For a franchise focused on families, the MCU has a surprising amount of characters that have been permanently written out. While it was mostly villains who got cut, some heroes have also met their ends in certain films. This all culminated with Avengers: Infinity War, which not only destroyed some of the most beloved characters but turned half of them into dust with just one snap. While we don't think that those characters are permanently gone, it presents an epic problem that the remaining heroes have to face in Avengers: Endgame. Earth's Mightiest Heroes are now hatching a desperate plan to undo the Mad Titan's work and save the universe. Along the way, we're likely to see many old faces return, and that includes those who were destroyed before Thanos' snap. Marvel has already proven that they're willing to bring old characters back through using Red Skull in Infinity War, so it makes sense that we could see even more come back in the next film.
That said, we don't want every character to come back. Sure, there are snap we'd like to see return to the MCU, but there are plenty others that don't necessarily need to come back (even including those who were snapped away). Either way, we're going to see some resurrections happen in the next Avengers movie whether we want them or not. With Avengers: Endgame on the horizon, we're counting down ten characters we hope get snapped back into the MCU and ten that could stay gone.
20 SNAPPED BACK: SPIDER-MAN
It feels like we just got Spider-Man in the MCU and now he's gone. After his debut in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, there were plenty of reasons to love Tom Holland's version of the character more than the two that came before him. With him getting his Iron Spider suit and becoming an Avenger, there are so many different stories and directions the character could go in.
The Avengers just wouldn't feel the same without him, so we'd love to see him return in Avengers: Endgame. He already has another movie in production, so we're certain that he'll make a return.
19 STAY GONE: FALCON
Falcon was Captain America's friend introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, because Cap has always been about his friend Bucky, Falcon has always seemed like he played second fiddle. He's more been a helper to Cap rather than his best friend. With no real ties to any of the Avengers, it just feels like he's around out of necessity.
He doesn't have the staying power to star in his own film, and he's much less interesting than the rest of the cast. He does prove himself a formidable fighter with the use of his wings and drone, but that's about all he brings to the table.
18 SNAPPED BACK: BLACK PANTHER
Black Panther just had one of the biggest movies of 2018 with a sequel already in development. To think that he'll stay gone is just foolish at this point. Furthermore, T'Challa has already proven himself one of the most dynamic and progressive kings of Wakanda, opening up the city to the rest of the world.
Surely, there are more stories to tell and more challenges for him to face going forward. Despite how big his solo film was, he didn't play much of a role in Avengers: Infinity War. Here's hoping that he gets a bit more time to shine in Avengers: Endgame.
17 STAY GONE: SCARLET WITCH
Scarlet Witch has always felt like a secondary Avenger. While she is a big character in the comics, she fails to have the same impact in the MCU without her connections to the X-Men. She was given one of the most emotional arcs in Avengers: Infinity War, but her relationship with Vision just felt like a side plot.
She doesn't offer much to the table. We do think she'll be making a return in Avengers: Endgame, though, as she's set to have her own TV show on Disney's streaming service. Perhaps she'll get more time to shine in that format than as a side character in a team-up film.
16 SNAPPED BACK: DOCTOR STRANGE
While Doctor Strange was far from the best MCU film, the Sorcerer Supreme became a much more interesting character during his appearances in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War. As a protector of the universe, Strange brings an interesting dynamic to the team.
His sole duty is to the universe, and he was willing to let Tony Stark and Peter Parker kick the bucket if it meant that the world remained safe from Thanos. He's also beginning to embrace his powers, which means that he can have more visually interesting fight scenes than the glorified punching in his solo film.
15 STAY GONE: THE ANCIENT ONE
The Ancient One was the person who trained Doctor Strange. She presented an interesting question as it related to how she viewed the rules of using magic, but she never quite had the staying power to make her a standout character.
For all purposes, her denial of the rules actually led Doctor Strange to be a more interesting character, especially as he embraced his role as the Sorcerer Supreme. With Doctor Strange already a prominent figure in the MCU, there isn't much reason to bring the Ancient One back, as she wouldn't offer anything that isn't already present in the films.
14 SNAPPED BACK: WINTER SOLDIER
Winter Soldier was handled very seldom in Avengers: Infinity War. After finally being fixed from his Hydra programming, he was given a vibranium arm and fought alongside the Avengers during the attack from Thanos. The reason Bucky manages to be a more integral part of the MCU is that his legacy will always be tied to Captain America.
With his departure, Cap was dealt a serious blow. The loss of his best friend could be just the thing that motivates him to keep fighting too. Furthermore, if Cap is set to leave the MCU, then there needs to be a farewell to Bucky in there somewhere.
13 STAY GONE: MANTIS
Mantis is the newest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but she's not all that important to the team's dynamic. Sure, she's a weird character who has some funny lines due to her misunderstanding of language, but that's about it. The same could go for Drax, but he still has an arc to finish that has everything to do with vengeance for his deceased family.
It doesn't seem like Mantis has any arc or character direction. She could be completely gone and the Guardians wouldn't change all that much. At least she helped during the battle with Thanos on Titan.
12 SNAPPED BACK: GROOT
Groot went from being the muscle of Rocket to being his surrogate son in many ways. As we watched Groot grow up, being raised by a talking raccoon, there's a certain sweetness to their dynamic. This made Groot's turning into ash at the end of Avengers: Infinity War a much more difficult thing to watch.
Groot is one of the reasons that the Guardians of the Galaxy are such a weird and diverse team. He adds a level of emotional simplicity as well as a visual uniqueness from the rest of the team. It'll be interesting to see how him being gone will affect Rocket, but we definitely want to see him return.
