Top 20 Hilarious Hidden Jokes in the MCU
#20: I Could Do This All Day
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“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) At the beginning of the film, Peter and MJ have to escape from an angry mob that wants to squash Spidey. The cute couple quickly swings to safety. As they travel around Manhattan, we couldn’t help but notice a billboard in Times Square for “Rogers: The Musical” In the “Hawkeye” series, Clint Barton saw that Avengers themed musical with his kids. He wasn’t exactly a fan. Including it in “No Way Home” was a great way to make a fun and funny connection between the film and the Disney+ series. At the same time, we can’t help but wonder if the billboard was also meant to be a subtle dig at the infamous real life musical “ Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”.
#19: You Don’t Want to See Me When I’m Hangry
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“The Incredible Hulk” (2008) Whether you’re on Team Ruffalo or Team Norton, you’re still going to love this OG Hulk cameo from the 2008 film. The appearance happens when Bruce Banner disguises himself as a pizza delivery person to sneak past a security guard. Who’s the actor playing the hungry official bribed with a free pizza? It’s none other than Lou Ferrigno. During this late 70’s and early 80’s series, he played the Incredible Hulk. Since the series didn’t have the technology to make a CGI Hulk, they just painted Ferrigno green. He definitely had the muscles to play a convincing avenger. While this early Hulk may not have been as large as later versions, we still wouldn’t want to see him when he’s angry.
#18: Love and Tattoos
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“Black Widow” (2021) Having Red Guardian as a character in this long-awaited film was a treat for comic fans. Alexei Shostakov, the first version of this character, was introduced in the Avengers comics in 1967. Before Natasha and Yelena rescue their father-figure from Russian prison, we’re given a glimpse at his many tattoos. This body art gives a revealing hint at Alexei’s true nature. His love for the Soviet Union is demonstrated by the letters for Karl Marx tattooed on his knuckles. We can see the affection he has for his undercover family with a glimpse of his daughters’ names and his wife’s face. However, his large back tattoo demonstrates his first and truest love. It’s a detailed ink drawing of himself, dressed as his superhero alter-ego.
#17: A Marketable Skill
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“What If...?” (2021-) Peter Parker has a delightfully disarming way of interacting with the Avengers. This endearing characteristic is used to great effect in the zombie episode of the multiverse-themed, animated "What If…?” series. In the episode, Parker creates a video guide to tell people how to survive the zombie apocalypse. He also included some fun tongue and cheek skills for each of the heroes that appear. Our favorite nod is that Peter listed “eulogies” as one of Sharon Carter specialites. This was a reference to the touching speech she gave in “Captain America: Civil War” for her Aunt Peggy. Unfortunately, she loses the ability to use this skill by the end of the episode when she becomes a zombie herself.
#16: Aliens Referencing "Aliens"
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“Loki” (2021-) Loki and Sylvie are two of our favorite Marvel aliens. Or do they only count as one? Either way, there are two soldiers in Episode 3 of the Disney+ show that are definitely not fans. When the Asgardian variants need to sneak onto a train, they run into two soldiers. The mischievous aliens are fortunately able to get past both of them thanks to Sylvie’s enchantment skills. If you read the credits carefully, you’ll see that these two soldiers are named Hicks and Hudson. This duo shares a name with two characters who had a strong dislike for aliens in the “Aliens” franchise. Loki and Sylvie are pretty lucky they got such mild-mannered variants of this formidable duo.
#15: A Cheeky Background Photo
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“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” (2022-) Bruce Banner is mortified at his sassy cousin’s obsession with Captain America. In She-Hulk’s first episode, Jennifer Walters regales him with her well thought out theory concerning Steve’s… ahem… love life. After this scene, we see that her interest isn’t just academic. Her phone background features a close up of Captain America’s patriotic posterior. Let’s remember that she is not the only one to have opinions on that particular subject. Tony Stark, Ant-Man and Cap himself all took a moment to assess the situation. Additionally, you can spot some merch about Steve’s best asset in “Ms. Marvel.” It seems like the entire MCU could admire Cap’s body all day.
