MCU’s Phase 4 ended with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special a few weeks ago, and it’s a great time to reflect on all the debuts. At the same time, Honor Among Thieves is making waves in the Dungeons and Dragons community. Inevitably, those two trains of thought have to collide.
Phase 4 MCU is a great fit for 5e character builds. Unlike their comic book counterparts, there’s a lot less complexity with the powersets. Each character’s backstory and powers are very streamlined and easily fit into the classes of Dungeons and Dragons.
Kang – Chronurgy Wizard 20
The arc villain for the MCU now that Thanos is gone, Kang, the Conqueror is the self-proclaimed master of time. In his incredibly long life, he’s practically learned everything there is to know about the flow of reality and time. A Chronomancer Wizard is a perfect fit for Kang. Kang is technically the only character in Phase 4 to be worthy of a level 20 power level from the get-go.
Chronal Shift, Momentary Stasis, and Arcane Abeyance are his “minor” ways of messing with the timeline. Temporal Awareness could be flavored as him “always knowing what happens first”. Convergent Future is Kang choosing the timeline best suited for his goals. Being a 30th-century human, he’d be a Variant Human with the feat Alert, since he’s never surprised by anything. He’s already seen it.
Kate Bishop – Thief Rogue 3/Battle Master Fighter 17
Kate Bishop is Hawkeye’s “protege”, and despite her inexperience, she’s proven to be a formidable fighter in her own right. Her intelligence and youthful vigor are her greatest assets. Thief Rogue is a good start, as she did start the series by stealing the Ronin suit successfully. From there, Battle Master levels reflect her martial prowess and tactical mind.
Archery is the obvious fighting style to go for. For feats, pick up Sharpshooter, as this synergizes extremely well with the Precision Attack maneuver. Other maneuvers to learn would be Evasive Footwork, Parry, and Riposte. She learned these maneuvers from her fencing coaches, after all. From there, just max out the preferred ASIs.
Shang Chi – Astral Self Monk 20
Shang Chi is bringing back the awesomeness of martial arts to the masses in a big way. No class better fits Shang Chi than the bare-fisted monk. For the subclass, Astral Self could very easily be flavored as Shang Chi gaining the fabled ten rings. Simply reflavor those spirit arms into the rings themselves.
The “rings” offer superior range, count as unarmed attacks, and grant mystical boons that have a deep connection to the spirits. The improved AC and incredible DPS certainly fit the “one-man army” aspect as well. For the feat, Mobile would free up Shang Chi’s bonus actions for more Flurry of Blows and simulates Shang Chi’s agility against villains in combat.
America Chavez – Horizon Walker Ranger 13/Champion Fighter 7
America Chavez is at the nexus for the titular “Multiverse of Madness”, so it’s only natural for her to be a Horizon Walker. Detect Portal is self-explanatory, while Ethereal Step and Distant Strike reflect America’s instinctive decision to shift between realms to protect herself. Champion Fighter’s features and Planar Warrior are her super strength.
As for feats, Lucky might seem like an ironic pick, but it’s yet another way to flavor her constantly avoiding fatal situations with her powers. Spells such as Misty Step and Banishment are also in-line with her portal powers. As for her Fighting Style, Unarmed Fighting would make the most sense. As her goofy-looking Superman punch shows, she prefers to brawl.
Ms. Marvel – Genie Warlock 6/Storm Sorcerer 14
Kamala Khan didn’t so much “gain” her powers as the bangle unlocked it. That being said, the nature of her powers being tied to a container with a powerful cosmic force makes her perfect for a Genie Warlock. Djinni would be the best fit mechanically, as Thunder spells tend to have that “concussive effect” that Kamala’s constructs have.
The vessel would be the bangle. At the 6th level, Kamala gains a flying speed for 10 minutes, and this is easily flavored as her using her hard light platforms to walk on air. From here, Storm Sorcerer levels are taken, reflecting Kamala’s cosmic heritage. Tempestuous Magic is once again “flight” using light platforms. All the lightning and thunder spells are easily flavored as her constructs too. For feats, War Caster is great for survivability and extra offense.
