Why I Didn’t Like Steve Rogers’s Ending in Avengers: Endgame

Why I Didn’t Like Steve Rogers’s Ending in Avengers: Endgame


There is no objectivity in high art, let alone entertainment like blockbuster movies featuring superheroes. Plus, the movies just like the comics before them have different people working on certain movies than others and plans can get interrupted or changed (like Spider-Man suddenly being added to Civil War) so it’s no surprise that viewers (like myself) could have gotten the wrong idea about what exactly Steve’s arc in the movies was about versus what it actually was proven to be by the end of Endgame. Now if you like the ending, more power to you. Personally, other than Black Panther I think Phase Three did a lot of awful things to the characters of the MCU (which is why I continue to prefer the worlds of the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon as well as the comicverse Earth 616 A.K.A. the main Marvel Universe, as they contain my favorite versions of the characters) but I can understand why others don’t share my opinion. But being totally honest, I, as an individual, did not like what happened with Steve’s character arc. This is not passing judgement on the quality but simply my subjective reaction to the narrative choice.


Many reasons have been given why people don’t like the ending. Ranging from: “Steve would never do that if he was in character” (obviously proven false since it happened). “Steve moved on from Peggy and it takes away her life” (again, false, especially since she was implied to be quite willing to enter a relationship with him). “Steve not moving on from Peggy is unhealthy” (arguable, since I’m sure if she said she didn’t want to be with him I’m sure he would’ve backed off and gone back to the present day immediately. And for all we know he’s had several girlfriends post snap.) Or “Steve abandoned his friends” (he’s under no obligation to stay with them. He’s his own man and it’s his own life. But I did find it a bit out of character that he apparently didn’t tell Sam, who he literally just got back after he’d been gone a whopping five whole years, that he was thinking of staying away for a while. Rather, he just showed up all old and gave Sam the shield. Just seemed like an odd writing choice when he could’ve been like, “Hey, Sam. I’m going to see Peggy and may end up staying with her for a while so I might be older when I’m back but I’ll see you again in seconds.”.) For me, I’ve tried to articulate why I hate the ending and it can be summed up by the following points: “The lack of explanation about what happened in the other timeline,” “Steve not having to sacrifice anything,”and “the focus on a wife as the key to a happy ending for Steve.” Again, these are completely subjective.



The lack of explanation about what happened in the other timeline


Let’s try and break down what happened when Steve went back in time. Based on the scene as presented in the movie, Steve shows up at Peggy’s house after the war is over. (The screenwriters also said he showed up after the events of Agent Carter.) The movie never explains what happens with them other than they got their long awaited dance. So here’s some things I imagine he had to settle with her in order for them to even begin to have proper communication: He would have to prove to her that he is in fact Steve Rogers. He may or may not have told her he’s from the future -- I choose to believe that he told her immediately, as well as admitting that due to Endgame’s time travel rules set by the directors, there was another version of himself somewhere in ice. They would have had to actually figure out who they are together now that the war is over and get to know each other in a more intimate way than they had been able to before and decide that the relationship they had established was truly sustainable. Steve and Peggy would have had to deal with the fact that Steve is now a decade older than he was the last time they saw each other and the massive gap in experience since Steve has lived things she hasn’t, like going to space and watching half the life in the universe get wiped out because a purple alien snapped his fingers or even just lived in the Information Age with modern technology. Let’s assume all goes according to Steve’s plan and their relationship is great and they have no more problems than could be expected for a healthy couple.


This is probably just my headcanon but it’s also worth noting that despite Steve having led therapy groups himself, he would still have benefited from having modern therapy about the events of Endgame, especially since he just lost two people he cared about: Tony and Natasha. Obviously that wouldn't be an option going back into the past. Hope he had good coping mechanisms since there’s a limited number of people he could talk to about his experiences and none of them are or should be his therapist. And I can just imagine the stress of dealing with being married to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Cold War.