#14: The Matrix Is All Around Us
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“Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018) Laurence Fishburne made his Marvel debut as Professor Bill Foster in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”. When Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne seek help from Hank Pym’s former colleague, they find him teaching a class in front of a chalkboard full of formulas. A careful eye will spot the word “matrix” written on the board behind him. Although we know that this is a real mathematical term, it’s a fun call-back to Fishburne’s famous turn as Morpheus in “The Matrix” franchise. If we over-think it, we might start to wonder if the MCU is a part of that AI controlled virtual reality system. If that’s the case, would Professor Foster take the red pill or the blue?
#13: Will the Real Loki Please Stand Up?
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“Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) & “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022) It was such a fun surprise to see the faces of well-loved actors taking on “The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard” as an amateur Asgardian troupe. There was also some hilarious history involved in these cameos. It’s possible that the reason Matt Damon was so good at playing Loki in the “Thor” franchise is because he’d previously embodied the role in Kevin Smith’s movie, “Dogma.” Additionally, you might notice that the Asgardian actor who takes on the role of Thor looks awfully similar to Chris Hemsworth. That’s not just great casting. It turns out that Luke Hemsworth plays the delightfully over-the-top Thor. Apparently, the god of mischief wanted to lean on the fourth wall when he cast these actors.
#12: Can I Get a Hand?
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“MCU Phase 2” (2013-15) If you look closely in “Iron Man 3”, you can see a hidden homage to a very famous moment from “The Empire Strikes Back”. Just kidding. You don’t have to look hard. When Tony Stark cuts Aldrich Killian’s hand off, Luke Skywalker style, it’s kind of hard to miss. It turns out that Kevin Feige, the producer of the MCU and president of Marvel Studios, is a huge fan of the “Star Wars” franchise. Although it didn’t start out as intentional, they had so much fun with the first incident, that they decided to sneak a hand amputation into every Phase 2 film. It’s said that a joke stops being funny after it’s repeated three times. But this is one case where we strongly disagree.
#11: A Blast from the Past
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“Ant-Man” (2015) Marvel loves to throw in cameos for super-fans. In “Ant-Man”, we get to meet the first actor to portray the shrinking superhero on television. Garrett Morris created a hilarious version of Ant-Man for an SNL skit in 1979. On the comedy show, he was mocked by the others for his less than impressive powers. Thirty-six years later, he was brought into Ant-Man’s first MCU film. While Scott Lang is struggling to figure out his stolen suit works, he ends up falling out of a window and landing on the roof of a car. The driver of that unfortunate vehicle was none other than Garrett Morris. He was probably happy that the hero’s powers weren’t “just a joke” in this film.
#10: A Unique Collector's Item
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) Although Anthony and Joe Russo are now known as famous Marvel directors, they didn’t forget about the projects they worked on in the past. The brothers especially love sneaking in hidden details from “Arrested Development” into the MCU. During the airport fight scene in “Captain America: Civil War”, you’ll see a blue stair car pulled straight from the set of the TV favorite. (X-ref). A true fan of the Bluth family will also notice the blue-skinned, balding man with a mustache and cut off jeans in one of the Collector’s display cases. This is a nod to the “never nude”, Blue Man Group loving character, Tobias Funke. Now that’s a collector’s piece that will be worth something someday.
#9: Name Typo
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“Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022) During the rom-com montage that explains Thor and Jane’s breakup, the busy Avenger gets called away from a romantic dinner. If you look closely at his phone, you’ll notice he’s being called by…Nick Furry? This is a hilarious reference to the “Team Thor” shorts that explained where the God of Thunder was during the events of “Captain America: Civil War”. While living a normal life with his new roommate Darryl, the God of Thunder seeks answers to some big questions. On his home-made investigative board, he questions the true name of the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. But, the long-time Avenger should probably be a bit more sure. Fury is very clear about what he prefers to be called.
#8: What's My Name?
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“Ms. Marvel” (2022) To say Kamala Khan is a huge Avenger fan would be a gigantic understatement. This fangirl loves the team so much that she creates her own films about them. So naturally, she just had to go to AvengerCon. The event was full of everything a die-hard fan could ask for. In one T-shirt booth, you catch sight of the distinctive figure of Guardians of the Galaxy favorite, Groot. We were glad to see that this team member is getting the love and respect he deserves. Additionally, we chuckled when we saw that the caption underneath his picture says, “Mr. Tree.” Once again, Thor might be the blame for this name misunderstanding.
