Marvel TV Characters Who Will Probably Never Return To The MCU

"It's all connected." When the Marvel Cinematic Universe first launched, this phrase became the mantra for Marvel Studios, as characters like Nick Fury, Tony Stark, and Agent Phil Coulson popped up in various films across Phase One. Then, following the events of the massive crossover in "The Avengers," the sentence transitioned to a rallying cry for "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", the first live-action series set in the MCU. But as more and more projects began to fill up the Marvel Television roster, the things that unfolded on the small screen seemed less and less connected to whatever was happening in the company's major motion pictures.

Though the adventures of Coulson and company somewhat aligned thematically with the movies, the shows that made their homes at networks and streamers like ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform mostly stuck to themselves. Despite a few crossovers here and there, the MCU wasn't as connected as it used to be when it all started. Thankfully, things changed as Marvel TV was folded into Marvel Studios and fell under Kevin Feige's purview. And not only did we start to see characters like Daredevil interact with the other Defenders on Netflix, but the Man Without Fear crossed paths with Spider-Man and She-Hulk before starring on "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+.

However, not every Marvel TV character will get to reenter the spotlight like Charlie Cox's Matthew Murdock. In fact, there's a good chance that we'll never see some characters in the same way we first saw them ever again. Sure, never say never when it comes to Marvel and the multiverse, but here are a few familiar faces that True Believers may not encounter again in the MCU.

After the success of "The Avengers" in theaters and the existence of "The Defenders" on Netflix, Hulu wanted its own massive MCU crossover event. In February 2019, Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb revealed the plan for "The Offenders," four separate adult animated series that would result in a team-up series starring Tigra, Dazzler, M.O.D.O.K., Howard the Duck, and Hit-Monkey. Unfortunately, half of these shows never came to fruition due to the Marvel Television of old being absorbed into Marvel Studios.

One of the shows that did make it out of the developmental phase was "Hit-Monkey." Developed by the Academy Award-nominated duo of Will Speck and Josh Gordon, the show features the voice talents of Jason Sudeikis, Ally Maki, Olivia Munn, George Takei, and Fred Tatasciore as the titular primate assassin. The show follows a wronged Japanese snow monkey who takes on the criminal underworlds of Tokyo and New York City with the help of the ghost of his mentor, American assassin Bryce (Sudeikis).

While the MCU has no shortage of animal-inspired characters like Black Panther and White Tiger, as well as literal animal warriors like Rocket or Goose the Flerken, Hit-Monkey doesn't necessarily seem like a frontrunner in the eyes of the Avengers' recruiters. His show was renewed for a second season after The Offenders' plans fell apart, but the Marvel name was removed from the title and the production was transferred to 20th Television Animation. Though he started out as a character from Marvel Comics, Hit-Monkey and his TV show ended up standing alone without needing to be incorporated into the MCU.

Mockingbird is a standout S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a true hero in the Marvel Universe. When she made her MCU debut on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on ABC, all that still applied. However, things started to veer off from the Bobbi Morse that we've come to know and love from the comics. Instead of a "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" vibe with Hawkeye, Adrianne Palicki's high-ranking operative was connected professionally and romantically to Lance Hunter, a decorated member of the British army who turned to freelance mercenary work before formally joining S.H.I.E.L.D. under Director Phil Coulson.

After making their debut in the show's second season, the charismatic duo played by Palicki and Nick Blood quickly became fan favorites. The network even planned a spin-off for them after the characters were written out of the third season. But after shooting the pilot for "Most Wanted," ABC announced in May 2016 that the show wouldn't be picked up. And since the characters were written out in a way where they couldn't come back to the peace-keeping organization or any U.S. government agency, it wouldn't make sense for them to slip back into business as usual. 

On the other hand, as we saw on "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" on Disney+, anything goes in Madripoor. Morse and Hunter could follow in Sharon Carter's footsteps and take on some more nefarious gigs if they wanted. But as of now, we have no reason to believe that the ex-spies and ex-spouses are doing anything other than enjoying retirement.

Before the Jeph Loeb era of Marvel Television came to an end, the company had big plans for Hulu. On top of the adult animation shows that would have culminated on "The Offenders," they also planned for a collection of shows under the banner "Adventure Into Fear." This corner of the MCU was named after Marvel's horror comic series from the 1970s and would have featured scarier characters and themes from the House of Ideas. And similar to Netflix's "The Defenders," the four shows in development were meant to lead into a crossover featuring Lilith, Mother of All Demons, as the primary antagonist.

Out of the four projects in development, only two were announced: "Ghost Rider," which would see Gabriel Luna reprise his role as the Spirit of Vengeance from "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," and "Helstrom," a series that would follow two children of a mysterious and nefarious serial killer who took it upon themselves to hunt down dark forces. But after "Ghost Rider" fell apart due to creative differences, Daimon (Tom Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon) became the only products of the "Adventure Into Fear" franchise. And in the end, no one was buying what they were selling.

