- 3 months ago
From wonky CGI to cringe-worthy character decisions, Marvel has hit some serious bumps in the road! Join us as we count down the most divisive MCU moments that left fans scratching their heads. Whether it's forced comedy, bizarre relationships, or disappointing villain reveals, these are the scenes that had audiences collectively groaning.
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00:00I never thought people had been hurt. They lied to me.
00:04This is the Mandarin?
00:05I know, it's embarrassing.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the most divisive MCU moments.
00:14We'll be getting into spoilers for various MCU projects, so consider this your warning.
00:19I mean, this girl died trying to stop you.
00:24Number 20. Yelena's Wonky CGI, Black Widow
00:28Marvel has gotten plenty of flack in recent years for its, at times, poor CGI,
00:33and one of its worst offenders has to be this moment with Yelena.
00:36Moments before successfully destroying a helicarrier turbine, she stands tall, ready to risk her life.
00:42Don't do it! This was fun!
00:45Except, it's pretty painfully obvious that the environment she's in isn't real,
00:50and that she's just in front of a green screen.
00:52Needless to say, it kind of kills the tension.
00:58Plus, the explosion after the turbine blows up doesn't look too great either.
01:05Look at those flames, and you can tell something's off.
01:07This was hardly a nail in the coffin for the MCU,
01:10but it did prove that Marvel's VFX skills were a shadow of their former self.
01:14Number 19. Steve Kissing Sharon, Captain America, Civil War
01:25Relationships can be tricky, especially if you're Steve Rogers.
01:29On the surface, there doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with Captain America sharing a romantic kiss with Sharon Carter.
01:34However, once you realize that she's the great niece of Steve's old World War II love Peggy Carter,
01:44it makes this dynamic a little problematic.
01:47And this kiss is even weirder now since in Endgame,
01:50Captain America went back in time and rewrote history to grow old with Peggy.
01:54Yeah, this is probably the definition of messy.
02:02While some weren't bothered by the Steve and Sharon romance,
02:05it was still overall a divisive decision from the MCU.
02:08Ultimately, it's probably best that Captain America not romantically pursue too many members of the Carter family.
02:14Thanks for walking me back.
02:16Sure.
02:17Number 18. Smart Hulk's Debut, Avengers Endgame.
02:21The Incredible Hulk was once a monster of unstoppable rage.
02:25So what happened?
02:26Well, somewhere along the way, the MCU decided to try something different by making Hulk smart.
02:31It arguably didn't pay off.
02:33The second we saw him just hanging out in a diner and chatting like it was nothing,
02:37we knew something was seriously wrong.
02:39I put the brains and the bra together and now look at me.
02:44Best of both worlds.
02:46By making Hulk essentially just Bruce Banner all of the time, it made the character boring.
02:50What makes things worse is that ever since Endgame,
02:53he's been drafted to the sidelines and arguably hasn't done anything of value.
02:57Either it's all a joke or none of it is.
03:00Sorry, but Smart Hulk was a pretty dumb decision.
03:03Hopefully the Hulk can bounce back.
03:04Otherwise, he might fade into irrelevancy.
03:07It's like I was made for this.
03:12Number 17.
03:13Jane Absorbing the Aether, Thor The Dark World
03:15When Jane gets a power-up in the form of the magical substance called the Aether,
03:20it poses quite a few problems for her.
03:22The most obvious is that it's slowly killing her,
03:24but it also has the side effect of dampening her as a character.
03:33By becoming infected with the Aether,
03:35it turns Jane into a living MacGuffin for the bad guys to hunt.
03:38Instead of being her own person, she's now a damsel in distress.
03:42Being relegated to a tired trope like this is hardly a satisfying outcome to say the least.
03:46I'm not hungry.
03:47Good. Let's go.
03:51On the bright side, Jane eventually became her own hero as the mighty Thor,
03:55but that doesn't change the fact that her role in The Dark World was ultimately pretty lackluster.
04:01You kind of committed treason on our way out.
04:04Number 16.
04:05Fastos claiming responsibility for the atomic bomb, The Eternals
04:09Chloe Zhao's interpretation of The Eternals was a creative misfire.
04:13One of the reasons for the poor reception definitely has to be connected to Fastos.
04:17This particular Eternal is revealed to have helped humanity develop into technological titans.
04:23However, Fastos is later tormented by his actions due to the destruction that was caused by the atomic bomb.
04:28I did this if my technology hadn't helped them advance.
04:34In fact, he basically considers himself solely responsible for the carnage that followed.
04:39Shifting all the blame from a real-life figure like Oppenheimer onto a fictional character is already strange.
04:45They're not worth saving.
04:46But what makes it worse is the MCU basically saying one of their few LGBT heroes caused the death of millions.
