Top 10 Movie Sequels that Fixed Big Problems

#10: Odin has the Infinity Gauntlet

“Thor”(2011)/“Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)

Marvel has been no stranger to putting easter eggs in their films, a treat for eagle-eyed fans of the comics and wider Marvel lore. One such example is when, in a blink and you’ll miss it moment, the Infinity Gauntlet was seen in Odin’s treasure vault on Asgard in the first “Thor” film. How Odin had the gauntlet, seemingly complete with six infinity stones, was a source of confusion when a few films later Thanos was introduced as the MCU’s big bad. This was finally explained in Thor: Ragnarok when Hela strolled through that vault, revealing that much of its contents were fake, including the gauntlet. Given it was for the right hand while the real gauntlet was for the left, maybe we should have known.

#9: Tom Riddle's Weirdly Powerful Diary

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002)/“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” (2009)

While unraveling the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter came across a strange diary that allowed him to communicate with its former owner, a student from years past named Tom Riddle. The specter from the diary slowly revealed itself to be more and more powerful, possessing Harry’s friend Ginny to open the Chamber and taking physical form. Tom eventually revealed his true identity, the younger Voldemort; however, what the diary truly was remained a mystery, even to book readers. The sixth novel and film would introduce horcruxes, powerful items that contained a piece of a dark wizard's soul. It was explained that the diary was the first of these malevolent items created by Voldemort while he was still a student, meant to extend his life after death.

#8: The Death Star's Flaw

“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) / “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)

When Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star, a massive superweapon with the power to annihilate an entire planet, it was one of cinema's greatest moments. With the help of his friends and the use of the force, he hit a small target that caused a chain reaction that destroyed the Death Star. As awesome as it was, many couldn’t help but wonder how such a powerful space station could have such a glaring weakness, capable of bringing the entire thing down with a single shot. The prequel “Rogue One” explained that this was no accident, but a vulnerability intentionally put in by the weapon’s architect, Galen Erso. Forced to work on a weapon he despised, he secretly designed a way for enemies to exploit it.

#7: Why Didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. Use the Tesseract Earlier?

“The Avengers” (2012)/ “Captain Marvel” (2019)

A major MacGuffin in the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the tesseract was an item with seemingly limitless potential, later revealed to be one of six infinity stones. After being discovered and then lost in the Atlantic Ocean by the villainous Red Skull, the item was recovered by Howard Stark, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. In “The Avengers,” it was revealed that Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director was finally testing the tesseract's powers, but why wait nearly seventy years? “Captain Marvel” revealed that they didn’t, as Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., a joint venture between several agencies, used the tesseract to develop new technologies, including faster than light travel.

#6: Bootstrap's Bootstraps

“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003)/ “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” (2006)

The plot of the first “Pirates” involved the crew of the Black Pearl needing Will Turner’s blood to break the curse placed upon them. Will was, of course, taking the place of his father, Bootstrap Bill, who the crew had seemingly killed by tying to a cannon and throwing it overboard. Except that the curse meant Bootstrap couldn't die, and we were shown multiple times that the undead crew could walk along the ocean floor. So why not go get him? The sequel explained that in order to escape his fate of being trapped forever on the seafloor, Bootstrap made a deal with Davy Jones. Being trapped instead on Jones’ ship, the Flying Dutchman, he would be well out of reach of the Black Pearl.

#5: Why Was Fiona in that Tower?

“Shrek” (2001)/ "Shrek 2” (2004)

When Shrek first met Fiona, she was locked in the tallest tower of a castle guarded by a dragon, waiting for her true love to arrive and break the curse placed upon her. However, why she was there and who put her there were never addressed in the film. The sequel, where Shrek and Fiona traveled to her parents’ kingdom, revealed that they were, in fact, the ones who placed her in the tower. It was further revealed that her parents were influenced by the dastardly fairy godmother, who had designs for Fiona to marry her pompous son, Prince Charming.

#4: Elves Don't Seem to Care about Santa’s Death

“The Santa Clause” (1994)/ “The Santa Clauses” (2022-23)

Due to some legal implications, when businessman Scott Calvin accidentally caused the death of Santa and put on his suit, he became his successor. However, when Scott arrived at the North Pole to get the details of his new gig, the elves didn't seem too upset about their former boss’ demise. In fact, they seem excited to see Scott! It was incredibly strange that the group of magical beings tasked with bringing cheer wouldn’t want to mourn their jolly leader. The streaming series, “The Santa Clauses,” explained that it was because Santa hadn’t actually died at all. Instead, his fall off the roof was part of an elaborate ruse, as Scott had been hand chosen to be his replacement and the first human Santa.

#3: The Dinosaurs Aren’t Accurate

“Jurassic Park” (1993)/”Jurassic World” (2015)

Thanks to consulting paleontologist Jack Horner, some of the plans for more lizard-like features for the original Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs were made less reptilian. However, the film still took plenty of liberties, causing inaccuracies, notably that none of the dinosaurs have feathers. Over the years, as we’ve come to understand more about dinosaur biology, those inaccuracies have only grown more prominent. “Jurassic World” offered an elegant solution rooted in the franchise’s lore, as other kinds of DNA were always used to fill in genetic holes at Jurassic Park. As Dr. Wu explained, the dinosaurs were not accurate recreations, but genetic hybrids, often created to be bigger and scarier, and importantly, to be in line with what park-goers would think a dinosaur looks like.

#2: Jigsaw Faked His Death

“Saw”(2004)/”Saw III” (2006)

“Saw” began with two men trapped in a room with a corpse as they attempted to survive a series of deadly traps set up by the mysterious Jigsaw killer. The film ended with a major twist as the body that had lain motionless throughout the film stood up, revealing himself to be Jigsaw. On a second watch, however, a viewer might question how exactly Jigsaw managed to stay so still for so long while all that insanity was happening around him. That apparent plothole would be closed in the third “Saw” film thanks to one of its many flashbacks. While setting up the room with his accomplice, Amanda, Jigsaw injected himself with something that would slow his heart and relax his muscles, completing the illusion.

#1: The Entire X-Men Timeline

The “X-Men” franchise (2000-)/”Deadpool 2”(2016)

More than perhaps any series, the “X-Men” films have seemingly zero regard for their own continuity. Whether this was characters being recycled and constantly recast, prequels contradicting established lore, people forgetting they knew each other, or just sloppy storytelling, the timeline was an absolute mess. So naturally, Deadpool decided to make fun of it in his first film. However, the sequel really decided to address the issue by highlighting how much it didn't make sense, featuring a cameo from a cast from the wrong time period. Ultimately, in the film’s credit sequence, Deadpool time-traveled, rewriting history and directly poking fun at his own character’s inconsistencies, “fixing” the timeline, mostly by shooting people in the head.

Which times do you think a sequel fixed a problem? Let us know in the comments.