- 3 months ago
From hidden comic book nods to clever callbacks, the MCU is packed with incredible easter eggs! Join us as we count down our picks for the most amazing hidden gems across Marvel's cinematic universe. Our list includes Stan Lee's Watcher informant, Andrew Garfield's redemption, Thanos-Copter, Secret Empire references, and so much more!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most epic Easter eggs
00:10from across the MCU.
00:11We'll be getting into spoilers for various MCU properties, so consider this your warning.
00:20As Scott Lang tries to adjust to the Ant-Man suit, the technology proves to be a bit of
00:34a bumpy ride for him.
00:35He shrinks and stumbles through his apartment complex in an entertaining sequence and eventually
00:39crash-lands on the hood of an elderly man's car.
00:42At first, the driver might seem like an ordinary extra, but he's actually Garrett Morris.
00:47The Saturday Night Live alum isn't just a talented comedian, he also happens to be the
00:51first person to portray Ant-Man in live-action.
01:01Since Garrett was only the character for an SNL skit, he didn't technically play Ant-Man
01:06in an official Marvel project, but it's still nice to see the MCU give the actor his deserved
01:11due.
01:16Now-a-days, a cute nod to Doctor Strange is hardly anything to freak out over.
01:17But the thing you have to remember is that at this point, Doctor Strange hadn't debuted
01:21in the MCU yet.
01:22Plus, this was before we knew Benedict Cumberbatch would get the role.
01:26Now, we're in the future.
01:27Jasper Sitwell's rundown of every potential threat that Project Insight listed was the
01:31gift that kept on giving.
01:33Among the notable names was Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange.
01:37Nowadays, a cute nod to Doctor Strange is hardly anything to freak out over.
01:41But the thing you have to remember is that at this point, Doctor Strange hadn't debuted
01:45in the MCU yet.
01:46Plus, this was before we knew Benedict Cumberbatch would get the role.
01:52So, a line that teased the arrival of the Sorcerer Supreme and the mystical side of the MCU was
02:01more than enough to excite fans.
02:03If Hydra was scared of Stephen back when he was just a surgeon, they must be absolutely
02:08terrified of him now.
02:22Steve Rogers spent a long time submerged in ice, but that doesn't mean nothing memorable
02:26happened during his 70-year-long nap.
02:29In an infamous deleted scene from The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner travels to the Arctic and
02:33tries to take his own life, but the attempt simply causes him to transform into the Hulk
02:42who puts a stop to the whole thing.
02:44In fact, Hulk causes a calamity that disrupts the ice surrounding him.
02:48If you pause and look closely, you can see the faint outline of Captain America hidden
02:53in the ice.
02:54From there, it's not hard to imagine that Hulk's actions could have accelerated the
02:57Star-Spangled Avenger's eventual return.
02:59Either way, the nod to Cap is a great blink-and-you-miss-it that proves their relationship goes way back.
03:08Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man went through a lot of physical pain during the Sam Raimi films,
03:22and in No Way Home, all of that strain came back.
03:25While chatting with Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man and prepping to fight all of the bad guys,
03:29Tobey reveals his lingering back problem.
03:31For those who are well-versed in the Raimi-verse lore, this is a funny callback to Spider-Man
03:352, when Peter injures his back during an epic fail.
03:38Tobey also had a back problem in real life as well.
03:47In a movie filled with nostalgia, it makes perfect sense to revisit memorable moments like this,
03:51and what makes this scene stand out more is how Andrew actually steps in and fixes Tobey's
03:56back problem.
03:57Hey, that's what Spider Bros are for, right?
04:00Yeah.
04:01That's good.
04:02Right?
04:03That's better.
04:04Yeah.
04:05When Steve and Bucky visit an exposition showcasing innovative technologies, a special display
04:18featuring a figure in a red suit can be spotted.
04:22This is a reference to the Human Torch, but no, not the Johnny Storm one.
04:26It's actually a nod to the OG Human Torch, an android named Jim Hammond.
04:31Hammond is sort of super-powered royalty, since he was one of the first characters Marvel
04:35ever debuted in the comics.
