2024 was a big year for theMarvel Cinematic Universeto bring back some familiar faces, heralding the return of many Marvel characters that haven’t been seen in some time. As of late, themovies of the MCUhave somewhat begun dragging their feet in bringing back established characters, with several big names going multiple years without an update. Although the MCU had fewer releases in 2024, the franchise was still able to bring back some old favorites.
There were a few avenues by which 2024 was able to bring back some notable names that haven’t been seen in quite some time. Of course, the standard cameos and returns to familiar faces in series centered on them were always to be expected. The latest season ofWhat If…?also gave audiences a chance to view some variants of relatively new additions to the MCU. Lastly, the many cameos ofDeadpool & Wolverineallowed for some unbelievable returns to form from heroes long thought to be retired.
10Sonny Burch
What If…?
The great thing about the episodic format ofWhat If…?is that it has the time to explore unimportant, but nevertheless popular fan-favorite side characters that might not otherwise get the spotlight. A prime example of this is Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch. A restaurateur, southern gentleman, and black-market technology dealer, Sonny enacted an ill-informed plan to rob Hank Pym of his mobile laboratory and the valuable technology within way back inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Did you like What If…?’s overarching narrative across episodes?
Ultimately, Marvel’s What If…? wasn’t exactly an anthology of isolated stories and alternate universes, as many of the episode endings connected as part of an overarching narrative involving Uatu the Watcher and Captain Peggy Carter. While it wasn’t necessarily bad, I think I would have preferred more isolated stories, which would likely have allowed for more variety and the multiverse feeling more like the “prism of endless possibility”, as it’s described in the episode intros.
Even if Sonny wasn’t all that important of a villain in the grand scheme of things, Walton Goggins' hilarious portrayal of him gave him a quiet degree of fan favoritism. In 2024, the MCU finally wised up to his hidden popularity, bringing him back in season 3 ofWhat If…?in the episodeWhat If…1872?Goggins' smooth charm and accent lends him perfectly to the Western setting, making him a great choice for one ofWhat If…?season 3’s better episodes.
9Sharon Davis
Agatha All Along
In 2024, the Marvel Cinematic Universe returned to Westview for the first time in 3 years withAgatha All Along.Though the new series is obviously centered on Agatha and her new cadre of witches, a few key returning Westview citizens fromAgatha All Alongdo make an appearance, namely the lovable Sharon Davis. InWandaVision, Sharon played the role of Mrs. Hart, a friendly older neighbor always ready to act as a warm presence in Wanda’s fake sitcom reality and offer her some poignant words of advice.
She ends up getting way in over her head when Agatha recruits her for her coven of witches, bearing no actual magical ability but having enough of a green thumb to qualify for the role of the Green Earth Witch in Agatha’s desperate eyes.
InAgatha All Along, Sharon is shown to still be struggling with the lingering effects of Wanda’s magical spell even years later. She ends up getting way in over her head when Agatha recruits her for her coven of witches, bearing no actual magical ability but having enough of a green thumb to qualify for the role of the Green Earth Witch in Agatha’s desperate eyes. Sharon was a welcome sight for sore eyes going in toAgatha All Along.
8Daredevil
Echo
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil is one of the greatest modern superhero performances to come out of the streaming era. His first addition to the MCU inSpider-Man: No Way Homewas a welcome sight for returning fans of the original Netflix TV show.Daredevil returned once more for an extended appearance inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, proving his longevity even further. 2024 saw another much-appreciated Daredevil appearance thanks to the show Echo, which snuck into the MCU’s release schedule at the very beginning of the year.In Echo, Daredevil shows up briefly to engage the titular character in a tense fist-fight during one of her many operations for Kingpin. The series also confirmed that the events of theNetflix shows are canon to the MCUthanks to Kingpin’s flashbacks in the finale.
2024 saw another much-appreciated Daredevil appearance thanks to the show Echo, which snuck into the MCU’s release schedule at the very beginning of the year.In Echo, Daredevil shows up briefly to engage the titular character in a tense fist-fight during one of her many operations for Kingpin. The series also confirmed that the events of the Netflix shows are canon to the MCU thanks to Kingpin’s flashbacks while he was being healed by Echo in the finale.
7Billy Maximoff
Billy Maximoff isn’t a character many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were expecting to see again any time soon.Seemingly killed when his mother Wanda’s reality-warping illusion fell apart in Westview, it seemed as though the only way Billy and Tommy Maximoff could return to the franchise was via Variants, a la his brief appearance inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
However,Agatha All Alonggave audiences a hotly-anticipated second look at Billy thanks to the mysterious character played by John Locke originally simply referred to as “Teen”.
Teen’s identity is initially magically obscured to Agatha, but he eventually reveals himself to be the consciousness of Billy Maximoff thrust into a new host body. Not only does Billy escape death, but he gets to become the magical hero Wiccan, just like in the comics.
