The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most successful franchise projects in the history of cinema. While the superhero genre had struggled to maintain a consistent level of quality for many years, Kevin Feige was able to headline Marvel Studios’ creative team, leading to an exciting series of crossover events. While hiring good filmmakers was a major reason why the studio was able to release so many good superhero films, the MCU had a level of logical consistency that signified that the creators truly cared about the output.
“Superhero fatigue” is by no means a new term, and Marvel Studios has certainly come under fire in recent years due to complaints about a dip in quality within the “Multiverse Saga” of the franchise. However, it can really rub viewers the wrong way when characters make illogical decisions purely for the sake of advancing the plot. Here are the ten biggest mistakes made in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.
10. Drax Calls Ronan The Accuser
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy had the unprecedented challenge of introducing viewers to an entire set of new characters who hadn’t appeared in The Avengers or any of the previous films. Drax (Dave Bautista) instantly proved to be a fan favorite, as his mission to get revenge on Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) for the death of his family was a relatable one. That being said, Drax makes a huge blunder when he calls attention to himself in order to fight Ronan.
Drax’s insistence on getting revenge causes a split within the Guardians themselves, as both Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) recognize that he cannot be trusted to be responsible when put in emotionally compromising situations that remind him of his family. Subsequently, Drax had to prove himself as a strategic thinker in order to be accepted as a true member of the Guardians team.
9. Tony Stark Creates Ultron
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron proved to be an odd film in the MCU, as the end of the first Avengers film had already hinted that Thanos (Josh Brolin) would be the overarching villain of the entire first phase. While the creation of a new villain, Ultron (James Spader), was necessary for the story, Avengers: Age of Ultron implied that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) created one of the Avengers’ greatest villains out of fear.
It was a strange and illogical decision that remains one of Tony’s low points in the entire franchise. Ultron wreaks considerable havoc on Sokovia, and his army even claims the life of the Avengers’ new ally, Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). While it is arguably Tony’s biggest blunder, it did inspire him to think more critically about collateral damage in the subsequent entries in the series.
8. Natasha Romanoff Signs The Sokovian Accords
‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
Captain America: Civil War was the first film to imply that there was a serious split within the ideology of the Avengers themselves. While Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) believes that “the safest hands are still our own,” Tony agrees to sign the Sokovia Accords, which allow for more governmental control of superhero activity. Although she initially sees the logic in Tony’s argument, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) ultimately sees that the Sokovia Accords will not end up making the world any safer.
Natasha decides to change sides at the end of Captain America: Civil War out of guilt for signing in the first place. While T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) wants to pursue Rogers and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Natasha paralyzes him before he can launch his own secret mission. This leads to an intense encounter with Tony, where he accuses her of being a traitor.
7. Peter Quill Doesn’t Kill Thanos
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War finally united the characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise with the other MCU heroes as they joined forces in the battle against Thanos. Although Gamora’s connection to Thanos gives her emotional power over her abusive father, he ultimately sacrifices her in order to attain the last Infinity Stone. However, Peter Quill passes up on the opportunity to kill Thanos because he is so blindsided by heartbreak.
It’s a difficult situation, as Peter is coping with the presumed death of someone that he cared about more than anything. That being said, his refusal to be a cold-blooded killer allowed Thanos to enact his evil plan, thus setting up the path for the narrative of Avengers: Endgame to exist. A lot of pain, heartbreak, and time travel shenanigans could have been avoided if Peter had been a little bit more ruthless.
6. Thor Doesn’t Aim For The Head
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Peter wasn’t the only character in Avengers: Infinity War that nearly had the opportunity to kill Thanos, as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) also passes up on the chance to take out the team’s greatest villain when he arrives with Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) in Wakanda. Thor famously “doesn’t aim for the head,” allowing Thanos to snap his fingers and erase half of the life in the universe.
Although it’s a strange blunder by one of the franchise’s most well-developed characters, Thor’s mistake ends up triggering one of the MCU’s most important and surprising character arcs in both Avengers: Endgame and the subsequent sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. Thor has to wrestle with his past mistakes as he becomes severely depressed, and ultimately recenters himself in order to be the hero that Asgard needs in its future.
5. Clint Barton Becomes The Ronin
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Avengers: Endgame examined the dark choices that many of the original Avengers faced in the aftermath of “the snap,” which essentially turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a post-apocalyptic nightmare. While Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) has always been one of the most level-headed members of the Avengers, he is so heartbroken by the disappearance of his family that he becomes the vengeful warrior known as “The Ronin.”
While he ultimately decides to leave his violent ways behind him, Clint’s actions as “The Ronin” continue to haunt him as he remembers the horrific crimes that he committed during the post-snap era. Clint’s reckoning with the past became a serious plot point in the Disney+ spinoff series Hawkeye, in which it’s revealed that he hid the existence of “The Ronin” from many of the people that he cared about most, including his family.
4. Peter Parker Trusts Quentin Beck
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first adventure that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) went on in the aftermath of Tony’s death in Avengers: Endgame, so it’s understandable why he is so emotionally vulnerable. However, Peter’s desire to find a new mentor after Tony leads him to give dangerous technology to a supervillain. Although Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) claims to be a superhero from another dimension who is there to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) take down a supernatural entity, he is revealed to be a vengeful former employee of Stark Industries who wants to claim power for himself.
Peter’s quick decision regarding Beck speaks to his ignorance as a character, which isn’t that surprising considering his age. Peter is still relatively young and confused, but his decision to trust someone that he barely knows with powerful secrets ends up creating one of the MCU’s scariest moments.
3. Sam Wilson Turns Down The Shield
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ (2021)
Although it was great to see Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson finally pick up the shield at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and take on the mantle of “Captain America,” the series began with a frustrating premise in which Sam had chosen to reject Steve’s gift. Sam believes that he has no right to take on the Captain America persona because he feels that he hasn’t lived up to the potential that Steve saw in him.
This ends up creating the horrific circumstances in which John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is recruited to take on the Captain America shield. Walker proves to be reckless and has to deal with the consequences of becoming a vigilante. Ultimately, Sam ends up realizing that he needs to take on the shield in order to keep the spirit of Steve Rogers alive, which sets up the storyline for Captain America: Brave New World.
2. John Walker Kills A Flag-Smasher
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ (2021)
While it’s understandable why the new “Captain America” would want to hold himself to the same standard of vigilance that Steve did in order to prove his worthiness, John Walker’s inability to control his rage after his friend Lemar Hoskins (Cle Bennett) is killed ends up having a horrific impact on public opinion of superheroes. Walker uses the shield to beat one of the Flag-Smashers to death, which creates a PR nightmare for the U.S. government that wanted him to serve as a new face of their ideology.
Walker’s inability to control his emotions led him to be disgraced in the public eye. While he ultimately decides to redeem himself by joining the Thunderbolts team, it’s clear that Walker’s legacy is a much darker one than that of Steve Rogers, and he must constantly reckon with the mistakes of his past.
1. Wanda Maximoff Becomes The Scarlet Witch
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)
While Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) certainly suffered a great deal due to the loss of Vision (Paul Bettany) in Avengers: Infinity War, she takes an even darker turn after her experiences in WandaVision when she decides to manipulate the multiverse to recreate her lost family. Wanda’s decision to turn into the villainous Scarlet Witch creates a multiverse disaster that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has to rectify.
Wanda ends up sacrificing herself to ensure that Doctor Strange’s world is protected, but her decisions to manipulate the multiverse had consequences that reverberate across different realities. Wanda’s realization of what she had done tragically costs her own life, but it also inspires Stephen Strange to begin training new heroes such as America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in the ways of the multiverse.
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