The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with some of the most powerful beings on the planet, many of whom are among the best and brightest humanity has ever seen. Despite the above-average intelligence of the franchise's major characters, not all of their decisions have been particularly well-conceived.

Over the course of the MCU's 28 films and six streaming series, several ill-advised decisions have been made by prominent characters in the franchise that have left fans scratching their heads. And, even after over a decade of storytelling, certain poor choices stand out in viewers' minds as particularly idiotic.

Updated on November 15th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci:

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has reached the end of yet another chapter, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marking the official end to Phase 4. While many of the characters in the franchise famously possess genius-level intellect, not every decision they've made has been particularly well-advised. In fact, there are several choices made by characters in the MCU that have been infamously awful.

Refusing Bruce's Training

Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

The first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law saw Jennifer Walters training with her cousin, Bruce Banner, after she first gained her Hulk powers. While she did take his lessons well for a while, eventually she grew impatient with his techniques, leaving his beachfront retreat before she had completed her training.

While there is no denying that Jenn was a natural at controlling some of her new abilities, later episodes would prove that she still has a long way to go in of controlling her rage. Had she remained with Bruce a while longer, she might have avoided some of the more painful moments of her early superhero career.

Trying To Steal Wakanda's Vibranium

The United Nations, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

One of the best scenes in Wakanda Forever comes early in the film's run, as Queen Ramonda reprimands the United Nations for greenlighting an operation to steal vibranium from a Wakandan international outreach outpost. After depositing the would-be thieves on their knees in front of their bosses, Ramonda warns the U.N. against any further acts of aggression toward Wakanda.

Though it is never specifically revealed which nations attempted to steal the vibranium, it was clearly a poor decision on their part. Not only did they risk alienating Wakanda from the global community, they also could have started a war with the highly advanced nation, which would certainly have ended poorly for anyone on the wrong side of the conflict.

Giving Mysterio E.D.I.T.H.

Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Far From Home

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker is given a special pair of sunglasses from the late Tony Stark, which unlocks access to thousands of high-tech drones with incredible destructive capabilities. However, doubting himself, Peter gives the EDITH glasses to Quentin Beck, only to be betrayed by the supervillain who had been pretending to be his friend.

While Spider-Man genuinely believed that Quentin Beck was his friend, giving the EDITH glasses to anyone else was grossly incompetent, especially on the part of someone as intelligent as himself. Even the most well-meaning individual could cause great destruction with such power, as Peter himself had learned only days earlier.

Challenging The "Mandarin"

Tony Stark, Iron Man 3

While Iron Man 3 might be best ed for its unpopular Mandarin twist, it also includes one of Tony Stark's worst mistakes of all time. After yet another attack from the Mandarin's terrorist organization, Tony angrily announces his address on the news, daring the supervillain to come after him.

Even as one of the most powerful humans on the planet, Tony should have known that he shouldn't give away the location of the place where he slept to a murderous megalomaniac. As a result of his incredibly poor decision, Tony's picturesque estate on a cliff side is reduced to rubble in the water below.

The Memory Wipe Spell

Peter Parker And Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: No Way Home

After Mysterio reveals his true identity to the world, Peter Parker's life is ruined, along with his friends' futures. In an attempt to right these wrongs, Peter enlists the assistance of Dr. Stephen Strange, who uses a powerful spell to erase the memory of every person on the planet regarding Peter Parker being Spider-Man.

Though this spell was botched to produce different results, choosing to wipe billions of people's memories was far from the right decision on the part of Peter and Strange. As Peter would eventually learn, he had several other options that he had ignored, with his negligence leading to several of the most traumatic experiences of his life.

Attacking The Hex

Director Hayward, WandaVision

During the events of WandaVision, the SWORD agency and Director Hayward desperately attempted to breach Wanda's powerful Hex around Westview. At their earliest opportunity, Hayward and his forces attacked Wanda's new home, despite warnings from more level-headed minds against such action.

Hayward had already learned at this point that Wanda's power could not be contended with by merely human means. His attack was destined to fail from the very beginning and, in the end, would only aid in Wanda Maximoff's journey to becoming the MCU's most powerful villain of all time.

Attacking Ta Lo

Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed the true Mandarin in the MCU, who was ultimately a far more powerful villain than depicted in Iron Man 3. However, Xu Wenwu would prove to be his own worst enemy after he attacked Ta Lo and destroyed the barrier that kept the Dweller in Darkness at bay in an attempt to bring his late wife back from the dead.

Despite proving to be one of the more relatable antagonists in the franchise, Xu Wenwu certainly had one of the worst villain schemes in the entire MCU. His plan released an ancient evil that not only killed him but almost killed his children as well. In the end, a man thousands of years old was disposed of by his own hubris and inattention to good advice.

Giving The Collector An Infinity Stone

Thor, Lady Sif, And Volstagg, Thor: The Dark World

In the post-credit scene of Thor: The Dark World, Lady Sif and Volstagg are sent to the menagerie of The Collector, where they give the ancient being the coveted Reality Stone for safekeeping. The Collector hangs onto this Infinity Stone until it is seized by Thanos on his conquest to destroy half of all life in the universe.

The decision to entrust an Infinity Stone to someone like the Collector is directly called out by Peter Quill upon meeting Thor in Infinity War. While there were certainly far worse threats, the Collector is an Elder being with nothing but selfish intentions. Should he have attained the other five Infinity Stones, there is no telling what he might have done with their power. At some point, either Thor, Lady Sif, or one of the other Asgardians involved in this exchange should have spoken up about how truly bad this decision was.

The Sokovia Accords

The United Nations, Captain America: Civil War

After numerous destructive events involving the Avengers, the United Nations, backed strongly by the United States and Wakanda, put into place the Sokovia Accords, an agreement that forced all superhumans to with the UN or be labeled criminals.

While the ensuing superhero civil war left fans to wonder whether Cap or Tony was right regarding registration act, most are in agreement that the United Nations made a serious mistake in enforcing the act as they did. Their dismissal of heroes who would not enlist divided the Avengers just in time for Thanos's attack on Earth, leaving the planet virtually defenseless against the Mad Titan's schemes. Eventually, the world would see the error of this act, repealing the Accords sometime before the events of She-Hulk and freeing the world's most powerful individuals from its burden.

Bombing New York City

World Security Council, The Avengers

In the climactic third act of The Avengers, the Chitauri army seems to have the upper hand against the titular superhero team in New York City. In an effort to contain the spread of the invasion, the World Security Council elects to launch a missile at the city, with the intent of destroying it and everyone within the blast radius.

The World Security Council is a group rarely seen in the MCU but always seems to make poor choices when they do appear. This action is truly their worst, as they intended to wipe out millions of innocent lives in order to prevent an alien invasion, as if the Chitauri wouldn't have found another way to Earth should their portal close in the destruction. Even if this plan had worked, they would still have been left with a smoldering city and no heroes to defend them when the Chitauri eventually returned.