12 Marvel Cinematic Universe moments that made no sense

11. Tony could’ve just ditched the arc reactor in Iron Man 2

Remember Iron Man 2? The movie that was considered to be among the worst MCU projects until Phase 4 came along? Well, one of its main plotlines revolved around Tony being poisoned by the palladium present in his arc reactor, the very same device that was saving his life.

Due to that, the billionaire was presented with two difficult choices: either drop the arc reactor and die from the shrapnel shards that were constantly trying to reach his heart, or use the reactor and still perish by poisoning. Either way, there was no happy ending for everyone’s favorite philanthropist.

Fortunately enough, Tony forced his way onto a third choice by discovering a completely new element and using it to replace the palladium that was slowly killing him. But even when that proved to be effective, he forgot there was also a fourth choice which was arguably much easier. Tony could’ve simply undergone surgery to remove the shrapnel in his chest and ditch the arc reactor completely (or at least use it only to power his Iron Man suits without needing to put it inside of his body).

If any of that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s exactly what happened at the end of Iron Man 3. When Tony decided to destroy all of his suits and leave the superhero life behind as a Christmas present for Pepper, he also threw away his arc reactor by removing the shrapnel shards in his chest. So with that in mind, we have to ask the question: Why didn’t Tony undergo surgery earlier when his life depended on it? After all, the only reason he ditched the reactor in Iron Man 3 was so that he could have a new beginning, something that wasn’t as urgent as, you know, surviving.

Tony Stark is one of the smartest men alive, and yet he couldn’t use his witts when it mattered the most. Yes, we know this is a rather small detail, but when you look at the MCU as a whole, it’s also one of its most confusing moments as a whole.