Wild MCU Storylines That Marvel Wants Fans To Forget

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a massive franchise – arguably the biggest in modern pop culture, even surpassing Avatar. Currently, there are 37 movies with two more planned for 2026. Plus, there are 26 officially recognized TV series, with another three scheduled to debut in 2026, making the MCU’s overall story incredibly vast and complex.

Over the years, Marvel has created a lot of content, and inevitably, some stories haven’t aged well. From plot holes and embarrassing scenes to major character changes, there are moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s nearly 20-year run that Marvel Studios has tried to ignore, rewrite, or simply pretend never happened.

Thor’s Character In His First Two Movies

The Lovable Oaf Was Once An Insufferable Prude

Six years passed between the release of the first Thor movie in 2011 and Thor: Ragnarok in 2017. Thor: The Dark World came out in 2013, falling between them. The initial Thor films portrayed him as a noble, almost theatrical character, similar to his brother Loki, though a little rougher around the edges. However, the lukewarm response to The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron suggested audiences weren’t connecting with this version of the character.

Honestly, Taika Waititi completely revitalized Thor with Ragnarok, and it was brilliant. Before that, Thor felt a bit stuffy and self-important, but Waititi turned him into this charmingly clueless character. It wasn’t just about him not understanding Earth customs – he seemed to misunderstand everything outside of Asgard! And it totally worked. Suddenly, Thor became a fan favorite Avenger, which is amazing considering how underused he was for the first six years of his story.

Everything About Ultron

Let’s Pretend Tony Didn’t Almost Destroy The World

Marvel seems to want fans to overlook a lot of what happened in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the biggest issue is probably that Tony Stark built Ultron. He didn’t include enough safety measures, and that almost led to the destruction of the world. It was a huge mistake, but everyone quickly moves past it once Ultron is defeated.

Adding to the issue, once Captain America: Civil War begins, Tony Stark repeats the same flawed thinking that led to the creation of Ultron. It seems Marvel wanted audiences to overlook Tony’s mistakes in Age of Ultron, and may have even forgotten them themselves. He faces no consequences for his risky behavior and quickly regains the government’s trust when he needs it.

Ang Lee’s Hulk Is Canon

There’s Even A Recap To Start The Incredible Hulk

When Marvel was first starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one unusual choice they made was to treat the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk as a continuation of the 2003 Hulk directed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana. While Ang Lee’s Hulk is a decent movie, especially for its time when superhero films were still evolving, it’s quite different from the typical Marvel movie we know today.

You know, it’s funny—the MCU rarely talks about how Hulk actually became the Hulk. Most of his origin story is just explained in bits and pieces through conversations. It feels like they’re filling in the gaps between Ang Lee’s Hulk from 2003 and the Edward Norton version in 2008. They brought over some of the same characters, but with new actors, of course. The really strange thing is, some key details from the earlier films – like Bruce Banner being born with his potential due to his father’s work – were either changed completely or just… ignored. Technically, they’re still considered part of the official story, but you’d never know it!

Tony And Pepper Broke Up

Marvel’s Flagship Couple Called It Quits… Or Did They?

In the final moments of Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark reveals to Steve Rogers that he and Pepper are separating. While the exact reasons aren’t explained, many believe it stems from Tony continuing to use his Iron Man suits, despite promising Pepper at the end of Iron Man 3 that he would stop – a promise he made because she worried constantly about his safety while he was fighting as Iron Man. It’s a detail Marvel seems to have downplayed.

What’s most surprising is that Tony and Pepper are a couple again in Spider-Man: Homecoming. They’ve not only gotten back together, but Pepper even accepts Tony’s sudden proposal. This reconciliation is never addressed, and while a reasonable amount of time passes between Civil War and Homecoming, it feels strange that the story doesn’t acknowledge it at all.

Peter Declined The Iron Spider Suit

Then The Next Time We See Him, He’s Wearing It

The core message of Spider-Man: Homecoming is that true heroism comes from within, not from high-tech gear. The movie shows Peter Parker learning that being Spider-Man is about more than just the suit Tony Stark provides. A crucial moment is when Tony tells Peter he shouldn’t rely on the suit to be a hero. Peter ultimately defeats the Vulture using his own, basic, homemade suit, demonstrating he’s the hero, independent of Stark’s technology. This is why he declines Tony’s offer of the advanced Iron Spider suit at the end – it represents the completion of his journey and his realization of what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

When Peter reappears in Avengers: Infinity War, he’s suddenly wearing the Iron Spider suit. There’s no explanation for how he got it – no mention of Tony Stark preparing him for a space mission or anything like that. While the suit looks great and Marvel likely wanted to highlight it in promotional materials, it feels like a step backward for Peter’s development. He essentially has to re-learn the lessons he’d already begun to grasp, which is why his next two solo movies focus on him becoming the grounded, “Friendly Neighborhood” Spider-Man we see in No Way Home.

Tony Stark Pees In His Suit

Iron Man Went Through A Rough Patch

While not a particularly strong story, Iron Man 2 is a film Marvel seems eager for fans to forget. It often gets lost within the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe and is generally considered one of the least important – and sometimes the weakest – installments. Its main purpose was to introduce Black Widow and tease the upcoming Thor movie. Beyond that, the plot feels aimless, though it’s still noteworthy for its place in the MCU.

Tony Stark reaches his lowest point at a party where he’s acting as the host. He grabs the microphone to address a frequently asked question – how he uses the bathroom while wearing his Iron Man suit. In a deliberately shocking and awkward moment, he demonstrates by actually urinating in the suit. While meant to be funny, the scene is widely considered embarrassing and something many fans wish hadn’t happened.

Everything About The Inhumans

They Were Supposed To Lead Into Endgame

I’ve always found it fascinating how Marvel operates. Before Disney bought the X-Men, they were really trying to find a way to create heroes who weren’t defined by some big, dramatic origin story. The X-Men had it easy – their powers were just part of who they were from birth. But when they needed that same kind of inherent power source without mutants, they came up with the Inhumans, which I think was a really clever solution!

Originally, these characters were planned for a movie meant to connect Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, that movie was scaled back into the TV series Inhumans, and Captain Marvel took its place. Some elements of the original plan may have also ended up in Eternals. Unfortunately, Inhumans wasn’t successful. It was canceled after just one season due to negative reviews and low viewership, and the characters haven’t appeared in any Marvel projects since.

Pym Particles Drove Darren Cross Insane

That’s Why Hank Pym Insisted That Scott Wear A Helmet

One of the most annoying inconsistencies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe happens in the first Ant-Man movie. Hank Pym repeatedly emphasizes to Scott Lang that a helmet is essential when working with Pym particles. This is shown to be the reason Darren Cross became a villain – he used the particles without protecting himself. Hank, Hope, and Scott all stress this point throughout the film.

Starting with Ant-Man & The Wasp, the characters consistently break a key rule established in the first movie: always keep your helmet on when changing size, whether you’re shrinking, growing, or traveling through the quantum realm. This rule was even central to the villain’s backstory, but it’s completely ignored in the sequel. Another minor issue is Hank Pym’s initial reason for needing Scott Lang – he claimed using the Pym particles was physically taxing on him. However, in Ant-Man & The Wasp, Hank frequently uses the particles and shrinks along with everyone else, which makes you wonder why Scott is still needed on the team.

2026-01-01 14:38