10 MCU Scenes Fans Will Never Stop Arguing Over (2024)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most well-loved franchises in cinematic history. Fans flock to theaters year after year to see the adventures of their favorite characters. They find great community in chattering with other enthusiasts of the series about the most recent entries to the series - and though nobody can ever come to a true consensus about the best movie or the best character, most people respect varying opinions and move on with their lives.

However, there are a few controversial choices that fans may never agree on. Whether they're changing characters' origins or working in scenes that feel just a bit contrived, here are ten aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that fans likely won't ever agree about.

10 Ignoring Wanda and Pietro's Ties to Magneto Alienated Fans of the X-Men

Introducing Wanda and Pietro Maximoff in Age of Ultron is one of the greatest things the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever done. Wanda turned out to be one of the most important players in the remainder of the Infinity Saga and the early stages of Phase Four. Pietro, though he only appeared in one movie, added much-needed comedic relief to the overall intense story, and his death helped underscore the themes of grief that ultimately defined the MCU for the next few years. It's his death that makes many of the reveals in later projects such as WandaVision that much more upsetting.

However, the MCU made one major decision regarding their characters that has polarized fans since the beginning. In bringing them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Maximoffs lost their mutant heritage (primarily due to rights issues surrounding the X-Men and the concept of mutants). While this allowed the MCU to do really interesting, unique things with the characters, it's a huge change from who they are in the comics. Their heritage plays a huge part in who they are. This highlights a deeper problem that Marvel often runs into when it comes to remaining loyal to the comics and isn't the first (or the last time) that something like this will occur.

9 Wanda's Death Felt Unearned

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After WandaVision, villainy seemed to be the most logical path forward for Wanda Maximoff. She lost everything. Her husband was gone (again). The children she grew to love and adore disappeared again (though Agatha All Along proves that WandaVision was only the beginning of Billy and Tommy's story). One of the few friends she made turned out to be a power-hungry witch desiring nothing but Wanda's magic. The fantasy life she constructed around her was something more akin to a hostage situation for most of the people there. Therefore, it makes sense that she would resort to increasingly dangerous methods to get that version of herself back. She was the chief antagonist of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and turned out to be one of the most terrifying evil forces in the overall MCU.

However, fans can't seem to agree about whether killing her off was the right thing to do. WandaVision proved that the character of the Scarlet Witch was full of potential, and Elizabeth Olsen brought everything to the table as the more villainous incarnation of her character. She was a worthy foe - one of the few to pose a true threat to the heroes. Her death felt like a waste of all of that. She could've been a massive and sympathetic villain the way she was in the comics, allowing a fan-favorite character to stick around a little longer and pack audiences into the theaters. Though her death signifies her overall defeat (as is typical for a superhero film), it felt like a bit of a letdown after everything that was set up with her, and to this day, fans still wait for the chance to see her again.

8 Asgard's Destruction Felt Played for Laughs

Overall, Thor: Ragnarok revitalized the solo story of a hero who felt destined to fade from the limelight. Though Thor got standout moments in the team-up films, his adventures often fell flat. Thor struggled to find its footing, and Thor: The Dark World is often regarded as one of the darkest points in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Thor: Ragnarok, however, brought light back into the franchise. Taika Waititi breathed new life into Thor as he carried him into a brand new universe that told a thrilling story while exploring more of what made Thor an interesting character in the first place.

However, this doesn't mean Thor: Ragnarok is flawless by any stretch. It makes the bold decision to destroy Asgard during the titular event. Overall, this makes sense. It's a visual representation of just how much Thor had to grow and change throughout the movie. Unfortunately, the film chooses to turn this into a joke rather than allowing the characters to grieve the loss of their homeland. It stays true to the tone of the movie - which, overall, doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as most other movies in the franchise - but it does detract from some of the emotions at play that could have made the movie that much more impactful.

