It’s hard to believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only been around for over a decade, but has only been increasing in popularity since its 2008 debut with Iron Man. Each year, it’s as if the film industry embraces the MCU all the more. It only makes sense if you think about it. This is a saga that, over the course of ten years and twenty films, has been building up to one singular narrative beat. That alone is enough to captivate audiences, and the film quality tends to stay fairly high. At least nowadays. That said, there are a few inherent problems with the MCU.
In a series that has predominantly thrived off its continuity, the MCU often struggles to actually keep its logic in check. Like any good comic book, the films make mistakes every now and again, breaking their own established rules in favor of a more interesting story. While plot should always take precedence over extraneous matters, this does mean that the MCU is nowhere near as cohesive as it should be. More often than not, this is a story that genuinely makes no sense when forced under an analytical lense. Entertaining, yes, but sensible? Rarely.
25 There Are Two Infinity Gauntlets
In the first Thor, we see the Infinity Gauntlet locked up with the other Asgardian treasures. It’s a cute little reference alluding to Thanos, but nothing really too important. At this time, Thanos wasn’t even conceptualized as the MCU’s big bad- he only came around when Whedon joined the team.
One Gauntlet for the price of two.
This caused a problem, though. Specifically, the fact that Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet in the teaser for Age of Ultron. How did he get the Gauntlet from Asgard’s vaults without alerting anyone? Well, he couldn’t have. Thankfully, Ragnarok references his first Gauntlet by having Hela call it a fake, making this one of the few errors to actually get fixed.
24 Thanos Barely Gets Any Infinity Stones Before Infinity War
Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones spanned roughly an entire decade in-universe and three entire Phases of films. All the while, he only got ONE Infinity Stone. This is a man who, during Infinity War, rushes to get all the Stones back to back to back. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense was his patience.
Thanos is a man who takes action, he wants to take responsibility for the world. So why does he commission others to get the Infinity Stones for him? As his own movie suggests, he’s strong enough to get them all and then some. The fact Thanos didn’t just get them all in Phase 1 feels wrong in retrospect.
23 The Hulk Movie Continuity
Hulk’s movie continuity is tricky to say the least. Which is a weird statement since there’s only one Hulk movie in the MCU, right? Wrong! There are actually two! Technically, that is. Phase 1’s The Incredible Hulk opens with a montage that basically sums up Bruce Banner’s life up to that point and the incident that turned him into the Hulk.
Hard to believe the MCU actually began with a film nobody remembers.
At first glance, it’s meant to catch viewers up to speed, but, in actuality, it’s a recap of Ang Lee’s Hulk with different actors. The Incredible Hulk is both a film in Phase 1 and a sequel to that movie, meaning that Ang Lee’s Hulk is part of the MCU canon. It wasn’t made with the MCU in mind, of course, but The Incredible Hulk was made with it in mind.
22 The Rainbow Bridge Only Matters When It’s Convenient
The Rainbow Bridge has always been kind of stupid in the context of the MCU. In the first Thor film, it’s built up as this pathway to other world that, when destroyed, will sever the link between Asgard and Earth. It’s a big moment when Thor destroys it as he’s disconnecting Asgard from what is effectively the rest of the world. It’s back once we get to The Avengers, though, and it never seems to matter much from there. The fact it was given so much importance initially only came to bite it on the butt when it came time to shove Thor into a non-Asgard movie.
21 Bruce Wouldn’t Start A Relationship With Natasha While Betty Exists
There are a lot of reasons why Bruce and Natasha’s relationship is less than ideal- from Whedon’s shoddy writing to the dumbing down of both characters- but the worst aspect of their dynamic has to be the fact that Betty, Bruce’s long time canon partner, does indeed exist in the context of the MCU.
Arguably the worst romance in the entire MCU.
