While the MCU’s The second phase of films is quite impressive, there are still some moments and elements that have not aged so well. Characters are underutilized, relationships go nowhere, and some villains are completely forgettable. To that end, it’s interesting to look back over a decade since Marvel’s Phase 2 first began.
Phase 2 of the MCU consists of six Marvel Studios films released between 2013-2015. This includes Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of UltronAnd Ant man. To that end, here are 10 scenes from Marvel’s Phase 2 that have come of age in the intervening years.
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10
Mandarin twist from Iron Man 3
Shang-Chi only helped a little
First seen in the trailers for Iron Man 3Sir Ben Kingsley’s casting as the apparent MCU Mandarin was very well received with a lot of excitement. However, the excitement turned to shock and disappointment with the major twist in the movie that Kingsley’s character is not the real Mandarin.Leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Instead, the “Mandarin” is revealed to be nothing more than an actor named Trevor Slattery who was hired by Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian in his bid to control both sides of the war on terror.
While Iron Man 3s Mandarin Twist was a bold decision and an objectively creative way to subvert expectations, this was at the expense of one of Iron Man’s greatest enemies from the original comics. The debut of the real mandarin in 2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Helped take some of the sting out, especially considering how the movie talked Iron Man 3 With an appearance by Kingsley’s Trevor. However, it’s still unfortunate that Iron Man never got the chance to face the true villain in the MCU.
9
Tony Stark’s retirement makes zero sense
He didn’t actually retire
at the end of Iron Man 3Tony Stark acts like he’s done as Iron Man. This is shown through the very clear story of Tony blowing up all his suits, and even undergoing surgery so that he no longer needs the arc reactor in his chest to keep him alive. However, Tony went right back to being Iron Man in 2015 Age of UltronAs well as in multiple movies afterwards, until he dies in Avengers: Endgame.
2016s Captain America: Civil War Briefly addresses the fact that Iron Man’s official did not take because he does not want to stop being Iron Man. However, there is never any weight behind it or any gaps in the MCU to show Stark legitimately trying to leave his armor behind. to this end, The majority of Iron Man 3s Ending doesn’t make much sense considering the aftermath and how quickly Tony Stark ends up right back in a suit of armor (Including the entire Iron Legion he made to assist the Avengers).
8
Jane Foster’s dark world role
A perpetual damsel in distress
rather than one scene alone, It could be argued that Jane Foster’s entire role in Thor: The Dark World Has aged quite poorly, (and will never get better). The whole Thor Sequel sees Jane as a constant damsel in distress, while also being a walking plot device once she inadvertently absorbs the Aether aka Reality Stone. As such, it is no wonder that actress Natalie Portman did not return for Thor: Ragnarok. That is, her role in Dark world Was a little better because of her improved role as the Mighty Thor in Love and Thunder (Although not much considering its own problems).
7
Thor: The Dark World’s villains are incredibly forgettable
Malekith might be one of the most boring MCU foos
The only thing worse than Jane Foster’s frustrating role in Dark world was the main villain of the movie. To this day, the Dark Elves are some of the most forgettable enemies in the entire MCU. Unlike other MCU villains, there was almost no dimension behind their goals, nor anything compelling about their leader, Malekith. All Malekith wanted was to claim the Aether to bathe the universe in ambiguous darkness. Except for the tiniest of Easter eggs, they’ve never been revisited since (and for good reason).
6
Thanos In GOTG came at the expense of Ronan
The Cree could have been much more interesting
The Cree’s Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) could have been a terrible villain on his own Guardians of the Galaxy. however, Ronan’s intimidation factor and agency are massively limited with the inclusion of ThanosThe Mad Titan’s first major appearance in the MCU with voice lines aside after his debut cameo in late 2012 Avengers. As such, Thanos took much of the spotlight away from Ronan, despite the brutal Kree fanatic’s defiance of his people’s recent alliance with Xandar, seeking revenge based on their ancient rivalry he refused to abandon.
5
Hydra’s defeat so soon after the Winter Soldier
They should have posed a more significant threat
The discovery in 2014 Captain America: The Winter Soldier That Hydra has long been embedded in every level of SHIELD was a huge twist in the MCU. however, Hydra is seemingly defeated with the Avengers taking down their last major holdout in the early 2015s Age of Ultron. As a result, this took quite a bit of the Hydra reveal, especially when the organization may have remained an ongoing threat.
It can be argued that this problem is circumvented thanks to ABC’s Agents of Shield Which saw Phil Coulson and his team continue to fight Hydra cells for years after Age of Ultron. However, the popular MCU show is no longer considered part of the canon, meaning that the issue technically still concerns Earth-616 and the Sacred Timeline. It didn’t stop either Shield Fans of holding his canon status in their hearts or.
4
Ultron was wasted in the MCU
He deserves more than a single appearance
Ultron is one of the Avengers most dangerous and powerful villains in the comics. to this end, Ultron’s apparent death at the end of his debut appearance was seen as a travestyEspecially since he has yet to return at any point in the MCU canon. Voiced by James Spader and seeking to upgrade both himself and humanity, Ultron was one of the most compelling and charismatic villains the MCU had to offer. With any luck, Ultron will indeed return as rumored for the upcoming Vision Quest Series.
3
Thanos’ Age of Ultron post-credits is super weird
“I’ll do it myself”
Age of Ultron’s The mid-credit scene is quite funny. Thanos has not only old visual design, more improved look Infinity WarBut his CO in fact, he refers to Loki and Ronan who failed to bring him the Space and Power Stones. It’s pretty weird, although somewhat understandable since Marvel probably wanted to continue its Thanos build-up with a post-credits scene like with the first one. Avengers.
2
Hulk and Black Widow’s romance
It never went anywhere meaningful
The Hulk and Black Widow romance was as funny as it was underutilized beyond its inception Avengers: Age of Ultron. Having no real basis in the comics, the decision to make Hulk and Black Widow romantically involved was very strange, especially during a Avengers Film that didn’t give enough time for their relationship to really be fleshed out beyond the focus on their respective struggles about why they couldn’t or shouldn’t be together. Likewise, the romance never went anywhere meaningful in the MCU going forward.
1
Ant-Man’s Final Post-Credits Scene
The final film in Marvel’s Phase 2, Ant mans Post-credits scene was exciting on its release. With Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson on Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier, Captain America and Falcon talk about their next moves, while also teasing Ant-Man’s future involvement in Captain America: Civil War. However, the same scene is featured in the third Captain America Movie yourself. how so Ant-Man Post-credits scene is much less interesting in retrospect, as it’s not actually unique footage setting up the future crossover movie.