04:36If you think about it, it's really cool that the movie, about the first Avenger, features
04:40a nod to one of Marvel's first-ever heroes, period.
04:43Plus, while it wasn't Johnny Storm, a Human Torch Easter Egg in a movie starring Chris Evans
04:48just kind of feels appropriate.
04:56Hail Hydra, Avengers Endgame.
05:03In the midst of an elaborate time travel plot, Captain America found himself in an elevator
05:08scene reminiscent of Winter Soldier.
05:10Except instead of fighting Hydra agents, this time things went differently.
05:14Steve essentially avoided a confrontation by muttering a very specific phrase and leaving
05:19the elevator with what he wanted.
05:26The line that Cap uses to pretend to be allied with Hydra is a callback to a controversial
05:31comic book storyline called Secret Empire.
05:34During that arc, it's revealed that Cap was secretly a Hydra mole all along.
05:38But due to massive backlash, Marvel soon retconned this decision.
05:42That's definitely for the best, since an MCU Captain America who's actually part of
05:46Hydra would be a nightmare.
05:48From the list of other movies, we've been on a bit of a plan and made for a while.
05:53Into the happyverse, Spider-Man No Way Home.
05:56Fans of Daredevil are no strangers to the iconic duo of Nelson and Murdoch, and in a strange
06:05way we kind of got the return of Nelson and Murdoch in this spider-man movie.
06:09Well, sort of.
06:10With Matt Merdock's surprise cameo in No Way Home, he shared screen time with Peter
06:14Parker, Aunt May and Happy Hogan.
06:16It's well known that Happy is played by Jon Favreau, but interestingly, Favreau also portrayed
06:21Foggy Nelson way back in the 2003 Daredevil movie.
06:32So in a way, Happy's scenes with Matt almost take on a new life entirely.
06:37Wait, is Happy Hogan actually a multiversal variant of Foggy Nelson?
06:42Eh, probably not.
06:43But it's fun to imagine what a full-blown Happyverse could look like.
06:56While Mephisto officially debuted in Ironheart, what have we told you that he was actually
07:00once an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
07:02When Nick Fury approaches Captain America about the Avengers initiative, he shares classified
07:07information with him.
07:08Hidden in the very bottom of a secret report about the Tesseract is the name Mephisto.
07:13This suggests that Mephisto has a connection not only to the Tesseract, but to S.H.I.E.L.D.
07:17as well.
07:18S.H.I.E.L.D. has done some shady stuff, but in all seriousness, it's extremely unlikely
07:22that they would hire a demon like Mephisto.
07:24That being said, him running around as a field agent sounds super funny.
07:28So that's basically our headcanon now.
07:30Well, you know what they say, the devil is always in the details.
07:37When it comes to the Mad Titan, we have lots of questions.
07:48Why is he so evil?
07:49Is he the greatest MCU villain of all time?
07:52And most importantly of all, does he have a pilot's license?
07:55When Loki is banished to the void in the first season of his show, we quickly learn that
07:59it's a wasteland.
08:00And amidst all the wreckage happens to be the remnants of a Thanoscopter.
08:04In some comics, Thanos actually had a helicopter he'd fly around in, so this is a pretty epic
08:09pull.
08:10It's just so cartoonishly zany, you can't help but love it.
08:13If Thanos makes his grand return to the MCU, then he needs to have the Thanoscopter.
08:17Sorry, but there's just no excuses.
08:19The Avengers are an incredible team, but when they actually first teamed up, it wasn't
08:32easy.
08:33In a particular scene where tempers flare up, Bruce Banner explains how he's essentially
08:37unkillable.
08:38He reveals that he once tried taking his life, but the Hulk simply put a stop to Banner's
08:42attempt.
08:43At first, it might seem a bleak story, but it's actually a reference to that deleted
08:47scene from The Incredible Hulk where everything goes as Banner said it did.
08:50It might seem like it's just Mark Ruffalo paying lip service to the 2008 Edward Norton Hulk
08:55movie, but wait, there's more here.
08:57This easter egg also seemingly canonises a previously abandoned plot point.
09:01Looks like that deleted scene is also a gif that keeps on giving.