Not only does she appear in The Incredible Hulk, it’s established that the two very much have feelings for one another. She’s willing to leave her life behind for Bruce. While he doesn’t want that for her, he still clearly loves her. In no world would Bruce leave Betty and strike up a relationship with anyone else.
20 Tony Keeps Building Suits After Iron Man 3
For as problematic as Iron Man 3 is, it does have a very explicit and clear arc for Tony that naturally builds off his development from his past three appearances. After multiple films of letting the Iron Man persona consume him, Iron Man 3 ends with Tony destroying his suits and deciding to live primarily as Tony.
Until the next film he appears in where he’s once again staunchly Iron Man. He also hasn’t given up building new suits either as he uses the Ultron incident to unveil the Hulkbuster, a suit he made specifically to put Bruce Banner in his place. So much for reaching the natural end of his character arc.
19 Peter Uses The Iron-Spider In Infinity War
At the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter rejects Tony’s offer of becoming an Avenger, choosing instead to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. In doing so, Peter always turn down the Iron-Spider suit, a symbol that represents Peter’s growth from just a boy on the streets.
Character arcs don't matter, right?
Peter chooses to just be a boy on the streets, though, because that’s what the world needs. Until Infinity War where he inexplicably uses the Iron-Spider for no reason other than blatant fanservice. What was an important character moment is reduced into a continuity error that comes off offensively shameless.
18 Thor’s Character
Of all the main characters in the series, Thor is the only one who does not have a consistent character. Every film writes him different, every writer gives him a different arc, and every interaction he has exists in a bubble that’s soon to be forgotten by the time he makes his next appearance. The end of Phase 3 came the closest to giving Thor a consistent character, but even Infinity War contradicts key thematic details of his arc from Ragnarok. For whatever reason, Thor is doomed to flip flop from film to film.
17 Star-Lord’s Walkman Shouldn’t Work
You know what happens to technology over time? It deteriorates. While Star-Lord’s walkman is an interesting part of his character- arguably one of his more endearing possessions- there is no realistic way that it would have survived in outer space for decades on in pristine condition. Now, you can argue that Peter just kept good care of his Walkman and repaired it through the years, but it’s explicitly mentioned how unique his Walkman is. Logically, there’s no way he’d get spare parts. He sincerely just kept it in perfect condition for years without it deteriorating. Also, where did he find Earth batteries?
16 Tony’s Shrapnel Stops Mattering
Not everything that doesn’t make sense is a logical issue. Rather, some are thematic. Tony Stark is a character defined by the fact that he’s on borrowed time. A man who should have met his end at the beginning of the MCU, he survives only because of the artificial heart in his body. Until he gets a new, regular heart.
Tony's much less interesting when he's allowed to just live his life.
At the end of Iron Man 3, against all logic, Tony is able to undergo a surgery that’s entirely glossed by the film in an attempt to wrap the movie up in a neat, little bow. After four films of stressing over his heart, Tony gets a new one that replaces his Shrapnel. Nothing matters and the most interesting aspect of Tony Stark is surgically removed.
15 Red Skull Survived The First Avenger
Red Skull’s brief cameo in Infinity War is a cool detail and one of the most interesting pieces of fan service we’ve been given in the MCU, but does it actually make sense? At the end of The First Avenger, Red Skull is seemingly whiped out by the Tesseract. While we never actually see him not survive for lack of better words, it was quite clear that he wasn’t coming back in one piece. Until he did, in fact, come back in one piece. Sometimes you have to defy logic for a good twist, though. Just don’t do it too often.
14 Nobody Noticed Ego Was Destroying The Earth
The Avengers are typically pretty good about realizing when something is up with the Earth. Even independent of their organization, the heroes have always kept an active eye on the world, nipping threats in the bud before they get too extreme. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 works on a very different pretense, however.
For Ego’s plan to work, nobody had to notice he was infecting the Earth for years. Nobody did, for that matter. In a series where the main characters are incredibly perceptive and actively try to protect the Earth, nobody noticed Ego’s plot. It’s possible that everyone just happened to overlook his anomalies, but it does act as a contradiction to how we’ve seen the heroes operate.
