Keeping projects as big as Marvel films under wraps is no easy task. Hundreds of people work on these films, which means there are thousands of opportunities for someone to spill a few secrets about a new character or a vital plot point. Marvel executives put a lot of time and effort into stopping leaks before they occur. Any little bit of information regarding future films’ characters or events can completely spoil a movie for audiences. Aside from intentional leaks (which occasionally do occur) spoilers aren’t supposed to happen. Not surprisingly, they frequently do.
Ordinarily, fans assume leaks come from the inside: disgruntled employees willing to take a quick pic or an interview gone awry with an unprepared actor. While these kinds of leaks do happen, a lot of MCU “leaks” aren’t so insidious. The vast majority of leaks and spoilers come from toys -- yes, toys. MCU films spurns tons of toy lines, including complex LEGO sets, detailed action figures, and life-size accessories. These toys are so well done that they sometimes say more than they’re supposed to say. Toy lines usually come out before a movie hits theaters since they act as pre-release advertising. This means that, in order to create successful, film-accurate toys, toy makers have to include specific elements. Naturally, these detailed toys sometimes divulge a little too much information. The toy-spoiler epidemic has hit recent MCU films particularly hard. There’s even a toy leak for Avengers 4, even though we know practically nothing about. CBR takes a look at past (and future) toys that spoiled Marvel movies.
20 HEIMDALL'S FATE
Before Avengers: Infinity War came out, fans knew every character wasn’t going to make it to Avengers 4. They just didn’t know who wouldn’t make it. Observant fans found a significant spoiler in an Infinity War Thor action figure that’s gripping the Hofund, aka The Bifrost Sword. It didn’t seem like much, but for Thor fans, it was a fatal blow.
Throughout the other MCU movies he’s been in, Heimdall is never without his trusty sword, which allows him to access the Bifrost. Having a Thor figure holding the Hofund practically solidified Heimdall’s demise in the minds of fans way before that morbid opening scene where Thanos ends him.
19 IRON SPIDER'S ABILITIES
With each MCU movie debut comes a slew of costume changes. From Thor’s face paint in Thor: Ragnarok to Black Widow’s ever-evolving hair color, MCU characters love to sport dramatically different looks with every passing year. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker rocks a few different costumes, but he ultimately turns down Stark’s pièce de résistance Spidey-suit because he doesn’t want to join the Avengers.
Not surprisingly, that changes in Avengers: Infinity War. In the trailer for the film, Parker’s rocking the new gold-embellished suit. However, fans didn’t learn about the costume’s comic origins until a LEGO playset planted a serious spoiler. The mechanical spider arms on the LEGO figure revealed the suit to be a version of the famous Iron Spider costume.
18 CULL OBSIDIAN
Out of all of the characters in Thanos’ Black Order, Cull Obsidian got the least amount of screen time and dialogue. He was honestly nothing more than a filler character, racking up even less characterization than Steppenwolf in Justice League. Perhaps his lackluster character has something to do with the seemingly unintentional reveal of his name via a LEGO Avengers: Infinity War playset.
The Hulk-wannabe is a known character of the Black Order in the comics, but for fans who don’t read comics, this was a bit of a spoiler. After all, everything about Infinity War was supposed to be under wraps. We’re assuming that this guy was so unnecessary to the plot that toy creators didn’t mind slapping his name on the LEGO box.
17 SHOCKER REVEAL
Spider-Man: Homecoming focuses more on Peter Parker’s character and less on his famous rogues' gallery, which is why the main antagonist of the film is the less-than-popular Vulture. Alongside Vulture, Homecoming writers snuck in another Spidey foe: the Shocker.
Before the release of the film, nothing was said about the inclusion of the Shocker. It was, assumedly, supposed to be a secret. Thanks to his clearly-labeled toy, that secret didn’t last. The packaging announced everything a spoiler-thirsty fan would want to know, including the name of the villain, his costume, and his undisputed role in Homecoming. Of course, the Shocker doesn’t play a huge role in the film. This might be why Marvel executives let this spoiler slide.
16 BRUCE BANNER AS HULKBUSTER
The Bruce Banner “arc” that started in Thor: Ragnarok and is set to conclude in Avengers 4 has become a popular plot for Hulk fans. It’s become so popular that fans quickly caught onto the huge spoiler that was hidden in an Infinity War LEGO playset. In the set, Bruce is controlling Tony Stark’s Iron Man-esque Hulkbuster suit... which, inadvertently meant he wasn’t in Hulk form.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Bruce has trouble transforming into Hulk, although he is able to do it once. Fans weren’t sure who they would be seeing in Avengers: Infinity War: Bruce or Hulk. Thanks to the playset, Hulk fans could prepare themselves for the inevitable absence of everyone’s favorite big green guy.
