With a universe as huge and as giant in scale because the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some storylines are sure to take precedence over others. In spite of everything, one of many appeals of the flicks and reveals is what every author and director brings to the desk within the grand overarching narrative, and due to that, plot factors are consistently in movement and altering.
After which, generally, they’re fully deserted or seemingly forgotten about regardless of prior setup, which could be irritating to long-time followers who wish to see these storylines attain resolutions. And whereas Marvel has been identified to faucet into obscure and sudden areas for emotional depth (Avengers: Endgame referencing Thor: The Darkish World closely was one such occasion), there are quite a few situations the place the franchise dropped storylines fully.
Up to date on April 26, 2023, by David Caballero:
The upcoming launch of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (premiering on Could 5) has Marvel followers excited to see their favourite a-holes in a single final experience throughout the MCU’s cosmos. The movie consists of the arrival of Adam Warlock, a personality typically teased however not seen till now, to the purpose many followers thought the MCU had forgotten about him. Alas, that is not the case, however that does not imply the MCU shouldn’t be responsible of introducing a number of storylines that they later unceremoniously drop with out revisiting or ending them with a satisfying pay-off.
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13 The place Was Nick Fury?
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Picture by way of Marvel
Whereas Captain America: The Winter Soldier is among the many most impactful movies within the MCU, one among its most vital components appears to have been forgotten – Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Whereas he was seen as KIA for many of the film, the third act reveals that he has merely gone into hiding on account of HYDRA’s infiltration of SHIELD.
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This appears to be an ideal hook for the character, however his subsequent look a yr later inAvengers: Age of Ultron seemingly renders this moot, as he returns virtually instantly. It is potential that the upcoming Secret Invasion might contact on this, however contemplating the collection has larger priorities on its thoughts, it is possible this plot level was simply thrown apart.
12 What Was the Cope with Thor’s Imaginative and prescient?
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
Thor’s imaginative and prescient, a significant subplot in Age of Ultron, was meant to arrange Thor: Ragnarok; nonetheless, possible on account of reorganization at Marvel, the sequence was deserted in favor of Taika Wiatiti’s wacky strategy. After the shake-up, all that was left had been a bunch of storyline concepts barely referenced earlier than disappearing.
That is particularly evident in his preliminary seek for the Infinity Stones, which outdoors a quick point out in Ragnarok, was by no means adopted up on. And whereas Thor’s journey in Ragnarok was a large enchancment from his prior solo efforts, it is a disgrace that the juicy setup was by no means adopted up on.
11 The place is Ghost?
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ (2019)
Picture By way of Disney
One of many more moderen unresolved cliffhangers entails Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), the primary antagonist of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Launched as a shady murderer, Ghost revealed herself as a extra sympathetic character than anticipated for Marvel and even bought redeemed by the movie’s finish.
Ghost escapes in the course of the movie’s third act, leaving the door open for her potential return. Whereas she is confirmed to be starring in Thunderbolts, it is unknown whether or not the movie will proceed her story or just function her additional down the road.
10 What Occurred Between Betty and Bruce?
‘The Unimaginable Hulk’ (2008)
Picture By way of Common Footage
On account of weird licensing points and lackluster monetary outcomes, The Unimaginable Hulk took fairly some time to even be remembered within the MCU outdoors some transient references right here and there. Section 4 has performed some strong work with the reintroduction of Emil Blonksy (Tim Roth) in She-Hulk: Lawyer at Regulation, and the upcoming Captain America: New World Order plans to convey again Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) considerably because the lead antagonist.
However one side appears to have been fully forgotten: the romance between Betty Ross and Bruce Banner. The storyline was the emotional crux of the 2008 movie however has by no means been referenced since. Nonetheless, Ross will return within the upcoming Captain America: New World Order, that means this infamously unfinished storyline can lastly have a decision.
9 What Occurred to Justin Hammer’s Revenge?
‘Iron Man 2’ (2010)
Whereas he performed second fiddle to Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) for many of the third act, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) was arguably the true antagonist for a lot of Iron Man 2. Serving as a darkish reflection of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Hammer was a welcome comedic distraction from the extra critical emotional baggage the movie saddled Tony with.
RELATED: Iron Man 2’s Behind-The-Scenes Drama, Defined
On the finish of the movie, previous to Vanko’s confrontation with Tony and Rhodey (Don Cheadle), Hammer is arrested however vows revenge towards Tony and Pepper(Gwyneth Paltrow). Since then, nothing. Exterior a enjoyable cameo look in All Hail the King, Hammer has but to reappear in the primary story of the MCU.
8 The place is Scorpion?
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017)
On the finish of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) is confronted by legal Mac Gargan (Michael Mando). Arrested earlier within the film, Gargan questions Toomes a few potential plan towards Spider-Man (Tom Holland).
Gargan’s presence was clearly meant to arrange his eventual flip as Scorpion – one among Spider-Man’s most ignored villains – and probably a Sinister Six team-up. Alas, nothing has come of that since. And, as Holland’s tackle the character has gone in a really totally different course, this plot level has languished as one of many nice unresolved teases of the MCU.
