Marvel’s 10 Biggest MCU Mistakes In The Last 10 Years

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a huge success – it’s the biggest franchise out there! Starting with Iron Man in 2008, it’s consistently grown by introducing new heroes and connecting their stories to larger team-up movies with major villains. This approach has made the MCU incredibly popular and financially successful, with its films consistently among the year’s biggest releases. However, Marvel has faced some challenges recently, and the franchise has felt the impact.

While many believe the MCU’s recent problems are confined to the Multiverse Saga, that’s not quite right. Even before the big events of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel started making some missteps that would eventually weaken the foundation for what came next. The past decade has brought us some of Marvel’s biggest hits, but also some noticeable errors along the way.

10) Ignoring The Sokovia Accords

Okay, let’s talk about Captain America: Civil War. It’s a great movie, but looking back, some things feel a little off. Specifically, the whole Sokovia Accords situation. Honestly, while it’s billed as the end of Steve Rogers’ Captain America story, it really feels like an Avengers film. The central conflict – heroes fighting each other – all stems from these Accords, which were basically the government trying to control superheroes and make them accountable for any damage they caused. Tony Stark was all for it, but a lot of the other heroes weren’t, and that disagreement is what drives the whole movie and leads to the big showdown.

The heroes who didn’t follow the Sokovia Accords became fugitives, but that storyline hasn’t been explored much since. After nine years, the Accords are rarely mentioned, and no one has seriously tried to enforce them. This diminishes the impact of the emotional conflict in Civil War and makes that important plot point feel unnecessary.

9) Eternals Being The First Post-Endgame Team-Up Movie

In 2021, Marvel introduced the Eternals – a new team of powerful heroes – into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This ten-member group of god-like beings was expected to significantly impact the MCU, bringing in a large number of incredibly strong characters all at once, potentially rivaling the Avengers. Notably, Eternals was the first team-up movie released since Avengers: Endgame.

Looking back, introducing the Eternals as the next big superhero team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t the best decision. The movie suggested they’d be major players, especially with the Avengers broken up and no clear plan for their return. Now, it feels like Marvel has largely abandoned the Eternals’ storyline, which makes their initial importance seem odd and out of place.

8) Everything About The Release Of Black Widow

Black Widow appeared in many Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but her most recent appearance was in the 2021 movie Black Widow. This film came out two years after Avengers: Endgame, where Natasha Romanoff sacrificed herself so the Avengers could defeat Thanos. Black Widow was a prequel that delved deeper into Natasha’s past and introduced her sister, Yelena, as a potential successor, which explained how the character could return even after her death.

Looking back, the whole release of Black Widow feels like a misstep. It just didn’t make sense to give her a solo movie after her character was already gone – it really took the wind out of its sails. And then, of course, the pandemic hit, which definitely hurt its chances at the box office. Honestly, it feels like the movie arrived way too late, and all it really did was serve as a reminder that we’re unlikely to see this version of Black Widow in future Marvel films. It’s a bit sad, really.

7) Too Many TV Projects

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has evolved significantly since the start of its Multiverse Saga. While most changes have been story-based, some are fundamental shifts in how the universe operates. Notably, the MCU now fully integrates its TV shows into the main storyline. Previously, the MCU primarily consisted of movies, with earlier attempts at expanding into television largely considered separate from the core continuity.

Early Marvel TV shows like Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and Inhumans weren’t very successful, which made the decision to release several new shows after Endgame seem odd. While some of these series have been great, there have been too many released too quickly. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands with both movies and TV shows, it’s becoming difficult to follow the overall story, and some shows feel rushed, prioritizing the number of releases over their quality.

6) Killing The Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff was the first magical character introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she’s become its most powerful. Since appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015, she’s shifted between being a villain and a hero, constantly growing in power. It wasn’t until 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that she fully became the Scarlet Witch, and audiences witnessed the full extent of her abilities as she unleashed chaos across the Multiverse fueled by grief.