15 RAGNAROK BATTLE SCENE
For LEGO collectors, the exact set-up for the final battle scene in Thor: Ragnarok was well-known long before the film hit screens. The LEGO set called “The Ultimate Battle for Asgard” features all of the characters that make up the climactic scene in the movie. Thor’s team of Valkyrie and Bruce made it to the set, along with the Grandmaster’s brightly colored party ship.
Some of the bigger spoilers from the set include Hela’s wolf Fenrir and Bruce’s human form. While the trailer showed Fenrir, fans weren’t sure which side he would be fighting on. The playset made it clear that Fenrir was working with Hela. The set also showed Bruce out of Hulk form, which told fans that, at some point, he’d transform.
14 GIANT-MAN
The creators behind Captain America: Civil War faced a tiny problem when it came to Ant-Man -- how could a pea-sized man take on opponents like Iron Man? The solution was simple: make him bigger. Civil War saw the reveal of Scott Lang’s ability to make himself bigger than a building. However, fans didn’t know he would have growing powers, since the trailer didn’t directly show them. It wasn’t until Funko released a super-sized figure called “Giant-Man” that people began to realize what Civil War had in store.
The appearance of the so-called “Giant-Man” persona was controversial. Ant-Man director Peyton Reed clearly stated that he wanted to introduce Scott’s growing powers in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The Funko spoiler only fanned the flames.
13 TWO-EYED THOR
Thor losing his eye in Thor: Ragnarok was a huge surprise for audiences. It brought up a lot of questions about Thor’s depth perception and his uncanny resemblance to Anthony Hopkins. In short, it threw a lot of MCU fans off. To no surprise, Thor easily gained a new eye in Avengers: Infinity War. While most of us could’ve probably predicted that, a Thor action figure gave us undoubtable certainty.
All of the Thor action figures that hit shelves prior to the films released featured not one but two eyes. The eyepatch from Thor: Ragnarok was nowhere to be found which could only mean one thing: half-blind Thor was no more.
12 DR. STRANGE ANTAGONIST
In Dr. Strange comics, Dormammu is the ultimate villain. He stars in many of the Sorcerer Supreme’s most dangerous adventures, so his role in the MCU film Dr. Strange was a no-brainer. What fans didn’t know was who else would be acting as the antagonist in the movie.
Dormammu is a classic villain, but he doesn’t add a lot of humanity to the plot. A lot of fans guessed correctly that there’d be a second villain in the mix. A toy action figure revealed that Kaecilius would be that second villain. In the comics, he isn’t very well-known, so the choice came as a pretty big surprise.
11 KILLMONGER'S SUIT
In late 2017, a line of Black Panther toys teased the appearances of some of the film’s most prevalent characters. T’Challa was obviously the most popular of the action figures, but the toy for the film’s antagonist, Erik Killmonger, raised the most eyebrows. Killmonger’s figure was wearing a Black Panther suit that looked eerily similar to T’Challa’s own suit.
Even casual fans could connect the dots on this one: at some point in the film, there would be a fight between two Black Panthers. As with the Thor: Ragnarok playset, the Killmonger figure inadvertently gave away the most climatic part of the movie.
10 MOUTHLESS MERC
Non-MCU Marvel movies haven’t had near as many toy lines as MCU films, so there aren’t as many spoilers to add to our list. Really, the only notable one comes from the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine where the character Deadpool got a serious makeover. Before anyone saw Ryan Reynolds’ first attempt at Deadpool on-screen, the film got a toy line featuring the so-called “Merc with a Mouth.”
Except, in this case, he didn’t have a mouth. Fans were outraged when they saw the strange mouthless version of Deadpool that held almost no resemblance to his comic book counterpart. The Deadpool toy spoiler was just the first of a string of bad omens for one of the worst X-Men movies ever made.
9 ULTRON'S VISION
Before Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, a lot of fans suspected that MCU writers would add another Avenger, along with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, to the fold. Since everyone knew the villain would be Ultron, Vision seemed like the obvious choice for those familiar with the comics.
Still, it wasn’t official until a new line of Age of Ultron action figures arrived. Hasbro Toys clearly labeled the red, green, and yellow superhero “Marvel’s Vision”. The figure’s resemblance to J.A.R.V.I.S voice actor Paul Bettany made it clear who would be taking on the on-screen role. The “secret” (if anyone could call it that) was officially out.
8 STORMBREAKER
Much of Thor’s character arc in Avengers: Infinity War has to do with trying to regain the power he lost after Hela destroyed Mjolnir. Thor is the God of Thunder no matter what, but a weapon to siphon that energy comes in handy. In Infinity War, Thor goes to great lengths to create the incredibly powerful ax known as the Stormbreaker.