Despite standout visual effects, many felt that "Helstrom" lacked interesting characters or storylines. The MCU's version of Daimon still possessed demonic abilities, but for whatever reason, he wasn't as charismatic as his comic book counterpart. And now that we have other spooky characters like Werewolf By Night, Agatha Harkness, Moon Knight, Clea, and Mephisto that fans have gravitated to since they were introduced, there's not much reason to bring back "Helstrom" from the realm of cancellation right now, since there are much more compelling figures that could cover the same territory that the Son of Satan would.

One of the biggest disasters of Marvel Television has to be "Inhumans." Not only did the series from showrunner Scott Buck (who is best known for his nearly universally panned work on "Iron Fist" and the final season of "Dexter") crash and burn on ABC, but its failures were showcased on the biggest screens possible since it premiered on IMAX in September 2017. Whether it was the unmet expectations of an IMAX-worthy blockbuster event on television, the uninspired costume design, or the incredibly questionable plot points, very few critics had good things to say about this royal family of Moon-dwelling people. But at the end of the day, at least the show introduced Lockjaw to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The 2,000-pound canine companion with the power of teleportation was truly the best boy in the whole show. While he didn't appear often due to the cost of CGI, he made the most out of his limited screen time. And though he could have easily been comic relief, Lockjaw played an important role in Black Bolt (Anson Mount) and Crystal's (Isabelle Cornish) storylines.

Unfortunately, the Inhumans have taken a backseat in the MCU after the focus shifted to the X-Men. Even Ms. Marvel, originally an Inhuman in the comics, was revealed to have mutant connections in her acclaimed Disney+ show. Because of this change, there's no reason for Kamala Khan to cross paths with Lockjaw and form a relationship similar to the one that fans loved in her 2014 comic series. The Mini Cooper-sized puppy didn't even appear alongside Black Bolt in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." As great as it would be to see him again, Lockjaw's return just doesn't seem like it would factor into the MCU's future at this point.

Speaking of Ms. Marvel, when we last saw her in the MCU, she was putting together a team of young heroes toward the end of "The Marvels." Her first recruit was Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop. And based on what her father said on "Daredevil: Born Again" about being in California, Cassie Lang is potentially her next target. But whether Kamala Khan is assembling the Young Avengers, the Champions, or another classic team from the House of Ideas, there's a good chance that Cloak and Dagger aren't on her radar right now.

First introduced to the MCU in their own "Cloak & Dagger" series on Freeform, Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen quickly learn that their superpowers of darkness and light manipulation work better together. Despite being from two very different backgrounds, they team up to take on the various troubles of New Orleans, Louisiana. But their time in the Big Easy ultimately came to an end, and the Season 2 finale teased a crossover with the Los Angeles-based Runaways that took place on the latter show's third season.

Honestly, it would be great to see Cloak and Dagger again. Their dynamic is unlike any other that has been introduced in the MCU so far. But compared to other young heroes with connections to magic or other dimensions in play right now, like Wiccan, Nico Minoru, or America Chavez, Tyrone and Tandy don't seem like a priority by comparison. But maybe if development on the rumored "Strange Academy" series continues, the creators could find a place for this mysterious duo.

Since Charlie Cox's Daredevil has been fully incorporated back into the modern MCU, many True Believers have wondered when other characters from Netflix's corner of the franchise would make a comeback. We've already seen villains like Kingpin and Bullseye become major players again, although Mary Alice Walker, aka Typhoid Mary, may not return in the same way.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, Typhoid Mary is a mutant with dissociative identity disorder and low-level psionic powers who frequently works as an assassin for various criminal organizations. She's also connected to Daredevil, who has been a target, a lover, and an ally in the past. But when Alice Eve's version of the character was introduced in the second season of "Iron Fist," Mary is a lot more of a grizzled warrior. With a resume that includes private investigator, mercenary, and special ops for the U.S. Army in Sokovia, she is hired to capture Danny Rand (Finn Jones). However, as her more ruthless personality meticulously formulates a plan to achieve her objective, Mary's naive side befriends Danny and tries to help him.

Though Eve did an excellent job in her portrayal of the character, Mary suffered from being an interesting character thrust into an overstuffed and largely uninteresting show. After all, the second season was already starting at a disadvantage due to the universally panned first season. And by removing the mutant element from her backstory, the character ended up being yet another troubled soldier caught up in a world of superheroes. Considering that there are plenty of those in play in the MCU at the moment (many of whom make up the Thunderbolts roster), that might mean that Typhoid Mary will be benched for the foreseeable future.

