TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas, on a number of occasions, touched on or teased Marvel Comics storylines, only to waste them or otherwise ignore them completely. TheMCU’s movie timelinehas seen it grow from a handful of connected narratives to the biggest and most successful shared universe in cinema. Part of the key to its success has been its handling of its Marvel Comics source material, adapting select stories from the comics over the course of the franchise.
However, themovies of the MCUhaven’t always been able to do justice to the stories of the comics. On multiple occasions,the MCU has hinted at specific comic storylines only to disappointingly move on from them without affording them the attention they deserve.On others still, the franchise has established elements of exciting storylines out of order, making it impossible to fully adapt some of Marvel Comics’ most exciting narratives. Here are the 10 most interesting Marvel storyline the MCU totally ignored.
10Peter Parker’s Secret Identity Being Revealed
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
The ending ofSpider-Man: Far From Homesaw Peter Parker’s identity revealed to the world, setting up the events ofNo Way Home. The follow-up picked up the story, only to launch directly into Peter solving the issue using magic, causing Multiversal variants to appear and create an entirely new issue. This sawNo Way Homeskim over what deserved to have been a much more robust narrative.
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In the comics,the fallout fromCivil Warcauses Peter Parker to reveal his identity, leading to the death of Aunt May.That then led into the divisiveOne More Daystoryline, in which Peter Parker makes a deal with Mephisto to undo Aunt May’s death. ThoughNo Way Homeadapted many of the same beats, it didn’t explore the implications of Peter’s identity reveal in the same way, ignoring a potentially powerful and engaging storyline.
9Bucky Becoming Captain America
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
ThoughCaptain America’s MCU storyhas gone through distinct eras, the franchise has ignored one of the most interesting stories in the hero’s past. In the comics, Bucky Barnes assumes the mantle of Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers, using his old friend’s heroic moniker as a means of redemption after breaking free from his Winter Soldier conditioning. The story was one of Bucky’s most important, but the MCU ignored it completely.
Captain America’s shield in the MCU never passed to Bucky, but instead from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson. Though Sam’s own tenure as Captain America is comic-accurate,the franchise’s decision to skip over Bucky robs him of his chance to follow in Steve Rogers’ footsteps.It may make more sense in terms of the MCU’s own narrative, but it’s still clear that the franchise wasted an excellent storyline from the comics.
8The Kree-Skrull War
Captain Marvel (2019)
The Kree-Skrull war undoubtedly occurred in the MCU, as it was included as a major plot point in 2019’sCaptain Marvel. So, while it’s not fair to say that the franchise ignored the storyline entirely, it still glossed over many of the most interesting points of the conflict, including its wider impact on the Marvel Universe. Recognized as one of the most exciting Marvel stories of the early 1970s, the Kree-Skrull War was a major narrative arc.
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In the MCU, the conflict was used as the backdrop forCaptain Marvel’s story, which was primarily adapted to introduce the hero into the franchise. However,in the comics, it’s a sprawling cosmic narrative involving countless heroes and villains, and touches on complex political and ethical themes. Though the story might not necessarily lend itself well to a faithful MCU adaptation, it’s still clear that the MCU ignored the vast majority of the narrative’s content.
7Iron Man Vs The Mandarin
Iron Man 3 (2013)
The MCU’s handling of the Mandarin inIron Man 3was one considered its worst misstep. Though the franchise introduced the real version of the villain as part of thecast ofShang-Chi, it had already proven too late to adapt many of his best comic book storylines. As the villain is the archenemy of Iron Man, many of his most prominent comic book moments have come in stories featuring the hero.
As the Mandarin wasn’t properly introduced into the MCU until after Iron Man’s death, the franchise wasted his potential. ThoughIron Man 3teased that the hero and villain might face one another, it never actually occurred in any real way. This ultimately meant thatthe MCU ignored a wealth of excellent stories about the two characters, as they never appeared opposite one another in the franchise.
6Journey Into Mystery
Loki, season 1, episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery” (2021)
Loki is one of Marvel’s most interesting and versatile villains, especially as he occasionally features as more of a hero. The MCU embraced this in its depiction of the character, with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki proving a fan-favorite. When Loki was killed inAvengers: Infinity War, it seemed as though the MCU might opt to pursue an adaptation of theJourney Into Mysterystory from the comics.
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The story sees Loki resurrected as his younger self, and then join the Young Avengers as a hero. Though Young Loki was featured in the MCU, it was not as the franchise’s replacement for the former villain. The episode he appeared in was titled “Journey Into Mystery”, but there was no other indication that the franchise would explore the comic book arc of the same name. Additionally,as Loki’s death proved not to be permanent, it seems as though the MCU will not explore the comic book storyany further.
