Civil War was pre-IM1 though.
I think it was a combination of Hulk Vs Wolverine and MvC3. In the former you had his first media portrayal where he actually gets to talk and the first time Nolan North got to play him, and that led into MvC3 who drew a lot from that depiction right down to North reprising the role and the game obviously got him more attention then a Marvel DTV would.And if you want to add another character to the list who got a "forced" push look no further than Deadpool. Who was always something of a mid-tier character until MvC3 pushed him into the public conciousness. And then Marvel decided to captialize on that spur of the moment popularity.
(Seriously, I think I'm one of the few people who remember those DTV's exist).
If we use an MCU appearance as a barometer for iconic status now, then maybe.
I think She-Hulk is fairly iconic.
I think Ben is still the most famous of the FF. He was the only member still making guest appearances across cartoons during their media embargo like Wolverine was for the X-Men (and I don't think Logan appeals all that much to millennials or Generation Z).The Thing is not as iconic as he used to be. His character and sensibilities played more to an older generation than millennials or Generation Z. That’s where guys like Kamala and Miles pick up the slack.