Agatha Harkness – Enchantment Wizard 20
Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch who’s studied magic for a long time. She’s powerful enough to have tricked an unstable and powerful Wanda Maximoff into extending her trauma. In addition, she also has a plethora of different spells thanks to her long life of magical study. Enchantment Wizard is the best choice for Agatha’s specialties. For race, Half-Elf is good for representing her witch lineage.
Hypnotic Gaze and Instinctive Charm reflect her supernatural charisma, while Split Enchantment makes her enchantment spells more potent. The most flavorful feature gained here, Alter Memories, is exactly what she did to Wanda. She made her unaware of her influence and manipulated her to absorb her powers. Anything else in Agatha’s arsenal is easily replicated by the vast Wizard spell library. War Caster is a great feat to take for Agatha.
Jack Russell – Beast Barbarian 20
The latest entrant into the MCU, Jack Russell is as classic of a “Werewolf by Night” as it comes. Thankfully, no subclass is better at representing werewolves than the Beast Barbarian. Form of the Beast is about as straightforward as it gets. Choose Claws, as this is Jack’s main form of offense while in the werewolf form. Bestial Soul makes Jack’s attacks magical. For the form change, pick the one that enhances Jack’s jumping ability.
Infectious Fury is Jack’s presence causing enemies to panic and lash out. Call of the Hunt is Jack’s surprising friendliness coming into play, seen with his loyalty to friends and allies. As for feats, pick up Slasher, as it synergizes extremely well with the Claws. The speed reduction and disadvantage should more than showcase how terrifying it is to fight Jack in a melee.
Sylvie – Archfey Warlock 20
Sylvie, a variant of the lovable Loki, is familiar yet different. She’s a lot more hardened and aggressive than Loki. In addition, her powers are based on enchantment, not illusions. Archfey Warlock is the best fit for Sylvie’s particular set of skills, with a focus on melee combat. Fey Presence is self-explanatory, as her beguiling charms cause enemies to be disoriented.
Misty Escape fits the trickster’s style of fighting, vanishing when the cards are stacked against them. Beguiling Defenses make any attempts to charm Sylvie backfire, fitting with her abrasive personality against Loki. Dark Delirium is Sylvie sending her opponents deep into their memories and happens to be her most impressive magical move. For race, Aasimar is befitting someone of Asgardian lineage. As for a patron, the DnD flavor could be her mother giving her strength.
She-Hulk – Eloquence Bard 3/Totem Barbarian 17
Jennifer Walters in the MCU didn’t embrace her She-Hulk persona as vibrantly as her comic book counterpart did. Nevertheless, She-Hulk is defined by her clever persuasion skills as a lawyer, and her gamma-powered might. Eloquence Bard covers the lawyer part, as Silver Tongue and Unsettling Words are core features that lawyers have.
As for feats, Observant would best fit Jennifer’s analytical side. For her She-Hulk form, Totem Barbarian fits the bill perfectly. For the 3rd and 6th levels, the Bear totems should be taken as they handle her durability and strength. By the 14th level, the Eagle totem reflects one of Jennifer’s favorite gained Hulk abilities, jumping high.
Moon Knight – Hexblade Warlock 2/Samurai Fighter 18
Moon Knight boasts one of the coolest character designs in Marvel history, and it was a long time coming for him to make his live-action debut. Moon Knight was born thanks to Marc Spector cutting a deal with the moon god Khonshu. As Moon Knight, Marc has become Khonshu’s weapon against evildoers of the night. Khonshu is Marc’s patron. To reflect the Steven side, take a customized Scholar background with proficiency in History and Arcana.
Hexblade Warlock fits the vengeful side of Moon Knight, single-minded in his pursuit of justice. Samurai Fighter’s features perfectly reflect all of Khonshu’s physical boons. Elegant Courtier along with the Bonus Proficiency in Insight reflects Steven’s academic intelligence. The feat ‘Skill Expert” should be taken for expertise in History, a key part of Steven’s character. The shift between Moon Knight and Mr. Knight can be handled by just flavoring Fighting Spirit.
