Ranking the new heroes from MCU Phase 4, from worst-to-best

❘ Published: 2022-08-02T19:58:53

Who is the best new hero of MCU Phase 4?

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With only two more installments in Phase 4 of the MCU, now is the perfect time to rank all the newest heroes that were introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel’s Phase 4 began with almost impossible-to-meet expectations. After the incredible spectacle that was Avengers: Endgame, fans were worried that the future of the MCU would pale in comparison to what came before.

To some degree, those fears have been confirmed, as many of the Phase 4 projects were underwhelming to many Marvel fans.

But, even though the movies and series were largely underwhelming, yet solid, there remains some hope. Phase 4 introduced the most new heroes to the MCU of perhaps any phase in its history.

With so many new heroes poised to join the Avengers (or possibly a spinoff team like the Thunderbolts), it’s high time to rank all these new heroes that have been introduced in the MCU Phase 4.

Honorable mentions

Sylvie may be new, but is she canon to the MCU?

This is a ranking of the new heroes that were introduced, meaning that we are only considering heroes who are core to the MCU universe (Earth-616). This means variants of known MCU heroes are not included.

As a result, Tobey and Andrew’s Spider-Men, all the different Loki variants, the Doctor Strange variants, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, will all not be included on this list.

Mighty Thor, aka Jane Foster, will also not be included since she has been in previous Thor movies (albeit without powers). Ditto for Monica Rambeau, who had appeared in the Captain Marvel movie.

Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, who made his first appearance in Phase 4 and figures to be a big part of the future of the MCU, is also not counted on this list since it may now be that the Netflix shows are considered canon.

Ranking the new heroes in MCU Phase 4

11. White Vision (WandaVision)

He makes it in on a technicality since the Ship of Theseus thought experiment doesn’t really tell us whether White Vision and Vision are different heroes or not.

Since he exists while Vision is dead and doesn’t appear to have Vision’s personality, I’m saying that he is a different “person”. But do we care, particularly when Wanda really didn’t seem to care about reuniting with him?

10. The Eternals (Eternals)

Were the Eternals a good addition to the MCU?

The Eternals film failed for a lot of reasons, but a major one was the fact that most of the characters were incredibly underdeveloped.

To be fair, it’s hard to showcase 10 new heroes in one film, but it’s really telling how little audiences seemed to connect with most of the Eternals (more on that in a second).

While they each have unique powers, they’re largely nothing we haven’t seen before. I think the Eternals could have spent more time in the past, building their relationships, so that audiences would care more about their next appearance.

9. John Walker/US Agent (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

He may have been an antagonistic force in TFATWS, but John Walker was trying to be a hero just like Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. It’s a bit of a gray area to call US Agent a hero, but he is most certainly not a pure villain in the MCU.

That conflict that Walker will have to face between wanting to serve his country and the questionable things the Thunderbolts might want him to do is going to be very interesting. For now, there’s a lot more questions about him than answers.

8. Druig & Makkari (Eternals)

The only two Eternals that, in my opinion, actually got a decent backstory despite them getting limited screentime.

Both Lauren Ridloff and Barry Keoghan really sold the relationship between these two and brought a lot of emotion to their performances.

7. Maya Lopez/Echo (Hawkeye)

Maya Lopez is in an interesting position for Phase 4

Another character who began as an antagonistic force, but sort of shifted towards the end of the series, Echo is in an interesting spot for the MCU.

Her connection to Daredevil, Wilson Fisk, and Hawkeye all set her up for some interesting stories. The problem is, though, we don’t really know enough about Maya herself to make her a particularly interesting character.

Hopefully, that will be resolved when she gets her own story to tell in the upcoming Echo series.

6. America Chavez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

There should be a lot of opportunities for America Chavez to shine in the MCU’s future, given that Phases 4 through 6 are being considered the “Multiverse Saga” and she can…you know…travel through the multiverse.

America is still underdeveloped in terms of her power set, but Xochitl Gomez did a great job of making me invested in her backstory.

5. Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Moon Knight (Moon Knight)

Moon Knight was an incredible addition to the MCU

Moon Knight was one of my most anticipated Phase 4 projects and Oscar Isaac absolutely crushed it with his performance.

That said, I really don’t know where Moon Knight fits in the MCU and whether we’ll see him again.

But if someone considers Moon Knight to be their favorite new MCU hero, I wouldn’t begrudge the choice.

4. Yelena Belova (Black Widow/Hawkeye)

I liked Black Widow a lot more than most fans, and Yelena was a big reason why. Florence Pugh perfectly balanced Yelena’s cunning and talent with her vulnerability.

Seeing her return in Hawkeye and how she interacted with Kate Bishop was a highlight of the entire series. If nothing else, we need to get more of that pairing in the MCU down the line.

3. Kate Bishop (Hawkeye)

Speaking of the Kate/Yelena buddy combo, Hailee Steinfeld had a tall task of ingratiating her character to the point that she could replace an original Avenger in Hawkeye.

Stunningly, she managed to do it.

Kate Bishop is an incredible addition to the MCU, with an infectious charm and determination. Her future beyond the MCU’s Phase 4 should be bright.

2. Kamala Khan/Miss Marvel (Ms. Marvel)

Incredibly, though, Kate Bishop wasn’t even the best Marvel fangirl introduced in Phase 4.

Iman Vellani’s portrayal of Kamala Khan stole fans’ hearts amid a fairly tepid first season. She’s literally a Marvel nerd injected into the world of the MCU, but her introduction has also set several huge implications in motion for the franchise.

In addition to being the first official mutant in the MCU, Kamala’s return in The Marvels sets her up as an incredibly powerful force in this world. We’ve barely scratched the surface on Kamala Khan, and already she’s a fan favorite.

1. Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings)

Shang-Chi is one of the more interesting heroes of MCU Phase 4

I think there’s an argument to be made for just about any of the top five on this list to be the number one new addition. For me, personally, Shang-Chi has been the most enjoyable and interesting addition.

Shang-Chi is set up to be a major player in the street-level MCU (with the 10 Rings organization still existing under his sister’s rule) and the cosmic MCU (the 10 Rings themselves appear to be ancient alien tech).

On top of that, the rings themselves give Shang-Chi a very unique and interesting powerset, as it allowed him to fight in many unique ways.

Add to that Simu Liu’s charismatic performance and it’s hard not be excited for what Shang-Chi could bring to the MCU beyond Phase 4.