09:06James Gunn really likes to flex his knowledge of the source material.
09:17By including The Collector in his first Guardians of the Galaxy film, he got the opportunity to
09:21include a whole assortment of recognisable oddities to thrill his fellow comic book lovers.
09:28Amidst The Collector's many cases, we can spot Cosmo the Space Dog, who many will recognise
09:36from his time with the Guardians in the comics.
09:38Then there's Howard the Duck, everyone's favourite hard-drinking mallard.
09:42You can also spot a dark elf and a Chitauri.
09:45What more could fans ask for?
09:56We've said it before and we will say it again, it's nice to see a character's first comic
10:00book appearance get an on-screen nod.
10:02While Thor's debut got a billboard, Ant-Man's actually got some lip service, courtesy of the
10:06movie's villain, Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket.
10:15The original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, made his comic book debut in Tales to Astonish No. 27, which
10:20saw the discovery of the Pym Particles and Hank's first experiences with shrinking.
10:25It was eight issues later in the same title that Dr. Pym would debut as a bona fide superhero,
10:31adopting the mantle of Ant-Man.
10:33In the film, after showing footage of Hank's early adventures, Cross loudly proclaims Tales
10:38to Astonish.
10:39It's quick, but a nice nod nonetheless.
10:44Nowadays, no one stays dead in comics.
10:55If a character is killed off, they're sure to make a triumphant return in a matter of
10:58months or years, probably with a complicated story arc detailing the means by which it's
11:03which they cheated death.
11:04But that wasn't always the case.
11:06In 1968, after 27 years of service at Captain America's side, Bucky Barnes was retroactively
11:12killed off in World War II.
11:17And he stayed dead for nearly four decades.
11:19Then in 2005, writer Ed Brubaker revived Bucky and gave us the awesome character known as the
11:25Winter Soldier.
11:26Well, when Bucky came back from the dead in the MCU, Ed Brubaker did it again by playing
11:33one of the on-screen scientists.
11:36While this TV show mostly stands alone, it has a significant tie-in to the wider MCU.
11:49In a flashback to 1942, the clandestines find a bangle, or quantum band, in an Indian temple.
11:55On the floor, you can see the symbol of the Ten Rings, the criminal organisation from Shang-Chi.
12:04But how the band ended up there remains a mystery.
12:07Wenwu might have collected various artefacts over the centuries, which may have led to an
12:11encounter with the Kree.
12:12The quantum bands might also be linked to the actual Ten Rings, as both are ancient weapons
12:16of otherworldly origins.
12:18In any case, this is an interesting little reference that sparked many theories.
12:39This one isn't exactly subtle, but hey, an iconic superhero punching one of the most
12:43hated men in history shouldn't really be subtle now, should it?
12:46During his performance for the troops, Captain America winds up and throws a simulated punch
12:50right in the Führer's face.
12:54Even without the comic book context, it would be a widely appreciated moment.
13:01But what makes it all the sweeter is the fact that this right hook is taken straight from
13:05the cover of Captain America No. 1, first published in March of 1941.
13:10Cap has weathered his fair share of changes over the years, so it was nice to see the filmmakers
13:14pay tribute to his fascist-smashing roots.
13:25Before Erik Selvig mapped out Marvel's reality in Thor The Dark World, this map was a major
13:30clue for what was to come.
13:31It marked Tony's Malibu mansion and New York, which could either be the site of the
13:35Stark Expo or the Hulk's battle in Harlem.
13:41There's also a tease of a frozen Steve Rogers in Greenland, and Thor landing in New Mexico.
13:46Then there's the hotspot in Africa that could be Wakanda, and the one in the Atlantic Ocean
13:50that's not too far from Telecon.
13:52I mean, it is genuinely impressive how they foreshadowed characters who wouldn't appear
13:55until years later.
14:07Marvel clearly hasn't shied away from paying tribute to its TV and film predecessors.
14:11In the finale to She-Hulk, we get a show opening that is straight out of the 70s.
14:24Complete with retro visuals and dramatic narration, this is a clear reference to the iconic opening
14:28titles of the Incredible Hulk series.