Though many consider "Iron Fist" to be one of the lowest points of the MCU to date, an argument could be made that Disney+'s "Secret Invasion" trumps the Netflix series in terms of disappointment. Of the many criticisms of "Secret Invasion," a major one had to do with the fan expectation that the Nick Fury-led series would reintroduce various agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the post-"Avengers: Endgame" landscape, including Chloe Bennet's Quake. Even Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, or one of the Koenig brothers would have been cool to see fighting alongside Fury in his fight against the rogue Skrulls. But one agent that probably won't pop up again is Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez.

First introduced in the third season of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as a streetwise Colombian Inhuman out for revenge against crooked cops, Yo-Yo becomes one of Coulson's top agents thanks to her resilient attitude and her super speed. Fans of the show also fell in love with her as the relationship between the slingshot speedster and fellow operative Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie develops over the course of the series. But despite the fact that the series finale painted a picture of a decorated and highly skilled field agent, Rodriguez was left out of the Disney+ series along with the rest of her colleagues.

Is it a matter of Marvel Studios continuing to ignore "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Agent Carter" until it's convenient? Or is this yet another example of the MCU moving away from Inhumans in favor of mutants? Regardless of the actual reason, Yo-Yo did receive a sense of closure by the end of the hit ABC drama, so if Kevin Feige did decide to bring someone back from that show, she might be towards the bottom of the list.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten considerably more timey-wimey due to the events of "Avengers: Endgame," "Loki," "Deadpool & Wolverine," and other installments of the Multiverse Saga. But right around the time when Captain America took his tour through the Sacred Timeline to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful places, the gang from "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." did their fair share of traversing around the timeline in their sixth and final season in 2020. And as a part of their adventures, they recruited a former SSR Chief and legendary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Daniel Sousa, to aid them in their last mission.

Initially last seen in 1947 Los Angeles, the familiar face from "Agent Carter," played by Enver Gjokaj, reappeared in the MCU when Daisy Johnson and her team encountered Sousa on the night in 1955 when he was supposed to die. Instead, the agents secretly saved him from being assassinated by HYDRA and enlisted his help to defeat the Chronicoms before they could damage the timeline. After completing this mission and saving the world again, Sousa joined Johnson and the Inhuman Kora as they explored deep space in the Zephyr Three.

Like Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, Daniel Sousa is a man out of time. But unlike the two Avengers, his purview extends beyond being one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As he ventures out more and more into the far reaches of space with Quake and Kora, the less likely it is that we'll see him cross paths with the events taking place on Earth. At least, Earth-616 (or more accurately, Earth-199999). So does that mean that we could see another Daniel Sousa variant at some point? Sure, anything is possible in the multiverse. But I wouldn't put money on ever seeing this version of the character again.

Listen, plenty of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been given second chances. Whether through time travel or alternate universes, or incredibly sophisticated LMDs, or simply some kind of sequel, there are many avenues to return to the screens of True Believers around the world. But in the case of Nobu Yoshioka, it's pretty hard to come back after what happened to him.

The high-ranking member of The Hand, played by Peter Shinkoda, was first seen on "Daredevil" on Netflix. He seemingly met his demise during the streaming series' first season when he was defeated by The Man Without Fear, set on fire, and allowed to burn by Wilson Fisk. However, he made a comeback in the second season thanks to the mysterious activities of the ancient ninja organization that unlocked the secret to resurrection.

Back to essentially 100%, Nobu was tasked with finding the new Black Sky, a powerful warrior who was prophesied to lead The Hand. This search led him to Elektra Natchios (Élodie Yung), master assassin and Matt Murdock's ex, who did not want the job. Ultimately, after a lengthy battle, Nobu's mission was accomplished (and things were set up for the crossover "The Defenders"). But before he could relish the victory, he came face to face with Daredevil and Elektra's trainer, Stick (Scott Glenn). The blind sensei made sure that Nobu was dealt with once and for all by beheading the ninja, which would make it pretty impossible for the villain to be resurrected again.

As one of the most unique Marvel adaptations to date, "Legion" managed to capture audiences' attention and imaginations for three seasons from 2017 to 2019. The FX series was created by Noah Hawley, who is known for his acclaimed work on "Bones," "Fargo," and most recently "Alien: Earth." But when he was given the keys to the Marvel Universe, he tackled the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), the mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent his life going in and out of psychiatric hospitals to control his various extremely powerful psychic abilities. But due to his mental illness and being infected by a parasitic mutant known as the Shadow King, it's hard to tell what's really happening, what's in David's head, and what others are inserting into his mind. The whole thing is insanely trippy and a truly wild ride.

Because of the show's crazy twists, turns, and a finale that kinda-sorta involves reincarnation, it's hard to imagine an easy way to reintroduce Stevens' version of Legion into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather than jumping through a million narrative hoops to make things line up, it's probably best to leave Hawley's creation in its own corner of the House of Ideas.