Over its twelve-year tenure, the MCU has gifted superhero fans with some of the greatest comic-based films ever. Even the occasional misstep (Thor: The Dark World) hasn't slowed the Marvel train from rolling out hits like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and the current crowned prince of superhero cinema: Avengers: Endgame. But hidden within even the best of the bunch are scenes that make no sense, jokes that fall completely flat, and se tpieces that lack any real creativity. Here are ten bad moments in otherwise great MCU Films.
10 The Fight in the Vibranium Mine - Black Panther
From T'Challa and Kilmonger's fight for the throne to the kinetic Casino fight, Black Panther is packed to the brim with stunning, well-choreographed fight scenes — which makes it all the more disappointing that for the climax, the filmmakers decided to toss out everything that made those fights special in favor of a smorgasbord of poorly-rendered CGI murk.
Yes, the effects were created with motion capture, but centering the final fight of the movie around two CG creations in a CG environment makes the punches seem softer and the stakes decidedly lower. It doesn't help that the Vibranium mine is easily the most visually uninteresting location in the entire film. On the bright side, Kilmonger's final dialogue with T'Challa is one of the most profound moments in any MCU film. It's just unfortunate that it had to come after such a lackluster action sequence.
9 The Introduction of Professor Hulk - Avengers: Endgame
It's no secret that Endgame is the best of the MCU's output. But at just over three hours, it's a butt-numbing experience and nothing stands out as "cutting room floor" material more than the prolonged introduction of Professor Hulk. Outside of completing Bruce Banner's character arc offscreen, this scene suffers from an influx of bad humor. The "no one wants a picture with Ant-Man" gag goes on far too long, the dialogue is nothing but exposition and did anyone really want to see the Hulk dabbing? In a film packed to the brim with incredible scenes, this one stands out as unnecessary, plodding and humorless.
8 The Death of The Warriors Three - Thor: Ragnorak
Ragnorak is the best of the Thor films by an incredibly wide margin. But if there's one scene that just felt altogether wrong, it was Hela's arrival on Asgard and swift execution of the Warriors Three. Sure, they weren't exactly scene-stealers, but after two films with the Warriors supporting Thor and coming to his rescue, watching Hela cut them down in a matter of seconds is disheartening to say the least. Their entire involvement in the saga of Thor ends with all the weight of a nameless Asgardian being cut down by the Goddess of Death. At least Lady Sif survived?
7 The Origin of Fury's Missing Eye - Captain Marvel
An alien cat scratch? Really?
While the surrounding movie is a strong piece of superhero cinema, turning one of the best mysteries of the Infinity Saga into a punchline robs Fury of some of his imposing swagger, and retcons one of his best lines in The Winter Soldier: "Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye." Are we seriously supposed to believe he's talking about a cat?
6 The Decimation of Xandar - Avengers: Infinity War
Without even a flashback or insert, Thor informs the Guardians during his first encounter with the ragtag crew that Planet Xandar was destroyed and the Power Stone stolen during a blitz of destruction from Thanos a week earlier. Much like the death of the Warriors Three, this is a moment that could've used a bit more gravitas, as the final cut barely even acknowledges the weight of that information. If it were just some random planet where the stone was being hidden, this might've been okay, but it feels odd seeing the Guardians barely react to the news that the planet they saved together still ended up a big pile of cinders.
5 Crash Landing on Planet Ego - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II
Stakes are what make an action scene engaging. The idea that a character, especially a fan favorite, could be killed during a fight is what gives that scene weight, whereas watching characters survive impossible situations with relative ease can highly dampen the stakes. Take the crash landing sequence on Planet Ego in GOTG: Vol. II. It's fun, sure. But it's hard to believe that Drax could ever be in danger from another character after we witness him being thrown around like a ragdoll on the end of a rope attached to a crashing spacecraft.
Were he a human being, he'd be dead simply from the whiplash, not to mention colliding with about a thousand trees and skidding across hundreds of yards of forest ground. The scene does damage to later action sequences because we now know that Drax can pretty much be thrown into a woodchipper and come out unscathed.
4 "What the F*@!"- Spider-Man: Far From Home
This may be cheating, because the scene itself is as fantastic as the movie surrounding it. But the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home will forever be marred if the Sony/Marvel deal isn't resolved before his next solo outing. For those unaware, Far From Home ends with the best cliffhanger in MCU history this side of The Snap. *SPOILER* After defeating Mysterio, Spider-Man swings through New York only to discover that the globe-headed antagonist created a falsified video portraying the wall-crawler as a villain and revealing his secret identity to the public.
It's a one-two punch as the classic "Spider-Man is a Menace" trope finally makes its way to the MCU, and introduces J. Jonah Jameson (played once again by the brilliant J.K. Simmons) to the story. However, should things stay as combative as they currently are between the two powerhouse studios, this ending will most likely be retconned or completely disregarded, as Sony will no longer be able to reference MCU events in their solo Spider-Man stories.
3 Fortnite - Avengers: Endgame
Easily the most jarring product placement gag in recent memory was Endgame's weird shoutout to the Epic Game's Fortnite in Thor's re-introduction. It's understandable, as Fortnite developed limited-time crossover events where players could play as either Thanos, the Chitauri or the Avengers. But just imagine how weird it'll be to explain this and Hulk dabbing to your kids in ten years.
2 Quill Loses His Cool - Avengers: Infinity War
After finally subduing Thanos, the Avengers on Planet Titan attempt to pry the Infinity Gauntlet from the maniac's hand. Star-Lord, cocky and not thinking clearly, decides to take this time to interrogate Thanos about the whereabouts of Gamora. Then comes a string of incredibly bad decisions.
Nebula, as opposed to reading the room, interprets to Quill that Thanos likely murdered Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone. Iron Man pleads for Quill to stay cool. He doesn't, coming completely unhinged, beating Thanos about the head until he awakens from his trance and regains the upper hand. Fans turned on Star-Lord, citing this scene as the one that led directly to the downfall of the Avengers in Infinity War. We can see why.
1 Steve and Sharon's Kiss - Captain America: Civil War
Remember Sharon Carter? The butt-kicking niece of S.H.I.E.L.D. Founder, Peggy Carter? While she was integral to the story of Steve Rogers in the comics, Sharon's role in the MCU is subdued, to say the least. A brief kiss with Captain Rogers before the airport battle in Civil War ends the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's arc and highlights that while Marvel might've had big plans for her character, they were swiftly abandoned once the filmmakers started planning Infinity War/Endgame. A character who should've been Steve's main love interest becomes nothing more than a footnote. Looking back, Steve and Sharon's kiss just reads like an awkward peck on the lips between Captain America and the niece of his true love. Ick.