Top 20 MCU MISTAKES Marvel Wants You To Forget
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 MCU mistakes Marvel wants you to forget. For this list, we’ll be looking at the missteps and less than successful things about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Marvel has either ignored or not called attention to. Since many of these involve plot points, there will be spoilers ahead. If there’s a marvelously mistaken Marvel moment we were mistaken to forget, correct us in the comments, true believers!
#20: Subpar CGI
Marvel uses a ton of CGI in their properties. In general, it looks pretty good for the time it’s released. But it’s been a bit spotty since Phase 4 began.. Several films and TV shows have featured visual effects that viewers have found less than convincing. Production crunch is definitely a thing. Additionally, with all the properties the MCU has been putting out, it’s understandable to see why quality has suffered. As Howard Stark would say, “no amount of money ever bought a second of time to work on special effects”. We’re sure Marvel would prefer that we overlook their CGI issues. But it’s hard to ignore things like obvious green screens or MODOK’s uncanny face.
#19: The “Agent Carter” Release Schedule
Top 10 MCU Mistakes Marvel Wants You to Forget
This thrilling show followed the eponymous Peggy Carter and her espionage career. While she grieved for Steve Rogers, she had to investigate threats that emerged after World War 2. The period setting made for a nice change from most Marvel properties. Additionally, the action is slick and the series introduced great characters like Edwin Jarvis and Daniel Sousa. So, why haven’t more people heard of it? Critics largely blame the release. Not only was it difficult to catch up on season 1 episodes, but inconsistent scheduling made season 2 hard to jump onto. Unfortunately, much like Peggy herself in her early career, the series was unfairly passed over by many.
#18: Quicksilver Fakeout
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When Evan Peters appeared as Pietro Maximoff after playing the same character on the FOX “X-Men” movies, fans went wild. While tons of theories flew around, many people thought he had crossed over from another universe and that the MCU’s multiverse had officially opened. The “recast” Pietro Maximoff was also tremendously entertaining as the immature uncle to Wanda’s kids and a speedy agent of chaos. However, much to fans' disappointment, “Pietro” turned out to be an in-universe actor named Ralph Bohner. It turned out that his memories and physical abilities were altered so he believed he was Pietro. While fans loved that Evan Peters came back for the role, the twist that his character was a regular guy was a letdown.
#17: “The Incredible Hulk”
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Just to clarify, we’re not talking about the character of the Hulk. No, we're focused on the first film in the MCU where Hulk was a lead. Although it was one of the first films in the franchise, Marvel spent over a decade distancing itself from the specific events of the movie. Part of this is due to distribution issues with Universal. Additionally, it didn’t help that the titular role was recast so that Mark Ruffalo could step in. It wasn’t until projects like “What…If?” and “She-Hulk” that it felt like it was okay to acknowledge that the 2008 movie was still out there. However, fans won’t forget that the Hulk’s solo outing was the green sheep of the family for a long time.
#16: Avengers Assemble!…Sometimes!
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One of the best things about the MCU is how interconnected everything can feel. Heroes teaming up to take down a common threat rarely fails to deliver the hype. However, this can also be a double-edged sword for Marvel. When the Avengers don’t join together to take on world threatening villains, it feels a bit odd. We know that some enemies operate under the radar like HYDRA or create problems most Avengers couldn’t assist with like the Dormammu conflict. But it’s hard to believe that none of the Avengers responded to massive holes in space during “Dark World”. Don’t get us wrong, we love some of these solo films. But they largely require you to get amnesia about the other heroes.
#15: The Irrelevance of the Sokovia Accords
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During “Captain America: Civil War,” the Avengers are nearly torn apart after the international community wants to regulate them and other super powered individuals. Monitoring superpowered people does seem good in theory. But in practice the paperwork was largely ineffective and irrelevant after they became the center of the “Civil War” conflict. Every now and then, the accords got lip service in films and “Agents of SHIELD.” But whenever the chips were down, the Avengers did what they needed to with basically no government oversight or consequences. The fact that it was casually revealed that the Sokovia Accords were repealed in a quick exchange made it seems like Marvel just wants us to leave them in the past altogether.
