The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most ambiguous, and for the most part, 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 Feigewas 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.
15Drax Calls Ronan the Accuser
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxyhad the unprecedented challenge of introducing viewers to an entire set of new characters who hadn’t appeared inThe Avengersor 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.
Guardians of the Galaxy
14Tony Stark Creates Ultron
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultronproved to be an odd film in the MCU, as the end of the firstAvengersfilm 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 Ultronimplied that Tony Stark (Robert Donwey Jr.) created one ofthe Avengers’ greatest villainsout 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.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
13Natasha Romanoff Signs the Sokovian Accords
‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
Captain America: Civil Warwas 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 atthe end ofCaptain America: Civil Warout 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.
Captain America: Civil War
12Peter Quill Doesn’t Kill Thanos
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Avengers: Infinity Warfinally united the characters from theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise 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 ofAvengers: Endgameto exist. A lot of pain, heartbreak, and time travel shenanigans could have been avoided if Peter had been a little bit more ruthless.
Avengers: Infinity War
11Thor Doesn’t Aim For the Head
Peter wasn’t the onlycharacter inAvengers: Infinity Warthat 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 arcsin bothAvengers: Endgameand the subsequent sequelThor: Love and Thunder. Thor has to wrestle with his past mistakes as he becomes severely depressed, and ultimately recenters himself to be the hero that Asgard needs in its future.
Watch on Disney+
10Clint Barton Becomes The Ronin
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Avengers: Endgameexamined 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 himas 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 seriesHawkeye, 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.
Avengers: Endgame
9Peter Parker Trusts Quentin Beck
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Homewas the first adventure that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) went on in the aftermath of Tony’s death inAvengers: 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 ofthe MCU’s scariest moments.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
8Sam Wilson Turns Down the Shield
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ (2021)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierexamined the aftermath ofAvengers: Endgame,in which society had to move on from a world whereSteve was no longer Captain America. Although Steve had passed his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) at the end ofAvengers: Endgame, it’s revealed inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierthat he turned down the opportunity. Unfortunately,Sam’s refusal to accept the responsibility had dire consequences, as the U.S. Government decided to name Agent Walker (Wyatt Russell) as the new Captain America.
Sam’s anxiety about the role is understandable, as he was unsure whether the country would be able to accept a black man as its most famous superhero. However, Sam ultimately did suppress his fears and don the costume himself, building up to the events of the upcoming MCU filmCaptain America: Brave New World, which is set to hit theaters in February of 2025.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
7Peter Parker Tries to Turn Back Time
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Homewas able to become one of the MCU’s biggest hits because it tied together the events of the previous two MCUSpider-Manfilms with the characters fromSam Raimi’s originalSpider-Mantrilogy andMarc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider-Manduology. Peter makes the mistake of trying to erase people’s memories while Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is performing a critical spell. This ends up unleashing the villains The Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), the Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), and Doctor Otto Octavian (Alfred Molina) back into the core timeline.
Peter is one of the most sympathetic MCU characters because he makes the type of realistic mistakesthat any teenager would make if placed in the same situation. WhileSpider-Man: No Way Homeis arguably one of the best installments of the series thanks to its crossover events, a lot of hardship could have been spared if Peter had been a little more patient.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
6Scott Lang Opens the Quantum Realm
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ (2023)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniamay have been one of the most critically reviled films in the series thus far, but originally it was set to be the big introduction of the new villain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who presumably would have been the primary antagonist of the upcoming set of Avengers films. While a more timid character like Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) didn’t seem like the type of hero who would have to face off with such a ruthless villain, Kang’s existence is discovered when the Lang family decides to venture into the Quantum Realm.
Kang nearly brings his threat to the surface due to the battle he wages about the Langs, which ultimately ends with his defeat. AlthoughHank Pym (Michael Douglas) ultimately survived the attack, Scott risked the livelihood of both his family and the universe as a result of his curiosity about the Quantum Realm.
