return to action for everybody's favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can never truly be ruled out in the future.