While Marvel might be known for its fun stories with wise-cracking characters and bright colors, some characters have faced a lot of adversity before becoming the heroes fans know and love. Each was faced with challenges and obstacles that they had to overcome, with admittedly varying levels of success.

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Some MCU characters, like Yelena Balova (Florence Pugh), became anti-heroes that are more than worth cheering for. Others, like Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), experienced trauma and loss off-screen that translated into the characters introduced in the MCU. These backstories made or broke these heroes, villains, and anti-heroes alike.

Scott Lang

Scott Lang standing with his arms crossed in 'Ant-Man'
Image Via Marvel Studios

Paul Rudd carries so much comedic weight in his role as Scott Lang, Ant-Man's alter-ego. His "aw shucks" attitude has made him incredibly endearing to fans. He may not be the quickest Avenger, but he may have the most heart. On top of everything, he's an excellent father who cares deeply for his daughter Cassie.

Underneath everything, however, there's a dark undercurrent to this character's backstory. When he's first introduced, he's finishing a prison sentence. Prison is traumatic enough, and this part of the character's history is rarely mentioned. Further, although he has a cordial relationship with his ex-spouse, it sounds like he went through quite a traumatic divorce.

Sam Wilson

Sam Wilson flying as Captain America

Anthony Mackie has stepped into the role of Captain America after first being introduced as The Falcon. Before he wielded the iconic shield himself, he was a brilliant side-kick to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Since then, he's headlined his own series, accompanied by Rogers' childhood friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

In Captain America: The Winter Solider, it's revealed that during Sam Wilson's military service, he lost his best friend and co-pilot. This is something else that has never really been addressed again in the context of the MCU. This was no doubt a massive loss for him.

May Parker

spider-man-no-way-home-aunt-may
via Marvel Studios

There are arguably few Marvel fans who don't know the tragic story of Uncle Ben and the origins of Spider-Man. In the MCU, the decision was made to eschew this well-known backstory and show Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his Aunt May after the tragic loss of Uncle Ben.

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While it may have been the right choice to forego re-hashing this particular origin story, it's worth noting that May still has an incredibly dark backstory herself. Whoever Peter's parents were, it couldn't have been easy to lose them and have to raise her nephew. While he's never mentioned explicitly, Ben Parker's death must have been incredibly tragic for May to navigate on her own.

T'Chaka

T'Chaka as Black Panther in Black Panther
Image Via Disney

Black Panther was all about navigating moral gray areas and showing different approaches to incredibly complex, global problems. When T'Chaka, T'Challah's father, is introduced, there's no question of how much he loves his son. Sadly, fans are not able to get to know him on a deeper level.

While T'Chaka is held up in memory as a good King and a good father, his story quickly becomes more complicated as more of his backstory is introduced. The fact that he kills his brother for the "greater good" forever taints his legacy. It's a horrific crime that impacts his children and his nephew.

Drax

Dave Bautista eating chips as Drax in Avengers: Infinity War
Image via Marvel Studios

Drax (Dave Bautista) is another MCU character who is such a comedic force. Whenever he appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, an Avengers entry, or more recently, a Holiday Special, he always brings his signature deadpan humor. This deadpan humor contrasts perfectly with the zany antics of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

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However, with all of Drax's humor, he has an incredibly dark and tragic backstory. He always made it a point to make it known that his one goal was to defeat Thanos. This is because his family was murdered, including his wife and daughter. This was a devastating loss that still clearly impacts Drax.

Rocket Raccoon

rocket raccoon with bucky's arm in guardians of the galaxy holiday special
Image via Marvel Studios

The smart-talking Rocket (Bradley Cooper) has a bit of a different take on humor than Drax. However, he's got a heart of gold beneath his cynical exterior. When he isn't on a quest for robotic arms, he's busy being the glue that holds his found family together.

More of Rocket's backstory may be revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3. However, in the comics, he's the victim of horrific scientific experiments that leave him disfigured and in constant pain. This is messaged in the first Guardians entry. It has yet to be re-visited in full.

Marc Spector

Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight in the Duat
Image Via Disney+

Oscar Isaac headlined Moon Knight, playing Marc Spector and Spector's alters. The character has Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. The character is an avatar for the Egyptian god Khonshu. Each of his alters tries to protect Marc from danger as best as they can.

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The reason for the character's mental illness was the horrific child abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother. It's heartbreaking watching a little boy being abused by his mother and have his subconscious try desperately to protect him. In the comics, his father is also a Holocaust survivor. While this isn't explored in the series, it's another layer of trauma.

Steve Rogers

Avengers: Endgame Chris Evans
Image via Marvel Studios

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is the quintessential American hero. He represents the best of American heroism, all of its beauty and flaws included. As the First Avenger, he was always in a unique position to provide the leadership that the team needed.

Before being the MCU's most patriotic super-solider, Steve Rogers was a kid from Brooklyn. What makes his backstory so dark is all the loss he faced at such a young age. His father died after serving in World War I of mustard gas exposure, and his mother was a nurse who died of tuberculosis.

Namor

Tenoch Huerta as Namor in 'Black Panther_ Wakanda Forever'
Image via Marvel Studios

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), the King of Talokan. In the comics, he's the first anti-hero Marvel introduced. This comes through in the character's depiction in the MCU.

His origin is heavily steeped in Mesoamerican history and Spanish imperialism. It's clear how big this impacted Namor as a person. Namor uses the past to protect his people at all cost, no matter the consequences.

Yelena Belova

Yelena Belova

Black Widow's (Scarlett Johansson) backstory became progressively darker as the MCU evolved. Adding her sister Yelena only made Natasha's story more tragic. Yelena may have an equally dark, if not darker, origin. Her appearance in Hawkeye just made her all the more endearing.

Yelena's backstory is one of abandonment and self-sufficiency that should never be expected of any child. She went through everything her sister did, but without the super team of the Avengers for support. While her character also uses humor as a coping mechanism, it's clear she's suffered so much pain and loss.

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