The MCU is one of the biggest franchises of all time, and simply the most important franchise in fashionable popular culture (sure, even greater than Avatar). With 37 movies so far and two extra on the best way in 2026, the MCU’s canon is intensive and detailed, and that is with out mentioning the 26 (canon) tv collection, once more with 3 extra on the best way in 2026.
Marvel: 10 Best MCU Characters, Ranked
Characters like Wolverine and Loki have turn into iconic items of superhero historical past as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With all that content material, there are certain to be storylines that Marvel would moderately their followers simply overlook about. From continuity errors to cringe-worthy scenes to finish character resets, these are simply a few of the moments within the MCU’s nearly-20-year historical past which were glossed over, retconned, or that Kevin Feige and crew merely fake by no means occurred.
Thor’s Character In His First Two Motion pictures
The Lovable Oaf Was As soon as An Unbearable Prude
There was a 6-year hole between the discharge of Thor in 2011 and Thor: Ragnarok in 2017, with Thor: The Darkish World sandwiched in between with a 2013 launch. These first two movies current Thor as a regal, nearly Shakespearean character, not not like his brother Loki, albeit a bit extra brutish. Nevertheless, as evidenced by the viewers reception to The Darkish World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, this tackle the character wasn’t resonating.
Credit where it’s due, Taika Waititi’s Thor rebrand in Ragnarok was a stroke of genius. He turned Thor from a considerably conceited Asgardian right into a lovable goofball whose misunderstanding of societal norms was remodeled right into a normal misunderstanding of most issues that are not Asgard-related. It labored so effectively that Thor turned some of the beloved members of the unique Avengers, despite the fact that he was largely missed for the primary six years of his character arc.
Every thing About Ultron
Let’s Faux Tony Did not Nearly Destroy The World
There’s plenty of what occurs in Avengers: Age of Ultron that Marvel needs followers to overlook, however arguably the biggest detail is Ultron: particularly, that Tony Stark created Ultron, did not put sufficient safeguards on his creation, and almost destroyed the world in consequence. That is a fairly large “oopsie,” and but everybody simply forgets about it as quickly as Ultron is handled.
Not solely that, however as quickly as Captain America: Civil Struggle comes round, Tony is again to preaching the identical concepts that triggered him to fumble his means into creating Ultron within the first place. Not solely does it really feel like Marvel needed followers to overlook about Tony’s actions in Age of Ultron, it looks like Marvel could have forgotten about them, too, as a result of Tony isn’t even reprimanded for his recklessness, and immediately has the federal government’s ear the following time he requires it.
Ang Lee’s Hulk Is Canon
There’s Even A Recap To Begin The Unimaginable Hulk
One of many weirder selections Marvel made when the MCU was only a sparkle in Kevin Feige’s eye was to make The Unimaginable Hulk a sequel to the 2003 movie Hulk, directed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana. Ang Lee’s Hulk is a pretty good movie, all issues thought of, particularly because it was made in an period the place superhero motion pictures had been nonetheless discovering their groove, however it’s fairly far out of your typical MCU film.
That is most likely why it is by no means introduced up. Most of MCU Hulk’s backstory is stuffed in by dialogue that describes occasions which presumably occurred between 2003’s Hulk and 2008’s The Unimaginable Hulk. A lot of the characters are carried over (though recast with their MCU counterparts), however the precise story parts (like Bruce getting his talents at beginning on account of his father’s experiments) had been both retconned or are simply by no means talked about, regardless of technically being canon.
Tony And Pepper Broke Up
Marvel’s Flagship Couple Referred to as It Quits… Or Did They?
On the finish of Captain America: Civil Struggle, Tony candidly tells Steve Rogers that he and Pepper are “taking a break.” The explanations for this are by no means clearly acknowledged, however most followers assume it is as a result of Tony continues to construct and use his Iron Man fits, despite the fact that his Christmas current to Pepper on the finish of Iron Man 3 was to actually destroy all of his fits (one other element that Marvel would really like everybody to overlook about) as a result of she was all the time nervous about him when he was off being Iron Man.
Marvel Studios Should Bring Back Pepper Potts, But Only For This Reason
If Marvel Studios chooses to carry again Peppa Potts, there ought to solely be one cause to make it occur.
The weirdest half about all of this, although, is that the following time we see Tony in Spider-Man: Homecoming, he and Pepper are again collectively. Not solely are they again collectively, however they’ve reconciled to the purpose that Pepper is receptive to Tony’s impromptu proposal. That is by no means defined additional, and whereas sufficient time handed between Civil Struggle and Homecoming that it isn’t an unattainable occurence, it is nonetheless a bizarre factor to disregard utterly.
