Top 10 MCU Changes Fans Are Still Furious About

#10: The New Avengers

It was always going to be difficult for the MCU to follow up the original Avengers team with a new line-up following “Avengers: Endgame.” Immediately, there was speculation that the franchise would go back to the comics and bring in The New Avengers. And they were right… sorta. In 2025’s “Thunderbolts*,” the new team was introduced. However, the roster was vastly different from the source material, bringing disappointment from some fans. While the MCU line-up is depleted in obscene power and popularity, Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch’s version was quickly shown to be filled with powerhouses and beloved characters. As well as Iron Man and Steve Rogers, New Avengers brought in Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Sentry, Wolverine, and Luke Cage, revitalising the Avengers brand instantly.

#9: Uncle Ben?

For Spider-Man fans, Uncle Ben is one of the most important characters in the hero’s history. After all, without his demise and uttering his iconic speech of “with great power, there must also come great responsibility,” Peter Parker wouldn’t have had the guilt to springboard him into becoming the Web Slinger. While most live-action films brought him in, only to kick Ben's bucket to motivate Peter, the MCU series did not. Instead, while he existed in Peter’s story, his uncle was barely mentioned. The MCU had Aunt May essentially act as a hybrid of May and Ben from the comics. So much so that she even did the famous speech in 2021's “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and met her demise shortly after.

#8: Secret Invasion

In the modern Marvel comics, one of the most pivotal stories was “Secret Invasion.” Playing on fears of who you can trust, the Skrulls kidnapped and took the form of several heroes on Earth to take over the planet. Basically, every character in the comics was affected. Yet in the MCU, it was very different. A far more scaled-back version, the franchise released the miniseries “Secret Invasion” in 2023. Off to a rough start by being criticized for using AI in its intro, the show didn’t use many of the main MCU heroes, which undercut its importance. Some fans believe it was a wasted opportunity, and the scale of the original comic story should’ve been a vital plot point in the films, instead.

#7: Comedy Thor

When Thor first appeared in the MCU, he had a lot of similarities to his comic counterpart. With Shakespearean-esque language and drama, it all changed after Taika Waititi directed the Team Thor mockumentary short videos in 2016. From there, the Norse god became more of a comedy character in the MCU, creating jokes rather than being the “fish out of water” from before. While there was success, such as with “Thor: Ragnarok,” it began going downhill after that for some fans. In 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the drama and impact of the plot seemed unimportant compared to getting in the next punchline. Due to the negative reaction, Chris Hemsworth has spoken about Thor needing a tone change in the future.

#6: Thanos' Love Motivation

After being hinted at since 2012’s “Avengers,” we finally got Thanos in all his dastardly glory in 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War.” He instantly became the best villain to appear in the MCU. However, comic fans quickly noticed the difference from the source material. While MCU Thanos explained he believed he was saving the universe by removing half the population to prolong resources and prevent what happened to Titan from taking place elsewhere, his comic counterpart desired the Infinity Gauntlet for a vastly different reason… love. The Mad Titan, a very dedicated nihilist, wanted to impress Death by wiping away half of the universe. As such, some fans hated the MCU's more altruistic change. However, we did get Death eventually in 2024’s “Agatha All Along.”

#5: Captain Marvel's Origins

Fun fact for non-comic fans: long before Carol Danvers held the mantle of Captain Marvel, there was the Kree hero, Mar-Vell. Debuting in 1967, as well as dating her, he was a catalyst in Danvers getting her powers, which led to her becoming Ms. Marvel and eventually Captain Marvel. However, in the MCU, the story is quite different. Instead, Danvers bypasses her Ms. Marvel era. Mar-Vell is in the MCU, just in another format. Rather than being lovers, Mar-Vell is a woman scientist, Wendy Lawson, who created the experimental engine that unlocked Danvers’s abilities. Some fans weren’t happy that comic Danvers’s vast history was wiped away. Yet for others, the MCU drastically simplified and rightfully skipped the more problematic parts of her story.

#4: Cause of Civil War

Another pivotal story in Marvel’s comic universe was 2006's Civil War, the effects of which have been felt since its release. With the New Warriors making a reality show, they end up causing the villain Nitro to explode, killing hundreds of people. The scale of the story affected every character as they debated which side they were on: Team Iron Man with the Superhuman Registration Act or Team Captain America with anti-registration beliefs. Beyond the basic story and title, 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” was a different entity, bringing criticism from viewers. One issue was that other plot points, such as Bucky killing Tony’s parents, took precedence over the Civil War. Another problem involved vastly reduced rosters, when the comic teams were stuffed with talent.

#3: The Ancient One

Tilda Swinton is one of the most gifted actors around. So, when she was cast in the MCU, this was fantastic news. However, when it became known what her part was, controversy spread into the mainstream media. In the comics, the Ancient One is depicted as an old Asian man. In the 2016 film “Doctor Strange,” the character was a shaved-headed Swinton. This drew criticism, including from groups such as the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, that an Asian character was being Whitewashed. The movie’s director, Scott Derrickson, defended the casting by claiming it was to avoid racial stereotypes. However, in 2021, the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, admitted Swinton’s casting was a mistake, which she also agreed with.

#2: Ms. Marvel's Powers

Debuting properly in the comics in 2014, Kamala Khan quickly became a fan-favorite. With her polymorph abilities she got as an Inhuman, she would embiggen herself as she took the discarded mantle of her favorite hero, Ms. Marvel. With the Muslim protagonist arriving in the MCU in her own 2022 miniseries, fans of her comics were soon disappointed several times over. To start with, Kamala’s powers were changed to being light constructs, similar to DC’s Green Lanterns. Next, they removed her Inhuman history. Instead, the show mentioned her mutated cells. As a result, Kamala was changed in the comics, too. She morphed into an Inhuman-mutant hybrid, allowing her to become part of the X-Men team, as well as introducing the MCU's construct powers, confusing everyone.

#1: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver’s Origins

For decades, even non-comic readers knew that twin siblings Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were mutants and the children of Magneto. Yet, due to Fox owning the “X-Men” franchise and everything mutant at the time, the MCU couldn’t have that. Introduced in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the duo weren’t mutants anymore. Instead, they were the result of Hydra’s experiments with the Mind Stone. The comics then followed suit by retconning that the twins weren’t Magneto’s kids. Eventually, it was discovered they weren’t even mutants but had been experimented on by the High Evolutionary. With Disney buying Fox’s entertainment branch and getting the “X-Men” rights back, the change to the Maximoffs’ histories has become even more hated as fans ask for the mutant-que to return.

What other controversial change between the comics and MCU did we miss? Let us know below!