6Agatha Harkness
Speaking ofAgatha All Along, the return of the titular witch was an expected one, being the namesake of the show, but still a welcome return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe worth celebrating in 2024. Agatha was first introduced inWandaVisionas a devious magic-absorbing witch hoping to steal the power of Wanda’s chaos magic for herself.Her solo series provides more information on her backstory while updating what she had been up to since.
It’s explained that Agatha had spent her life following the Westview incident in a similar illusion, seeing her life as aclassic procedural crime television drama.Once she’s freed, Agatha sets out on a journey down the mythical Witches’ Road, encountering a mysterious old flame along the way.After Agatha became a fan-favorite in the infamous reveal of her meddling inWandaVision, it’s great to see her back in action.
5Shang-Chi
Few leading characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been done as dirty as Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi has. Ever since he debuted inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest mainstay addition to the Avengers’ roster has been sorely absent from all subsequent Marvel projects.After three long years, the MCU has finally seemed to remember Shang-Chi exists thanks toWhat If…?
Shang-Chi, or technically-speaking, a variant of him, appears in the same Wild West-themed episode six featuring Sonny Burch.The hero of the story, Shang-Chi goes on a mission tracking down his sister, who seems to have fallen under the influence of an evil magical artifact.Even if it isn’t technically the same character, it’s thrilling to see Shang-Chi unleash his skills in a creative new setting, and the episode even touches on sensitive subjects like the anti-Asian sentiment in the West following the railroad boom.
4Jennifer Garner’s Elektra
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverinemade up the bulk of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s surprise appearances in 2024, shocking general audiences with some deep cut cameos from films long ago. One of the most obscure of these returning characters is Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, a vengeful sai-wielding assassin and former love interest of Daredevil. Elektra is one of the many wayward souls to group up with Deadpool later on in his crusade against Cassandra Nova and her roving gang of raiders.
Elektra was last seen in theaters way back in 2005 in Jennifer Garner’s solo spin-off movie,Elektra. After almost two decades, it’s a shock that Marvel Studios was able to get Garner to once again take up the character’s ninja garb on a new adventure.That’s not even to mention the shocking joke at the expense ofJennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s real-life divorcethat Deadpool somehow gets away with.
3Chris Evans' The Human Torch
Admittedly, being both a multiversal romp through Marvel’s greatest hits and discarded ideas, not to mention a Deadpool movie, it’s not necessarily a surprise thatDeadpool & Wolverinegot away with so many cameos.Chris Evans was still a welcome sight nonetheless, as audiences (and Deadpool himself) braced themselves with glee to hear his classic catchphrase, “I could do this all day”.What truly was a surprise was hearing “Flame on!” come out of his mouth instead.
The bait-and-switch was one of the most effective jokes using one of the film’s many cameos, and Evans doesn’t miss a beat in returning to his old hot-headed hero.
Instead of Captain America, Chris Evans reprised his role as Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch, from the early 2000s Fantastic Four movies in 2024.The bait-and-switch was one of the most effective jokes using one of the film’s many cameos, and Evans doesn’t miss a beat in returning to his old hot-headed hero. If there’s one Marvel character that returned to cinemas in 2024 fans weren’t expecting, it was Chris Evans’ Human Torch.
2Wesley Snipes' Blade
The final ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s major cameos of returning characters was one of the original Marvel heroes to strike it big on film, Wesley Snipes’ own Blade.A vampire hunting “Daywalker” who is half-vampire himself, Blade’s trilogy of pulpy R-rated action movies made him a perfect fit for an appearance in Disney’s first R-rated superhero film. Snipes feels perfectly at home coming back to his iconic character after 20 years, having last appeared inBlade: Trinityin 2004.
There’s something inherently funny about Wesley Snipes returning to the role of Blade in a live-action movie before Mahershala Ali’s fabled take on the character was ever able to make an actual on-screen appearance. Blade himself isn’t above poking fun atthe MCUBlade’s woefully troubled production, insisting that “There’s only ever gonna be one Blade”.Jokes aside, Snipes’ sudden return to blood-soaked superhero action is a welcome sight indeed.
1Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine
Of course, of all the famous portrayals of superheros to return to life inDeadpool & Wolverine, none are as legendary as Hugh Jackman himself stepping back into the role of the iconic X-Man.Jackman ended his story in the Fox X-Men universe on a perfect note in 2017’sLogan, leaving a bittersweet legacy as a protective hero. Even if there was some hesitation as to how he could return without besmirching this legacy, excitement to see Jackman return to the role was through the roof.
Luckily,Deadpool & Wolverineis able to find an elegant solution by positing Jackman in the new movie as a mere Variant of the “original” Wolverine audiences knew and loved, whose adamantium skeleton is hilariously turned into a weapon in the opening action sequence. Seeing Jackman let loose in an R-rated film that finally allows him to wear the yellow costume from the comics was well worth the inclusion. TheMarvel Cinematic Universecouldn’t top such a brilliant return to form in 2024.