Endgame never tells us anything about what Steve does in the other timeline. Does he tell everyone that he’s Steve Rogers or does he live under an alias (or perhaps uses the same name but pretends to be a different Steve than the guy who was Captain America)? Does he tell anyone he’s from the future? I would hope at least Peggy and, if anyone else, maybe Howard (or the Howling Commandos). If he lives under a different name, is he still friends with the Howling Commandos? Does he work at S.H.I.E.L.D.? Does he get a more normal job? Do he and Peggy have children? Does he save Bucky, either personally or tell others who have S.H.I.E.L.D. track him down? Does he tell Peggy and Howard about his other self, which could potentially lead to younger Steve getting found sooner? If Peggy knows, how much does he tell her about the future? Because even just mentioning things like the Cuban missile crisis or the Vietnam War before they happen could lead to her, consciously or not, making some different choices that could lead to the timeline being completely affected considering the position of power she inhabits. Heck, saving Bucky alone changes a lot since it’s heavily implied he assassinated a lot of high profile targets, plus Howard living would change Tony a lot. Would Tony still have the same relationship with Obadiah Stane? Would he still become Iron Man someday or potentially do something else to help the world? If they stamp Hydra out of SHIELD, that’s another way the timeline would be completely different -- hopefully for the better.


I imagine questions like this other than “get rid of Hydra” and “save Bucky” would be the sort of things he would keep out of his mind for a while but the closer he’d get to the twenty-first century the more the possibilities would run through his head. If he changes things a lot, would the Avengers still exist or something completely different? Does Thanos still manage to collect all of the Infinity Stones? (Even if Steve gives up fighting, the closer he’d get to the time he left I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d be worried about the possibility of losing people to the snap -- again.) Because of this, perhaps Steve would share future knowledge about things like Asgard, Infinity Stones (and where he knows some can be found), and Thanos to guarantee Earth’s safety?


I’m also bothered by how the film writers and directors had different ideas about how Steve’s time travel worked. The writers favored “Steve was Peggy’s husband all along” which would explain why he didn’t appear back where he’d left on the platform but that also violates the movie’s time travel rules. The directors said an alternate timeline and it’s never explained in the movie itself that his timeline was a different one nor how he got back to the canon MCU. Nor is it explained if Old Steve is here to stay in the MCU or if he’s going back to the alternate timeline after giving Sam the shield. Rather, the creative team just went for what they saw as a romantic and cathartic ending with Steve and Peggy’s long awaited dance but brings up more questions than it solves. It’s a valid writing choice, leaving things up to the audience and ending with the shot of Steve and Peggy going full circle, but I really don’t care for it.



Steve not having to sacrifice anything


I will openly admit that I was influenced by a poster on Reddit that pointed out that considering the theme of Endgame is “Whatever it takes” and that most of the original Avengers make sacrifices or have to move on, it’s pretty disappointing that Steve never really lives up to that. Sure, he loses Natasha but so does everyone. He gets Bucky and Sam back, gets to wield Mjolnir, gets to go start a new timeline with Peggy, gets to come back to the canon MCU when he feels like it, etc. This is probably just due to them wanting to write off Steve since Chris Evans didn’t want to stick around but by the logic of “Steve deserves to be happy,” doesn’t Thor? Shouldn’t he, then, have made just as much sense to gather the stones and get to start a new timeline where he goes back far enough to save everyone on Asgard and prevent Thanos from succeeding in the first place? Is it different just because Steve's other self is in ice? The whole thing really feels like a last minute decision. Examples of things Steve could have sacrificed: his life, his super soldier serum (he’s lost it before in the comics which led to him turning into an old man physically), his chance with Peggy.



The focus on a wife as the key to a happy ending for Steve


Being perfectly honest, this is the main reason why I was so bothered by Steve’s ending. It’s not that he ended up happy or that he got with Peggy so much as I personally don’t care for the idea that the key to Steve’s happiness was marriage (and potentially children). Sure, I get why Steve liked Peggy and why she’s a reasonable choice for love interest from a narrative perspective -- she was the only woman who served with the Howling Commandos and she liked him even before the serum, when he was still small and sickly. If asked for my preference, I would have liked Sharon to be his love interest since I like their romance in the comics but being perfectly honest, I would’ve liked best if Steve’s story had ended with him single.


