The 22 top Marvel Cinematic Universe sidekicks and supporting heroes, ranked from worst to best
22. Ned ("Spider-Man: Homecoming")
Played by Jacob Batalon
Ned, Peter Parker's best friend, doesn't really do much in "Homecoming" aside from providing comic relief. He does help Parker unlock some cool features in his Spider suit, but that's about it.
21. Erik Selvig ("Thor" and "The Avengers")
Played by Stellan Skarsgård
The astrophysicist Selvig was first introduced in 2011 in "Thor" and reprised his role in "The Avengers," and then the sequels to both of those movies. You probably wouldn't realize that he's shown up that much in the MCU, even though he's been a big help to Thor and the Avengers, because he's kind of forgettable. And he spends much of "The Avengers" brainwashed.
20. Harley ("Iron Man 3")
Played by Ty Simpkins
Harley is a very, very supporting character who shows up in "Iron Man 3" and helps Tony Stark after his armor shuts down and leaves him stranded. The movie is so divisive, though, that perhaps the one thing most people can agree on is that this kid is the best part of the movie.
19. Sharon Carter ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Civil War")
Played by Emily VanCamp
Sharon, the great-neice of Peggy Carter, gets in on the action in "The Winter Soldier" as an undercover operative, but in "Civil War," her character is downsized to a very weird love interest for Captain America (weird, because Cap was in love with Peggy back in the 1940s).
18. Kraglin ("Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Vol. 2")
Played by Sean Gunn
Kraglin is a fun character who you can't help but feel bad for at the end of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" after Yondu dies, but beyond that, there just isn't much development to him.
17. The Warriors Three and Sif ("Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World")
Played by Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, and Jaimie Alexander
Thor's best friends, The Warriors Three and Lady Sif, are loyal and helpful allies to Thor in the first two movies. But the Warriors are killed in the blink of an eye and never mentioned again, even by Thor in "Ragnarok," which drops them down a few rankings.
16. Heimdall ("Thor" trilogy)
Played by Idris Elba
For the most part, Heimdall just stands guard at the bridge to Thor's home of Asgard — an important job, but not a very exciting one. Heimdall is memorable because he's played by the great Idris Elba, and that's pretty much it.
15. Maria Hill ("The Avengers")
As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Hill has had Nick Fury's back on more than one occasion, which makes her a valuable supporting character. And she was the only agent he trusted in "The Winter Soldier" when he faked his own death.
14. Peggy Carter ("Captain America: The First Avenger")
Played by Hayley Atwell
Peggy Carter was good enough to get her own TV show, "Agent Carter" on ABC, which is a fine accomplishment in itself.
13. Wong ("Doctor Strange")
Played by Benedict Wong
Wong is Strange's right-hand man, and is an integral part of teaching Strange the mystic arts. He even seems to have an important role in "Infinity War" and has shown up in almost all of the promotional material, which is more than can be said of Hawkeye.
12. JARVIS ("Iron Man" trilogy)
Voiced by Paul Bettany
Before Bettany was Vision, he voiced Tony Stark's A.I. assistant, JARVIS. The A.I. is now infused with Vision's body, but before that, he was just a funny voice lending support, and the occasional sarcasm, to Stark.
11. Pepper Potts ("Iron Man" trilogy)
Played by Gwyneth Paltrow
While Paltrow has sort of taken a step back from the MCU recently (aside from a brief cameo in "Spider-Man: Homecoming"), she is still one of the only love interests in the franchise who has been elevated. She's one of the few people that Stark will listen to and can put him in his place, and she's saved his life on more than one occasion.
10. Hope Van Dyne ("Ant-Man")
Played by Evangeline Lilly
She'll be a superhero in this summer's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" but in "Ant-Man" she is a tough, determined character ready to fight alongside Paul Rudd's Scott Lang. She'll get her chance soon.
9. Nakia ("Black Panther")
Played by Lupita Nyong'o
"Black Panther" has the best supporting cast of all the MCU movies. As a Wakanda spy, Nakia is a worthy ally to T'Challa who literally makes him freeze in his tracks.
8. M'Baku ("Black Panther")
Played by Winston Duke
In the comics, M'Baku is a Black Panther villain, but in the film, he was a surprise comedic standout who ultimately saves Black panther's life and helps him defeat Killmonger.
7. Yondu ("Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Vol. 2")
Played by Michael Rooker
Yondu is kind of unlikable at first, but he consistently shows compassion for his semi-adopted son, Peter Quill. That makes his character's sacrifice in "Vol. 2" to save Quill all the more meaningful. Yondu, as morally complicated as he was, truly cared about Quill and gave his life for him.
6. Korg ("Thor: Ragnarok")
Played by Taika Waititi
Korg surprisingly stole every scene he was in in "Thor: Ragnarok" as the movie's funniest character, without even trying to be. He's even better when you realize he was voiced by the film's director, Waititi.
5. Bucky Barnes ("Captain America: The First Avenger")
Played by Sebastian Stan
Bucky is way more interesting post-"First Avenger," when we dig deep into how he comes back from "death" in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," and then explore his complicated friendship with Cap more in "Civil War." But he's still an important, loyal friend in "First Avenger," and plays an integral role in Cap's origin story.
4. Valkyrie ("Thor: Ragnarok")
Played by Tessa Thompson
Valkyrie spends a lot of "Ragnarok" drunkenly getting into fights, but by the end of the movie, she is a worthy ally to Thor. She is one of the best parts of the movie, mostly because Thompson is such a great actress, and we can't wait to see more of her in the MCU.
3. Okoye ("Black Panther")
Played by Danai Gurira
Gurira moved from "The Walking Dead" to the MCU as one of the strongest supporting characters in the franchise. She made a giant rhino stop in its tracks, which none of the other characters can say.
2. Agent Coulson ("The Avengers")
Played by Clark Gregg
Phil Coulson emerged as a fan favorite in the MCU by making multiple cameos throughout the movies leading up to "The Avengers." He's the one element that ties all the Phase One movies together, and his death in "The Avengers" was used to push the characters to get over their differences and assemble as a team. But he was popular enough to be brought back to life, and currently is a main character on ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series.
1. Shuri ("Black Panther")
Played by Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright seems to be the next big thing after her scene-stealing performance in "Black Panther." She'll show up again in "Infinity War" and probably rock whatever limited screen time she has.
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