Since the events ofAvengers: Endgame, there are many aspects of theMarvel Cinematic Universethat haven’t made much sense. In theMCU’s movie timeline, there has been no bigger occasion to date thanAvengers: Endgame. The culmination of the franchise’s Infinity Saga was paid off with an epic cinematic conclusion, with the many heroes of the MCU facing Thanos and his forces in the Battle of Earth.Endgamechanged the status quo within the franchise in a big way, making the MCU’s next steps look somewhat different.
In dealing with the fallout ofEndgame, the movies andTV shows of the MCUhad its repercussions to explore even while setting up the next big narrative arc in the Multiverse Saga. However, there are aspects of that story that haven’t really made sense, with unresolved plot threads and confusing developments just begging to be cleared up. Though the MCU may well answer some of these issues in future releases, the fact remains that there are things in the franchise sinceEndgamethat haven’t made sense.
10The Avengers Not Being Active
The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Just Sort Of Disappeared
One of the more bizarre aspects of the MCU’s post-Endgamestories is that the franchise’s biggest team has been absent. Though it has been briefly addressed inCaptain America: Brave New World, the lack of Avengers in the Multiverse Saga hasn’t really been presented as an issue. However, as the team is made up of the most powerful heroes in themovies of the MCU, the Avengers’ absence is more than a little strange.
There have been many opportunities for the Avengers to intervene in the MCU sinceEndgame, too. Though the team had all but disbanded, they came together again to defeat Thanos, and seemingly reconnected in the process. Even after losing three of the founding members of the team,it’s been shown that the MCU’s remaining heroes consult with one another, making the Avengers’ unexplained disappearance all the more frustrating.
9The Eternals Completely Vanishing
No One Was Worried About The Heroes Appearing And Then Disappearing
As well as being considered one of the worst movies in the MCU, 2021’sEternalsintroduced several apparent plot holes into the franchise. Its story spanned several millennia of human history and established the powerful Eternals as having been present on Earth all along, with them revealing themselves to the world while battling the final Deviants ahead of the Emergence of the Celestial Tiamut. Theending ofEternalssaw three surviving heroes venture into space, with three others taken by the Celestial Arishem for judgment.
From an in-universe perspective, the movie saw the introduction and swift disappearance of the Eternals. The fact that the dangling cliffhanger has not yet been addressed is beyond frustrating, as several new characters, including Blade, Black Knight, and Eros were all set up by the movie’s ending. All things considered,the fact that the Eternals simply vanished is becoming increasingly nonsensicalwith every new release.
8Ant-Man’s Quantum Battle With Kang Wasn’t Important
Kang The Conqueror’s Debut Went Under The Radar
At one stage,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas billed as one of the most important releases in the MCU sinceAvengers: Endgame. This stemmed largely from the fact that it formally introduced Kang the Conqueror to the franchise, establishing the character intended to be the next Avengers-level threat. Theending ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniasaw Ant-Man and Kang face off, with the villain seemingly defeated by the hero. The way the MCU’s plans subsequently shifted has madeQuantumania’s story confusing, though.
The presentation ofQuantumania’s story was that it would have far-reaching implications for the Multiverse Saga, as this was initially to be the case. However, as this was changed,Quantumaniahas since been ignored by later releases, making Ant-Man’s Quantum Realm adventure seem insignificant.It retroactively makesQuantumaniaseem like nothing more than a narrative detour that hasn’t been worth revisiting in any capacity by other heroes.
7Moon Knight Hasn’t Come Up Since His Debut
No Existing Heroes Took An Interest In Moon Knight’s Arrival
Another character who was introduced as part of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga only to be swiftly ignored is Moon Knight. The hero made his debut in the MCU TV show of the same name, and his story was one of the more engaging and creative origins sinceAvengers: Endgame. Moon Knight’s abilities make him one of the most powerful new heroes in the Multiverse Saga, but that hasn’t afforded him a greater role within the MCU.
The releases sinceMoon Knighthave done nothing to mention the hero or tease his return. Considering his potential role as one of the MCU’s newest Avengers, this seems odd, especially as fan-favorite actor Oscar Isaac was brought in to play the hero.Moon Knight’s emphatic introduction and subsequent absence has been strange, and the fact that his return has not been teased is somewhat concerning.
6Why So Many Original Avengers Have Stepped Back
The MCU’s Remaining Avengers Are Needed More Than Ever
Of all of the founding Avengers in the MCU, only three remain active within the franchise. With Iron Man and Black Widow dead and Steve Rogers retired, just Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye remain part of the MCU’s core narrative. The franchise’s handling of them sinceAvengers: Endgamehas been interesting, though, as it has subtly angled towards each of them retiring from hero work in the near future.
