Summary
Marvelis a company that is first and foremost known for its comic books. They have brought so many iconic characters over the years, such as Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, and The Human Torch to name a few. In fact, some of theseMarvelcharacters have been so popular that they leaped off the page to receive a movie or animated show. However, these characters couldn’t exist on their own.
Whenever it comes time to adapt a project based on a comic book character, they need to be molded to fit the new medium and sometimes the best way to do this is by adding some new characters to their story. Sometimes these new characters are so popular that they make it back into the comics asbrand-new Marvelcharacters.
7Erik Selvig
Erik Selvig was first portrayed in live-action by Stellan Skarsgard in the first MCUThormovie in 2011. The character was a brilliant physicist who sought to prove the existence of other realms in our galaxy. His research was so important to the world, that even Loki sought him out as one of his servants in the firstAvengersfilm.
It seems that a scientist with information relating to other realities was also of use to Marvel Comics writers, as the character made his debut on comic book pages in 2016. The character is still part of the comic books and is still around for further use in the MCU.
6Darcy Lewis
Darcy Lewis is an MCU character who has had several appearances in the franchise. She first appeared inThorin 2011 as the intern to physicists Erik Selvig and Jane Foster. Since then, Darcy has completed her doctorate and popped up again as a consultant inWandaVision.Her last appearance was inThor: Love and Thunderin 2022, but there are plenty of opportunities for Kat Dennings to reprise the character in future projects.
This comic relief character was so popular that she even made her debut in the comics. Darcy’sconnection to WandainWandaVisionmade her the perfect choice to include in the reboot of theScarlet Witchseries in 2021.
5Morph
X-Men: The Animated Serieswas one of Marvel’s early mainstream successes in a medium outside the comic books. It was this show that introduced the likes of Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Rogue to a new generation of kids. Although, there was a character named Morph in the series who was killed off in the first episode.
This wise-cracking shape-shifter never got toreach the heights of some of the otherX-Men. However, the writers at Marvel didn’t want to see the jokester go to waste, and Morph was included in the very next run ofX-Mencomics.
4Phil Coulson
Agent Phil Coulson was one of the most recognizable faces in Phase One of theMCU, with his character appearing as early as the firstIron Manin 2008. Sadly, Phil Coulson was killed off by Loki inThe Avengerstohelp motivate the team to join forces.
However, Phil Coulson’s death this early in the franchise didn’t stop the character from returning for his own spin-off TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that ran for seven seasons. The character has also been folded into the comics' universe, and he appears in plenty of animated Marvel shows, with actor Clarke Gregg returning to provide his voice.
3H.E.R.B.I.E.
The inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot as part ofThe Fantastic Fourwas a result of censorship rather than creativity. The owners of the network that aired the 1978Fantastic Fouranimated series were worried that the character of the Human Torch would encourage impressionable young viewers to light themselves on fire. As such, they decided to replace the character with H.E.R.B.I.E., the friendly robot.
The show may not have been a hit, but H.E.R.B.I.E. sure was, as he made his way into the comics the very next year. In fact, H.E.R.B.I.E. has become so synonymous with the group that many consider him to be the honorary fifth member, although don’t expect him to feature inanyMarvel vs Capcomgames.
2X-23
With Wolverine being one of the most popular Marvel characters ever, it makes sense that his clone would also be a hit with fans. The young X-23 has appeared as a dangerous weapon in comics over the last twenty years and even had a leading role in Hugh Jackman’scurtain call of Wolverine, inLogan.
However, the concept of a Wolverine clone came from theX-Men: Evolutionshow that aired at the start of the 2000s. Mostly set in a high school setting, the show primarily focused on the younger cast of Mutants. Sadly, this left fan favorite Wolverine on the sidelines, but a younger female clone could provide the show’s target audience with a version of the character that they can see themselves in.
1Firestar
The new showSpider-Man and His Amazing Friendsfrom 1981 was desperate to capitalize on Spider-Man’s popularity. However, there was one problem,Spider-Man didn’t have any amazing friendsin the comics at the time. That is why the creators of the show decided to pair him up with a fire-and-ice combo of Mutants. Since there was no immediate Ice-Man parallel in theX-Mencomics to choose from, Firestar was born.
The absence of a feisty fire-based mutant was clearly recognized by those atMarvel Comics, as Firestar was soon folded into theX-Mencomics a few years later.