#14: Steve Rogers Kissing Peggy’s Niece
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Although Steve and Peggy planned to get together in 1945, he overshoots their date after he crashed a plane into ice to save lives. By the time he’s thawed out in the 21st century, Peggy is an old woman who lived a full life. And Steve doesn’t get to spend much time with her for the four years they have before she passes away. After Peggy’s funeral, he goes on to…kiss her great-niece Sharon. We get that she and Steve had chemistry before he knew about the family relation. But Steve making out with his great love’s niece is still kind of weird. After he gets to go back in time, we wonder if he also conveniently forgot to tell Peggy about that kiss.
#13: Excusing Wanda’s Actions
There’s a lot to love about “WandaVision,” from its use of sitcom conventions to its examination of Wanda’s trauma. However, at the end of the day, her powers inadvertently trapped the residents of an entire town and forced them to do things against their will. They all clearly bear signs of emotional trauma too! While Wanda may be the protagonist here, she’s also clearly the villain. But several characters, particularly Monica Rambeau, tacitly forgive Wanda’s crimes. The fans maybe could’ve gone along with this if the Scarlet Witch wasn’t immediately turned into a full on villain again in “Multiverse of Madness”. It seemed like no one could decide if we were supposed to forgive or fear her.
#12: Electro Never Unmasked Peter Parker
When fans looked back at the major spell in “No Way Home” that transported villains from across the multiverse into the MCU, they noticed a few possible contradictions. The biggest one centered around the reason these particular baddies arrived. Although they are all supposed to know who Spidey is, the evil Electro is the notable exception. He never unmasked Peter during his movie. And while we were willing to believe we missed that scene in “Amazing Spider-Man 2”, Electro confirms that he never knew who Peter was with an admittedly hilarious exchange. Technically, the only villain from that movie that could’ve shown up was Harry. But fans were okay looking past the Electro issue if that meant the lackluster Goblin was left behind.
#11: “Thor: The Dark World”
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The second installment in the “Thor” franchise is definitely one of the franchise’s weakest films to date. Its drab color palette, inconsistent tone, poorly realized villain and baffling plot all held it back. Coincidentally, some of these complaints would go on to be lodged against “Love and Thunder”. While it’s too soon to tell how the MCU will address the fourth entry going forward, fans spent years seeing “Dark World” fade to obscurity. The most ironic part of the sequel is that individual elements really work later on. For example, the death of Thor’s mom Frigga plays a vital role in her children’s stories. But we’re willing to bet Marvel would prefer you to watch the “Endgame” recap of the plot rather than the film.
#10: There Are Ways Around Death
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If a comic book film can help it, many of its heroes will stay alive. This makes it feel a little cheap when so many protagonists walk away from a battle unscathed. [xref] While the lack of heroes dying is waived away, it's characters staying dead that’s the bigger issue. We’re not saying that heroes like Iron Man and Black Widow will be revived anytime soon. However, time travel, life restoring serums and alternate universes means killed off characters have multiple avenues to return. While Gamora is a prime example of time saving shenanigans, we forget how many times we've seen Loki die. It’s hard to believe that characters like Scarlet Witch are truly gone when there’s so many ways to bring them back.
#9: Timeline / Continuity Problems
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The MCU timeline and its continuity are actually pretty solid, for the most part, but it’s not totally without its issues. Some of these gaffes are minor. For example, Gamora is called the last of her species in “Guardians of the Galaxy” trailers and marketing. Nut in “Infinity War,” we find out only half her race was killed by Thanos. The most notable timeline contradiction is due to “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” It starts with a flashback set shortly after “The Avengers,” in 2012, then skips ahead 8 years, to 2020. Yet, if “Infinity War” corresponds with its year of release in 2018, how did Peter use the Iron Spider suit he wouldn’t see until 2 years later?
#8: The Timeline of the Infinity Gauntlet
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The Infinity Stones that are sought by Thanos were a big focus for much of the MCU. However, this has caused many to overlook the confusing history of the Gauntlet that the Stones fit into. An Infinity Gauntlet is first seen in Odin’s vault at Asgard, though this is later revealed to be a fake. Thanos first dons the glove in the post credits of “Age of Ultron” and seems ready to start collecting. However, Gauntlet maker, Eitr , and Thor make comments that suggest the Gauntlet was created recently before “Infinity War” So, how could Odin have a copy of a one-of-a-kind object made before Thanos got it forged?