This is again just my preference but one of the things I liked about Steve’s storyline pre-Endgame was just how much more emphasis was placed on the platonic relationships in his life rather than romantic ones. Even in The First Avenger his bond with Bucky is as important as his romance with Peggy. The next two movies solidify his friendships with Natasha and Sam. Bucky comes back and eventually they rekindle their brotherly bond. It was probably unintentional that romance played such a small role in his storyline overall since for a while they did try to fit Sharon Carter in there but never found a big role for her outside of serving as love interest so the Cap trilogy primarily focused on Steve’s family of choice, which I adored.


That’s part of why I didn’t care for the ending. While in the past Steve gains Peggy, he loses things too. He loses most of his support system. While Natasha and Tony already died, Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Clint, Scott are all still around. Going back to the past would mean he’d lose all but Bucky and friendship with others would be a bit more distant unless the other person knows about the time travel considering how much more he’s seen than anyone on Earth will until at least the nineties. The friendships could still work but it saddens me to think about all the relationships Steve had to give up just to see one woman -- but I have never felt romantic love so I suppose I’ll never understand how it makes people feel so perhaps that’s a reasonable choice since he did wind up going back to everyone eventually. So while Steve’s ending may be happy it seems a bit bittersweet to me since he never sees most of his old family of choice until it’s been so long that he’ll naturally be a very different person simply due to time. Also I’ll admit to have been rubbed the wrong way by the writers insisting on having Steve refer to Peggy as the “love of my life” when even keeping in mind that they did indeed prove to be a perfect couple based on canon, Steve could not have known that at the time since they had never had a real relationship before. It’s probably just me taking it too personally but he knew his friends far longer: Natasha he knew for a decade before she died, Sam for four(? not sure the exact number) years pre-snap, and he and Bucky were childhood friends. That line would have made more sense after the time travel. I'll also say that it shows that the creators didn't want us to think too hard about the fact that there's another Steve in the ice in that timeline because no matter when he eventually comes out of the ice, he still does not get the chance with Peggy Carter and, depending on when he's discovered, he may still be a Man Out of Time. So does he get his happy ending? If so, how? Does he also need a time machine to go to an alternate timeline to end up with Peggy or is that only for MCUCanon Steve due to how devastating his life was, while this hypothetical Steve might have awoken in a world where he might have never needed to fight and so maybe was able to make a happy ending in the present day? That's the only way I can accept this.
 

I wish Steve’s arc could have been finished off in a proper Captain America movie, preferably using this storyline as the plotline.

My Favorite Marvel Comics Superheroes

 . . . And Why Some of Them Should be Used More

Disclaimer: As you’ll notice, I’m a huge fan of the Avengers comic books, so most of my selections will come from there. This list is not comprehensive—I love a lot of characters, but am trying to keep this list relatively short, though it could easily include: Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Cassie Lang; White Tiger (Ava Ayala); Wonder Man (Simon Williams); Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara); Sif; Clea; Shang-Chi; Amadeus Cho; Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse), Falcon (Sam Wilson), Bucky Barnes, the Fantastic Four, all the Future Foundation kids, etc.

So, it's a good time to be a Marvel fan, considering the use of more Marvel characters than ever in the MCU. Though I'm lucky to have a good percentage of my favorites as characters deemed worthy enough of movie exposure, I also believe several have a lot of potential to be fan favorites if they just got a push and the right creative team. Alright, then. On to the list:

1     1. Carol Danvers, current Captain Marvel:

 What can I say about this character? She was one of the first Marvel characters I fell in love with back when the only thing I knew about Marvel were their movies. (Though this was back around 2010, so the only ones I knew were Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Hulk.)

