5 Perfect Endings Marvel Movies Completely Undid

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive and incredibly popular film franchise, but even with all its success, Marvel has sometimes changed previously established storylines. Long before the MCU films were box office hits, Marvel was already creating blockbuster movies based on its iconic comic book characters. For decades, these films have told grand stories of heroes and villains, and some characters have received particularly strong and memorable conclusions. Both within the main MCU timeline and in separate Marvel adaptations, characters have been given endings that felt complete, satisfying, and deeply emotional – endings that many fans considered perfect.

Marvel movies often create continuity errors. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has frequently changed past storylines in its films and TV shows to fit new plans. While this happens, it sometimes negates impactful character arcs and makes previously great scenes feel pointless when looking back.

5) Steve Rogers — Avengers: Endgame (2019)

As a huge Marvel fan, I always thought Steve Rogers got the best send-off. Getting to retire and finally live a full life with Peggy Carter after everything he’d been through? It felt so right. Avengers: Endgame really seemed to wrap up his story beautifully. But now, I’m hearing rumors that perfect ending might not be so permanent, and honestly, it’s a little frustrating. While I loved his retirement, it seems like that might not be the final chapter for Captain America after all.

Recent reports suggest Steve Rogers, Captain America, will come out of retirement for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film to help battle Doctor Doom. However, bringing him back could ruin the satisfying conclusion to his story and potentially give him a much darker fate. If Rogers does return, it’s highly likely he’ll be killed by Doctor Doom, trading a peaceful ending for a tragic and emotionally charged final chapter.

4) Iron Man — Iron Man 3 (2013)

Most fans see Tony Stark’s final sacrifice as a truly great Iron Man moment, and it’s hard to disagree. But he actually had an earlier, though ultimately temporary, ending in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the conclusion of Iron Man 3, he dismantled all his Iron Man suits and declared his retirement, providing a complete and surprisingly fitting conclusion to his story at that time.

Marvel quickly reversed Tony Stark’s death, bringing him back in Avengers: Age of Ultron just two years later. The return felt abrupt, with little explanation for his new armor or why he was fighting crime again. While the character eventually received a more satisfying conclusion, this early resurrection remains a particularly annoying example of changing established story details in retrospect.

3) Loki’s Sacrifice — Loki season 2

Loki, a character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has famously escaped death multiple times. But the second season of Loki gave him a unique and final fate: he chose to sacrifice himself to save all the different timelines, becoming the God of Stories. This transformation not only greatly increased his power but also provided a satisfying conclusion to his journey of becoming a hero.

Loki is shaping up to be a major force in Avengers: Doomsday. While many fans speculate he’ll die in the final Multiverse Saga film, even bringing him back after his satisfying conclusion in the MCU feels like a mistake. It diminishes the impact of his most heroic and triumphant moment so far.

2) Wolverine — Logan (2017)

Hugh Jackman is widely considered to have delivered one of the greatest performances in superhero movie history as Wolverine. He played the character consistently from 2000 until 2017’s Logan, a deeply moving film that adapted the Old Man Logan comic. Logan provided a fitting conclusion to Jackman’s Wolverine story and is often ranked among the best endings to any superhero film.

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine famously died in Logan, but that death was reversed in a later Marvel movie. The 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine brought Jackman back, even featuring a humorous scene where Deadpool joked about Logan’s corpse before his resurrection through the multiverse. While Deadpool & Wolverine handled the character well overall, many fans still disagree with how it changed Wolverine’s definitive ending.

1) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The Infinity Saga was the initial, overarching story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bringing together all of its early films. Avengers: Infinity War served as the first part of a grand finale, providing a powerful, though tragic, conclusion for many characters. After collecting all six Infinity Stones, Thanos eliminates half of all life, instantly wiping out half of the Avengers. This shocking moment brought Infinity War‘s story to a dramatic close.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe later reversed the conclusion of Infinity War in Avengers: Endgame. This is perhaps the only instance where retconning a strong movie ending actually worked. Endgame featured the heroes battling to undo Thanos’ snap, and they succeeded, though with significant sacrifices. While Endgame‘s win is what ultimately made Infinity War‘s ending feel so impactful, it still stands as an example of Marvel revisiting and changing the outcome of a previous film.

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2025-12-21 23:14