11 STAY GONE: MARIA HILL
Despite the fact that Maria Hill has appeared in several different MCU films, she hasn't managed to be that important. The most she ever did was help Captain America and his friends in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but that was about it -- Fury was always the one who did the bigger things.
As such, her disappearance in Avengers: Infinity War didn't come as much of a shock. That said, she could never return, and we doubt that fans would miss her very much. She's supposed to return alongside Nick Fury for Spider-Man: Far from Home, but does she need to be there?
10 SNAPPED BACK: STAR-LORD
Star-Lord got a rough deal in Avengers: Infinity War. After losing his mother, his biological father, and his surrogate father, he was faced with the loss of the woman he loved as well. While he is normally the charismatic leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, he became an emotional mess all because of Thanos.
He disappeared knowing that he played a part in the Mad Titan's victory against the universe. However, Chris Pratt's Star-Lord is still a dynamic and goofy character that we love watching on-screen. He also has some potential for development after his meltdown in Infinity War, so we'd love to see where that goes.
9 STAY GONE: HANK PYM
When it comes a new hero being trained by an older hero, it's not long until the older hero meets his end or officially passes the torch down to his younger counterpart. This is done so that stories don't have to juggle between two characters at once. However, Marvel hasn't done this with Ant-Man yet, having both Scott Lang and Hank Pym on the screen at the same time.
While Hank Pym is an important part of Marvel's legacy, it's probably time for both him and Janet to ride out into the sunset together. With Scott partnering up with Hope now, there's no need for Hank to continue being a part of the Ant-Man family.
8 SNAPPED BACK: ODIN
Odin was one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, having enough strength to take on Frost Giants and even banish the mighty Thor to Earth. Despite his legacy on the Nine Realms and the MCU, he passed away in a fairly anticlimactic manner. After giving a solemn speech in Norway, he faded into nothingness.
With Hela coming right after his passing, Thor was never given the proper time to grieve or even thank his father. If Odin were to return in Avengers: Endgame, that would give Thor the opportunity to say a proper goodbye as well as a chance for Odin to more appropriately exit the MCU.
7 STAY GONE: CROSSBONES
Crossbones is supposedly set to return in Avengers: Endgame, but we're not entirely sure why. He didn't have that much of an impact in either Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War. In the comics, he left a much more serious effect on the world, but in the MCU, he was just another bad guy to defeat.
He's another one of those Marvel villains that was criminally underdeveloped and disappeared all too quickly. There is a chance to make him a much more interesting character, but there's no time to do that in Avengers: Endgame. We'd be fine if he stayed gone.
6 SNAPPED BACK: NICK FURY
Nick Fury was the original glue that tied the Avengers together. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is seemingly operating in the background, Fury has his dealings with other superheroes. While not having as big a role as he used to, we still think that Director Fury still has at least one last great "hurrah" left in him.
Furthermore, he still remains as the MCU's tie to S.H.I.E.L.D. -- after all, he was the one who called Captain Marvel in the first place. Fury is set to appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so we'll see how he affects the MCU going forward and if he plays a bigger role.
5 STAY GONE: THE VISION
Avengers: Infinity War showed that the Vision doesn't have much importance outside of being the container for an Infinity Stone. The moment he was created, we all knew that he was destined to face the Mad Titan and lose. Now that Vision has been destroyed at the hands of Thanos, it seems that his reasons for being on screen are now much less.
With Scarlet Witch getting her own series, he can be pushed to that just to keep their relationship going. However, there is no longer much purpose for bringing him back and keeping him in the films. He doesn't offer anything to the mix anymore.
4 SNAPPED BACK: KILLMONGER
When it comes to MCU villains, Killmonger was a massive step in the right direction. Arguably a more compelling character than even T'Challa, Killmonger won in the sense that he changed the protagonist's perspective at the end of the movie. If Marvel is going to take the opportunity to bring back any villains in Avengers: Endgame, Killmonger is the way to go.
It seemed that he never got the chance to become a true asset to Wakanda or leave a much more lasting impression on the MCU. Him coming back could change the game for Black Panther going into Phase Four.
3 STAY GONE: HEIMDALL
With Asgard gone and the Bifrost destroyed, there simply isn't much reason for Heimdall to be in the MCU. While he was certainly a cool character and had some nice camaraderie with Thor, he was always a side character and didn't have many chances to stand out from the crowd. After his demise due to Thanos, he's not a character that needs to come back.
Marvel seems to be prepping Thor for entirely different adventures with a new crew of comrades to help him out. Bringing Heimdall back would not only cheapen the events of Infinity War, but it wouldn't make much sense for Thor's new direction.
2 SNAPPED BACK: GAMORA
Gamora was arguably the most tragic character in Avengers: Infinity War. Despite knowing that Thanos never loved her like he should have, his affection for her still led her to be his ultimate sacrifice. With her and Nebula's relationship to their father unresolved, there is still an open door for her to come back and take on Thanos once and for all.
Furthermore, we'd hate to see Star Lord continuously have everyone he cares about ripped away from him. There's already one character in the MCU who has to go through with that, there's no reason to have two. On top of that, Gamora is often the "straight man" to the Guardians' wacky antics.
1 STAY GONE: QUICKSILVER
There has been a lot of speculation about Quicksilver's return in Avengers: Endgame. While he certainly felt like an afterthought in Avengers: Age of Ultron, bringing him back could make him a more memorable character. On the other hand, the MCU has functioned just fine without Quicksilver for almost four years.
There's no reason to bring him back, as he had even less to bring to the table than his sister. If he were to return, we're not sure what the purpose would be outside of having a cute reference. Honestly, it might be best to let him lie in the grave.