Part of the fun of watching all the Marvel movies in order is watching the way in which various characters weave in and out of the story. A minor character in one story becomes a key part of the plot in another. Many characters who aren’t the major heroes have become major parts of the MCU in this way and one of the most fun has been Darcy Lewis, one of the best Marvel minor characters, as played by the hilarious Kat Dennings.
Darcy has appeared in most of the Thor movies but has also been part of WandaVision and has voiced Darcy in animated form in What If…?. Speaking with Coillider, Kat Dennings says that she can’t explain why Marvel Studios keeps bringing Darcy back, but she says she loves being part of the MCU so much that she’ll always say yes whenever they ask. She explained…
I can’t believe that this character became this thing that’s gone over so many different things. It’s one of those luck of the draw things because that role originally was just supposed to be an assistant that was in a couple of scenes in Thor. And for whatever reason, they expanded it and expanded it and kept using me. Every time, I was like, ‘I can’t believe they want me back. This is the best!’
While humor has always played an important role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Darcy was arguably one of the first characters in the franchise whose purpose was specifically to be comic relief. Darcy always had a sarcastic one-liner at the ready in the original Thor which made her quite different that the god-like title character.
It’s a testament to how much fun Kat Dennings’ character was that she has expended from what was only going to be a couple of scenes to more appearances than many bigger names in the MCU. While she only had a brief appearance in the most recent Thor movie, that came after she wasn’t sure she would be in Thor: Love and Thunder at all.
Darcy’s most significant appearance was in WandaVision, where she played one of the show’s main roles. It was the first Marvel series on Disney+ and is still one of the best. I’m not saying that’s entirely because of Darcy, but she certainly played her part.
And Darcy’s power in the MCU goes beyond simply appearing in shows. Kat Dennings says that the “coolest thing” to happen in her career is the fact that Darcy has been recreated as a LEGO figure. Darcy’s most recent appearance has been in What If…? Season 3. The fourth episode of the series’ final season pairs her up with Howard the Duck, another character who was likely only meant to be a a brief bit of humor, but who has continued to make appearances in the MCU.
When and where we’ll see Darcy Lewis again in any upcoming Marvel movies or series is unclear. The future of the Thor franchise is a big mystery at this point, but we know that Darcy isn’t tied specifically to those films, so she could, and probably will, show up anywhere.
