The MCU has introduced some incredibly powerful characters into movie continuity so stealthily that only comic fans who already know their names and designs even realize they’re there.

And we’re not talking Ty Burrell playing a pre-superpowers Doc Samson in 2008’s Incredible Hulk – we mean characters who already have their full powers/superhuman identities.

In most cases, these stealth characters weren’t even named on-screen, but they were confirmed to exist – something you’d only notice if you have an encyclopedic knowledge of Marvel lore.

5

Dragon Man, aka Draconus

Introduced to MCU Canon in Fantastic Four: First Steps

The second post-credits scene from Fantastic Four: First Steps shows the First Family tangling with some of their classic villains, most of who are named within the movie itself but sadly not shown in live action. Thanks to this inclusion, fans get to see the MCU designs of the Red Ghost, the Puppet Master, Diablo and more.

However, the sequence also confirms the existence of Dragon Man. A superstrong android given life by the villainous Diablo, Dragon Man was a powerful foe of the Fantastic Four for decades. However, once the team’s Future Foundation spin-off increased the villain’s intelligence, he renounced violence and joined the family, remaining an ally for the last 15 years.

Since Dragon Man isn’t seen hanging around with the FF in Earth-828, he’s presumably still out there as a fire-breathing enforcer for Diablo (who ran crime in Washington Heights until Reed Richards took him down as part of ‘baby-proofing’ New York ahead of Franklin’s birth.)

4

Bi-Beast

Introduced to MCU Canon in Thor: Ragnarok

While this powerful foe of the Hulk isn’t named in Thor: Ragnarok, his unmistakable likeness is captured as one of the champions of the Grandmaster’s gladiatorial arena on Sakaar.

The statues also appear to depict Man-Thing (who later appeared in Werewolf by Night), Beta Ray Bill, Fin Fang Foom and other characters, however in most cases, they could canonically just be individuals of the same alien species. However, Bi-Beast is a unique being – a superstrong living robot created by the Bird People, an offshoot species of the Inhumans.

3

The Neolithic, aka Ugu

Introduced to MCU Canon in Fantastic Four: First Steps Tie-In Comic

Fans actually get to see Mole Man’s monstrous stooge Giganto in First Steps, however the movie also resulted in the introduction of another classic kaiju. The spiky blue giant Ugu is shown in Subterranea during Marvel’s official tie-in comic to the movie (from Matt Fraction and Mark Buckingham), which is presented as official merch released by the Fantastic Four themselves, detailing their origins.

A powerful monster, Ugu debuted in 1961’s Fantastic Four #1 and is one of the main protectors of Monster Isle – a remote island where the Fantastic Four have corralled the world’s monsters to live in safety.

2

Ultimo

Introduced in Captain America: Road to War Comic

What were the Avengers doing between Age of Ultron and Civil War? Will Corona Pilgrim, Andrea Di Vito, Laura Villari and Travis Lanham’s comic attempts to answer that question, showing the group going up Hydra.

The terrorist group use collected parts of Ultron to fashion a gigantic robotic monstrosity with the name Ultimo. A classic Iron Man villain introduced in 1966, Ultimo has no link to Ultron in the comics, but the MCU version of their connection actually makes a lot of sense.

In the comics, it was recently revealed that Ultimo is the remnant of an alien weapons program, made up of gigantic robots who cannibalize humans as a power source.

1

The Chaos King, aka Amatsu-Mikaboshi

Introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Ragnarok‘s Council of Godheads is packed with Easter Eggs, but the most alarming is the appearance of Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The Shinto god of evil and chaos, Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a recurring villain in Marvel lore, and was the primary antagonist of 2010’s Chaos War event.

In this story, Amatsu-Mikaboshi went up against heroes including Thor, Hercules and Silver Surfer, killing and absorbing alien pantheons into an army of corrupted gods. The Chaos King is the ‘secret’ MCU villain most likely to make future movie appearances, given his main enemy is Hercules, who makes his own debut in the movie’s end-credits scene, played by Brett Goldstein.

Those are the five strongest MCU characters you only spotted if you’re a fan of Marvel Comics – let us know below which other characters belong on this list (hint: the original Human Torch cameos in Captain America: The First Avenger.)

Cast

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors