Comic Relief in the MCU, Ranked
For all the serious characters in the MCU franchise, there are comedic ones that seldom fail to make us laugh. We’re not talking about main characters like Thor saying something funny either. We're talking about the sidekicks and side characters who have made us cackle over the years while some supervillain tries to murder their entire planet. Humor truly is the key to our endurance. And if Earth gets blown up, maybe they could try their hand at stand-up on some planet named AsKramp or whatever...
The Grandmaster
The Grandmaster is one maniacal son of a gun, reigning over the planet Sakaar and gleefully watching his prisoners fight each other to the death. Of course, no one can play mad glee as well as Jeff Goldblum, and the actor’s inherent quirks and eccentricities only add to the character’s comedic package. He calls Thor “criminally seductive” and spends a deranged amount of time explaining different types of hand signals. Also, no one can pull off a “Yay, us!” like he does.
The Ravagers
Sure, they were a bunch of dicks stomping on Baby Groot like that, but the scene below that sees Rocket Raccoon go full Kevin McCallister on these interstellar space pirates is pure Marvel comedy gold.
This big mercenary crew — who eventually pulls a mutiny on Yondu — seems to solely provide comic relief in the form of their own demise. (And let us never forget the name Taserface.)
Ms. Marvel’s family is the portrait of one that not only sticks together but also makes it their mission to excel in the art of witty banter. Yusuf and Muneeba are protective, supportive parents but still aware of the critical parental role of dunking on your kids when necessary, and her older brother Aamir is always ready with either a tease or a good punchline.
Jimmy Woo
James “Jimmy” Woo is an FBI agent who has the misfortune of also being Scott Lang’s parole officer during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Then again, he did get the opportunity to learn a neat card trick through the whole ordeal of babysitting a man who cosplays as an ant.
Jimmy is so much more than just a Quantico graduate. He’s a youth pastor (whaaaa?), says things like “What the Dickens?!” and teams up with the best people (see next entry). Also, he’s totally a magician now.
Darcy Lewis
Dr. Lewis is assistant/friend to Jane Foster and is usually right about every bonkers thing that happens in the MCU — much to her own low-key exhaustion. That, however, doesn’t mean the super smart and highly capable astrophysicist doesn’t have the energy to throw an ever-ready quip at whoever she’s dealing with. She refuses to take herself too seriously in a world filled with magical hammers and pink robots. For her, it’s just another weird day at the office.
Ned Leeds
Bestie to Peter Parker and burdened with his superhero secret, Ned Leeds is a lovable goofball who’s living the dream of being Spider-Man’s sidekick — his “guy in the chair.” Ned’s reactions to whatever’s happening while he assists add a needed lightness to Peter’s dangerous escapades. He’s also a LEGO nerd, which truly makes him a man of the people.
Korg
Korg is a Kronan warrior who we first meet as a Gladiator/prisoner of The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok. While he looks like a killer rock who will surely pummel a person, he has a surprisingly passive demeanor and would much rather make a rock-paper-scissors joke than stone someone to death. Played by Taika Waititi, Korg is enduring, somewhat eccentric and a pretty good storyteller.
Dum-E
What’s a tech-driven world — with the likes of Iron Man and Wakanda — without a sassy robot? Dum-E was made by Tony Stark to assist him in his lab and help him make his superhero suit. Never has there been an MCU character without a single line of dialogue funnier than the machine who kept on gassing Stark. Good robot.
Harold “Happy” Hogan
Happy Hogan sure has gotten around in the MCU. Not only is he the head of security at Stark Industries and (was) one of Tony Stark’s closest friends, but he’s also played bodyguard to Peter Parker and banged Aunt May.
Always present somewhere, Happy is, well, seldom really happy, and his many frustrations often boil over into anger. He’s the funniest angry guy, though — mainly because of his humility.
Katy Chen
Katy Chen is Shang-Chi’s closest bud, and of all the friendships in the MCU, these two might have the most thrilling, chaotic bond of them all. And to think, it might never have happened if teenage Katy didn’t save Shang-Chi from getting bullied by spontaneously singing the lyrics to “Hotel California.”
Wong
So far, Wong has mostly played second banana to Doctor Strange, but here’s hoping that the funniest serious guy in the MCU will get his own movie or show someday. The guardian of the mystic books turned Sorcerer Supreme performs his duties with the utmost of deadpan perfection, even when requesting something as plain as a tuna melt.
Madisynn
While She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is filled with jokes, party-girl Madisynn stands out from the crowd of minor characters as the funny one. Cementing herself as Wong’s new BFF (or should we say, “Wongers”), Madisynn — with the weirdly spelled name and her own running joke about it — is nothing but a hoot. The fact that she can make a story about striking some deal with a demon in another dimension sound like she’s talking about a trip to the mall is incredible, and we love that she got Wong into The Sopranos. Be honest: A “Wongisynn” spin-off would totally rule.
Luis, Ant-Man
Luis is arguably the most delightful criminal in the history of Marvel criminals — mainly because he steals things like smoothie machines. Hard to fault that. Former cellmate and self-appointed best friend to Scott Lang, he gave up his kitchen appliance-stealing days to start his own security consultant company with Kurt and Dave (two equally funny friends) as well as Lang. Luis will do almost anything for Scott — probably because Lang allows Luis to tell his elaborate stories.
Luis is a born storyteller, which means it’s next to impossible for him to refrain from peppering his tales with colorful descriptions and unnecessary but hilarious details. In most cases, it’s unfair and plain wrong to say that no other actor in the existence of actors could play a specific role better than the one cast, but in the case of Michael Peña as Luis, that is the truest of truths. Honestly, they should just hire Peña to narrate a summary of every Marvel phase.
It’ll probably be more popular than an Ant-Man movie without him.