  One main reason I love Carol is because she’s inspiring: she was created in 1968 and was a woman in a traditionally male career field who was portrayed as competent. Marvel chose her to become the original Ms. Marvel in the late 70s, which led to her receiving her first of several ongoing series, becoming a member of the Avengers, and since the new millennium, she’s received enough of a push to be one of Marvel’s flagship females. Although, I also loved her for how utterly human she was. In Kurt Busiek's Avengers run, she struggled with alcoholism and during Brian Reed's Ms. Marvel, he dealt with her past of having been depowered, sent to space, and the trauma she'd dealt with that had mostly been glossed over by previous writers. She started off as a minor character and has grown as a character in the books and as an IP for Marvel comics—originally she had no powers and now she’s one of the most respected and powerful female heroes based on Marvel Earth. She's also a nerd: she named her cat Chewie (after Chewbacca of Stars Wars fame, as it reminded her of that character) and wrote a science fiction novel (based on her time with the Starjammers). Another appealing characteristic of Carol is that she's struggled with insecurity and desire to be recognized which influences her decisions, good and bad. Since Marvel rebranded her as Captain Marvel, she's gotten it, both in-universe and out.
  If you want a starting point, Kelly SueDeConnick’s Captain Marvel (in particular the first 17 or so issues she wrote) is a pretty good place to begin, since it starts with Carol taking on the Captain Marvel name and has solid characterization, if mediocre stories.

  Oh, and I’m shallow—while I don’t care much for her current costume, her flight abilities and energy projection and absorption powers are awesome and a great visual.

2.   T’Challa, the Black Panther:

While sharing a name with a black power organization makes the Panther a character many deem racist, he still holds up better than some of Marvel’s other attempts at black male characters: he was competent, idealized, and was deemed worthy of joining the Avengers based on his status as a hero, not because of his race so as to do some offensive story critiquing affirmative action (I’m looking at you, Falcon, Rage, Triathlon). The most unfortunate element is that he’s typically had his face covered up, but I’m willing to deal with it because the visual is so powerful.

 Black Panther represents Afro-futurism and proof that if Africa hadn't suffered under European colonization, the continent would thrive. He also has some cool villains like Reverend Achebe and Eric Killmonger. I have my issues with him, of course -- the fact that the Black Panther title is passed down through royal blood, plus needs more supporting characters who are regular citizens of the country.

 Also, like with Black Bolt and Namor, there’s the logistics of how someone who’s supposed to be running a kingdom on a regular basis has time to play Avenger over in the West.

 But yeah, I love Black Panther. Favorite runs by Don McGregor et al (product of its time, but the art is great), Christopher Priest et al (I both love and hate this run due to its brilliant moments and its many flaws, like representation of women), and David Liss et al.

3     3. Hank Pym

Yes, I know why everyone hates him. But can I say that’s why I like him? I like that he and Janet’s relationship always fails, that he always switches super hero identities, that he has a Never Live It Down reputation with the fans. . . .

   Why? Because it makes him so relatable to me. I’ve always been considered talented and smart, but except for grades in school and college, I fail at just about everything I do. Both the fictional Hank and I are always trying to prove ourselves and learn from our mistakes, trying to keep others from making the same mistake we did. The Hank story that shows this best was "The Trial of Yellowjacket" from Roger Stern's Avengers run, though other good moments include his use as Dr. Pym in West Coast Avengers and, more recently, books like Avengers Academy and Avengers A.I. Also, I love size changing. It’s such a badly used power. Imagine if you could shrink things—that would destroy the luggage industry alone. And it's so visually cool to be able to shrink since it's great for spying and escapes, controlling ants (since so many can be dangerous) and visually unique. Plus, the Microverse is so cool!

4      4. Janet van Dyne, the Wasp:

While I love female heroes who do traditionally male jobs, I’ve long felt that superheroes or women of action who take on traditionally feminine pursuits have received a bad rap. Janet may have been written in a creepy sexist manner in her early days, but you can’t hold that against the character throughout her entire history.

