This summer, a beloved MCU character returned to the big screen following their demise five years earlier, joining the ranks of others Marvel Studios is preparing to bring back. As the saying goes, no one is ever truly dead in a comic book universe, even when their death appears definitive. Characters can return through unexpected twists, alternate variants, or, in the rare case of Robert Downey Jr., by having an actor return in an entirely different role. Sometimes, however, bringing a character back serves another project, allowing their return to enhance a new story rather than undoing their original death.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day featured historic new scenes with Marisa Tomei's Aunt May following the character's death in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Tomei appeared in flashback sequences in Spider-Man 4, depicting an interaction between May and Tom Holland's Peter Parker after the end of Homecoming, in which May discovered that Peter was Spider-Man. In Brand New Day, however, the scene served a greater purpose, becoming a pivotal moment in Sadie Sink's journey as Jean Grey.
As Sink's powerful mutant prepared to potentially kill Tramell Tillman's William Metzger and who knows how many others in New York City, she essentially stepped into Holland's Peter Parker's shoes. During Jean's lowest point, May reminds her through a memory from Peter that she is loved for who she is, regardless of her powers. The message pulls Jean back from the brink; without this interaction, she likely would have killed Metzger and countless others, crossing a line with no easy path to redemption.
Tomei's Aunt May joins a growing list of MCU characters set to return in the years ahead despite meeting their end in previous projects, proving once again that death is rarely the end in this franchise.
Other Returning MCU Characters Once Thought Dead
Vision
Hitting Disney+ on October 14, VisionQuest follows Paul Bettany's titular synthezoid after his death at the hands of Thanos in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. This isn't the first time Vision has returned to the MCU since his apparent demise, as he played a starring role in WandaVision in 2021. However, that series ended with Vision taking on a new form as White Vision, which is the version of the character VisionQuest will follow.
Bettany has also gone on record saying he has some Avengers duties lined up, suggesting he may have a role in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. Regardless of whether that appearance comes to fruition, it's clear that Vision's death in Infinity War was far from the end of his MCU story.
Tommy Maximoff
Even though his mother tried to erase his existence, Tommy Maximoff returns in VisionQuest as one of Wanda and Vision's twin sons. Last seen as a child in the finale of WandaVision, Tommy, played by Ruaridh Mollica, appears to be searching for his father in the new Disney+ series, seemingly lost without the memories of the Westview family he once knew.
It's unclear whether Tommy's existence mirrors Billy's, with his consciousness inhabiting another person's body, or whether his powers will fully emerge in VisionQuest. If the former proves to be the case, it's difficult to imagine a future in which he doesn't eventually join Marvel Studios' version of the Young Avengers.
Ultron
After Vision seemingly blasted him into oblivion in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's brainchild, Ultron, returns in VisionQuest. Appearing to be trapped within Vision's mind (and forced into human form through a performance by original voice actor James Spader), Ultron may prove instrumental in helping Vision remember who he is and reconnect with his family.
Ultron technically returned to the MCU following 2015's Avengers sequel in the Disney+ animated series What If...?, where he wielded the Infinity Gauntlet as Infinity Ultron, with Spader once again providing his voice. Now, however, Ultron is making a proper return to the live-action MCU. Whether he survives beyond VisionQuest remains to be seen, particularly depending on how the series concludes, but his return further proves that even seemingly definitive MCU deaths aren't always permanent.
Raza
In a more unexpected reappearance, VisionQuest will also feature Faran Tahir's Raza, whose fate was left ambiguous in Marvel Studios' debut film, 2008's Iron Man. Raza's role in the Disney+ series remains largely unknown, though he appears to be among the forces tracking down Vision after his escape from Westview in WandaVision.
Raza's return marks yet another instance of an antagonist from the Iron Man franchise resurfacing years after their debut, following the return of the Ten Rings in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings nearly two decades after their introduction. It demonstrates that Marvel Studios isn't afraid to dig into its earliest MCU roots, with Raza's comeback proving that even the franchise's long-forgotten characters can still have a role to play.
Loki
Arguably the poster child for coming back from the grave, Tom Hiddleston's Loki returns to the big screen on December 18 in Avengers: Doomsday, following a two-season run of his titular Disney+ series. Loki has faked his death several times throughout the MCU, including in Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Infinity War. While his death in Infinity War was legitimate, the character was brought back through a Variant who starred in Loki.
Now, Hiddleston's God of Mischief is making his return to theaters, bringing with him all the power of the newly crowned God of Stories as he joins the fight against Doctor Doom. But is Marvel Studios bold enough to kill off the fan-favorite character for good? Only time will tell.
Charles Xavier/Professor X
Following a brutal neck-snapping at the hands of the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Sir Patrick Stewart returns as Charles Xavier/Professor X in Doomsday. This version of the character appears to be the one most fans will know from Fox's X-Men films. However, Charles is no stranger to death, having met his end multiple times across the franchise, including in X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Logan.
Hopefully, Charles will be luckier this time around, though footage from Doomsday thus far doesn't exactly inspire confidence, with explosions and Sentinels seemingly putting the X-Men leader in serious danger. Another on-screen death could be what audiences need to understand the true strength and scope of Doctor Doom's powers.
Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto
Alongside Professor X, Sir Ian McKellen's Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto will also return in Avengers: Doomsday, following a mention in Deadpool & Wolverine that a variant of the character had perished in the Void. Unlike Stewart's Professor X, however, Magneto has never explicitly died on-screen in the X-Men films, with his fate typically left more ambiguous.
Magneto did meet an untimely demise on Disney+ this summer in Season 2 of X-Men '97, though whether McKellen's version will follow the same path remains to be seen. Given the character's history with death and the multiverse, another apparent end may simply be a chapter in Magneto's long-running story.
Scott Summers/Cyclops
Harkening back again to the early era of Fox's X-Men films, James Marsden's Scott Summers/Cyclops returns after biting the dust in X-Men: The Last Stand, though his death was later erased by the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Finally donning his classic X-Men suit, Scott is seen screaming as he battles Sentinels in Avengers: Doomsday footage, which doesn't exactly bode well for his chances of making it out alive.
Cyclops originally died at the hands of Famke Janssen's Jean Grey in The Last Stand, only to briefly reappear in the altered timeline established at the end of Days of Future Past. Whether he will survive Doomsday and potentially return for Avengers: Secret Wars is unclear, though his universe could be on the chopping block if Marvel Studios wants to demonstrate just how deadly Doctor Doom is.
Elektra
2027 will see Elodie Yung's Elektra back in action in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, following her apparent death a decade earlier. Seen in set photos from the upcoming batch of episodes, Elektra technically died twice during Marvel's Netflix era: first in Daredevil Season 2 and again in The Defenders.
Her return opens up intriguing possibilities for Matt moving forward, particularly given Elektra's complicated history with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and her former status as his love interest. With Matt already facing a growing number of threats in the MCU, Elektra's reemergence could also add another layer of personal conflict to his story.
