The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to hit a major turning point with Avengers: Doomsday. In this latest crossover, heroes from the known MCU and across dimensions must band together to stop Doctor Doom from wreaking havoc on their existence. As the fated hour approaches, there will undoubtedly be complications in keeping every single warrior in check. Unfortunately, we're already seeing certain heroes get a cold reception.
In the first clip revealed from the movie, several heroes are gearing up to face a common threat. Among them, Ant-Man stands alongside current Captain America, Sam Wilson, and Steve Rogers and John Walker, two people who have previously wielded the shield. And being Ant-Man, he fumbled his way through keeping track of who was currently Captain America. Many fans decried the new scene, feeling as if the dialogue disrespected the current Black Captain America. This, combined with the fact that several Black-led Marvel projects have been unceremoniously cancelled in 2026, made longtime MCU followers feel as if the current Cap has been done dirty.
While Sam Wilson absolutely deserved better than having his title caught up in a mixup, this isn't exactly new for the franchise. With so many characters and storylines to keep track of, someone is bound to drop the ball and fail to do beloved characters justice. What we've seen with Sam is simply the latest instance of an ongoing trend in which the MCU does some of its heroes (and villains) dirty. Here are what I think are some of the worst examples.
1. Wanda Maximoff
The Scarlet Witch underwent one of the most tragic and heartwrenching arcs in the MCU. Wanda sacrificed her lover, The Vision, to destroy an Infinity Stone only for her actions to be undone as she gets dusted by Thanos in the process. Then she held an entire town under her spell as she created a sitcom reality and a loving family to cope with her immense grief. She even managed to work through the trauma and come into her power as a wielder of chaos magic to defeat Agatha Harkness who sought to use her power for evil.
And after all that she endured and could have learned in the Five Stages, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness writes her off as a manic and murderous villainess. Instead of being allowed to grow from her struggles, she goes on a violent rampage across the multiverse in a vain attempt to restore her happiness. She even dies for her troubles. For having been an official Avenger, Wanda Maximoff deserved better.
2. The Eternals
You may have already read about how another contributor thought that Eternals was a great movie despite its middling reception at the box office. I'm inclined to wholeheartedly agree. The MCU's pantheon immortals who protect the Earth from the shadows were pretty awesome. The film they were in was even an exciting and artistic vision for what superhero movies could be. All that said, it's an absolute shame that we may never get to see what becomes of them.
In the end, three of the Earth-based Eternals are ripped from their new home planet by a Celestial who will judge both them and humanity for their treason. Three others take to the stars to recruit other Eternals in protecting the universe as opposed to serving the Celestials. Yet despite their adventures being far from complete, there is no sign of the Eternals receiving a proper conclusion to their story.
They have not been included among the dozens of actors returning for Avengers: Doomsday, and any inklings of a sequel have been snuffed out over the years. The best we've gotten in the years since their debut are a brief mention of their escapades in Captain America: Brave New World and a What If one-off in which Kumail Nanjiani reprises his role as Kingo. As of this writing, we may never get a satisfying conclusion to the Eternals' story, undeservedly making them one of the few heroes of the MCU to receive such treatment.
3. The Illuminati of Earth-838
We return to Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness, a film that seemed content to do wrong by many heroes. The dimension-hopping film was something of a turning point for the MCU. It allowed the franchise to finally introduce the likes of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to stand alongside their contemporaries in one shared continuity after decades of being locked behind studio red tape. Mr. Fantastic and Professor X are briefly able to do just that as part of the Illuminati in the alternate world of Earth-838.
Unfortunately, their debut left much to be desired. For one, they come in within a dimension where pizza comes in a spherical shape, which is odd, to say the least. And their introduction is remarkably short, considering how Wanda Maximoff kills each of them in mere minutes while tearing through dimensions herself. Sure, these events take place in an alternate universe that has nothing to do with the main continuity, but it was still wildly disappointing to see highly anticipated characters get unceremoniously picked off one by one.
4. The "first Mandarin"
One of the most exciting things about the MCU is seeing how classic villains face off against their heroic rivals on the big screen. Introducing the Mandarin, Iron Man's archenemy, should have been one of those moments. Unfortunately, that opportunity was wasted in Tony Stark's third solo film.
While the Mandarin's introduction in his threatening video messages was pretty impactful, it is later revealed that the Mandarin's threats were an elaborate hoax. The terrorist in the videos was paid actor Trevor Slattery, and the whole thing was orchestrated by scientist Aldrich Killian, a far less exciting villain in Marvel's rogues' gallery. Thankfully, the Mandarin saw new life as the main villain in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and even Trevor got a few redemptive moments throughout the MCU. But it's no stretch to say that we were robbed of the opportunity to see Iron Man face off against his greatest rival in the comics.
5. The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster)
While dealing terminal cancer, Jane Foster unwittingly becomes Mjolnir's new wielder, restoring the broken hammer and taking on the mantle of Thor. She briefly fights alongside the original Thor as they take on Gorr the God Butcher, all while staving off her inevitable demise with her newfound powers.
Yet what could have been an emotional and cathartic journey for Jane is constantly undermined by the film's attempts at humor. Nearly every time she begins to talk about her struggles and fears, her dialogue is undermined by some off-color joke or jarring attempt at comedy. The tone of her tragedy constantly clashes with bouts of misplaced humor, and her arc is ultimately dehumanized by these inconsistencies. Bad CGI off the heels of a global pandemic is one thing, but Love and Thunder's true greatest crime is taking the Gods of Thunders' epic struggles and constantly turning them into jokes.
6. Honorable Mention: Blade
Technically, you can't have ever been done dirty by the MCU if you've never actually been a part of it. That's what makes Blade's treatment sting that much more, earning him an honorable mention on this list. First announced back 2019 on a major stage at San Diego Comic-Con, development on the film was consistently pushed back in the years that followed.
The film would have starred Mahershala Ali as the titular Daywalker. In an interview with GQ, Ali even revealed that he had turned down roles while the film was still slated for release so as to not conflict with a filming schedule that did not exist at the time. The film would later undergo a director change, several script pitches, and numerous reschedules as Marvel Studios tried to get anything off the ground. In the end, the planned film was ultimately shelved, with Ali having openly expressed his disappointment at Marvel Studios' failure to commit to its development. As of now, we may never see another live-action depiction of Blade.
Of all the controversies and violent restructuring that the MCU has plodded through post-Endgame, the troubled development of Blade is easily one of the most egregious.
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