Top 10 Exact Moments that RUINED the MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

With tragedy looming over the production, Ryan Coogler delivered a worthy follow-up to his Oscar-winning game-changer. That is, whenever the focus was kept on Wakanda. The film comes to a screeching halt whenever it cuts to Everett K. Ross and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who used to be married, by the way. What do they have to do with the conflict between Shuri and Namor? Nothing crucial, and from the second their subplot surfaces, the films momentum slows down. We like Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in these roles, but this shouldve been designated to a Disney+ series or post-credits scene. As a subplot in the highly anticipated Black Panther sequel, it enables one of Marvels worst habits: shoehorning in previews for future projects.

The Marvels (2023)

Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan have code names, although Monica Rambeau is comfortable just being Monica Rambeau. This doesnt sit well with Kamala, who insists on workshopping potential aliases. The Marvels isnt the first superhero movie to do this joke, and thats precisely the problem. It feels like every superhero movie nowadays has an awkward scene where a main character brainstorms names. This mightve been a little funny at first, but its become one of the genres most redundant tropes. The Marvels arguably drove it into the ground, as Kamala tries to make Professor Marvel happen. Its not going to happen! This running gag reflects the films larger problem: It has nothing new to offer, which may be why this was a rare Marvel bomb.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Multiverse of Madness is a solid addition to Phase 4 as long as you dont think too hard about the plot. That said, why is Wanda drawn to this particular reality? There are infinite others she could slip into, preferably one with Vision. Yet, she solely focuses on this one. Why? Because Billy and Tommy sing her a cringey song about ice cream! Yeah, lets talk about that. We sense the filmmakers were going for innocence, but how many kids sing when they want ice cream? It comes across as disingenuous and pandering. Whats worse, the song is a lyrical trainwreck and the kid actors - despite trying their best to sell it - just seem embarrassed. This is when Wanda shouldve started looking for another reality.

WandaVision (2021)

WandaVision remains one of the MCUs best post-Endgame projects. On the heels of arguably its most buzz-worthy moment, though, the series pulled an unfortunate boner. Episode 5 ends with the bombshell that Wanda recast Pietro with Evan Peters, suggesting that the X-Men have finally arrived in the MCU. The finale trolled us big time, revealing that this isnt Quicksilver from another universe. Hes just a random neighbor that Wanda cast as her brother to keep up the ruse. To add insult to injury, they named the character Ralph Bohner, emphasizing just how useless this subplot was. We wouldnt be so upset if Peters debut hadnt built up such promise. The twist stopped the hype train dead in its tracks.

Eternals (2021)

The plot wasnt especially engaging and we still cant remember most of the characters names, but at least Eternals had some lovely visuals. Then we got to the post-credit scene. We feel like Marvel thought Harry Styles Starfox would be the key takeaway. Audiences were far more distracted by his abominable CGI companion, Pip the Troll. Its always great hearing Patton Oswalts voice. Ironically, though, it probably wouldve been funnier and less costly if Oswalt showed up wearing pointy ears. Alas, Marvel went the digital route, reportedly not giving the effects team much time to perfect Pips appearance. Marvel rushing overworked VFX artists? Ya dont say! While Pip mightve been the mascot for Marvels CGI woes for a period, the worst had yet to come.

Secret Invasion (2023)

Between Maria Hills unceremonious death and the A.I. scandal surrounding the opening titles, Secret Invasion left numerous viewers saying, You know, we dont have to watch everything MCU-related. Even if you gave up after one episode, it was hard to escape the online backlash concerning Rhodey. In episode 4, we learn that a Skrull named Raava has been posing as him. The real Rhodey is rescued in the finale, but exactly how long has he been incapacitated? Director Ali Selim suggested it mightve been around his accident in Civil War, meaning the Rhodey from Infinity War onward mayve been a Skrull. Time will only tell if thats the case, but this twist left many fans worried that Rhodeys character arc was ruined.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Before Phase 4, fans would defend the MCU with a vengeance whenever somebody criticized it. Even the most apologetic diehards took issue with the Mandarin reveal, however. Ben Kingsley establishes a menacing presence as Tony Starks archenemy, only to later be exposed as an actor named Trevor Slattery. Instead, were stuck with Guy Pearce as another villain whose name we cant remember. Dont tell us in the comments! At the time, this was easily the MCUs most infamous moment. Shang-Chi made up for it almost a decade later, introducing the real Mandarin and even bringing back Kingsley in a humorous callback. While this softened the blow, its disappointing that well never get to see Iron Man go up against the true Mandarin in this continuity.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

Few MCU projects have divided people like She-Hulk. Where some think its a fun meta-commentary, the haters say its an insult to the MCU, pointing to the Megan Thee Stallion meme as exhibit A. Fans have argued that theres a double standard, claiming that if Deadpool twerked with the rapper, there wouldnt be such discourse. To an extent, we agree, but theres a key difference: consistency. Even when emotionally invested, Deadpool never takes anything that seriously. Jennifer Walters wants to be taken seriously as a lawyer, but she occasionally acts like a college freshman. So, when you have her twerking with the Body singer, it can feel unbalanced. Regardless, Tatiana Maslany said shooting the scene was the greatest day [and moment] of [her] life.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

With Thor: Ragnarok, the MCU and director Taika Waititi were at their apex. When they intersected again, both were going through creative rough patches. If you thought Thor: Love and Thunder would be the shot in the arm Marvel and Waititi needed, we refer you to the screaming goats. If thats not enough to make our point, lo and behold this lackluster effect. For a film that otherwise has some astounding visuals, this looks like something out of SpongeBob SquarePants. The effects aside, the interplay between Thor and Astrid - we mean Axl - just isnt funny. The filmmakers seemingly thought otherwise, as the bit goes on forever. We appreciate that Marvel has a sense of humor, but not every scene needs to force banter.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)


For a film about Ant-Man and the Wasp, Quantumania focused more on teasing Kang and his variants. We all know how that turned out! While Jonathan Majors controversy didnt help, Kang isnt the biggest problem in Quantumania. That would be M.O.D.O.K. Okay, lets be fair. This characters design in the comics is already pretty silly. Translating it to a photorealistic environment was always going to be a challenge. That said, his stretched-out face isnt just laughably bad for a multi-million-dollar film. The character is downright unpleasant to look at, making us wish he kept his mask on. Even if he had anything funny to say, were too busy wondering how an MCU movie has less appealing effects than Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

What moment ruined the MCU for you and which moments restored your faith in it? Let us know in the comments.