14:38Everything from the film grain to entire recreated shots make this a clever gag for fans of the
14:42original show.
14:43Tatiana Maslany even has a male body double, echoing Lou Ferrigno's role as the Jade Giant.
14:55Missing arms, all of Phase 2.
15:00Have you ever noticed that somebody loses an arm in every Phase 2 movie?
15:04While viewers know that Bucky lost his arm to become the Winter Soldier, there are even
15:07more severed limbs in this phase.
15:09The villains, Killian, Malekith and Klaue, all suffer this violent fate.
15:19Yellowjacket also loses his right arm to the Quantum Realm, and even Groot and Nebula experience
15:24similar losses.
15:25So how did this keep happening?
15:26Well, it's Fargy's way of honoring The Empire Strikes Back, and its impact on the
15:30franchise.
15:31Just like how Luke lost his hand to Vader, various characters in Phase 2 have the same
15:35kind of injury.
15:50There was a time when Fox's X-Men were the biggest superhero team in cinema.
15:54While Marvel Studios could have started fresh, they're honoring the Old Guard in their own
15:58way.
15:59When he attacks the Illuminati, Charles Xavier delivers some advice.
16:11The line he uses is actually from Days of Future Past, where Xavier talks to his younger and
16:15more cynical self.
16:17This moment captures the heart that Stewart brought to the role over 20 years ago.
16:21It's only fitting that he uses the quote to show his trust in Steven, and it's reassuring
16:25that his faith in others remains constant throughout the multiverse.
16:41Namor was long thought to be a character too difficult to adapt for the MCU, mostly due
16:46to rights issues with Universal.
16:48Fortunately, Wakanda Forever finally did the character justice.
16:51The film catches everything we love about the antihero, his signature intensity, regality
16:56and winged feet.
16:57They even included his comic book catchphrase in his fight with Shuri.
17:04The line, Imperius Rex, roughly translates from Latin to Empire King.
17:08Though it doesn't quite fit his Meso-American roots, it's still a great nod to the comics
17:12that showcase his arrogance and power.
17:28After his return in No Way Home, it was just a matter of time before we saw Matt Murdock show
17:32up in another project.
17:33Since She-Hulk also features a superhero lawyer, it made perfect sense for him to appear.
17:38The team-up brought thrilling fights, electric chemistry and a recognisable piece of music.
17:52Amid some banter between Jen and Matt, the opening theme to Netflix's Daredevil plays.
17:56This was a cherished callback to one of Marvel's best shows, and a reassuring sign that the elements
18:01that made it work were not being forgotten.
18:12When Thor gets stranded on Sakaar, he's forced to fight the Hulk in the contest of champions.
18:18But who held the title of champion before Bruce?
18:20As Thor is brought to the Grand Master's Palace, you can see sculptures of previous contest
18:24winners.
18:29Among them are the Hulk villains Bybeast and Darkcrawler, suggesting that they may have
18:33been defeated by him in the arena.
18:35The more recognisable faces include Ares, a former mighty Avenger, and Beta Ray Bill,
18:40an ally of Thor who's worthy of lifting his hammer.
18:43The creature known as Man-Thing also has a sculpture, so looks like he had adventures
18:47beyond escaping monster hunters in Werewolf by Night.
18:51This movie is packed with easter eggs related to Wolverine's history, and the best one
19:02is this blink-and-you-miss-it moment.
19:04As Deadpool explores the multiverse, he runs into a Logan who is about to face the Hulk.
19:09Wolverine's classic brown and tan suit is already a visual treat, but if you look closely,
19:13you can also spot the Hulk's reflection in his claws.
19:16This image recreates Todd McFarlane's cover of The Incredible Hulk number 340.
19:21The art has become iconic to Marvel fans, and seeing it brought to life on the big screen
19:25is nothing short of thrilling.
19:28More so than perhaps any other director working for Marvel, James Gunn has a deep, deep love
19:44for the source material from which he's drawing upon.
19:47While Peter Quill and company are the line-up that have seen the greatest success in terms
19:50of both comic book sales and in making it to the big screen, they are in fact the second
19:54group of oddball characters to use the label, Guardians of the Galaxy.