7 Loki Falls in Love With Himself

Loki is one of the strongest shows the MCU has produced since the inception of its television wing. It only made sense for Loki to get his show. He's one of the most popular characters in the franchise, and his untimely death in Infinity War is one of the most controversial endings to anyone's arc in the greater universe. Therefore, fans were overjoyed when, during Endgame, a version of him escaped at the end of The Avengers and opened up the avenue for there to be more of him in recent entries to the franchise. Loki turned out to be one of the fans' favorite entries to the MCU up to this point. Loki introduced the multiverse in a way that made sense and provided so much more insight into the titular character.

However, one major story choice polarized fans beyond belief. Loki develops feelings for Sylvie - who is, quite literally, just a female version of himself. Some fans adored this. They believed the two of them made sense together, and that falling in love with himself was the most in-character thing he could do. After all, he was a deeply egocentric man. However, it also felt like cheap storytelling - especially after the recent revelation that Loki was bisexual (and had insane chemistry with Owen Wilson's character Mobius).

6 Natasha Refers to Herself as a Monster

Avengers: Age of Ultron is, overall, a pretty good follow-up to the original Avengers film. Ultron is one of the most interesting villains in the MCU as a whole, and he's elevated further by James Spader's fantastic performance. The dynamics between the characters lay the foundations for later entries such as Civil War - especially when considering that it is, in part, Tony Stark's fault that the whole situation with Ultron occurred in the first place. Everything that unfolded with Sokovia establishes the guilt Wanda Maximoff experiences throughout the rest of her time in the MCU and lays the groundwork for her overall moral dilemma about whether she is inherently good or evil.

Unfortunately, there were a few times that the film didn't quite seem to know what to do, and many of those pertained to Natasha Romanoff - and a lot of those shone through in her ill-placed relationship with Bruce Banner. They were an odd pairing, to begin with. He was one of the greatest threats to her safety in earlier entries to the franchise, and with Natasha's general unwillingness to trust those around her, it makes very little sense that she would want to be romantically involved with someone who could so easily hurt her. To make matters worse, she then refers to herself as a monster during one of her conversations with Banner. It's easy to see where she's coming from - she was trained with the sole purpose of destroying those around her. She was raised to be a weapon. However, where the line was placed in the scene, makes it sound like she believes she's a monster because she's unable to have children. It's a dangerous narrative to push and one that feels inconsistent with Natasha's arc of self-acceptance as well.

5 The End of Steve Rogers' Story Felt Inconsistent With Who He Was

Steve Rogers has always been one of the most self-sacrificial characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He sees the world in terms of who can still be saved rather than who has already been lost. Therefore, he focuses his attention on ensuring that he can make life better for those still around. He sees the good in everyone around him and does everything he can to save him. This at times pushes him to extremes (such as with the situation in Captain America: Civil War, when he withheld the fact that Bucky was the one to kill Tony's parents), but overall, it's one of his greatest strengths.

All these traits make the end of his story in Endgame that much more complicated. Steve, for once in his life, makes a selfish choice. When he goes back to take the Infinity Stones back to their proper times, he creates a life with Peggy Carter, the great love of his life, in the process. Some fans adored this. Peggy was always the end for Steve. Losing time with her was his greatest regret about the years he spent frozen. They would've been happy together if they had gotten the chance. However, going back in time raises more questions than it provides answers for. Then, Steve knew the kind of psychological torment Bucky was undergoing. Why did he not do anything to help him? He could've averted a thousand crises and helped his best friend (who was always his priority) in the process.

4 Star-Lord Attacking Thanos Jeopardized The Entire World

Peter Quill is one of the most polarizing characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Fans either adore his slick, smooth-talking, slightly awkward demeanor, or they find him utterly unbearable.Star-Lord's bravado makes him a great leader for the Guardians of the Galaxy, and his unrelenting loyalty to them has only strengthened as the franchise has continued. The family he found with them helped him heal from the wounds of losing his mother (and finding out it's his father's fault that any of that happened in the first place). Ultimately, he's a good guy.