13 The Avengers Initiative Starts Too Early
Nick Fury visiting Tony at the end of Iron Man was the moment that firmly established the MCU as more than just a one off film about Iron Man. This was a saga and you were going to turn into every film on the off chance that Marvel would eventually bring the Avengers Initiative to fruition. While they ultimately did, there’s one glaring issue in hindsight.
Maybe Nick Fury knew to look out for Eric Bana Hulk.
The Avengers Initiative begins too early. At the time, Nick Fury’s comment was just an indicator of what was to come, but this first film is also the first in the timeline (sans period films like The First Avenger.) Why would Nick Fury be setting up an Avengers Initiative if Tony was the first, and supposedly only, hero on his radar?
12 Valkyrie Is Missing From Infinity War
For a movie that was meant to be a who’s who of the MCU, there are a few notable omissions from the final film. Most pressingly, despite ending the last film arm in arm with Thor, Valkyrie does not appear once in Infinity War, let alone warrant an explicit mention. In terms of continuity, she very much should have been with the rest of the Asgardians, but she’s conspicuously missing. Even now, post Snappening, we actually had no idea what happened to her. She’s likely still alive considering her popularity and actress, but it’s odd nonetheless.
11 Thor’s Backstory Doesn’t Make Sense
Although many of Thor’s problems as a character come from later films more or less not caring about how he’s portrayed, his first movie does come with a major issue that goes completely overlooked: his backstory. In the context of the film, Norse mythology stems from the Asgardians visiting Earth in the ancient past.
There's just no fixing Thor at this point.
So far so good, right? Not quite as a big caveat of the film stems from the fact that Thor has NEVER visited Earth. As a result, any mythological references to Thor shouldn’t exist since he is visiting Earth for the first time in the context of the film. Realistically, Thor shouldn’t be a part of Norse mythology.
10 Steve Wouldn’t Have Filmed PSAs After The First Avenger
A major point of contention for Steve when he first starts his career as the Cap is his lack of interest in fueling the conglomerate. He doesn’t want to be putting on shows for the troops at all. Rather, he wants to be out and about taking care of his nation and making a better tomorrow by his own hands.
Once we get to Phase 3, we get a few humorous glimpses of PSAs The Cap had made for school children. Relatively harmless in its own right, but it does very much fall under that same banner of propaganda Steve once opposed. It could be argued that, in being for children, Steve took a different approach to the PSAs, but they’re very much one side of the same coin.
9 Wakanda’s Legal Coup Problem
There’s nothing quite like strolling into Wakanda, challenging the king to a duel, and enacting a legal coup after defeating him in single combat. To be fair, the fact Wakanda is so flawed structurally is a criticism Black Panther makes rather explicitly, but the whole legal coup problem is surprisingly left uncommented on.
For all intents and purposes, the film pushes the idea that you can just stage your own legal revolution as a totally normal thing that really isn’t something that needs to be overhauled. What’s worse is the fact that Erik actually does defeat T’challa legally, making his actions justifiable in the eyes of the movie.
8 The SHIELD-Hydra Connection
The fact that Hydra managed to infiltrate SHIELD at some point, and literally nobody noticed or cared, makes for a fantastic plot twist, but an equally illogical one. It wasn’t until the events of Winter Soldier where the Cap slowly unraveled the growing corruption within SHIELD, putting an end to years or Hydra domination.
In a way, it does make sense. These things do happen. Organizations get infiltrated and corrupted. For it to happen to SHIELD, though, and so distant in the past, is a problem. Pretty much every major event in the world’s history is recontextualized to have been orchestrated by this SHIELD-Hydra hybrid, muddying the waters even more.
