15 Best Supporting Characters In MCU Movies So Far
13. Pepper Potts
Pepper Potts has taken a lot of flak during her time as part of the MCU, with many fans failing to separate their personal opinions on Gwyneth Paltrow from the character she plays in the franchise. Sure, Pepper isn't anybody's favorite by any means, but it also can't be denied that she played a pivotal role in Tony Stark's journey, and his character arc ultimately ended up defining the entire Infinity Saga.
Pepper does her best to keep Tony grounded and plays a huge role in the narrative choices that he makes, many of which have huge consequences for the wider MCU, for better or worse. The whole Extremis thing from Iron Man 3 might have come dangerously close to jumping the shark completely, but at least it was never mentioned again.
Without her, who knows where Tony could have ended up? The guy accidentally created a genocidal robot, gave his arch-nemesis his address and totaled his home more times than you can count over the years, and that's with Pepper trying to reign him in. The anti-Paltrow brigade might be glad to see the back of her, but the CEO of Stark Industries was nonetheless the sane voice of reason in the MCU's ultimate power couple.