TheMarvel Cinematic Universemay have the best intentions, but the series doesn’t always do a good job at balancing when certain events and characters should appear, and in what movie. As a crossover superhero franchise, it’s no secret that the MCU is full of crossover appearances that combine various characters and events into single films. While the series did a good job balancing this at the beginning, as things became more and more bloated, certain storylines crop up way too early or late inthe MCU timeline.
In most cases, the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces important characters at the wrong time altogether, swapping around classic villains long associated with certain heroes in the comics for one of their peers. TheupcomingCaptain America: Brave New World’suse of Red Hulk as the villain of a Captain America movie is a perfect example, though the sticky legal situation regarding a Hulk solo film for the last few decades makes it somewhat more forgivable.The MCU is full of strange choices like this, with some moments being better suited for different films.
10MODOK Is Revealed
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man isn’t exactly a character known for his vast rogue’s gallery of compelling villains, so it makes sense that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to branch out when it came time to choose an antagonist or two forAnt-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.Though Kang the Conqueror was the major villain behind the action, he gained a controversial enforcer with the addition of MODOK, a long-awaited supervillain from the Marvel comics. Rather than his standard origin, the MCU’s MODOK is actually Darren Cross, previousAnt-Manfoe Yellowjacket, shrunk into bizarre proportions.
10 MCU Movie Moments That Would Never Have Got Past The Oldest Censor Rules
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be especially edgy, but by the standards of the Comics Code Authority, it would’ve been far too raunchy.
MODOK’s terrible CGI and presence as the butt of a joke inAnt-Man and The Wasp: Quantumaniawas a terrible use of his character.In the comics, MODOK is better known as the leader of A.I.M. and a terrifying Iron Man villain, an opportunity theIron Mantrilogy would’ve used better than the jokey pint-sized hero. In fact, acanceled Iron Man moviefrom the 90s that never got made was once posited to use MODOK as its villain, which would have worked far better than Darren Cross' cringeworthy antics inAnt-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
9Jane Foster Becomes The Mighty Thor
Thor: Love and Thunder
With Black Widow and Iron Man dead and Captain America retired, Thor is one of the few founding Avengers to still be technically active in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.It seems altogether unlikely that Chris Hemsworth will be keen on sticking around in perpetuity, which would’ve made Jane Foster’s The Mighty Thor a perfect new hero to take his place. Even if Hemsworth doesn’t leave the series, his character has now spent far more time off-world than on Earth, which would’ve made Natalie Portman’s Jane perfect for fulfilling Thor’s role on her home planet.
Sadly,Thor: Love and Thundermade the choice to re-introduce and kill off Jane Foster within the same film, dramatically limiting the time she had to actually be a hero.This is a shame considering the renewed energy and joy with which Portman approaches the character, and seeing Mjölnir with a new wielder is nothing short of heartwarming. If only Jane Foster had at least one extra movie of getting to be Thor before being callously disposed of by the narrative.
8Blade’s Voice Debut
Eternals
Mahershala Ali’s Blade might be one of the most unfortunate characters the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever attempted to introduce. Originally meant to release way back in November of 2023, thetroubled production cycle ofBladeled to the film being indefinitely delayed in perpetuity.Thanks to a scathing joke fromDeadpool & Wolverineby the former Blade, Wesley Snipes, it’s now a mystery as to whether the film will ever see the light of day.
This scene might age quite poorly depending on how the release cycle forBladecontinues to progress, if at all.
This makes Blade’s technical cameo in a post-credits scene ofEternalsall the more embarrassing for the MCU. Even if Mahershala Ali’s Blade is only heard, not seen, with his smooth dulcet tones emanating from off-screen,Eternalswas a strange, seemingly unrelated place to attempt to show him off at all for the first time. This scene might age quite poorly depending on how the release cycle forBladecontinues to progress, if at all.
7Cassandra Nova As The Villain Of Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine
For the most part, the villain ofDeadpool & Wolverinecould’ve really been anyone.The story doesn’t require that whoever ended up in charge of The Void had any sort of personal relationship to Deadpool, with a sufficient enough level of physical power and influence being the only real requirements the script had. This makes it all the more frustrating that the film chose Cassandra Nova, of all people, for its overarching antagonist.
The evil twin sister of Professor X, Cassandra exists as a dark shadow of her brother, having all the same awesome telepathic and psionic abilities with none of the morals that made Charles Xavier such a great leader. It’s so strange to see Cassandra’s movie debut in a film that doesn’t feature her foil of a do-gooder brother, making her presence in the plot seem weak and irrelevant.Nova would’ve been much better served as the primary villain of the MCU’s first proper X-Men movie, a powerful and personal threat that the Fox movies never got around to using.
6Ultron Being Destroyed In The Same Film He Was Introduced
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Anothervillain with wasted potential for the MCUwas none other than the titular robotic overlord ofAvengers: Age of Ultron.James Spader’s smooth-talking Ultron was easily the best part of the much-maligned crossover movie, feeling like a true world-ending threat that necessitated the Avengers' formation. But sadly, Ultron was ultimately dispatched of in the same film he was introduced, leaving endless amounts of potential for the franchise on the table.
