29 Brand New Characters Coming To MCU Phase 4

The sheer amount of Marvel heroes, villains, sidekicks and supporting characters that have made up the MCU's cast over the last 12 years is unprecedented. Never before have so many characters featured in the same franchise, and shared the same scenes over the years.

From the Avengers, to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and those heroes not affiliated with any team, as well as countless villains and secondary villains, fans of Marvel Comics have truly been spoilt by the MCU. Going into Phase Four and beyond, the character count will only increase.

With Infinity War and Endgame, the Infinity Saga has now come to a close, opening the door for the MCU to focus on new stories and a LOT of new characters. There are currently 12 future movies on the franchise's slate, but the addition of 12 Disney+ series allows for the integration of characters who likely wouldn't have had their own solo movie.

Despite the countless characters already introduced throughout the previous 23 movies, there is still decades upon decades of untapped source material to draw from. From fairly new additions, to those that have been around for many years, there will be plenty of newbies joining the MCU in the near future.

Kicking off Marvel Studios' Phase Four movie slate will be the long, long, long awaited Black Widow, which will see Natasha Romanoff revisit her past. One such character that she will rekindle her relationship with is Melina Vostokoff, another graduate of the Red Room and something of a mother figure in their dysfunctional Russian family.

In the comics, Melina was originally an agent for the Russian government, but went on to become an assassin and enemy of Natasha. Sporting a metal suit of armour, Melina went by the alter ego of Iron Maiden, and while it's unclear if this will be her ultimate path in the MCU, it's certainly an exciting possibility.

Rachel Weisz's character is also someone fans think could potentially be acting as Taskmaster in Black Widow. The villain's identity is as of yet unconfirmed, and Melina's villainous past in the comics has made her a prime candidate to be the one under the mask.

Another avenue the MCU could take with Melina is as part of the long rumoured Thunderbolts team, as again, this is something she has been affiliated with in the source material before. There really is a lot to be excited about with Melina, and a lot of potential storytelling. Hopefully, Marvel Studios don't decide to add her to the all too long list of one and done characters.