10 MCU Decisions That Aged Poorly

:0:1

Throughout the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many characters have made decisions that have aged incredibly poorly. The movies and TV shows of the MCU have introduced a wealth of characters to the shared universe, adapting heroes and villains from the pages of Marvel Comics into live-action. As the stories of the cinematic universe have continued to unfold, these characters have faced many difficult decisions, although sometimes their choices prove questionable.
On many occasions throughout the MCU’s movie timeline, the franchise’s characters have made decisions that turn out badly. Whether a hero, villain, or minor supporting character, there are many examples of decisions made by characters that eventually came to seem particularly suboptimal, due to negative unforeseen consequences, general backlash, or simple bad luck. With that in mind, here are 10 MCU decisions that aged poorly.
10 Wanda Using The Darkhold WandaVision (2021) After the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Wanda Maximoff’s grief over losing Vision spilled over into WandaVision"s story. After discovering Agatha Harkness’ manipulation, Wanda is able to break free and end the Westview hex, although not before taking possession of the Darkhold. The show ends with Wanda opting to use the Darkhold’s corrupting power in an attempt to locate her family within the Multiverse.
The decision aged incredibly poorly, as Wanda’s role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ cast was as its villain. The Darkhold’s power transformed Wanda into the Scarlet Witch, making her incredibly powerful and entirely 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) As well as expanding upon the story of T’Challa and exploring Wakanda, Black Panther’s story introduced one of the MCU’s most compelling villains, Erik Killmonger. The movie explains that Killmonger was the son of former King T’Chaka’s brother, N’Jobu, who was killed for planning to betray Wakanda while living in America. After killing N’Jobu, T’Chaka opted to leave the child behind in order to conceal his brother’s treachery from his fellow Wakandans.
It was a decision that eventually came back to hurt Wakanda, as Killmonger returned as an adult to stage a coup and enact his late father’s plan. Sparing Killmonger only to abandon him was more than just a heartless decision, as it shaped the young man into a villain intent on dismantling Wakanda’s policy of anonymity. Considering how Killmonger’s story played out, leaving him behind turned out to be an awful decision by T’Chaka.
8 Tony Stark And Bruce Banner Creating Ultron Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Throughout the movies of the MCU, few decisions backfired as horrifically as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner’s creation of Ultron. After having his mind magically tampered with by Wanda Maximoff, 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 create him age incredibly poorly.
Well-intentioned though Stark might have been – not to mention heavily influenced by the Mind Stone – Ultron"s creation was a mistake. It very quickly backfired and caused a catastrophe on a near-global scale, but it also led to countless other complications further down the line. In that respect, entrusting the protection of the 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) Though Iron Man’s MCU story featured many heroic moments, it also featured several questionable decisions. In Iron Man 3, Stark opts to taunt the terrorist known as the Mandarin after an attack on his friend Happy Hogan, giving out his home address on TV and inviting the villain to attack him. He then returns home to wait, allowing his then-girlfriend, Pepper Potts, to join him.
Predictably, the Mandarin then attacks Stark’s mansion, comprehensively destroying it and almost killing both Stark and Potts in the process. Though the villain is later revealed to be a disguise, Stark’s public taunting 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 clever move, and it turned out to age even worse than one might have imagined.
6 Star-Lord Punching Thanos Avengers: Infinity War (2018) In the history of the MCU, there have been a handful of decisions so questionable that they have led to negative results not just within the franchise, but in the real world, too. In Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes are able to subdue Thanos, only for Star-Lord to grow angry with the villain and attack him. The decision to do so, while based on emotion, turned out to be an awful one for multiple reasons.
Primarily, Star-Lord"s outburst gave Thanos the opportunity to slip out of the heroes’ clutches and continue to gather Infinity Stones. This then led to Thanos achieving his goal, wiping out half of all life in the universe. Though it’s clear Star-Lord was upset after learning that Thanos had killed Gamora, his decision to assault the Mad Titan led to countless deaths, and also made him somewhat unpopular with fans for inadvertently helping Thanos.
5 Loki Replacing Odin On Asgard Thor: The Dark World (2013) Loki started his MCU story as a villain, but Thor: The Dark World saw him shift into more of an antihero role within the franchise. After helping Thor battle Malekith and stopping the Dark Elf from obtaining the Aether, Loki seemingly perishes. However, the film’s final scene reveals that Loki has survived and is using his abilities to disguise himself as Odin on Asgard, taking his father’s place and hiding the rightful king.
The decision to take Odin’s place aged poorly, as Thor: Ragnarok established in its opening scenes. Abandoning Odin on Earth led to the death of the All Father, enabling Hela to break free. This made Loki indirectly responsible for the eventual destruction of Asgard, all because he opted to deposit Odin on Earth and badly impersonate his adoptive father in order to seize control of the throne.
4 Doctor Strange’s Memory Wipe Spell Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Doctor Strange’s role in the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home might have been relatively small, but it had a major impact on both the movie and the MCU in general. 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 tampers with it while it’s being cast, causing Strange to botch it and inadvertently crack open the Multiverse.
Strange’s decision to cast the spell at all ultimately aged incredibly poorly. Though he had no way of knowing at the time, choosing to do Peter Parker a favor ultimately led to a reality-threatening tear in the fabric of the universe, and led to the death of Aunt May. Through no fault of Strange’s, his decision to help a young hero backfired spectacularly, with implications that reached out across multiple realities.
3 Thor Recklessly Attacking Jotunheim Thor (2011) When it comes to the defining moments in Thor’s MCU story, there are few as significant as one of his earliest mistakes. 2011’s Thor opens with an introduction to the God of Thunder that sees him hastily retaliating against a Frost Giant intrusion on Asgard by attacking them on Jotunheim. The decision to do so quickly backfires, with an angry Odin opting to banish his son after stripping him of his power until he proves himself worthy of it.
Thor’s violent outburst and attack on Jotunheim plays directly into Loki’s hands, and facilitates his brother becoming a full-fledged villain. It sets into motion a chain of events that pits the two brothers against one another, eventually putting all of Earth in danger after directing Loki’s attention there. As such, it’s another MCU decision that aged incredibly poorly.
2 Backing The Sokovia Accords Captain America: Civil War (2016) Multiple MCU stories led to the events of Captain America: Civil War. Age of Ultron’s narrative in particular played a major part in the drafting of the Sokovia Accords, as well as Tony Stark’s decision to back them. This in turn saw other Avengers join the cause, opting to side with Iron Man and support the idea of governmental oversight of superheroes.
The decision to support the Sokovia Accords aged poorly, as it led to the disbanding of the Avengers after causing a rift between prominent MCU heroes. This was made more serious when Thanos’ forces attacked Earth in Avengers: Infinity War, as the Avengers were not able to immediately mobilize to combat the threat of the Mad Titan. Though the Sokovia Accords proved contentious for good reason, the decision to support them was ultimately proven to age poorly within the context of the wider MCU.
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 US government found an unexpected use for Steve Rogers. After the attention of Hydra led to Erskine’s death, the powers that be opted to use Captain America as a PR stunt in order to sell war bonds. This turned out to be a terrible decision that aged terribly within the MCU’s story.
Considering the combat efficiency and leadership abilities later displayed by Steve Rogers, it became clear that sidelining him was never a good idea. The role he played in major conflicts across the MCU timeline only further proved just how important an asset he was to humanity, making the decision to have him sell war bonds seem especially ridiculous. It’s perhaps the most egregiously poor decision in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it only continued to seem more ludicrous as Captain America’s story went on.
Upcoming MCU Movies