5Avengers Disassembled
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Another major comic book storyline ignored by the MCU was theAvengers Disassembledarc, which saw Wanda Maximoff destroy the team out of grief. The story sees Wanda Maximoff consumed with grief over the loss over her children, and she destroys the Avengers as a result. A major storyline that had far-reaching implications in the Marvel Universe,Avengers Disassembledwas directly set up during the events ofWandaVision.
With Wanda now seemingly dead in the MCU, it would appear that the franchise completely ignored the idea of adaptingAvengers Disassembledto the big screen.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesssaw Wanda turn into a villain while scouring the Multiverse for her sons, adapting some of the plot points fromAvengers Disassembled. However,Multiverse of Madness’s endingsaw Wanda die before her actions could cause significant damage to Marvel’s Multiverse, and the Avengers were never involved in the story at all. With Wanda now seemingly dead in the MCU, it would appear that the franchise completely ignored the idea of adaptingAvengers Disassembledto the big screen.
4Demon In A Bottle
Iron Man 2 (2010)
ThoughIron Man’s story in the MCUsaw him undergo major character development, the franchise touched on and then subsequently ignored one of his most personal Marvel Comics stories. TheDemon in a Bottlestoryline explored Tony Stark’s time living with alcoholism, establishing the issues caused by his addiction as well as pitting him against the likes of Whiplash and Justin Hammer.
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Iron Man 2touched on several ofDemon in a Bottle’s plot points, and included the story’s main antagonists. However,after briefly alluding to Stark’s alcoholism,Iron Man 2swiftly dropped the storyline, and it was never explored again. Though it’s an incredibly complex subject that would have required sensitive handling,Iron Man 2’s setup for aDemon in a Bottleadaptation strangely ignored the most crucial aspect of the comic book story.
3Planet Hulk
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The MCU’s issues with Hulk extend far beyond the adaptation of a single story. Even so, there is one particular comic book storyline that the franchise mishandled most egregiously, and that wasPlanet Hulk. In the comics,Planet Hulksees Hulk exiled to Sakaar, where he fights as a gladiator under the dictatorial Red King. Hulk’s eventual conquest of Sakaar leads to a tragedy which turns him against the Avengers and sees him return to Earth.
The MCU adapted aspects ofPlanet HulkinThor: Ragnarok, which saw Hulk fighting as a gladiator on Sakaar, and featured characters such as Korg and Miek who were also inPlanet Hulk. Unfortunately,the movie’s handling ofPlanet Hulkended there, and the storyline was only secondary toRagnarok’s narrative.Considering that it was only loosely adapted in another hero’s movie, it’s safe to say that the MCU ignoredPlanet Hulk’s big screen potential.
2The God Bomb
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
As one of the MCU’s more disappointing recent efforts,Thor: Love and Thunderwas not as well received as his previous solo outing,Thor: Ragnarok. Part of the movie’s problem was its mishandling of several Marvel Comics storylines, most notably that involving Gorr the God Butcher. In the comics, Gorr attempts to use a device called the Godbomb to kill all gods throughout time and space, and is thwarted by three different versions of Thor: Young Thor, Avenger Thor, and the older King Thor.
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The story as presented in the comic is an interesting exploration of Thor’s character and establishes Gorr as a major antagonist within the Marvel Universe. However,the MCU’s handling of the story leaves much to be desired, and ignores many of its best aspects, including the three Thors angle. As such, it would appear thatLove and Thunderignored some of the best elements of comic book story it adapted.
1Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion (2023)
By far the most disappointing Marvel Comics adaptation in the MCU by a long way isSecret Invasion. TheMCU TV showwas billed as an adaptation of the comic book storyline of the same name, exploring a secret Skrull infiltration of Earth. In the comics, the ranks of the Avengers are infiltrated by Skrulls, leading to a tense and paranoid story that pits everyone against one another.
For the MCU show, the Avengers were absent entirely. Instead, the MCU’sSecret Invasionwas simply a spy thriller involving Nick Fury, and the only apparent Avenger present was swiftly revealed as a Skrull impostor. The way in whichSecret Invasionwent about adapting the comic storyline ignored the majority of its important plot points, instead simply twisting its premise and failing to deliver a story anywhere near as engaging as the original. This made it the worst case of theMarvel Cinematic Universeignoring an excellent Marvel storyline by far.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