#7: Unexpected Disclaimer
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“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1” (2014) Ever since Nick Fury paid Tony Stark a surprise visit at the end of “Iron Man”, the MCU has continued to reward movie-goers who stay until the end of the credits. But even diehard fans might have missed a comical disclaimer found at the end of both “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. It reads: “No raccoons or tree creatures were harmed during the making of this feature. The same cannot be said for handlers of said raccoons and tree creatures." We’re glad that great care was taken with this endearing chaotic duo. Considering Groot’s dangerous branches and Rocket’s acidic remarks, we’re not surprised that working with them can be hazardous to one's health.
#6: Throg in a Bottle
“Loki” (2021-) Many of the Loki variants we see in the “Journey Into Mystery” episode are inspired by the comics. But there’s also a very funny Thor variant hidden for comic fans to discover. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, we see a red-caped frog stuck in a jar. The little amphibian is desperately trying to hop to Mjolnir. Additionally, that jar is labeled T365. That just so happens to be the Thor Comic where the God of Mischief turns his domineering brother into a frog. As an added bonus, Chris Hemsworth actually voiced the tiny amphibian God of Thunder. Hopefully, Throg makes a bigger cameo in a future MCU project.
#5: You Should Always Be Prepared
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“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) Howard Stark is the king of snarky statements. While demonstrating a series of potential shields, he tells Steve that Hydra “won’t attack you with pocket knives.” Although he meant it as a joke, it’s soon clear that you should never underestimate Hydra. One of the villainous agents does indeed attack Captain America with a knife before the end of the film. It’s the kind of quick joke that some viewers might not put together during their first few viewings. But it’s definitely a fun reward for those who pay attention to small dialogue details. Thanks to Howard’s joke, Cap may always be prepared to see a knife when HYDRA sends someone after him.
#4: Dude!
“Iron Man” (2008) A major character in Tony Stark’s superhero origin story is Obadiah Stane; friend, mentor and ultimate betrayer. Jeff Bridges plays this despicable traitor in the MCU’s first film. But we also get a callback to one of his more lovable characters. During the film, Tony sends Pepper Potts to search Stane’s files for information on the sale of illegal arms. The file that details the traitorous mentor’s misdeeds shows that the weapons were shipped on the MSC Lebowski. That ship is named after Bridge’s very chill character, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. We definitely appreciate the humor in putting these two wildly different characters together. Although Stane meets a well-deserved and explosive end, we know in our hearts that The Dude abides.
#3: Cursed Hand
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“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022) If you’re watching a Sam Raimi film, there’s a good chance you’ll get a cameo from actor Bruce Campbell. In Doctor Strange’s multiverse journey with America Chavez, the “Evil Dead” actor mans a pizza cart in an alternate universe. And Pizza Poppa doesn’t appreciate Chavez’s attempt to take his food without paying. To help create a diversion, Strange curses the aggressive seller. As soon as the spell kicks in and Campbell starts punching himself, fans of Raimi’s early work get the joke. This violence is a callback to the “Evil Dead” trilogy. Campbell’s character, Ash, has a possessed hand which attacks him in the face. It’s a cameo that delivers a double-punch of humor.
#2: Click Bait
“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” (2022-) A seemingly innocent internet job-hunt by recently fired Jennifer Walters reveals a treasure of hidden gems. A tab for “Find Ant-Man” at the top of the browser window suggests a “Where's Waldo?” style daily alternative to Wordle. When we read a headline about a man with metal claws getting in a bar fight, we can’t help but think of a certain mutant brawler. Possibly the most amusing headline concerns a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean. When Sersi and the Eternals turn the Celestial Tiamut into marble, they just left the cosmic being in the ocean. Marvel fans had wondered when someone would finally address the celestial in the room. Did the Eternals honestly think nobody would notice?
#1: Rock, Paper, Scissors
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“Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) & “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022 The third and fourth Thor movies set up one of the most elaborate rock paper scissors jokes in history. When we first meet the rocky alien Korg in “Thor: Ragnarok” he mentions a revolution that failed because he didn't print enough pamphlets. Paper beats rock. Later, Korg accidentally stomps his friend Miek, who has blades for hands. Rock beats scissors. In “Love and Thunder” we get yet another play on this joke when we’re introduced to a pantheon of gods. Korg points out his rock god, Ninny-Nonny, sits on a throne of scissors. (X-ref) Although Rock clearly dominates here, we’re still waiting for Miek to get his chance to complete the scissors beats paper part of the joke.
