10 MCU Decisions That Aged Poorly

Throughout the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many characters have made decisions that have aged incredibly poorly. The MCU movies and television shows have introduced a host of characters to the shared universe, adapting heroes and villains from the pages of Marvel Comics to live-action. As the stories of the cinematic universe continued to develop, these characters were faced with many difficult decisions, although their choices sometimes come across as questionable.

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On many occasions throughout the MCU movie timeline, characters in the franchise have made decisions that turn out badly. Whether a hero, a villain, or a minor supporting character, there are many examples of decisions made by characters that eventually came to seem particularly suboptimal, due to unforeseen negative consequences, widespread backlash, or simply bad luck. With that in mind, here are 10 MCU decisions that have aged poorly.

10 Wanda using the Darkhold

WandaVision (2021)

After the events of Avengers: Infinity War and end of the gameWanda Maximoff’s pain over losing Vision spread to WandaVisionThe story of. After discovering Agatha Harkness’s manipulation, Wanda is able to free herself and end the curse of Westview, though not before taking possession of the Darkhold. The show ends with Wanda choosing to use the corrupting power of the Darkhold in an attempt to locate her family within the Multiverse.

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The decision has aged incredibly poorly, as Wanda’s role in Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness‘ the cast was their villain. The power of the Darkhold transformed Wanda into the Scarlet Witch, making her incredibly powerful and completely relieved of her morals. The decision to use the Darkhold forced her into conflict with Doctor Strange and ultimately led to her death when she came face to face with the consequences of her actions.

9 T’Chaka leaving Killmonger behind

Black Panther (2018)

In addition to expanding T’Challa’s story and exploring Wakanda, black pantherThe story introduced one of the MCU’s most compelling villains, Erik Killmonger. The film explains that Killmonger was the son of former King T’Chaka’s brother, N’Jobu, who was killed for plotting to betray Wakanda while living in America. After killing N’Jobu, T’Chaka chose to leave the boy behind to hide his brother’s betrayal from his fellow Wakandans.

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It was a decision that ultimately harmed Wakanda, as Killmonger returned as an adult to stage a coup and implement his late father’s plan. Saving Killmonger only to abandon him was more than just a heartless decision, as it turned the young man into a villain intent on dismantling Wakanda’s anonymity policy. Considering how Killmonger’s story played out, leaving him behind turned out to be a terrible decision on T’Chaka’s part.

8 Tony Stark and Bruce Banner creating Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Throughout the MCU films, few decisions failed as horribly as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner’s creation of Ultron. After Wanda Maximoff magically manipulated his mind, a paranoid Tony Stark set out to create Ultron, who he believed would protect the Earth better than the Avengers. However, the AI ​​went rogue and attempted to eradicate humanity, making the decision to make it age incredibly poorly.

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As well-intentioned as Stark may have been, not to mention the strong influence of the Mind Stone, the creation of Ultron was a mistake. It very quickly backfired and caused a catastrophe on a near-global scale, but it also led to countless other complications later on. In that sense, entrusting the protection of Earth to Ultron was a decision that turned out to be singularly ill-advised after the events that followed.

7 Tony Stark publicly calling out the Mandarin

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Although Iron Man’s MCU story featured many heroic moments, it also included several questionable decisions. In Iron Man 3Stark chooses to mock the terrorist known as the Mandarin after an attack on his friend Happy Hogan, giving his home address on television and inviting the villain to attack him. He then returns home to wait, allowing his then-girlfriend, Pepper Potts, to join him.

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As expected, the Mandarin then attacks Stark’s mansion, completely destroying it and nearly killing Stark and Potts in the process. Although the villain is later revealed to be a disguise, Stark’s public taunts of the antagonist still aged poorly, as it led to the destruction of his home and a considerable portion of his technology. Directly insulting a terrorist on television certainly wasn’t a smart move, and it turned out to age even worse than one could have imagined.

6 Star-Lord punching Thanos

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

In the history of the MCU, there have been a handful of such questionable decisions that they have led to negative outcomes not only within the franchise, but also in the real world. In Avengers: Infinity Warthe heroes are able to subdue Thanos, only for Star-Lord to become angry at the villain and attack him. The decision to do so, while based on emotion, turned out to be terrible for multiple reasons.