7 Tony’s Strength Makes No Sense
Tony may not be the strongest character in the series, but he is one of the stronger Avengers as evidenced by the fact that he managed to go head to head with Thanos with just the Iron Man Mark L. Pretty impressive, right? Almost inexplicably! Thanos is a character who the Hulk got absolutely throttled by, but actually struggles against Tony Stark in a suit of armor. Of course, the in-universe reason is Tony’s nanotech, but it’s still quite strange that Tony is easily one of the strongest characters in the series when he fights alongside super soldiers and gods every other day of the week.
6 Steve Is Either Too Strong Or Too Weak
Basically the MCU’s deuteragonist, Steve has appeared in nearly as many films as Tony has. He’s a major player in every movie he’s in, and he’s super strong to boot. Sometimes. While Tony’s strength makes no logical sense, Steve’s… is really just something else. Sometimes he’s too strong, sometimes he’s too weak. This isn’t even a film to film problem. Different scenes in different movies nerf and buff Steve with no regard to consistently. It truly is one of the strangest occurrences in the MCU.
5 The Virus Is Never Mentioned After Iron Man 3
If you’re struggling to remember what Extremis is, don’t worry, the MCU didn’t remember either. Extremis was that super virus back from Iron Man 3 that turned people into what we can only describe as lava monsters. If you’ll recall, Pepper was infected with Extremis! What should have been a life altering moment for her… was ignored. Forever. Seriously, no film since has actually mentioned Extremis or the fact that Pepper technically should have one of the most intense superpowers in the series.
4 The Homecoming Timeline Issue
After Spider-Man: Homecoming’s prologue, a quick piece of text pops up on the screen saying “Eight Years Later,” signifying the passage of time and bringing us into the modern age. After all, The Avengers took place eight years ago so naturally this film should take place eight years later! Except someone didn’t do their math currently.
As of Phase 3, the MCU is currently in 2018. The Battle of New York took place in 2012. As a result, Peter’s first big adventure takes place in 2020 despite the fact that Phase 3 has yet to pass 2018. This is a massive error, wrecking the MCU’s timeline in one fell swoop. It was such a problem that the Russos had to step in and deem it non-canon officially.
3 Tony Never Thought To Look Into His Parents’ Crash
Even taking into considering Tony’s character development throughout the series, there is one thread he carries from his old self all the way to the end: his love for his parents. While he had a troublesome relationship with his father, Tony always loved his mother. Their passing shook him emotionally.
The whole ordeal was filmed and everything.
Yet he never bothered to look deeper into their demise. Even after he was buddy-buddy with SHIELD and had the means to investigate, he just… didn’t. In a way, it does make sense. Tony had moved on by adulthood, but it still seems strange that Tony never tried to piece together what exactly happened that fateful night.
2 Gamora Should Have Known Thanos Actually Cared About Her
Gamora spends a good chunk of the MCU lambasting Thanos and actively trying to murder him. It makes sense. After what Thanos did to his daughters, it’s only natural Gamora harbor some resentment to the Mad Titan. Interestingly, though, her confrontation with Thanos does seem to suggest she doesn’t recognize just how much he cares about her.
You'd think she'd be more self-aware.
When Thanos prepares to sacrifice Gamora, she is genuinely shocked. She sincerely believed that Thanos cared about no one but himself despite the fact that he actively praised her above his other children. It’s a detail that works for an emotional twist in relation to Gamora’s character, but it doesn’t exactly make sense in hindsight.
1 Loki’s Many Resurrections
Loki has a part of a reviving problem in the DCU. Every time you think he’s gone, he’s back sooner rather than later to steal the spotlight. While this has been, rightfully, turned into a running joke, it brings with it a problem: logic. There is no logic to how Loki passes and how he comes back.
As a result, while Thanos snapping his neck at the beginning of Infinity War is startling, it’s also not that surprising. Loki has definitively lost his life twice prior and here he is, losing it again. We don’t understand how he keeps coming back, but he does. That creates a problem where it’s hard to take his loss at face value.
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