04:53Yeah, maybe the MCU should have thought that through.
04:56Yeah, incredibly natural, guys.
04:59Number 15.
05:01Darcy Lewis having a kid with Howard the Duck.
05:03What if?
05:04Remember how we said earlier that relationships can be tricky?
05:07Well, occasionally, some relationships can feel like a crime against humanity.
05:11Sorry, but that's really all we can think of in regards to this particular situation.
05:15Will you look at us nesting?
05:17In an episode of What If?
05:19Darcy Lewis not only falls in love with Howard the Duck, but also has a baby with him.
05:24Yep, you heard that right.
05:26Howard, it's our baby!
05:27Or it will be, right?
05:30Calling this relationship bizarre isn't enough to paint a picture about how strange this thing is.
05:35It raises a whole bunch of questions that, quite frankly, we're too afraid to ask.
05:39Is this really a ship that any MCU fan can honestly say they're rooting for?
05:43Seriously.
05:44What the duck was in the water that these writers were drinking?
05:47And parents are the greatest heroes of all.
05:52Number 14.
05:53Sympathizing the wrong crowd.
05:55The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
05:56Oftentimes, movies and TV shows like to make villains redeemable.
06:01While it's important to give the bad guys understandable motives, it's also important
06:05to reaffirm that they're not good people.
06:07At the tail end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson tries to suggest that the
06:11Flag Smashers were simply misunderstood.
06:13The terrorists only set us back a bit.
06:15You have to stop calling them terrorists.
06:17Considering that they were basically a terrorist group during the whole show, it's a little
06:21hard to buy what kept selling.
06:23The whole scene just came across as clunky and heavy-handed.
06:26The only power I have is that I believe we can do better.
06:31Are we really supposed to feel bad for Carly and the rest of the Flag Smashers after all
06:36of the deaths they caused?
06:37Their actions are inexcusable.
06:39This all goes to show how sympathetic villains require time and dedication, not a bunch of
06:44sloppy shortcuts.
06:4513.
06:46How Nick Fury ACTUALLY Lost His Eye – Captain Marvel
06:58There are a lot of cool ways that Nick Fury could have lost his eye in the MCU.
07:02Unfortunately, the actual way it happened wasn't one of them.
07:06In Captain Marvel, we see an alien cat named Goose scratch Nick Fury in the eye, which would
07:10lead to him getting his iconic eye patch.
07:15It's a bit of a letdown to have a cat be the reason that Fury lost his eye, especially
07:19since before this, the MCU made it seem like he lost it in some grand spectacular way.
07:2313.
07:24Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.
07:26It's another frustrating example of Marvel leaning into unnecessary gags while undoing the
07:31impact of plot points because of it.
07:33Our word of advice for the MCU, less force comedy.
07:3612.
07:37King's Defeat – Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania
07:43Way before Jonathan Majors wound up in controversy, the writing was on the wall for King the Conqueror
07:48either way.
07:49That's because during the climatic showdown of Quantumania between him and Ant-Man,
07:54King fell victim to the biggest threat of all, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
07:58Look, even if you never liked King the Conqueror, you can't deny that the character was done
08:05dirty here.
08:06The fact that Marvel also has yet to recast him means that our last impression of him
08:09is an incredibly sour one.
08:15This was meant to be one of the MCU's next big bads, but instead he went out like a jobber.
08:20And even if Kang does return, this humiliating defeat will never be forgotten.
08:3211.
08:33Taskmaster's Identity – Black Widow
08:35Taskmaster has never been Marvel's main character or anything, but he's had his fans.
08:40So when Taskmaster finally debuted in the MCU, and it wasn't Anthony Masters, it ruffled
08:46a lot of feathers.
08:53Beyond the identity change, the new character just didn't have anything going for her.
08:57She wasn't witty or exciting like Taskmaster was in the comics.
09:01Instead Antonia was just a generic mean looking villain.
09:03And the real kicker is that even if you were willing to give this new version of Taskmaster
09:11a chance, the MCU clearly wasn't.
09:14The next appearance Taskmaster made was in Thunderbolts, where she was killed off without
09:18a care in the world.
09:19If you're going to switch a character up, at least commit to seeing that new version through.
09:25With tragedy looming over the production, Ryan Coogler delivered a worthy follow-up to his
09:39Oscar-winning game-changer.
09:40That is, whenever the focus was kept on Wakanda.
09:43The film comes to a screeching halt whenever it cuts to Everett K. Ross and Valentina Allegra
09:52de Fontaine, who used to be married by the way.
09:56What do they have to do with the conflict between Shuri and Namor?
09:59Nothing crucial.
10:00And from the second their subplot surfaces, the film's momentum slows down.