Peter Declined The Iron Spider Swimsuit
Then The Subsequent Time We See Him, He is Sporting It
Talking of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the entire level of that film (and Peter’s arc inside it) is that Spider-Man must study that being a hero means extra than simply carrying a swimsuit loaded with Stark tech. One of many key traces within the movie is when Tony tells Peter, “When you’re nothing with out the swimsuit, then you definitely should not have it.” Ultimately, Peter beats Vulture whereas carrying his raggedy selfmade Spider-Man swimsuit, proving that he is the hero, not the Stark tech. That is why, when Tony affords him the Iron Spider swimsuit on the movie’s conclusion, Peter turns it down. It is the end result of his character arc.
The following time we see Peter in Avengers: Infinity Struggle, he is carrying the Iron Spider swimsuit. No lead-up, no reference to Tony telling him he’ll want it to enter area or one thing. Nothing. It is a actually cool swimsuit, positive, and Marvel most likely needed to showcase it within the trailers and on the posters, but it surely utterly undoes Peter’s character arc, to the purpose that he principally must undergo the identical arc over his subsequent two solo movies to turn into the “Pleasant Neighborhood” Spider-Man that seems on the very finish of No Means House.
Tony Stark Pees In His Swimsuit
Iron Man Went By means of A Tough Patch
This won’t be a lot of a “storyline,” but it surely’s positively one thing Marvel needs folks to delete from their reminiscence. There’s loads in Iron Man 2 that’s missed by the bigger MCU canon, and it is broadly thought of the least consequential film (and generally the worst general) within the MCU. It is principally simply there to introduce Black Widow and reveal that the following MCU movie options Thor. Past that, it is simply meandering, however that does not imply it is unremarkable.
Don Cheadle Was At His Kid’s Birthday Party When Marvel Forced Iron Man 2 Decision On Him
Don Cheadle was at his child’s party when Marvel instructed him he solely had two hours to simply accept the Iron Man 2 function as James Rhodes.
Tony Stark’s downward spiral hits all-time low in a scene the place he’s internet hosting (MCing? DJing?) a celebration, picks up a microphone, and solutions a query that he has apparently been requested loads: “How do you go to the toilet within the swimsuit?” Tony then demonstrates precisely how: he pees in his swimsuit. It is clearly performed for laughs, but it surely’s fairly cringey, and it is a type of issues that followers would most likely moderately overlook as effectively.
Every thing About The Inhumans
They Have been Supposed To Lead Into Endgame
Again earlier than Disney had secured the rights to the X-Males, Marvel was in search of methods to introduce “everyman” characters who did not have to expertise a life-changing occasion to accumulate their superpowers. That is straightforward sufficient with the X-Males; they’re born with talents. Marvel’s workaround for an absence of Mutants was to introduce the Inhumans instead.
These characters had been initially set to premiere in a movie that will bridge the hole between Avengers: Infinity Struggle and Avengers: Endgame. This film was later downgraded into TV collection known as Inhumans, whereas the film was changed with Captain Marvel (and a few story beats could have shifted over to Eternals as effectively). That TV present was not obtained effectively, to place it calmly. Lower than a yr after its season 1 premiere, the present was canceled on account of poor essential and viewers scores, and these characters have not been seen or talked about since.
Pym Particles Drove Darren Cross Insane
That is Why Hank Pym Insisted That Scott Put on A Helmet
Arguably some of the irritating continuity points in your complete MCU takes place within the first Ant-Man movie. All through the film, Hank Pym stresses to Scott Lang that carrying a helmet is essential to interacting with Pym particles. It is why Darren Cross was a villain, as a result of he made use of the particles with none safety. That is reiterated all through the film by Hank, Hope, and even Scott himself.
But from Ant-Man & The Wasp onward, all of those characters take their helmets off on a regular basis, after they’re tiny, after they’re large, and even within the quantum realm. That is the cardinal rule of the primary movie, to the purpose that it is also the antagonist’s origin story, and it is utterly forgotten by the point the sequel takes place. One other barely much less irritating gripe is that Hank Pym’s cause for hiring Scott Lang is that utilizing the Pym particles is just too exhausting on his physique. As soon as Ant-Man & The Wasp comes round, Hank is utilizing the particles on a regular basis and shrinking alongside everybody else, which begs the query: Why is Scott nonetheless there?
Marvel: Every Phase 6 Movie That Is Confirmed (And 4 That Fans Think Could Be Coming)
The MCU has saved a lot of Avengers: Doomsday and Section 6 a secret, however here is what’s been confirmed, and what’s rumored to be coming quickly.