   Taken as a whole, Janet was one of the first Marvel heroines to have a gender-neutral codename, have a costume that wasn’t ridiculously revealing, kept her code name (unlike say, Carol Danvers), and had a character arc that allowed her to grow. She has multiple and unique powers: ability to shrink and grow, flight, and her stingers. She’s led the Avengers multiple times, serving as their first female chairperson; she wanted to be hero because she wanted revenge against who killed her father; she also wanted to help people. She is a fashionista who is the CEO of her own company who’s designed and worn hundreds of costumes, all of them colorful and full of personality. Her personality is fun and bubbly. She’s an ally and friend to just about every female hero in the Marvel U. And, most importantly, she wants to have a good time. 

5     5. Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver:

I wish I could claim I was one of those hipster types who liked Pietro long before he ever showed up in a movie, but I can only honestly admit to having been a fan since 2012. Basically, he’s the sort of character I often love: snarky, has feelings of inadequacy, unique and visual super powers, and has never been quite the traditional alpha male. In many ways, he’s more feminine—he’s drawn like a pretty boy, has deferred to many women as leaders, his powers make him more agile and swift, and he has been mainly defined by his relationships to females in his life (Wanda, Crystal, Luna). He’s also an international ethnic minority: Romani from the Balkans. 
   The best use of Pietro has pretty much exclusively been when he's written by Peter David, so I recommend the X-Factor run PAD did in the nineties as well as the more recent All-New X-Factor. 

6      6. Jennifer Walters, the Sensational She-Hulk:

While I stopped liking the Hulk a few years ago, I also fell in love with his cousin, mainly due to the John Byrne/Dan Slott/Charles Soule (an actual practicing attorney) writings of the character. The main appeal for me is that she does what she does because she legitimately wants to make the justice system work and make the world a better place, while keeping a smile on her face. Though I’ll admit it helps that since her power upgrade, she’s been portrayed as being one of the most purely strong females on Marvel Earth, even drawn with some proper muscle. Plus, Jen’s comics are hilarious. Fun fact: She broke the fourth wall before Deadpool.

7. Crystal

      A sadly underrated but super awesome character. Basically, as the Inhuman princess of Attilan she's the Marvel equivalent of a Disney princess and has the same powers as the Avatar from the Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra shows. That's right: she controls fire, water, earth, and air, along with stuff like electricity, metal, and she can fly. She's so cool and has some of the most visually interesting powers out there. She was once married to Quicksilver and they have a daughter together named Luna Maximoff. Crystal is also so very human; she is torn between her duty to the royal family and her own desires and independence, which was probably best shown during the "War of Kings" storyline. She has been a member of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, and has shown great competence and power during her times with these teams. Though her character has often been aimless over the years, she's to me what Ariel from the Little Mermaid would be like if her marriage hadn't ended her chance to have adventures, which makes for compelling escapism.

8.      Thor Odinson:

On paper, even for a superhero comic, Thor seems too ridiculous to work: Shakespeare plus Norse mythology and classic superheroics? Absurd (and vaguely offensive). But it all manages to work. He's got great costumes (including the brilliant design above, which is my favorite), great supporting characters like the Lady Sif, Baldur, Beta Ray Bill, and wonderful villains based on the myths. Also, how could you not like Mjolnir? 
  Thor run to check out: Thor volume 1, the issues written by Walt Simonson, starting with issue 337 to 382.

9      9. Monica Rambeau

I’d list her codename, but she’s probably going to ditch the Spectrum name just like all the others. This one, I’ll admit, is mainly an appeal to relatability and wish fulfillment: I’m a black female, so is Monica. She’s got a fun, upbeat personality; she’s worn some brilliant costumes with a black and white color scheme; she has thick hair; her powers allow her to literally turn into the different wavelengths and frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. How is that not awesome? If you want to read Monica at her best, read Roger Stern's Avengers run (as he was her co-creator), (if you can track them down) the two oneshots called Captain Marvel volume 2, Warren Ellis's Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. and the recent Mighty Avengers and Ultimates series both written by Al Ewing.