7 What Occurred to the Nova Corps?
‘Avengers: Infinity Struggle’ (2018)
The Nova Corps performed a big position in Guardians of the Galaxy. The group launched audiences to the MCU’s cosmic aspect whereas showcasing some stranger and distinctive issues then-exclusive to the comics. They remained within the background in Section 3 due to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 referencing them a number of instances, however Avengers: Infinity Struggle handled them in an enormous means… off-screen.
Certainly, the movie opens with Thanos having already destroyed Xandar and the Nova Corps. And whereas this selection works as an ideal segue into Infinity Struggle as a standalone film, it does go away a large hole for the MCU to fill.
6 The place is White Imaginative and prescient?
‘WandaVision’ (2021)
Picture by way of Disney+
White Imaginative and prescient is the results of SWORD’s try to recreate the Imaginative and prescient. Nonetheless, the unique Imaginative and prescient reboots White Imaginative and prescient and restores his reminiscences of Wanda. The present ends with White Imaginative and prescient flying away from Westview and into the wilderness, presumably to make sense of his newfound readability.
WandaVision is the most effective and most rewatchable Disney+ MCU present, however its remedy of White Imaginative and prescient was disappointing. Introducing him as a large menace solely to backtrack and have him change into the brand new Imaginative and prescient was a shameless try to convey the character again after his heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity Struggle. Extra egregious was having him fly away with out offering any rationalization. Marvel has introduced a Imaginative and prescient-centric collection, Imaginative and prescient Quest, however there aren’t any particulars about it, that means White Imaginative and prescient’s standing stays unclear.
5 Mordo’s Destiny
‘Physician Unusual’ (2016)
Picture by way of Marvel Studios
Whereas Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity managed to comply with up Physician Unusual higher than anticipated, it got here at the price of disregarding the setup with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Karl Mordo. By the tip of the primary movie, Mordo leaves Kamar-Taj on account of changing into disillusioned with how the sorcerers are dealing with issues, one thing he interprets as being “too many sorcerers” in probably the greatest post-credits scenes of the MCU.
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So when it is casually revealed that Unusual and Mordo have been preventing off-screen in Multiverse of Insanity, followers could not assist however be upset. In spite of everything, Mordo is a superb character and potential villain for his personal film, so dismissing him outright ranks as one of many MCU’s largest blunders.
4 What Occurred to The Raft?
‘Captain America: Civil Struggle’ (2016)
She-Hulk: Lawyer at Regulation lastly wrapped up the Sokovia Accords storyline by casually dismissing them. Nonetheless, it is a disgrace that The Raft, the high-security jail from Captain America: Civil Struggle, has by no means been used since, regardless of a ton of story potential.
However outdoors of transient mentions in Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Raft is just about MIA. That is particularly disappointing, as She-Hulk might have used this chance to place Blonksy in The Raft and present the true objective of it outdoors a cool location.
3 Did not HYDRA Have Pym Tech?
‘Ant-Man’ (2015)
HYDRA’s theft of Pym Particles is among the many extra apparent forgotten storylines throughout the MCU, primarily as a result of it was so clearly a sequel setup. Whereas Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) is defeated on the finish of Ant-Man and the day is saved, one unfastened thread is left hanging for extra observant viewers – HYDRA, the long-running antagonist group within the MCU, has the Pym Particle know-how at their disposal now.
Since Section 2 ended, HYDRA has been absent from the MCU, possible as a way of transferring on from them to greater threats like Thanos and Kang. Nonetheless, the concept that HYDRA continues to be on the market with Pym Tech makes for an intriguing pitch, and hopefully, Marvel might comply with up on that storyline sooner or later.
2 What Occurred to the Celestial Tiamut?
‘Eternals’ (2021)
The unfairly maligned Eternals launched the titular group to the MCU. The plot facilities on the Eternals as they reunite after centuries aside to combat their historical enemies, the Deviants. Nonetheless, their combat will lead them down a harmful path of revelations.
The movie reveals that the Eternals work as harvesters for the Celestials, encouraging civilization improvement to generate sufficient vitality and permit the beginning of a brand new Celestial. Nonetheless, the Eternals save Earth by stopping the Celestial’s emergence. The movie ends with a large marbleized Celestial popping out of the ocean. Such an important improvement ought to be trigger for concern, particularly among the many Avengers. Nonetheless, no MCU venture has even talked about the titanic alien popping out of the ocean, an enormous plot gap within the ever-expanding franchise.
1 What In regards to the Infinity Stones?
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Avengers: Endgame pulled a surprising twist by revealing Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones after his plan to wipe out half of the universe’s life labored. Nonetheless, this selection creates a large plot level, contemplating the Stones supposedly preserved the universe’s stream, and eradicating them would lead to disaster.
The Avengers’ time heist works, they usually retrieve the Stones, however Steve returns them to their timelines. Thus, the present MCU is Infinity Stone-less, that means the Historical One’s warnings ought to occur, and disaster ought to ensue. Nonetheless, the MCU would not appear intent on following up with this plot level – the truth is, they appear to have forgotten about it or outright discarded it to maneuver on to the Multiverse Saga.
NEXT: All MCU Films Ranked Worst to Greatest, In line with Rotten Tomatoes