10:05We like Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in these roles, but this should have been designated
10:10to a Disney Plus series or post-credits scene.
10:19As a subplot in the highly anticipated Black Panther sequel, it enables one of Marvel's
10:25worst habits, shoehorning in previews for future projects.
10:28Ever thought what we would be doing if the US was the only country in the world with vibranium?
10:34I actually dream about that.
10:38Number 9.
10:39Superhero Names – The Marvels
10:40Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan have code names, although Monica Rambeau is comfortable just
10:45being Monica Rambeau.
10:47This doesn't sit well with Kamala, who insists on workshopping potential aliases.
10:58The Marvels isn't the first superhero movie to do this joke, and that's precisely the
11:02problem.
11:03It feels like every superhero movie nowadays has an awkward scene where a main character
11:08brainstorms names.
11:21This might have been a little funny at first, but it's become one of the genre's most
11:25redundant tropes.
11:27The Marvels arguably drove it into the ground.
11:30As Kamala tries to make Professor Marvel happen, it's not going to happen.
11:43This running gag reflects the film's larger problem.
11:46It has nothing new to offer, which may be why this was a rare Marvel bomb.
11:52Number 8.
11:53The Ice Cream Song – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
12:02Multiverse of Madness is a solid addition to Phase 4, as long as you don't think too
12:07hard about the plot.
12:08That said, why is Wanda drawn to this particular reality?
12:13There are infinite others she could slip into, preferably one with vision, yet she solely
12:18focuses on this one.
12:20Why?
12:21Because Billie and Tommy sang her a cringy song about ice cream.
12:24Yeah, let's talk about that.
12:33We sensed the filmmakers were going for innocence, but how many kids sing when they want ice cream?
12:39It comes across as disingenuous and pandering.
12:42What's worse, the song is a lyrical train wreck, and the kid actors, despite trying their
12:47best to sell it, just seem embarrassed.
12:50This is when Wanda should have started looking for another reality.
12:57Number 7.
12:58Ralph Boner – WandaVision WandaVision remains one of the MCU's best post-end
13:04game projects.
13:05On the heels of arguably its most buzz-worthy moment, though, the series pulled an unfortunate
13:10boner.
13:19Episode 5 ends with the bombshell that Wanda recast Pietro with Evan Peters, suggesting that
13:26the X-Men have finally arrived in the MCU.
13:28The finale trolled us big time, revealing that this isn't Quicksilver from another universe.
13:43He's just a random neighbor that Wanda cast as her brother to keep up the ruse.
13:48To add insult to injury, they named the character Ralph Boner, emphasizing just how useless this
13:55subplot was.
13:56We wouldn't be so upset if Peter's debut hadn't built up such promise.
14:07The twist stopped the hype train dead in its tracks.
14:10Number 6.
14:11Pip the Troll – Eternals
14:14The plot wasn't especially engaging, and we still can't remember most of the characters'
14:24names, but at least Eternals had some lovely visuals.
14:27Then, we got to the post-credits scene.
14:33We feel like Marvel thought Harry Styles' Star Fox would be the key takeaway.
14:39Audiences were far more distracted by his abominable CGI companion, Pip the Troll.
14:44It's always great hearing Patton Oswalt's voice.
14:47Ironically, though, it probably would've been funnier and less costly if Oswalt showed up
14:52wearing pointy ears.
15:00At last, Marvel went the digital route, reportedly not giving the effects team much time to perfect
15:05Pip's appearance.
15:06Marvel rushing overworked VFX artists?
15:09You don't say.
15:11While Pip might have been the mascot for Marvel's CGI woes for a period, the worst had
15:16yet to come.
15:17Number 5.
15:18Rhodey is a Skrull – Secret Invasion
15:21Please tell me this isn't true.
15:22Are you listening to this insanity?
15:24Of course it isn't true.
15:25Between Maria Hill's unceremonious death and the AI scandal surrounding the opening titles,
15:31Secret Invasion left numerous viewers saying, you know, we don't have to watch everything
15:37MCU-related, even if you gave up after one episode.
15:40It was hard to escape the online backlash concerning Rhodey.
15:44In episode 4, we learned that a Skrull named Rava has been posing as him.
15:49The real Rhodey is rescued in the finale, but exactly how long has he been incapacitated?
15:54You've been held hostage for a long time.
16:00Director Ali Saleem suggested it might have been around his accident in Civil War, meaning
16:06the Rhodey from Infinity War onward may have been a Skrull.
16:09Time will only tell if that's the case, but this twist left many fans worried that Rhodey's
16:14character arc was ruined.
16:19Number 4.
16:20The Mandarin Twist
16:22Iron Man 3
16:23Before Phase 4, fans would defend the MCU with a vengeance whenever somebody criticized
16:29it.