                                                              

1  10. Steve Rogers, Captain America: 

 

m    As much I would love to claim I liked him before it was popular . . . I got into him through the Chris Evans portrayal. ‘Nuff said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Honorable Mentions:

Clint Barton, Hawkeye:  While he’s had his ups and downs over the years, Clint has always been an engaging and easy-to-relate-to character who can be quite entertaining when written well.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tie—Heather Douglas, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell:

A bit of a copout, putting two characters in the same spot, but because these two have often been associated with each other since they became a couple and I do happen to love them both equally, I couldn’t separate them.

   Why do I love Moondragon? Why wouldn’t I? She’s a bald telepathic scientist who’s an expert in martial arts, has worn striking (though ridiculously sexualized) costumes with capes and high collars, and thinks she’s some sort of god due to her superiority complex who's served as an Avenger, Defender, and member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. (If you’re only familiar with the movies, she’s also Drax’s daughter.) There is some pretty huge baggage, though, since she's done some horrible things (example: she's been a rapist, both in the physical sense and mindraped Quicksilver one time. Messed up, right?).

   And Phyla . . . She’s got great powers—flight, super strength, energy absorption, cosmic awareness—and has a sweet, calming personality, while also trying to live up to the shadow of her late father and brother, Mar-Vell and Genis-Vell.
   At their best, they appeared in Annihilation, Annihilation Conquest, and Guardians of the Galaxy (the one by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning). 

 

 

Bonita Juarez, Firebird: A lovely design, fire powers, woman of color (a Latina), a social worker whose goal is to try and care for her own community which tends to be neglected in terms of superheroics, and the fact that she’s a devout Catholic who may or may not be immortal. . . . This character has been criminally underused. Could maybe keep the religious angle but also flesh out how social work has influenced her and show some of her hobbies, sense of humor, but we really need her back on the Avengers. To continue that line of thought:

Miguel Santos, Lightning: Miguel has a back story that makes him easy to adapt in other media (father a part of cult, Miguel gets powers by accessing the experiments in the cult headquarters, boom, superhero). He’s a young, clever guy with a strong devotion to people. And, perhaps most notably in this day and age, he’s a Latino who came out as gay during Dan Slott’s Great Lakes Avengers miniseries. He hasn't been seen much in recent years (though he did make a return to the Avengers during "No Surrender"), but he's thankfully not been left to languish like so many other Marvel characters before him.With his recent appearance, there's potential in the setup established by Avengers #690: Miguel lives in Texas working undercover to clean up trouble in the area with a detective named Dan (who Miguel expressed romantic attraction to in Avengers #675) with Red Wolf helping him out. I really want to read about their adventures.

Monet St. Croix, M: Not a fan of X-Men, but I discovered her through Peter David’s X-Factor Investigations and have loved most of her appearances. Great look, powers, and personality. 

Jericho Drumm, Doctor Voodoo: My love for him is new, but it is strong. Where’s Jericho’s movie, Marvel? He’d be far more unique than Doctor Strange (though I like him too). The name is offensive, though, and he's a straight up Ethnic Magician.

Lorna Dane, Polaris: Like Monet, I discovered her through Peter David’s X-Factor works, and have grown fond of her. Love her great powers, great design, her friendship/former sisterhood with Quicksilver, and the fact that she’s a college-educated woman who was once the most feminist Marvel heroine back in the 1960s (other than Crystal) who’s been underused by X-Men comic writers which began under Chris Claremont who often contrasted her with his pet characters, Jean Grey and Storm. This despite X-Men supposedly being the most “progressive” corner of the Marvel U. Then again, it just makes her easier to root for.

Hercules: I've always enjoyed him, but in recent years, through the work of writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, he's grown to be one of the most genuinely compelling but also fun characters in the Marvel universe, which is always good to see from the classic 60s creations, who, more often than not, only become more jaded and cynical with time. 

Sersi: Need this be explained? Go read some Eternals comics as well as certain issues of the John Byrne and Bob Harras/Steve Epting runs on Avengers (Volume 1) starting with issue #314 up to around issue #375 and you’ll see why. She's got a great design, has strong and unique powers like molecule manipulation, and a fun, carefree personality. (Though the image above was her being extremely angry at the time.)