In truth, Ultron deserved to be an overarching Marvel villain that returned for multiple movies on the same level as Thanos or Loki.
Yet despite his comic importance, Ultron was treated as a disposable villain-of-the-week by the series, even if he does do some lasting damage to the Avengers' reputation in-universe.Hopefully, his upcoming return in the Vision solo series will give the MCU a chance to redeem Ultron.
5Planet Hulk Deserved To Be Its Own Movie
Thor: Ragnarok
Sometimes it isn’t just single characters that the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves around, but entire comic storylines that were eagerly anticipated for a live-action adaptation. One of the most head-scratching of these was the very brief inclusion of aPlanet Hulk-inspired storyline amid the chaos ofThor: Ragnarok.In the comics,Planet Hulkis a horrific crossover event in which Hulk is exiled into space by the Illuminati for being too dangerous, only to return to the Earth as a world-conquering warrior.
Sadly, this epic saga was boiled down to a comedic sub-plot about The Hulk finding his way to Sakaar to become a gladiatorial champion, only to leave willingly with Thor.Once again, the fact that Marvel Studios was hamstrung in making a new Hulk solo movie was a limiting factor, but there’s nothing to say that the franchise couldn’t evade legal disputes by turningPlanet Hulkinto a crossoverAvengersmovie with Hulk as the central villain. Instead, the semi-adaptation inThor: Ragnarokwas a pale shadow of the story’s excitement.
4Gamora’s Death Should’ve Followed James Gunn’s Original Plan
Avengers: Infinity War
One of the most memorable and tragic beats ofAvengers: Infinity Warwas the death of Gamora at the hands of her father to access the Soul Stone, a tearful sacrifice that proved Thanos' commitment to his mad plan.However, this notably disruptedJames Gunn’s original plansfor theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy, which would’ve seen Gamora dying at the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2rather than Yondu.Instead, the MCU’s plan for the Infinity Saga disrupted these developments quite harshly.
Though Gamora’s death inAvengers: Infinity Waris effective, one can’t help but wonder how much greater theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy might’ve been should James Gunn have gone with his original plan.In fact, Gunn basically uses Star-Lord as a mouthpiece to complain about these restrictions regarding Gamora inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s elevator scene. It’s hard not to think how much more cohesive and epic Gunn’s sci-fi trilogy might’ve been without the restrictions ofAvengers: Infinity War.
3Frigga’s Death Needed To Be In A Better Movie
Thor: The Dark World
Sometimes, certain important Marvel Cinematic Universe developments aren’t necessarily in the wrong movie, per se, but just trapped in a relatively bland and poorly-received one. Such is the case for Figga’s death inThor: The Dark World, a film from Phase 2 that, by all accounts, many audiences missed. The boring plot of the Dark Elves overshadowed quite an important event in Thor’s life, the death of his mother, Frigga, the Norse queen of Asgard.
Frigga’s death is a surprisingly important beat inAvengers: Endgamethat comes up during Thor’s tearful reunion with his late mother in the past.
Frigga dies protecting Loki from Malekith’s Dark Magic, an event that affected both siblings quite deeply.Frigga’s death is a surprisingly important beat inAvengers: Endgamethat comes up during Thor’s tearful reunion with his late mother in the past. If only the tragedy had happened in a more relevant film that more people had seen, this beat fromAvengers: Endgamemight’ve hit even harder.
2Riri Williams Should’ve Been Introduced In An Iron Man Movie
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris one of the more underrated post-Endgamefilms in the MCU, keeping its scope fairly limited and grounded, which helps to serve the narrative.The one glaring exception to this general rule is the inclusion of Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, as a successor to Iron Man.Riri’s segments in the film feel quite disconnected and slow compared to the main plot of Wakanda and Talokan, by far the weakest parts of the movie.
Riri Williams was a difficult sell to Marvel audiences when she was first introduced in the comics, and her live-action debut has gone similarly. In truth, Ironheart needed her own dedicated solo project to be introduced, ideally far earlier in the MCU directly following the death of Tony Stark.Hopefully, the upcomingIronheartseries will do a better job making Riri Williams the focal point she deserves to be.
1Black Bolt’s First Appearance Was Wasted A Cameo
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis a film that is full of gratuitous cameos setting up the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably, the members of the Illuminati.Seeing Professor X and Mr. Fantastic in the MCU for the first time was quite a treat, not to mention alternate versions of Captain Marvel and Captain America. However, one completely new hero in the franchise, Black Bolt, was somewhat wasted as background filler for the group.
The leader of the Inhumans, Black Bolt is actually quite an important character in the comics. With the power to shake words with his voice, Black Bolt fastidiously trains to keep from vocally flinching, even in his sleep or while being tortured, but his MCU version yelps himself to death when Wanda removes his mouth altogether. Black Bolt should’ve deserved enough respect to be the lead of an Inhumans movie for his first appearance in theMCUrather than mere canon fodder for Scarlet Witch to chew through in order to prove her threat level.
