It’s rankin’ time.
It’s easy to define what makes a superhero movie great, and defining what makes a superhero as a character great is relatively straightforward, too. Great characters aren’t necessarily the most powerful (though that can play a part), but the most interesting, well-written, well-acted, and layered, as well. A character being effectively used as comedic relief when needed is good, as are more tragic heroes, and if someone like Thor can do a bit of both, then even better.
In contrast, a bad heroic character isn’t necessarily a hero who does some questionable things (someone like Peter Quill is flawed, sure, but in interesting ways that drive conflict), and nor is it a character whose powers are simply a bit lame. Both could be factors, but the worst heroes from Marvel movies tend to just feel underwritten, inconsistent, or, simply put, just boring. The following includes those from the MCU and those outside it, all being some of the weakest heroic characters found in any Marvel film or TV adaptation so far.
10 Sersi
First appeared: ‘Eternals’ (2021)
Sersi is taking one for the team here, representing the most boring of all superhero teams yet: the group known as the Eternals, all of whom have appeared in just one film to date: 2021’s Eternals. It would be difficult to list everyone here, and it wouldn’t be fair to clutter a ranking with too many Eternals… but if Sersi is the main character of the film, and gets the most screen time, then why not pick her as a stand-in.
Neither Eternals as a film nor the Eternals as characters worked, with the film trying to do too much all at once, and far too many new main characters being introduced for any of them to connect. People are unlikely to remember names like Sersis, Ajak, Sprite, Druig, and Phastos, and demand for a sequel to Eternals seems non-existent. Still, never say never (though you could say it’s unlikely).
Eternals
- Release Date
- November 5, 2021
- Director
- Chloé Zhao
- Cast
- Gemma Chan , Richard Madden , Angelina Jolie , Salma Hayek , Kit Harington , Kumail Nanjiani , Brian Tyree Henry
- Runtime
- 156 minutes
9 Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider
First appeared: ‘Ghost Rider’ (2007)
It’s possible to find some people defending the Ghost Rider movies, so calling the titular hero one of the very worst in Marvel history might be a little bit of a hot take. At the very least, 2007’s Ghost Rider and 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance did grace the world with Nicolas Cage playing a Marvel superhero, and he does bring his typically strange and unpredictable acting style to the role.
The films themselves are also quite wild (especially the second), but they’re an acquired taste, and the character at the center of both doesn’t have quite the impact you’d expect. After all, the hero is a stuntman named Johnny Blaze who makes a deal with the demon known as Mephisto, and then finds himself with powerful supernatural abilities. It’s probably more a case of the movies not quite doing the character justice, because there’s undeniable potential there.
Ghost Rider
- Release Date
- January 15, 2007
- Director
- Mark Steven Johnson
- Cast
- Matt Long , Raquel Alessi , Brett Cullen , Peter Fonda , Nicolas Cage , Donal Logue
- Runtime
- 114
8 Danny Rand/Iron Fist
First appeared: ‘Iron Fist’ (2017-2018)
Not many people like the Iron Fist series, and there are some supporting characters within it who rank among the worst of any Marvel TV show. The hero at the series’ center isn’t exactly the best, either: Danny Rand, a wealthy young man who’s given mystical powers and becomes proficient in martial arts, using such abilities to become a superhero known as Iron Fist.
The show was never particularly well-regarded, and despite the best efforts of the second season righting the wrongs of the first, Iron Fist never managed to fully redeem itself or become something with a genuine fanbase behind it. Some of that has to come down to the hero not being a great one (again, on-screen), and someone who looks less exciting in the wake of other heroes with mystical/magical powers that viewers did generally like, including Doctor Strange and Shang-Chi.
Marvel’s Iron Fist
- Release Date
- March 17, 2017
- Cast
- Jessica Stroup , Tom Pelphrey , Sacha Dhawan , Alice Eve
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Seasons
- 2
7 Matt Murdock/Daredevil (2003 version)
First appeared: ‘Daredevil’ (2003)
Standing as one of three less-than-great movies that poor Ben Affleck appeared in during 2003 (at least he’s bounced back in more recent years), Daredevil is not looked back upon fondly by any means. For a while, the titular character was something of a punchline, and though a more recent take on the character in the world of television has redeemed him, this 2003 movie does still exist.
Daredevil in 2003’s Daredevil just isn’t it, and was a misfire when it came to representing the character of Matt Murdock/Daredevil on the big screen. The blame can’t be entirely put on Affleck, but it’s arguable he was at least a little miscast, and the film he appeared in just generally not confident enough to bring new fans to the titular hero. For Daredevil, the 2010s and onward were generally a better time…
Daredevil
- Release Date
- February 14, 2003
- Director
- Mark Steven Johnson
- Cast
- Ben Affleck , Jennifer Garner , Colin Farrell , Michael Clarke Duncan , Jon Favreau , Scott Terra
- Runtime
- 103
6 Elektra Natchios
First appeared: ‘Daredevil’ (2003)
Another casualty of 2003’s Daredevil was the character of Elektra, who got her own not-quite-amazing movie in 2005, and was better-received some years later thanks to the Daredevil TV series. She’s an essential part of Daredevil’s overall story, being a sometimes-ally and sometimes-adversary to the blind lawyer/masked vigilante, and herself having physical abilities that make her a force to be reckoned with.
Very few responded well to Elektra (2005), though, meaning the film did the character little to no justice, mainly owing to the way it was written and put together more so than because of Jennifer Garner’s performance. Like with Daredevil, at least time has been a little kinder to Elektra and the character herself is no longer treated as a complete joke. But for this version of the character, as she appears in Daredevil and Elektra… it’s not great.
