The Universe of Powered-Up Animal Pals in the MCU

By Peyton Liebler

One thing is certain: the world needs heroes. But, arguably more importantly, those heroes need a few cute and cuddly compatriots to round out their epic tales of crimefighting and saving the universe... or multiverse, depending on who you ask. After a long day of fighting ancient Egyptian deities or journeying through a void at the end of time, sometimes you just wanna kick back and enjoy some quality playtime with your favorite furry, scaly, and insectoid pals.

D23 is proud to share with you the ultimate guide to the expansive multiverse of creatures that are the pals and/or pets to our most beloved heroes and villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While some possess some truly amazing abilities, others are just truly super friends to the members of the MCU. There is something they all share: they’re adorable beyond all belief.

Cosmo the Space Dog, a yellow lab in a CCCP space suit, looks at something offscreen. She is standing on a metal grate covered in dirt, and a metal structure stands behind her.

Cosmo the Space Dog (Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3)
After appearing briefly during Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) as a captured cosmonaut in The Collector’s fortress on Knowhere, Cosmo has made a few more appearances in the MCU that have had tails wagging around the galaxy. This includes a special residency in the queue of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT in Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park. And we’re especially excited to see Cosmo again, after her appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special (2022), where it was revealed that the interplanetary pooch has telepathic abilities. Cosmo was an invaluable asset to the Guardians of the Galaxy in their latest installment, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where she proved in the final battle against the High Evolutionary that she was a very good dog!

Wanda Maximoff, dressed and styled like a ’90s sitcom mother, puts her arms around her children, Tommy and Billy. Wanda is sitting in between both boys on a yellow couch, and Billy is looking directly at her with his dog, Sparky, in his arms.

Sparky (WandaVision)
Alas, we all know the tragic fate Sparky suffered at the hands of the villainous Agatha Harkness in WandaVision (2021), but that’s not to say Sparky wasn’t the most loyal and caring pet for Billy and Tommy Maximoff. Sparky served as a valuable lesson for the boys—both responsibility and helping them mature in their grieving process. Though Sparky may no longer be with us, he was an honored member of the Westview community, and gave Tommy and Billy something to share and to love. We also are well-aware WandaVision made you cry enough, so we’ll move onto our next special pet...

Morris, a furry and faceless creature with four legs and wings, lies on the ground in a poster for Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

Morris (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
You might be asking yourself, what even is Morris? He seems to be a little furball with four wings and no eyes, right? Sounds like something you could only find in the mythical land of Ta Lo. Morris guides Shang-Chi, Xialing, Katy, and the bumbling Trevor Slattery through the compound of the Ten Rings and all the way to the secret entrance of Ta Lo. Interestingly, the design for Morris is actually based off a Chinese Deity called a Hundun, known as a God of Chaos. While Morris may not be the most chaotic of creatures, he’s a huge help to saving Ta Lo and helping the gang accomplish their mission. We’re just glad you can see him, too!

Steven Grant stares into a goldfish tank, which is mostly empty except for the large goldfish swimming directly in front of him.

Gus the Goldfish (Moon Knight)
Amid epic battles in the pyramids of Egypt and psychologically mind-bending interactions, a golden pet sits amongst the central plot of Moon Knight (2022). Steven Grant (aka Marc Spector, aka Jake Lockley, aka Moon Knight... TBD on any more akas) cares for a peaceful pet goldfish who has one fin. Gus faced his fair share of danger, mysteriously being placed in a blender before he was saved. Nevertheless, Gus evaded the blades of the puree mode and was a faithful friend to Steven, sometimes being his only friend. If there’s anything we know, it’s that the best of friends come with fins! They also will fully support you as you return from a treacherous sailing across the field of reeds in the afterlife with a hippo goddess named Taweret. All in a day’s work!

Lucky, a one-eyed golden retriever, sits in front of a line of icy snow on the street.

Lucky the Pizza Dog (Hawkeye)
One of Lucky’s biggest flexes is that he was saved by THE Kate Bishop from the mean streets of New York City. Apart from that impressive encounter, Lucky is a sweet stray that joins Kate and Clint Barton on a wild holiday ride—evading the Tracksuit Mafia and uncovering sinister secrets of the city along the way. Lucky gets into the action, attacking members of the Tracksuit Mafia, and then receiving some stellar slices of pizza for dinner. Lucky then gets one of the best Christmas gifts of all: being adopted by Clint and his family, joining the legendary lineage of Hawkeye. Could you imagine being the pet of an Avenger and being fed Pizza all day? He really is just that lucky.