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Mainly, Star-Lord’s outburst gave Thanos the opportunity to escape the heroes’ clutches and continue collecting Infinity Stones. This then led to Thanos achieving his goal: wiping out half of all life in the universe. Although it’s clear that Star-Lord was upset after learning that Thanos had killed Gamora, his decision to attack the Mad Titan led to countless deaths and also made him somewhat unpopular with fans for inadvertently helping Thanos.

5 Loki replacing Odin in Asgard

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Loki started his MCU story as a villain, but Thor: The Dark World saw him take on more of an anti-hero role within the franchise. After helping Thor fight Malekith and preventing the Dark Elf from obtaining the Aether, Loki apparently dies. However, the final scene of the film reveals that Loki has survived and is using his abilities to disguise himself as Odin in Asgard, taking his father’s place and hiding the rightful king.

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The decision to take Odin’s place has aged poorly, as Thor: Ragnarök established in its opening scenes. Odin’s abandonment of Earth caused the death of the Allfather, allowing Hela to free herself. This made Loki indirectly responsible for the eventual destruction of Asgard, all because he chose to deposit Odin on Earth and pose as his adoptive father to take control of the throne.

4 Doctor Strange’s Memory Wiping Spell

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

The role of Doctor Strange in the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home It may have been relatively small, but it had a huge impact on both the film and the MCU as a whole. After Mysterio reveals Spider-Man’s secret identity, Peter Parker asks the sorcerer to cast a spell to make people forget him. The young hero then manipulates it as he launches, causing Strange to mess it up and inadvertently open the Multiverse.

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Strange’s decision to cast the spell ultimately aged incredibly poorly. Although he had no way of knowing it at the time, choosing to do Peter Parker a favor ultimately caused a reality-threatening tear in the fabric of the universe and led to Aunt May’s death. Although it was not Strange’s fault, his decision to help a young hero backfired spectacularly, with implications that spanned multiple realities.

3 Thor recklessly attacks Jotunheim

Thor (2011)

When it comes to the defining moments in Thor’s MCU history, there are few as significant as one of his first mistakes. 2011 thor begins with an introduction to the God of Thunder that sees him hastily retaliate against a Frost Giant intrusion into Asgard by attacking them in Jotunheim. The decision to do so quickly backfires, as an angry Odin opts to banish his son after stripping him of his power until he proves himself worthy of it.

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Thor’s violent outburst and attack on Jotunheim directly works in Loki’s favor and makes it easier for his brother to become a full-fledged villain. It sets in motion a chain of events that pits the two brothers against each other, eventually putting the entire Earth in danger after directing Loki’s attention there. As such, it’s another MCU decision that has aged incredibly poorly.

2 Supporting the Sokovia Accords

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Multiple MCU storylines led up to the events of Captain America: Civil War. Age of UltronThe narrative in particular played a major role in the drafting of the Sokovia Accords, as well as Tony Stark’s decision to support them. This, in turn, caused other Avengers to join the cause, choosing to side with Iron Man and support the idea of ​​government oversight of superheroes.

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The decision to support the Sokovia Accords didn’t get old, as it led to the dissolution of the Avengers after causing a rift between prominent MCU heroes. This was exacerbated when Thanos’ forces attacked Earth in Avengers: Infinity Waras the Avengers were unable to immediately mobilize to combat the threat of the Mad Titan. Although the Sokovia Accords proved controversial for good reason, the decision to support them was ultimately shown to age poorly within the context of the MCU as a whole.

1 Using Captain America to sell war bonds

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Shortly after successfully creating a super soldier using Abraham Erskine’s formula, the United States government found an unexpected use for Steve Rogers. After Hydra’s attention led to Erskine’s death, the powers that be opted to use Captain America as a public relations stunt to sell war bonds. This turned out to be a terrible decision that has aged terribly within the history of the MCU.

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Considering the combat efficiency and leadership skills that Steve Rogers later displayed, it became clear that leaving him aside was never a good idea. The role he played in major conflicts throughout the MCU timeline only further demonstrated how important an asset he was to humanity, making the decision to ask him to sell war bonds seem especially ridiculous. It’s perhaps the most egregiously bad decision in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it continued to seem more ridiculous as Captain America’s story progressed.

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