#7: New Earth, Who This?
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As Marvel Comics discovered, keeping track of a multiverse can be tricky. So, for the purpose of keeping things clear to the audience, they decided to number their universes. The main comics continuity is set on Earth-616. And originally, The MCU was largely believed to take place in Earth-199999. But during Multiverse of Madness, the live-action universe was referred to as the 616 universe. Many fans and even Marvel actors like Iman Velhani were skeptical about this sudden change. After mass confusion, “Across the Spider-Verse” had the multiverse hopping Miguel refer to the MCU as Earth-199999. It could be that there are simply different numbering systems across the multiverse. But we’re betting that line is Marvel trying to sweep a mistake under a dimensional rug.
#6: The Ending of “Iron Man 3”
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The third installment in the “Iron Man” franchise ends with Tony Stark reconsidering his need to be a superhero. Additionally, he gets surgery to remove the shrapnel from his heart. He also removes the power core from his chest (we guess, just leaving a big hole there). To top it all off, he even blows up all his Iron Man suits. Yet, despite apparently retiring from the hero business, Tony returns to crimefighting in the next “Avengers” movie. He also clearly built more suits. If there were any hints as to what made Tony pull a 180, this could’ve worked. As it stands, it seems like every movie featuring Iron Man after 2013 forgot how the 3rd film ended.
#5: Letting Great Directors Go
Marvel has a certain tone and style to its movies. While this does make its cinematic universe truly feel as if each film takes place in the same world, it can be creatively restrictive to directors. Those who aren’t able to reconcile their vision with Marvel’s get the boot, no matter how talented they are. For instance, “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins almost directed the second “Thor” film. Edgar Wright also left“Ant-Man,” despite being attached to it for years due to behind the scenes issues. Then there’s the case of James Gunn getting fired from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”. However, his rehiring and subsequent praise for his work suggests that they may be turning a corner with their directors.
#4: The Disconnect From the TV/Netflix Shows
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Before Disney+ and Kevin Feige’s promotion to oversee all Marvel TV, the MCU felt split in twain. There were the movies over here and then the TV shows over there. While the TV series acknowledged the movies, the reverse was rarely, if ever, true. This was due to friction behind the scenes, largely between Kevin Feige and former Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter. Following Perlmutter’s gradual removal from oversight of Marvel properties, everything changed. The MCU TV series have featured more integration with films. Netflix series characters also have been appearing in new films and shows. All the work put in the past few years have made people forget how disconnected the live-action properties truly were.
#3: Lack of Female Lead Solo Movies
The MCU has made great strides in world building across movies and TV shows and has delivered some excellent content nearly across the board. Yet it took far too long to put heroines in the spotlight. The small screen held things down with shows like “Jessica Jones” and “Agent Carter.” However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the MCU gave us its first solo female led film. Fans also felt that seeing “Black Widow’s” film arrive after her in-universe death was too little, too late. There’s no question that the MCU is slowly moving towards a more balanced slate. However, it’s hard to forget how uneven the slate has been.
#2: Underdeveloped & Quickly Dispatched Villains
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One of the older complaints about the Marvel Cinematic Universe was that its villains didn’t leave much of an impression. Of course, big bads like Killmonger, Thanos, or Loki were standouts. But the lion’s share were rather forgettable. Several were “dark” versions of their heroes or have generic motivations of conquest without any adequately described backstories. Even well-received movies like the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” suffered from this. Admittedly, fans have seen great improvements in that area. But even when we get great villains like Wenwu, they’re often getting killed off. Fans would love to get more antagonists that have serious staying power.
#1: “Inhumans”
While the MCU had a rocky road post Endgame, no misfire they’ve made comes close to measuring down to “Inhumans.” Originally envisioned as a film, “Inhumans” instead debuted as a TV series. Fans who heard that its first two episodes would premiere on IMAX screens were expecting a cinema level experience. However, the big screen only seemed to make its flaws larger and more noticeable. The series lacked compelling characters, an interesting plot or much motivation to keep watching. It also didn’t help that the superpowered Medusa’s hair looked like a CGI effect from the 90s. Outside of an “Inhuman” cameo in “Multiverse of Madness”, we doubt Marvel will be drawing much more attention to this failed series in the future.