However, nothing he's done has divided fans more than when he prematurely acted against Thanos in Infinity War. On the one hand, most people would have done the same thing. He was struck by grief. The woman he loved lost her life at the hands of her father - and all of that only happened because she didn't listen to him when he told her to go left rather than run straight toward him. Therefore, when Thanos rubbed that in his face, he reacted. Unfortunately, however, his reaction sabotaged the group's efforts to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from the Mad Titan's hand. Many believe it's because of him that Infinity War ended in an overall loss for the Avengers in the first place, and many fans still have yet to forgive him for it.

3 She-Hulk and Megan Thee Stallion's Dance Scene Is Either Fun or Cringeworthy

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was, unfortunately, review-bombed from the moment it was released. Though critics enjoyed the funny, fourth-wall-breaking, procedural format of the show (and fell in love with Tatianna Maslany's stellar performance as Jen Walters), fans never embraced these adventures the way they did most other Marvel television outings. They missed out on a fantastic story that also reintroduced fan-favorite character Daredevil in a way that set up his future outings in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of the most controversial moments in the series came in the post-credits scene for the third episode. Throughout the episode, Denis Bukowski, a colleague of Jen's, got caught up in a case in which he was defrauded by his shapeshifter ex-girlfriend who, of course, impersonated Megan Thee Stallion. At the end of the episode, there's just a brief moment of Jen and Megan Thee Stallion dancing together to provide some levity to the overwhelming season. However, this was a wildly divisive choice. Some thought it was hilarious. After all, if male superheroes like Deadpool get to have extended dance sequences and reference pop culture, why shouldn't Jen? Others found it incredibly pandering and derivative.

2 Skipping Spidey's Backstory Either Saved the Narrative or Condemned It

Tom Holland had massive shoes to fill when he stepped into the role of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many regard Tobey Maguire's trilogy as the greatest collection of comic book movies ever created. Andrew Garfield's take, while it was less well-received on a wide scale, has a loudly dedicated fanbase. Nobody knew what to expect from Tom Holland, especially because he was the first to take on the role within the context of a wider universe. Would there be updates made to the character? Would it be a rehashing of everything fans had seen in previous installments?

Holland's films chose to take a fresh approach - which was, in the grand scheme of things, the right decision. Fans had seen Peter Parker's origin story twice already, and one of the biggest complaints with The Amazing Spider-Man was that it felt like it just repeated things that had been seen before. Therefore, these films omitted it entirely. Not only that, but they took the same story beats and applied them to a different relationship - the one between Peter Parker and Tony Stark. While this worked to provide a fresh take on the story, it did divide fans who preferred a more traditional look at Parker's story. Additionally, it made a lot of people see Holland's first trilogy as nothing but a set-up for a future story - especially when considering Aunt May's untimely death in No Way Home - and, in doing so, many believe some of the emotional impact was lessened.

1 The A-Force-Inspired Team-Up Felt Unearned

Avengers: Endgame's final battle is one of the most chilling moments the series has ever brought to the screen. It's the culmination of almost a decade of work. Overall, it brings everything to a satisfying conclusion. Tony Stark's death, while one of the most tragic things to occur throughout the series, feels natural for his character and cements that he's always been a hero despite his doubts. All the characters who "died" during the Blip return, which paves the way for Steve to finally get the "Avengers, Assemble" moment fans have been waiting for since the first Avengers film. It's astounding.

Only one moment fell a little flat: when all the women present on the battlefield teamed up. It should have been thrilling. And to many, it was! Little girls everywhere cheered when they finally got to see female superheroes having as pertinent a role in such a major confrontation as their male counterparts. However, it felt like it came out of left field. Many of these women have never worked together before. How would they know how to function as a proper team? Additionally, just a few scenes earlier, the MCU killed off its most prominent female character - Natasha Romanoff. Having this feminist power moment without her felt like a slap in the face to those who had adored her since her first appearance in Iron Man 2.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Created by Marvel Studios, the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows heroes across the galaxy and across realities as they defend the universe from evil.

First Film

Iron Man

Character(s)

Iron Man , Captain America , The Hulk , Ms. Marvel , Hawkeye , Black Widow , Thor , Loki , Captain Marvel , Falcon , Black Panther , Monica Rambeau , Scarlet Witch

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