The MCU's Most Underrated Hero Debate Just Got Its Answer

Published Sep 13, 2026, 4:45 PM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The debate about which MCU hero is most underrated in the franchise has gotten its answer via the new proof that one of the universe's best castings has been criminally underused since they were introduced to the on-screen world. Much like the comics, the MCU timeline has a staggering amount of heroes and only so much time to focus on all of them, meaning that some figures end up with far less in the way of screentime than their comrades. Of course, this makes particular sense for the world of the MCU. Whereas the world of Marvel comics has been going for long enough that it's possible for a truly vast range of comic series to have released over the many decades, the much shorter lifespan of the MCU thus far means it's had to focus on detailing the lives and appeal of its central heroes, and subsequently leaving some other figures to one side for at least the time being in order to ensure its overall setup appeals to audiences. While this has been to great success with the likes of Iron Man and Spider-Man's stories in the MCU thus far, it does mean we also have plenty of heroes who are definitely underrated in terms of both their stories and how much they've gotten to appear in the MCU. Though debates still rage on about this matter, one of Marvel's latest releases strongly suggests who the MCU's most underrated hero is by exemplifying just how perfect the character's casting really is. Iman Vellani's Avengers: Doomsday Hype Proves She's The Perfect MCU Ms. Marvel Casting Although we haven't seen her in the mainline MCU since The Marvels in 2023, Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani is co-host of the official Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday podcast, allowing her to display more of her love of the franchise and all things Marvel in this format. Indeed, many have noted just how passionate Vellani clearly is about the franchise, since it's clear once again through the podcast that the actor is a genuine fan of the comics and wider Marvel landscape. This is perhaps clearest when Iman Vellani is able to quote word for word one of Captain America's speeches in 2007's The Amazing Spider-Man #537 when discussing Captain America: Civil War, delivering the monologue with the combined fervor of a fan and talented actor. The world of superhero movies is always benefited by actors who genuinely love the source material, of course, but it also helps that one of the defining traits of Kamala Khan in the comics is that she's a huge in-universe superhero fan. This means moments like these serve to prove just how good a casting Vellani truly is for the role - and how much the wider MCU could benefit from letting her enter the fray in the franchise's next crossover chapters, since the character has only appeared in one movie thus far. The Marvels' Ending Means Ms. Marvel's Second MCU Movie Role May Be On The Horizon While The Marvels ended up being one of the MCU's less successful films at the box office - meaning the MCU may lean away from focusing too intently on the team that's set up during this film - the fact The Marvels' ending links closely to the upcoming Avengers movies' stories, and the fact Iman Vellani in particular was still praised for her performance in many of the more negative reviews, means Ms. Marvel appearing in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars is still very much possible. Given we know Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel are looking for ways to rescue Monica Rambeau from the alternate universe she found herself in - which notably contained at least one X-Man, and that may well be the X-Men universe filled with the characters we know are in Avengers: Doomsday - the chances of their story rolling into Doomsday or Secret Wars seems to be on the cards in some capacity. Similarly, the teases of the Young Avengers or Champions being constructed following the post-credits scene of The Marvels that shows Kamala Khan looking to recruit other members would also make most sense to be capitalized on in one of the next Avengers movies, since this would allow the MCU to expand its story into several interesting avenues that could be perfect for the MCU as it moves forward. Movie(s) Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, ​The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night , The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda