Whether people are fans of the MCU or not, it's hard not to be impressed with their juggling of countless storylines. Now that the cinematic universe also includes Disney+ shows, it is an even more impressive feat. But that doesn't mean every storyline delivers what fans want.
In some cases, the storylines in the MCU end up being disappointing and fans would rather they were done away with entirely. But in other cases, certain promising storylines are not given enough time to develop or they are abandoned too quickly, leaving the fans wanting more.
Cut: Thor's Prophecy
By the time Avengers: Age of Ultron came around, the seeds had well been planted for Thanos and the Infinity Stones to play a big role in the MCU. This was further cemented when Thor takes a strange side mission to a magical cave that provides him with a vision of the stones.
This made for one of the clumsiest efforts of foreshadowing in the MCU and felt totally out of place. It was like a teaser trailer within the movie itself and it continued the trend of the movies not knowing how to use Thor in an interesting way.
Expanded: Introducing The Leader
Samuel Sterns was introduced in Hulk's most famous villain in the comics.
Sadly, that Hulk sequel never came and there has been no further mention of Sterns or his villainous change. The Leader could be a really interesting villain for the MCU and there is still the possibility of his return.
Cut: Sharon Carter Is The Power Broker
There were a lot of great new characters brought into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well as some returning MCU characters who were expanded on in interesting ways. While fans were happy to see Sharon Carter come back into the story, her ultimate storyline was lackluster.
In a strange decision, Sharon was turned into a villain known as the Power Broker. The mystery surrounding this figure was much less compelling to the show's other storylines and Sharon didn't make for a very interesting evil mastermind. The tease that this story will continue is not very exciting either.
Expanded: Isaiah Bradley's Captain America
While the Power Broker storyline was wasting time on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, fans wanted to see more of Isaiah Bradley and his backstory. Isaiah is revealed to have been a soldier who was experimented on and became the first Black Captain America before being betrayed by his government.
This revelation brought a lot of depth to the series and provided it with its most impactful moments. there is obviously still so much to explore with this character and his legacy. Hopefully, he'll get his own Disney+ origin story someday.
Cut: Hawkeye's Family
It was no secret that Hawkeye was seen as the weak link in the first Avengers movie. In a team that had gods and super soldiers, a guy with a bow and arrow wasn't very interesting. Age of Ultron tried to change this by putting Hawkeye front and center and revealing him to be a family man.
It was smart to give Hawkeye something to do, but going for the blue-collar, family man on a farm was just as dull. They would have been better off embracing the fact that he doesn't belong on the team instead of obsessing over trying to make him look cool.
Expanded: Hank Pym's History As Ant-Man
The opening of Ant-Man reveals a younger Hank Pym quitting S.H.I.E.L.D. and retiring as Ant-Man. And apart from a brief flashback sequence alongside his wife Janet, fans never got to see the original Ant-Man in action.
It was rumored that Edgar Wright's original movie had an opening sequence showing one of Pym's early missions. It would be great to see a 70s-set adventure that gave some insight to Pym as the hero or perhaps let him put the suit back on for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Cut: The Fake Mandarin
The Mandarin was known by comic book fans as Iron Man's arch-nemesis, so the news that he would be the main villain in Iron Man 3 was very exciting. However, then came the twist that the man who was calling himself The Mandarin was just a drunken actor hired to play the role.
Though some found the twist to be a great subversion, many fans were upset by the perceived bait-and-switch. Though Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, some fans would still like to pretend the Trevor Slattery incident never happened.
Expanded: S.H.I.E.L.D's Fall
Another famous twist in the MCU was the revelation that Hydra was not only still operating, but thriving within S.H.I.E.L.D. Captain America: The Winter Soldier exposed Hydra's secret mission, and though Cap was able to take them down, it meant the end of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.
This was seen as a game-changing event at the time, but the MCU never really committed to its impact. S.H.I.E.L.D's dismantling didn't have many consequences and Nick Fury even seemed to carry on as normal. It would have been more interesting to see the fallout of such a change in the world order.
Cut: Natasha And Bruce's Romance
Romances in the MCU have always been a little hit-or-miss, with some charming fans and others feeling like complete wastes of time. In the case of Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner getting together in Age of Ultron, it felt very misguided.
Despite these two characters having interesting chemistry in The Avengers, forcing them together in an unnecessary romance was lazy. It didn't help that it was done with the only female Avenger on the team at the time.
Expanded: Thanos Attacks Xandar
By the time Avengers: Infinity War came around, fans knew what the Infinity Stones were and knew that Thanos was after all of them. Fans were speculating how he would collect them all, but the opening scene of the movie revealed he already had the Power Stone.
Thanos beginning the movie with one of the stones helped to cement him as the most threatening villain in the MCU. However, to have Thanos's attack on Xandar and the Nova Corps all happen off-screen was a bit of a letdown and would have been a lot of fun to see.