Alligator Loki, an alligator wearing Loki’s golden horn helmet, sits in a dirty plastic pool.

Alligator Loki (Loki)
It’s up for debate if this rambunctious reptilian is actually a pet; he’s more of a member in a ragtag group of Loki Variants sent to the void at the end of time. Yep, in case you haven’t thought about it, there could be an alligator variant of YOU in the infinite multiverse. But what Alligator Loki does is the same thing that all Loki’s are the best at: surviving. After being pruned by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and sent to the void at the end of time, Alligator Loki bands together with other Gods of Mischief and figures out a way to live in the harsh climate of the void. He even chomps off the hand of President Loki upon a massive display of “self” betrayal amongst the Loki variants in their bowling alley hideout. Talk about “giving a hand” to a truly applause-worthy alligator.

Fenris, a large black wolf with green eyes, bares her teeth at something offscreen while a storm brews behind her.

Fenris (Thor: Ragnarok)
When the Goddess of Death, Hela, makes her bombastic return to Asgard, you might remember one of the most epic things she did was awaken an army of undead Asgardian soldiers and her monstrous black wolf, Fenris. While Fenris was entirely menacing, she’s also the only Pet who fought the Incredible Hulk! Fenris was integral to Hela’s plan to retake Asgard. Though she was villainous through the very end, she was a good pet and faithful to her owner. And who can blame her? It’s literally Cate Blanchett. We’d help to conquer Asgard and the nine realms, too, if she was the one who asked us.

Ant-Man, wearing his full armor and shrunken down, looks over his shoulder while he rides on the back of an ant.

The Ants (Ant-Man, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania)
Oh yeah, ANTS! This isn’t just about one critter, but a countless army of insect heroes that serve Ant-Man and The Wasp. Some have received some “ant-tastic” names like Marie Ant-oinette, Ulysses S. Gr-Ant, Ant-onio Banderas... the list goes on. But as Hank Pym teaches Scott in Ant-Man (2015), it’s about THE ANTS! If it weren’t for them, Ant-Man and The Wasp would still be stuck on the wrong side of some gi-ant problems, totally unable to escape. And don't forget that a quantum-based colony of these not-so-little Ants went up against Kang the Conqueror, and came out on top! We'll bet that really bugged him! (The puns just keep coming when there's Pym Particles involved!) Whether they're conducting electricity, forming superstructures, or being irreplaceable tools of espionage, these crawlies are anything but creepy—they’re astonishing!

Goose, an orange tabby cat, sits on top of the control panel inside a plane’s cockpit. The image is framed so you can mostly just see Goose, who is looking off camera to the right.

Goose the Flerken (Captain Marvel, The Marvels)
If there’s any pet that’s as powerful as they are cute, it’s Goose. Her former owner, Wendy Lawson aka Mar-Vell, rescued Goose and brought her to the Joint Dark Energy Facility where she worked on Project PEGASUS. During the events of Captain Marvel (2019), Goose joined Carol Danvers and Nick Fury on a dangerous mission between both sides of the Kree-Skrull War. It was shockingly revealed that Goose was not the adorable feline friend she appeared to be, but rather a Flerken—a highly dangerous creature with huge tentacles that deploy from its mouth and an endless appetite to match. This appetite even led to Goose consuming the Tesseract, making her the only pet to eat an infinity stone. Goose is also the reason that Fury wears an eyepatch, scratching him and permanently blinding that eye. An im-purrr-essive resume, if we do say so ourselves.

And the Flerken fun doesn't stop there, as Goose makes her triumphant return in The Marvels, joined by her adorable baby "Flerkittens". If you thought just one of these cosmic kitties causes quite the chaos, wait until you discover what happens when there's countless! Let's just say, this "Flerkitten" appearance is sure to leave you with the most marvelous of memories...

Those a just a few of our favorite critters of the MCU. It’s easy to know who man’s best friend is, but now you might know a bit more about Super Hero’s best friend. Keep in mind, it’s not the powers that make the pet, but the care and dedication they have for the powered-up people who love them right back. And the next time you’re with your own pet at home, we suggest looking into if any of them are hiding any shockingly fantastic abilities. You never really know if your cat might just be a flerken in disguise...