Thor was shown fighting alongside his traditional replacement, Mighty Thor, before adopting Love and seemingly stepping back from his heroic duties. Hulk has become more of a mentor character, training She-Hulk and introducing his son, Skaar. Hawkeye has also taken on a sidekick, Kate Bishop, and has seemingly begun training her as his replacement.Considering their status as the MCU’s only original Avengers, the franchise’s limited use of the characters seems strange.
5Where Spider-Man Went After No Way Home
Spider-Man Is Still An Active Hero, But No One Really Mentions Him
Spider-Man: No Way Homehas been by far one of the most successful releases sinceAvengers: Endgame, with its Multiverse narrative proving especially popular with both fans and critics. Theending ofSpider-Man: No Way Homewas somewhat tragic, with Peter Parker choosing to have his friends and loved ones forget about him in order to preserve the fabric of reality. The movie’s final moments show him continuing to fight street-level crime as Spider-Man, setting up his return in the MCU’s future.
Despite the MCU’s Spider-Man 4 being in the works, the MCU has not fully acknowledged the hero sinceNo Way Home, other than a passing reference to “a man who dresses in a spider outfit” in one ofKingpin’s speeches inDaredevil: Born Again. This seems odd considering whereNo Way Homeleft his story, making his apparent disappearance a frustrating element of the MCU’s post-Endgamestory.
4None Of Wanda’s Teammates Were There For Her
Wanda’s Villain Turn Could Have Been Avoided
One of the most powerful villains introduced in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga was the Scarlet Witch, with Wanda Maximoff corrupted by the Darkhold as a result of her grief. This grief first stemmed from losing Vision inAvengers: Infinity War, and was later compounded by the manipulation of Agatha Harkness and the loss of her sons at the end ofWandaVision. There is one glaring issue with Wanda’s story following on fromEndgame, however.
The fact that none of Wanda’s former teammates were there for her after she returned from the Blip is strange. Hawkeye especially had demonstrated a protective streak regarding Wanda, and he had previously taken the young hero under his wing.The fact that Wanda was left to mourn alone precipitated her villain turn, though it seems it should have easily been avoided had her friends simply been there for her.
3No One Seems Too Worried About The Multiverse
The Looming Threat To All Reality Hasn’t Been A Primary Concern
Following on fromAvengers: Endgame, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga was established as its next big narrative arc. This saw the introduction of alternate realities and timelines to the franchise, opening a wealth of possibilities. However, the MCU’s handling of the Multiverse has been inconsistent, leading to several developments that make very little sense. Perhaps the most glaring of these is also the simplest: no one seems to be worried about the dangers of the Multiverse.
BothSpider-Man: No Way HomeandDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessestablished just how dangerous the Multiverse could be, with reality-bending disruption seen on a massive scale. Even so, none of the franchise’s heroes or supporting characters seem to be particularly concerned about what that could mean for their own reality. The reasons why are almost certainly to maintain a level of narrative integrity, but in practical terms,it simply makes no sense that people in the MCU aren’t more scared of Multiversal issues.
2The Skrull Secret Invasion Leading To Nothing
A Global Crisis Just Quietly Went Away
Despite being one of the worst-rated entries in the entire franchise,Secret Invasionactually had massive implications for the MCU’s story. The MCU show saw a group of rebel Skrulls attempting to cause World War III in order to cement their own place on Earth, with Nick Fury and a handful of sympathetic Skrulls helping him to thwart the plot.Secret Invasion’s ending teased major developments, perhaps the biggest of which being President Ritson declaring war on aliens.
Bizarrely,Secret Invasion’s endingwent nowhere, and the MCU has seemingly forgotten all about it.Not only has Ritson’s declaration of war been ignored, but the wider implications of the Skrull invasion have not been referenced in any meaningful way. Though it’s almost certainly due toSecret Invasion’s poor reception, it doesn’t really make sense in the context of the MCU’s continuity.
1Black Widow Not Being Considered As Heroic As Iron Man
The World Doesn’t Seem To Care About Black Widow’s Sacrifice
Avengers: Endgamesaw the unforgettable heroic sacrifice of Iron Man to stop Thanos. However, it also saw the heroic sacrifice of Black Widow, who gave her life to obtain the Soul Stone for her fellow Avengers, thereby facilitating Iron Man’s own moment of heroism. In the subsequent releases in the MCU, Iron Man’s sacrifice has been referenced, and has become a major talking point among MCU fans, but Black Widow is too often overlooked.
The presentation of Iron Man’s death as more meaningful is especially strange considering the context of the MCU’s story. The average person in the MCU will have learned of both indirectly, making it odd that one would be better considered than the other. As such, it’s simply another aspect of the fallout ofAvengers: Endgamenot making a huge amount of sense in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.
