Ever since it became clear to audiences that the MCU was going to be a major connected universe, fans have eagerly awaited the arrival of new characters from the comic books. From Iron Man and Captain America to Spider-Man and Scarlet Witch to Thanos and Hela, so many characters have come and gone over the years.
Considering that 2022 is going to be a huge year for the MCU, there are plenty of heroes and villains set to appear for the first time alongside some returning favorites. Whether it's in a movie or a TV show, their debuts are highly anticipated.
Midnight Man (Moon Knight)
The MCU series with the nearest premiere date is Moon Knight. While the titular hero is an exciting debut, as is the show's main antagonist, there is another character who feels worthy of being mentioned among the most anticipated arrivals.
That character is Anton Mogart, otherwise known as Midnight Man. He is an art thief who was most notable for always striking at midnight. While he's not a major comic book character, he's a known Moon Knight enemy and he'll be played by Gaspard Ulliel, who tragically ed away earlier this year.
Red Dagger (Ms. Marvel)
The titular character in Into the Badlands fame.
In the comics, Kareem is also from Pakistan like the hero and his mother knows Kamala's aunt. Kareem fought valiantly for the folks in Pakistan as a vigilante though the MCU is known to change aspects about characters so his role is unknown at this time.
Titania (She-Hulk)
Audiences have been pumped about the possibility of She-Hulk ing the MCU for a long time and it's finally happening in 2022. A character of her stature needs a worthy adversary and it looks like she'll be getting one in the She-Hulk series in the form of Titania.
Due to her impressive strength, The Good Place.
Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)
Even though Moon Knight is set to debut soon, not a lot is known about the storyline. That actually has made fans even more excited for it, since not knowing is half the fun. One intriguing aspect of the trailers so far is the appearance of Arthur Harrow.
There seems to be more than meets the eye when it comes to this charismatic cult leader. Played by the immensely talented Ethan Hawke, Harrow is seemingly someone who wants the protagonist to embrace the darker parts of himself. Their exchanges are sure to be a highlight.
Riri Williams (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Given the various production issues it has gone through, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feels like it's at risk of getting delayed to 2023. For now, it's set for 2022 and the cast list is mostly made up of actors reprising their roles from the first installment.
The Ironheart, where she creates a suit of armor that would make Tony Stark proud. Her role in this film is unknown as of now.
Moon Knight (Moon Knight)
It's always a tall task to introduce a new hero to the MCU since the existing batch is among the most iconic to ever appear on the big screen. Thankfully, the MCU has done well with that in recent years with Captain Marvel, Shang-Chi, Yelena Belova, and Kate Bishop.
Another new one will arrive in Moon Knight, otherwise known as Marc Spector. The storyline revolving around his dissociative identity disorder will be intriguing as will seeing him engage in gritty fighting that isn't the norm in the franchise. Oscar Isaac playing the character is the icing on the cake.
Ms. Marvel (Ms. Marvel)
As noted, Kamala Khan has quickly become one of Marvel's more popular heroes. Her comic books have sold incredibly well, she was one of the stars of the Marvel's Avengers video game, and she is now going to be the centerpiece of her own Disney+ TV series.
Newcomer Iman Vellani will be taking on the role of the titular character and given the MCU's history with Spider-Man, it's clear they can nail the coming-of-age tales for their heroes. When you add in that this will work as a lead-in to the highly anticipated The Marvels, this is one to get hype for.
America Chavez (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Judging by the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could be the wildest MCU film to date. So much seems to be happening and there's even a tease of a character from the old Fox X-Men movies. Along with Baron Mordo, Wanda Maximoff, and other established characters comes one exciting debut.
That would be America Chavez, a character with many abilities from flight to invulnerability to, most importantly to this film, traveling across dimensions. Young Xochitl Gomez is taking on the role and fans hope there are big things ahead for Chavez, including a possible adaptation of her being Marvel's first Latin-American LGBTQ+ character.
Gorr The God Butcher (Thor: Love & Thunder)
There's no doubt that Thor: Love and Thunder is going to be a loaded film. With Thor, Valkyrie, Jane Foster, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and more, there's bound to be a lot happening. Despite all of that, there's a good chance that Gorr the God Butcher steals the show.
In the comics, Gorr was born on a planet with a lack of resources and found that no god came to help, so he lost faith in them. His goal was to create a world without gods and he proved to be one of Thor's most powerful villains. Having Christian Bale portray the character is only going to make him even better on the big screen.
She-Hulk (She-Hulk)
When looking at pivotal Marvel Comics stories from the past few decades, it seems like Jennifer Walters is one of the main characters, yet she has yet to appear in the MCU. Thankfully, that is set to change this year when she debuts in her own series, She-Hulk.
She's such an exciting character to have appear because she works on multiple levels. The lawyer side of Walters could make for something totally fresh in the MCU, while the She-Hulk side will be good for action sequences. Plus, Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany playing the character is too good to overlook.