Killing off Wanda Maximoff to resolve her villainous actions was a major misstep for Marvel in recent years. It was a disappointing decision for several reasons, but especially because so many of her most compelling storylines from the comics haven’t been brought to the screen yet. Given how powerful she is in the Marvel Universe, it’s particularly frustrating to see her potential cut short just a decade after she first appeared in the MCU.

5) Multiverse Of Madness’ Illuminati

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a lot going for it, and fans especially loved the appearances of characters from different universes. The movie was a big step forward for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, finally allowing for bigger multiverse stories – something crucial for the overall Multiverse Saga. However, the alternate-universe characters from Earth-838, specifically the Illuminati, ended up being a significant misstep for Marvel.

The brief appearances of characters like Black Bolt, Peggy Carter, Captain Marvel, and Reed Richards – all requested by fans – were exciting at first. However, their quick and violent deaths caused by the Scarlet Witch were both surprising and disappointing, suggesting the filmmakers weren’t prioritizing fan desires. With the Illuminati not having reappeared since their 2022 introduction, it now feels like bringing them into the MCU was a misstep.

4) Not Giving Hulk Another Story

As a huge Marvel fan, I’ve always felt they’ve struggled with the Hulk since he first appeared in 2008. A lot of the problems weren’t really Marvel’s fault – there were behind-the-scenes hurdles, I get it. But honestly, the fact that his only solo movie came out way back then tells you everything. They just haven’t done enough with the character, and it’s a little disappointing.

Including the Hulk as one of the original Avengers established him as a key part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, his role since then has largely been as a side character, and it feels like Marvel missed a great opportunity to truly showcase his potential. Beyond sometimes portraying him as less powerful than he should be, Marvel hasn’t delved deeply enough into the Hulk’s character, which is a significant oversight over the last ten years.

3) The Big Kang Mix-Up

The biggest problem with Marvel’s Multiverse Saga so far has been how they’ve dealt with the villain. After the impressive Thanos in the Infinity Saga, expectations were high when Kang the Conqueror was announced as the next big bad. But after issues with actor Jonathan Majors led to his removal, Marvel changed plans. Now, Doctor Doom will be the primary villain in the final Avengers films of the Multiverse Saga.

Rather than continuing with Kang as originally intended, Marvel potentially damaged two promising villains. Not only did they ignore previous hints about Kang’s importance as a Multiverse-level threat, but they also started building up his replacement, Doctor Doom, too late in the story, without adequately preparing the audience. Changing the main villain mid-saga felt like a strange decision and now appears to be a significant error by Marvel.

2) Wasting Some Of Its Most Promising New Heroes

Since the release of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a lot of new heroes, but some have resonated with audiences more than others. One consequence of Marvel releasing so much content—and the resulting feeling of “superhero fatigue”—is that too many new characters were introduced at once. Because of this crowded landscape, some of the MCU’s most interesting and potentially great new heroes haven’t had the chance to truly shine.

Characters like Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk haven’t been used to their full potential recently. Instead of focusing on a few strong characters like they did with the Infinity Saga, Marvel has introduced a lot of new faces, which has lowered the quality of some stories and made it harder to build up popular heroes. Since the release of Endgame, many promising new characters haven’t been developed well, and that’s disappointing for fans who are eager to see more of the MCU’s exciting talent.

1) Not Firmly Establishing A New Avengers Lineup

One reason the early Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – particularly the ‘Infinity Saga’ – did so well was its strong foundation for building hero stories. The first phase introduced the original Avengers, and the second added new members. This careful build-up meant that by the time they reached a huge finale, audiences already knew and cared about each hero. That’s a major reason Avengers: Endgame worked so well – viewers had already seen these characters in multiple films and were invested in their journeys.

Ever since the events of Endgame, the Avengers haven’t been a major focus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Figuring out who the new team will be has been mostly guesswork, as many potential members have only appeared briefly. By not clearly defining the new Avengers lineup during the Multiverse Saga, Marvel has diminished the impact of its most popular heroes and potentially weakened the finale of the saga. This lack of focus on the Avengers feels like a significant misstep.

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2025-12-04 22:48