20:04As a nod to Guardians who came before his, Gunn brought to life some of the original crew
20:08for one of his post-credits scenes.
20:10We got to see Starhawk, Charlie-27, Martin X, Mainframe, Alita and Kruger.
20:15Oh, and let's not forget the original Guardians first enemy, Taserface.
20:33When Tom Holland donned the tights, he became the third big screen Spider-Man, but the first
20:38to join the MCU.
20:39He received a warm welcome from audiences and MCU devotees, but with Spider-Man Homecoming,
20:44he also raised a few questions, like will Tom Holland be the only Spider-Man in this universe?
20:55Donald Glover played a small-time criminal known as the Prowler, who, in the comics, is
20:59none other than the uncle of Miles Morales, who took on the role of Spider-Man after Peter's
21:04death in the Ultimate Universe.
21:06Glover also happens to voice Miles on the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, making this small
21:10moment truly fascinating.
21:23You know that a cinematic universe is doing well when it's expansive enough that it can
21:26start making references back to its early films.
21:29In Civil War, Captain America's third solo outing and fifth appearance in the franchise,
21:34the comments to friend-turned-enemy Tony Stark.
21:38Does the line sound familiar?
21:39That's because Steve Rogers is quoting a much younger version of himself from many decades
21:43back.
21:44Before undergoing the experimental treatment that turned him into the super-soldier he is
21:48today, he uttered those exact words to a jerk beating him up behind a theatre.
21:57A lot changes over time, but not the fighting spirit and optimism of Steve Rogers.
22:12This mid-credits scene was a mind-boggling development for the MCU.
22:15When Monica wakes up on another Earth, she quickly learns that her mother is not only alive
22:19in this universe, but that she's also an ally of the X-Men.
22:29Kelsey Grammer's Beast appears as well, hinting that this could be taking place in the timeline
22:33of the original X-Men movies.
22:35As Monica starts to realise what's happened, a nostalgic piece of music likely confirms the
22:39theory.
22:47The score that plays softly in the background is unmistakably John Oppmann's X-Men theme,
22:52hinting at the possibility of a future crossover.
22:56There are many ways in which Marvel has paid homage to Spider-Man's co-creators.
23:09In addition to borrowing Steve Ditko's classic costume, an important moment from the comics
23:13was brought to life here.
23:14When Peter is trapped under a collapsed building, he's left defeated and crying for help.
23:22This is a live-action take on a scene from The Amazing Spider-Man No. 33.
23:26Although the stories are different, both feature Spider-Man finding the strength to free himself.
23:37The comic has since become famous for highlighting Peter's ability to overcome self-doubt.
23:41With that context, Homecoming perfectly captures the spirit of Lee and Ditko's creation.
23:48When Spider-Man came to the MCU, we thought we'd never see Andrew Garfield as the character
24:04again.
24:05But, not only did he make a triumphant return, he also found some closure.
24:09Fans will recall that Peter failed to save Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
24:13His chance at redemption eventually came in the final act of No Way Home.
24:17When MJ falls from the Statue of Liberty, Peter III immediately springs into action and
24:21saves her.
24:28He then takes a beat to recover, reflecting on Gwen's heartbreaking death.
24:32It's one of the film's most emotional moments, especially for those who have followed Garfield's
24:36journey as Spider-Man from the beginning.
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24:55There was a time when an appearance from the man himself was a guarantee in every Marvel
25:09movie.
25:10But even then, we wondered how all of his characters could exist within the same universe.
25:13Thankfully, we got an answer to this question.
25:15In Guardians Vol. 2, Lee cameos as an informant for the Watchers, a race of beings who observe
25:22the multiverse.
25:28We watch him in the middle of telling a story about his time as a delivery driver.
25:32This is a reference to his cameo in Captain America Civil War.
25:35If those two are the same character, it's likely that all his characters are the same person,
25:39even the barber who cut Thor's hair.
25:54That's the point.
25:55Let's go.
25:56I hope you enjoyed that.
25:57Good luck.
25:58We'll see you in the next video.
25:59Thanks.
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