The Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced massive success over the past decade by bringing some of the most iconic superheroes to life on the big screen. From ‘Iron Man‘ in 2008 to most recently ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘, the MCU has grossed over $29 billion worldwide and shows no signs of slowing down.
However, with such a large, interconnected universe spanning over 30 films so far, it’s no surprise that a few plot holes have come up along the way. Some have been addressed, but many still remain unsolved. As the franchise moves into new phases and introduces more characters and storylines, it’s time for them to provide answers to clear up some lingering questions from the past.
10. Tesseract History
Thor revealed Asgardians including Odin previously visited Earth during Norse times, implying they had the Space Stone then. Yet its history was never explored. Perhaps future Asgardian tales can fill in these gaps around the Infinity Stones’ past interactions with early humanity.
9. Doctor Strange’s Pre-Knowledge
It came off as strange that the Winter Soldier referenced Stephen Strange as a threat years before he began harnessing mystical powers. Fans need to understand how he was already on HYDRA’s radar at that early stage in his journey. With Winter Soldier being set in 2014, there was no way that Stephen Strange could’ve gotten his powers as the events of that movie takes place two years later in 2016.
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Kevin Feige, when asked about this potential pothole, answered back by saying that “he is very well-known as a surgeon“. Though this comes off as a very nonchalant answer, it still makes for a very loose plothole the MCU has not covered up.
8. Inconsistent Celestials
From the Collector initially showing one destroyed by an Infinity Stone to later films introducing many still living Celestials like in ‘Eternals‘, their history was mishandled. Marvel would help by releasing a definitive Celestial timeline and account of their role in cosmic MCU events.
This plothole still remains at large as the MCU continues to ignore the happenings of ‘Eternals’ and just doesn’t bring up the existence of celestials. Maybe the upcoming ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ can sort this plothole out.
7. Hulk’s Absence
Bruce Banner and his Hulk persona have been noticeably absent following Endgame with no real explanation given. Fans deserve clarity on whether Mark Ruffalo will continue playing the character and what exactly has happened to him since the final battle with Thanos.
Hulk and Bruce Banner have been constantly neglected in the MCU ever since Age Of Ultron and maybe the introduction of Red Hulk will help revert smart Hulk back into the barbarian that fans love and adore.
6. Gamora’s Backstory
Gamora’s initial backstory stated she was the last of her race, yet ‘Infinity War‘ revealed Thanos spared half of her people, conflicting with that detail. While small, these types of discrepancies in character histories should be reconciled to maintain overall continuity.
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In the grand context of things, this kind of plothole seems like the type that can easily be avoided by a quick creative recap before shooting commences but flies under the radar as no one pays as importance to it.
5. Pym Particles in the Quantum Realm
The rules of shrinking smaller than an atom via Pym Particles don’t add up based on prior explanations that they work by manipulating space between atoms. If Ant-Man is to expand on exploring the Quantum Realm, Marvel must make the science behind these particles consistent and make logical sense going forward.
4. Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor
From being necessary to power Tony Stark’s armor and keep shrapnel from reaching his heart to then being surgically removed with no issues, the arc reactor’s importance changed from film to film.
Its ever-shifting purpose created inconsistencies that Marvel should go back and clarify once and for all what purpose it truly served and why it could be removed so easily if originally presented as vital to Tony’s survival.
3. Odin’s Fake Infinity Gauntlet
When the Infinity Gauntlet was spotted in Odin’s vault in 2011’s ‘Thor‘, it seemed like a fun Easter egg. But once the MCU was built to Infinity War, questions arose about how and why Odin had it.
‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ revealed it was a fake, but that begs further questions about what Odin’s intentions were for the fake and how he knew what the real one looked like when even Thanos didn’t have it constructed yet. This lingering question still needs a definitive answer.
2. Electro’s And Peter Parker
Jamie Foxx reprised his role as Electro from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘ in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home‘, thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell bringing villains who knew Peter Parker’s identity to the MCU.
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However, in TASM 2, Electro had no knowledge of Peter’s secret. Marvel still needs to explain how someone without that key piece of information came through from another universe. This plot hole was exacerbated by other characters like Venom also appearing without having discovered Spider-Man’s identity either.
1. Ant-Man’s Powers
Ever since Paul Rudd’s debut as Scott Lang in 2015’s ‘Ant-Man‘, the exact mechanics of his size-changing abilities via Pym Particles have been hazy. While it was initially explained that the particles manipulate the space between atoms, this doesn’t account for how they can shrink smaller than atoms to travel in the Quantum Realm.
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp‘ further confused things by implying the characters could stay shrunk while removing their helmets in the Quantum Realm. With ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘ expanding the Quantum Realm story, Marvel needs to take the time to clearly define once and for all how Pym Particles allow size manipulation at both microscopic and macroscopic scales.
The MCU possesses an unparalleled achievement in multi-film storytelling. Addressing these remaining questions would only help strengthen continuity and an understanding of the complex universe. As new phases see beloved heroes pass the mantle to new faces, hopefully, the franchise makes good on clearing up these long-standing plot holes.