Medusa: She's queen of the Inhumans, sister of Crystal, wife of Black Bolt, has a son named Ahura, and can be totally awesome. The image should speak for itself.  All hail the queen.

Bobby Drake, Iceman: This one is more for potential than any specific story. Like the other X-Men on this list, Bobby's been mostly wasted as a character, with some bright spots (in particular Marjorie Liu's Astonishing X-Men run).

Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman: This is mainly due to her friendship with Carol Danvers, though her original 70s series and her more recent series post-Secret Wars were decent. She's had some cool characters in her books like her friend Lindsay McCabe, her son Gerry, and villains like Skein or the Brothers Grimm. Her comics have never sold particularly well, but she's got potential to go places in adaptations, so I'll continue to hope for the best. 

Dr. Faiza Hussain, Excalibur: A nice, non-stereotypical personality for a Muslim, cool powers, and good costume. I like that she's a trained doctor who can use her powers to heal but also to immobilize. And, naturally, she can use that sword. She's had some pretty good stories and needs to be used more. To start, she was introduced in Paul Cornell's Captain Britain and the MI-13.

  
Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man: This character is a perfect example of, "There are no bad characters, only bad writers," which basically means the best writers can make anyone a great character. And Peter David did exactly that with Jamie, transforming him from a one-dimensional joke with lame powers into a lovable, complex everyman and expanded his powers so that not only can he create duplicates ("dupes," he calls them) of himself, they're sentient enough so that they can learn, live lives, and when he reabsorbs them, he gains all their knowledge and experience. Plus, his sense of humor and his obsession with being a noir hero in the Madrox miniseries and while he was running the detective/mutant agency, X-Factor Investigations, was one of the most consistently entertaining things to read during the 2000s in Marvel Comics. 

Doreen Green, Squirrel Girl: I actually used to find this character really annoying, but then again, she used to be nothing more than a joke. However, Ryan North and Erica Henderson's work on her in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl did wonders for her, fleshing her out, giving her some great supporting characters (like Nancy) and really taking the squirrel thing to its logical conclusion: she has a more squirrel-esque body type in Henderson's art and she's very knowledgeable about them. Gets extra points for not being supermodel pretty, unlike most Marvel heroines. Also check out Shannon Hale and Dean Hale's Squirrel Girl young adult novels.

Miles Morales: Perhaps the last great contribution to Marvel by comic writer Brian Michael Bendis. Miles has a difficult history to explain. In short, in 2000, Marvel created a new universe to help new readers get into the comics without having to read up on 40 years of comic history, called the “Ultimate” Universe. The book that started it all was Ultimate Spider-Man, written by Bendis himself. In 2011, the original Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker, died in a storyline called “Death of Spider-Man” and a new one came along, none other than Miles Morales. Eventually, the Ultimate Universe was discontinued and Miles was moved to the main Marvel Universe. For a new character, he’s pretty solid: has a pretty subtle anti-Peter Parker personality, has good supporting characters (Ganke Lee, Jeff, Judge, Rio, Lana A.K.A. Bombshell). While I like Bendis’s Miles (his best work on him was Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man Volume 2), my favorite take on him so far was from Jason Reynolds’s young adult novel, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, which was critically acclaimed (even making NPR's best books of 2017 list). I liked the novel’s Miles because: introverted personalities translate better in prose; it really dealt with what it’s like to be the only person in your neighborhood to get a chance and the expectations that come with that; how Miles feels knowing that there’s a chance that he could end up a criminal like his uncle Aaron (or like his own father used to be) and wonders if people like him are cut out to be superheroes; and themes of race (Miles has a black father and Puerto Rican mother) and class (he got into his school, the Brooklyn Visions Academy, through a lottery). And to be shallow regarding Miles: that’s one of the best costumes I’ve ever seen. Artist Sara Pichelli is a genius.