With something as important to the overall plot of the film as the Stormbreaker, you would think Marvel executives would want to keep it under wraps. They probably did their best, but the Stormbreaker electronic ax toy slipped through the cracks. The spoiler was a huge deal since a lot of fans were wondering what a hammer-less Thor would do against Thanos.
7 CAPTAIN AMERICA'S GAUNTLETS
The Captain America of Avengers: Infinity War was unlike any version of Cap that viewers had seen before. His fugitive look, complete with a beard, long hair, and a notably absent shield, appeared in the trailer. T’Challa can be heard telling someone to get Steve a new (presumably vibranium) shield, but viewers never saw the weapon. It wasn’t until pictures of the Captain America collectible figure came out that fans got to see Steve’s new Wakandan gauntlets.
This spoiler wasn’t huge, since most MCU fans already knew Steve would be getting some sort of new weapon. Still, for those who wanted to be surprised in theaters by the new version of Cap, this toy might’ve been a big disappointment.
6 PEPPER TO THE RESCUE
Gwyneth Paltrow teased the inclusion of the armored hero Rescue in Avengers 4, but it was only speculation. In the photo, Paltrow seemed to be wearing Pepper Potts’ a purple Iron Man suit. This led many fans to assume Rescue would be making her first appearance in the film. Soon after posting the photo, Paltrow took it down. This only spurned more people to assume the spoiler was true.
Thankfully, Paltrow herself never had to come out and say what everyone already knew. A leaked photo of a set of Avengers 4 action figures revealed a Rescue toy. According to the leak (which looked pretty official), Pepper Potts will definitely be suiting up for the next Avengers film.
5 THOR'S TEAM-UP
The LEGO playset, aptly named“Thor’s Weapon Quest,” contained countless spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War. Through the set, fans learned that Rocket, Groot, and Thor were going to team up at some point during the film. Even worse, they learned that the trio would end up going to Nidavellir to fulfill Thor’s search. Groot’s extended arm and Rocket’s ship revealed their roles in creating the Stormcaster.
Since other toys had already revealed the Stormcaster itself, LEGO threw that in there too. This LEGO version of Thor also has two eyes which, given the number of spoilers this playset gave, is pretty inconsequential.
4 OFFICIALLY AN AVENGER
Avengers: Age of Ultron added tons of new characters to the Avengers line-up and gave the franchise a fresh feel. Along with Vision and Scarlet Witch, MCU writers added War Machine to the crime-fighting club. Viewers had seen War Machine in numerous Iron Man films, since he’s one of Tony Stark’s closest friends.
The difference is in the name. Age of Ultron was the first Avengers film War Machine appeared in. Fans had no idea War Machine would become a member of the big leagues until his action figure popped up in stores. War Machine’s new role as an Avenger also solidified just how huge of a conflict Ultron would cause in the film. The Avengers needing to call in reinforcements is a big deal.
3 SANCTUM SANCTORUM
The trailer for Avengers: Infinity War hinted at a team-up between Dr. Strange and Spider-Man but fans didn’t get any details. With as many heroes as Infinity War features, they have to meet up and team up somehow... it’s just a matter of how. The LEGO playset known as “Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown” pits Strange and Peter Parker against Thanos’ child Cull Obsidian.
As the name suggests, the setting is Strange’s Sanctorum, which appears near the beginning of the film. This isn’t one of the biggest spoilers on the list. Still, it did give fans a small preview of a pretty exciting scene in the film.
2 SURTUR'S FLAMES
Funko designers sometimes make their figures just a little too detailed. For Thor: Ragnarok, Funko released a Surtur figure that appeared to be covered in flames. Since he’s a god of fire, that doesn’t come as a surprise. That is, until you consider what him being completely on fire really entails. For those familiar with Thor lore, this was a pretty big spoiler. A Surtur on fire meant that Ragnarok would almost certainly end in the complete destruction of Asgard.
The movie’s name definitely predicts this as well, but the toy left no doubt in the mind’s of MCU fans. Luckily enough, most casual MCU fans didn’t know much about Surtur, so this huge spoiler went mostly undetected.
1 AVENGERS 4 NEW SUITS
One of the few leaked Avengers 4 photos shows an array of superhero action figures. The leak obviously confirms the fan theory of MCU Pepper Potts becoming Rescue. However, the leak also reveals something a little less overt. In the blurry image, Rocket, Thor, and Captain America appear to be wearing matching white suits.
We can’t say for sure, but we’re guessing those suits have something to do with the Quantum Realm. These suits could also just be normal space suits, but after Ant-Man and the Wasp, most fans think the quantum realm will play some sort of role in Avengers 4.