The James Bond franchise. While it hasn't really been around that long, the MCU has a degree of pedigree to it that makes working on one of the movies a major boon for the CV of an aspiring actor.
One thing that the MCU has been known for is planning ahead and having big, sprawling storylines, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes the MCU will introduce a potentially interesting storyline only for that story to be promptly dropped. That said, there is still time for them to correct it.
Iron Man Rip-Offs
During the congress scene in Iron Man 2, Tony Stark uses video footage of people attempting to duplicate Iron Man armors with disastrous results. It's a moment that fans don't talk about as much, but it really feels like Marvel was setting something up.
In the comics, several people have attempted to build armors in order to defeat Iron Man, with villains such as Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and Iron Monger often coming to fans' minds. This scene could have potentially been setting up characters like that, but they have never arrived in the MCU.
To Challenge Them Is To Court Death
Avengers film prompted curiosity from those unfamiliar with the comics. In the post-credits scene, Thanos' aid, The Other, warns him of The Avengers, stating that to challenge them is "to court Death."
This line refers to Thanos' motivation to woo the personification of Death in the comics, which is why he wiped out half of the universe. However, this didn't end up being Thanos' motivation in Endgame, as his motives were to bring balance to the universe.
Tony Stark Destroys His Armors
Iron Man 3 have warmed with time. That said, the film introduced a potentially interesting development for Tony Stark that was completely abandoned when he next appeared.
In the movie, Tony utilizes the insane amount of armors he's developed to defeat villain Aldrich Killian but ends up destroying them to prove how much he loves Pepper Potts. But in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he's back in his armor, with nothing being made of Iron Man 3's ending.
Hulk's Reluctance
After being defeated by Thanos in the shocking opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, Hulk refused to help his fellow heroes in their conflict with Thanos (even though Bruce Banner keeps begging for him to help). This was a highly interesting move, one that should have been explored.
Smart Hulk was a fun addition to Avengers: Endgame, but Bruce Banner's character shift felt very abrupt. Granted, the movie was three hours long so making it longer would have been foolish, but it would have been cool to see Hulk's Infinity War arc was resolved a bit better.
The White Wolf
Black Panther was an incredible movie, as well as one that set up a new status quo for Bucky Barnes. In the post-credit scene, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes awakens in Wakanda, with Shuri welcoming him back.
In Infinity War, Bucky has adopted the moniker of White Wolf, who is a completely unrelated character in the comics, working with The Avengers to fight The Black Order. In The Falcon & The Winter Solider, however, it seems he's back to his original persona.
The Sinister Six
Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Vulture is met in prison by Mac Gargan, an old associate of his.
Comic book fans may recognize Gargan, as he is the villain known as The Scorpion. The future Scorpion mentions that some of his friends would like to know who Spider-Man is so that they can kill him, very unsubtly teasing The Sinister Six, who have never shown up in the MCU.
Bullseye
Though there are a lot of missed opportunities on the big screen, The Defenders received strong reviews, only for Netflix to cancel them all.
The biggest tragedy of this purging was Daredevil, with the show's cancellation potentially throwing away a great tease for the show's fourth season. At the end of the third season, Ben Poindexter, who had been paralyzed by The Kingpin, receives an experimental spinal surgery, which then led to a teaser to the character becoming Bullseye.
The Sokovia Accords
While there's still time to bring The Sokovia Accords back, it seems that their impact was lost not long after Captain America: Civil War's credits began to roll. The Sokovia Accords, which were written after the destruction of Sokovia in Age of Ultron, more or less served to limit superhero activity.
but The Accords has a very minimal impact outside of Civil War. Though The Sokovia Accords haven't played a huge role in the MCU since Civil War, it could always come back.
Thor's Journey After Age Of Ultron
One of the most infamous scenes in the MCU was Thor's narrative diversion in Age of Ultron. Taking a trip with Erik Selvig to a strange pool of water, Thor has a vision of The Infinity Stones, with the scene being as out of place as it is trimmed down.
Towards the ending of the movie, Thor takes off into space in order to investigate The Infinity Stones. Though The Infinity Stones did play a big part in the MCU, Thor's search for them was pretty much dropped for Thor: Ragnarok, which was probably for the best.
The Leader
Back when the MCU was just starting out, The Incredible Hulk set up one of the biggest storylines that would sadly be dropped. Throughout the movie, Bruce Banner communicates with a mysterious Mr. Blue, who turns out to be Dr. Samuel Sterns.
As The Abomination destroys his lab, some of Hulk's blood pours into a wound on an injured Sterns' head, with his skull expanding as a result. It was obviously a teaser for The Leader, but Sterns never returned to the MCU.
NEXT: WandaVision: Why The MCU Should Write In Magneto's Comic Connection (But Why It Could Be A Bad Idea)