Elektra
- Release Date
- January 14, 2005
- Director
- Rob Bowman
- Cast
- Jennifer Garner , Goran Visnjic , Kirsten Prout , Will Yun Lee , Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa , Terence Stamp
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
5 Jane Foster/Mighty Thor
First appeared as the Mighty Thor: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022)
The Thor series is a rather baffling one to look back on. The first film, in 2011, was odd but at least a little memorable, thanks to director Kenneth Branagh giving it the slightest of Shakespearean spins. 2013’s Thor: The Dark World is perhaps the most forgettable of all MCU movies, 2017’s Thor: Ragnarök was a surprise hit and breath of fresh air, and then 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder brought things crashing down again, attempting to ape what worked in Ragnarök and failing.
Jane Foster unfortunately appeared in all the Thor movies except Ragnarök, and became a hero in Love and Thunder when she gained powers to become the Mighty Thor. It was a somewhat desperate attempt to give the character more to do, and it all fell flat, with not even Natalie Portman being able to make the kind of lousy screenplay work (hell, not even the Guardians of the Galaxy were fun in this movie). The entire character arc of Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor was a barely noticeable blip within the MCU, and, nearly two years later, an ultimately forgettable one.
Thor: Love and Thunder
- Release Date
- July 8, 2022
- Director
- Taika Waititi
- Cast
- Taika Waititi , Christian Bale , Natalie Portman , Tessa Thompson , Chris Hemsworth , ​Chris Pratt2 , Karen Gillan , Russell Crowe
- Runtime
- 2hr 13min
4 Hannibal King
First appeared: ‘Blade: Trinity’ (2004)
Blade: Trinity was bad enough to dull enthusiasm in Blade as a character for a good while, even doing its best to undo most of what made the titular character – a vampire hunter with vampiric abilities – cool. Still, Blade had two relatively solid movies with the 1998 original and 2002’s Blade II, and, in turn, a character who only appeared in Blade: Trinity – Hannibal King – fares a great deal worse.
Being a contributing factor to making Blade: Trinityone of the worst movies of 2004, Hannibal King is a supremely annoying sidekick for the titular character; someone who feels like he’s often hijacking the movie, making it less cool and not succeeding in being funny. Ryan Reynolds has at least found more success within the superhero genre by playing Deadpool, making Hannibal King feel more like a regrettable footnote, in hindsight.
Blade: Trinity
- Release Date
- December 8, 2004
- Director
- David S. Goyer
- Cast
- Wesley Snipes , Kris Kristofferson , Dominic Purcell , Jessica Biel , Ryan Reynolds , Parker Posey
- Runtime
- 113 Minutes
3 Cassandra Webb/Madame Web:
First appeared: ‘Madame Web’ (2024)
Infamously tied to the Spider-Man series without much by way of what makes those movies memorable, Madame Web emerged as an instant contender for the worst movie of 2024 upon its February release. It seemed few were willing to take it seriously, and then when it was actually released, any cautious optimism about the whole thing dried up, and it stands as a textbook example of how not to do a superhero origin story.
The titular character is a paramedic known as Cassie Webb, with the film exploring how she becomes Madame Web while protecting three young women who are destined to one day become Spider-Women themselves. Dakota Johnson’s very capable in the right role, but this doesn’t really feel like the right kind of role for anyone, being the kind of thing that a film equivalent of a paramedic would probably declare dead on arrival.
Madame Web
- Release Date
- February 14, 2024
- Director
- S.J. Clarkson
- Cast
- Sydney Sweeney , Isabela Merced , Dakota Johnson , Emma Roberts
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
2 Howard the Duck
First appeared: ‘Howard the Duck’ (1986)
The central character of Howard the Duck lives in infamy, and is one who many might not have realized was a Marvel character until he showed up as a cameo in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The character was always one that was treated comedically, what with being a large duck who can talk and do various other things one wouldn’t expect a normal duck to do.
Yet the character continues to have a certain amount of notoriety when it comes to the big screen, due to the 1986 movie that carries his name being considered among the worst superhero movies ever made. It would take a very particular film to get the character right outside the context of a comic book, and until that happens, he deserves to be considered one of the worst Marvel heroes within the realm of cinema/TV.
Howard the Duck
- Release Date
- August 1, 1986
- Director
- Willard Huyck
- Cast
- Lea Thompson , Jeffrey Jones , Tim Robbins , Ed Gale , Chip Zien , Tim Rose
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
1 Dr. Michael Morbius
First appeared: ‘Morbius’ (2022)
There’s no competition, really, because the worst and most joked-about character in Marvel history – at least as far as movies/TV shows go – would have to be Dr. Michael Morbius from 2022’s Morbius. The Venom films may have their fans, but Morbius has few who aren’t appreciative of the movie in a deeply ironic way, and so it’s arguably Morbius that started the trend of disliked live-action Sony Spider-Verse movies, which continued with Madame Web.
Morbius is about a man becoming a being with vampire powers after he attempts to cure himself of a rare blood disease, and is similar in quality to Madame Web. Morbius received a thrashing from critics and from those online who made copious memes out of the film’s very existence, with that mockery – alongside a poorly-received movie – making Morbius worthy of having the title of worst Marvel hero in film/TV history.
Morbius
- Release Date
- April 1, 2022
- Director
- Daniel Espinosa
- Cast
- Jared Leto , Adria Arjona , Michael Keaton , Jared Harris , J.K. Simmons , Matt Smith
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
This article was originally published on collider.com