16:30Even the most apologetic die-hards took issue with the Mandarin reveal, however.
16:34Ben Kingsley establishes a menacing presence as Tony Stark's archenemy, only to later be
16:39exposed as an actor named Trevor Slattery.
16:42Instead, we're stuck with Guy Pearce as another villain whose name we can't remember.
17:00Don't tell us in the comments.
17:10At the time, this was easily the MCU's most infamous moment.
17:15Shang-Chi made up for it almost a decade later, introducing the real Mandarin and even bringing
17:20back Kingsley in a humorous callback.
17:22Oh, hello loves.
17:25What year is it?
17:27While this softened the blow, it's disappointing that we'll never get to see Iron Man go up
17:31against the true Mandarin in this continuity.
17:34Number 3.
17:35Megan Thee Stallion
17:36She-Hulk Attorney at Law
17:38Few MCU projects have divided people like She-Hulk.
17:41I possess the most advanced entertainment algorithm in the world, and it produces near-perfect products.
17:47Near-perfect?
17:48Some are better than others.
17:50Where some think it's a fun meta-commentary, the haters say it's an insult to the MCU,
17:55pointing to the Megan Thee Stallion meme as Exhibit A.
17:58That's right!
17:59There's only one Megan Thee Stallion!
18:01Next to mine!
18:03Ah!
18:04Fans have argued that there's a double standard claiming that if Deadpool twerked with the
18:08rapper, there wouldn't be such discourse.
18:10To an extent, we agree.
18:12But there's a key difference.
18:14Consistency.
18:15Even when emotionally invested, Deadpool never takes anything that seriously.
18:20A beautiful, hairless, twisted-legged baby boy.
18:22Oh, Christ.
18:23It's disturbing.
18:24Jennifer Walters wants to be taken seriously as a lawyer, but she occasionally acts like
18:29a college freshman.
18:30So, when you have her twerking with the body singer, it can feel unbalanced.
18:39Regardless, Tatiana Maslany said shooting the scene was the greatest day and moment of
18:45her life.
18:46Oh, you are way more fun than my last lawyer.
18:49I will kill for you, Megan Thee Stallion.
18:51Style it back.
18:52Number 2.
18:53Axel's Head.
18:54Thor Loving Thunder.
18:55Astrid.
18:56Your father gave you a very tough Viking name and I intend to honor his witches.
18:59Axel.
19:00Astrid.
19:01I said Axel.
19:02Astrid.
19:03Axel!
19:04With Thor Ragnarok, the MCU and director Taika Waititi were at their apex.
19:09When they intersected again, both were going through creative rough patches.
19:13If you thought Thor Loving Thunder would be the shot in the arm Marvel and Waititi needed,
19:18we refer you to the screaming goats.
19:20Giant goats.
19:21Oh, look at those.
19:22They are wonderful.
19:23Oh, look at that.
19:24Those things are beautiful.
19:26If that's not enough to make our point, lo and behold, this lackluster effect.
19:31For a film that otherwise has some astounding visuals, this looks like something out of
19:36Spongebob Squarepants.
19:38I am a simple tumbleweed.
19:40Call me Sage.
19:41Sage.
19:42Hey Sage.
19:43The effects aside, the interplay between Thor and Astrid, we mean Axel, just isn't
19:49funny.
19:50The filmmakers seemingly thought otherwise as the bit goes on forever.
19:54Hey, how's it going, kids?
19:55How's it going?
19:56Look where we are.
19:57We're in a cage made of spikes.
19:59Yeah, that's right.
20:00No good.
20:01We appreciate that Marvel has a sense of humor, but not every scene needs to force banter.
20:07Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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20:21Number 1.
20:25MODOK.
20:26Ant-Man and the Wasp.
20:27Quantumania.
20:28Darren is dead!
20:29Darren is only MODOK!
20:32For a film about Ant-Man and the Wasp, Quantumania focused more on teasing Kang and his variants.
20:39We all know how that turned out.
20:41While Jonathan Major's controversy didn't help, Kang isn't the biggest problem in Quantumania.
20:47That would be MODOK.
20:48And here we are again.
20:50Face to face.
20:51That's a face.
20:52That's a big face.
20:53Okay, let's be fair.
20:57This character's design in the comics is already pretty silly.
21:04Translating it into a photorealistic environment was always going to be a challenge.
21:09That said, his stretched out face isn't just laughably bad for a multi-million dollar film.
21:15The character is downright unpleasant to look at, making us wish he kept his mask on.
21:22Even if he had anything funny to say, we're too busy wondering how an MCU movie has less appealing effects than Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
21:34Are there any MCU ruining moments we forgot all of the horror stories down in the comments below?
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