Summary
Even the best movies that theMarvel Cinematic Universehas to offer still sometimes contain scenes that are nowhere near as good as the rest of the movie. Since the beginning of theMCU’s movie timeline, the franchise has set the standard for the superhero genre. The massive success of the MCU has been built on the backs of many outstanding movies, following a wide range of heroes and villains adapted from the pages of Marvel Comics.
In spite of the massive success earned by themovies of the MCU, even the franchise’s best entries occasionally have their issues. No matter how incredible or inspiring their respective stories may be, there are scenes that stand out as markedly worse than the rest of the movie. Though the scenes in question may not ruin the reputation of the entire film, they are still notable as the worst part of otherwise great entries into the MCU.
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Thecast ofShang-Chiadded many new figures to the MCU, and few proved as exciting as the movie’s titular hero. His action-packed debut firmly established him as one of the most brilliant additions to the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, with many noteworthy moments packing out the film’s narrative. Despite the movie’s generally positive reception and the high praise leveled at its action sequences and comedic moments, there was one scene in particular that continues to stand out as the movie’s worst.
Early on, Shang-Chi and his best friend Katy go out for dinner with two friends.The scene offers essentially nothing at all to the plot, and is simply a transparent method of heaping expositionregarding the eponymous hero and his secret double life. Though it attempted to show a more human side of the hero, it came at a point in the movie that made it feel unnecessary and wooden, making it the worst scene in an otherwise great film.
ThroughoutSpider-Man’s movie timeline, there have been many notable details revealed about the character and his unusual place in the MCU’s hero roster. One of these is that his high-school life is less than perfect: Peter Parker is not particularly popular, and is often bullied by his fellow students, regularly led by Flash Thompson. The MCU’s take on the hero and his supporting characters left much to be desired about Flash, as evidenced by one particular scene inSpider-Man: Homecoming.
Upon arriving at Liz Toomes’ house party, Peter Parker and Ned Leeds are subjected to ridicule by Flash Thompson. After Flash drops a few one-liners, Peter is forced to leave to track some of Vulture’s thugs. Ned later calls and tells him not to return, as Flash is continuing to tease him in his absence, chanting: “when I shout p**is, you shout Parker.”It’s an incredibly childish joke that utterly fails to establish Flash as the kind of bully he’s typically written to be, making itHomecoming’s worst scene.
Upon its release in 2012,The Avengersproved to be everything it had been billed as. The first true crossover of the MCU saw the franchise’s heroes assemble into a team for the first time to thwart Loki and his plans to conquer the Earth. Their interactions with the villain actually led to one of the movie’s worst scenes, however, despite it being one of the best entries into the franchise.
Upon capturing Loki, Black Widow approaches him to try to surmise his plans.The trapped villain begins to insult the hero, serving up a handful of misogynistic and unpleasant phrases in the processbefore revealing getting captured was his plan all along. The scene may well be an important part ofThe Avengers’ plot, but it’s still the most uncomfortable scene in one of the MCU’s best movies.
Considering the movie cracked open the MCU’s Multiverse,Spider-Man: No Way Home’s cast of charactersfeatured many figures from across the hero’s cinematic history. As well as the many villains that the film’s three Spider-Men set out to fight and cure, there were a few other Marvel movie cameos. One of the most unexpected came during the movie’s post-credits scene, in which Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock appears briefly before being transported back to his own universe.
The scene itself isn’t lacking in any way, but its implications mark it asNo Way Home’s worst. Bringing Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Venom into the MCU for only a brief cameo only to send him back without interacting with Spider-Man is a tantalizing tease, and one that is immediately rendered null and void.The empty promise of the scene is enough to make it the worst addition toNo Way Home’s story, because ultimately, it was entirely unnecessary.
James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxyinjected a heavy dose of levity into the MCU at a time when the franchise was in dire risk of becoming overly serious. As such, the movie stands out as one of the MCU’s best and most timely offerings, with Gunn’s characteristic style a welcome addition to the franchise. However,Guardians of the Galaxy’s charm was fumbled in a single scene, making it by far the worst in the movie.
The scene introducing the villain, Ronan the Accuser, was altogether too dry and uninteresting, especially when compared to the other aspects of the film. Unlike every scene featuring the Guardians,the introduction of the Kree warlord was entirely uninspiring and not at all memorable. The disparity in charisma between the film’s heroes and its villain is all too clear, making the scene a markedly unsatisfying moment in an otherwise great film.
Captain America: Civil Warincluded some of the most important narrative developments in the entire Infinity Saga, making it a landmark title in the MCU. Its handling of a complex story and balancing of multiple heroes earned it a reputation as one of the franchise’s best cinematic offerings, resolving multiple plot threads in a single hard-hitting movie. However, one minor scene in the film received a good deal of backlash for a number of reasons, and remains a low point in the movie.
The scene in which Steve Rogers kisses Sharon Carter is the worst scene in the film for multiple reasons. The most obvious of these is thatit’s a relatively sudden development for Rogers as a character, particularly as it came so soon after Peggy Carter’s death.What’s more, it was a subplot that didn’t feel particularly fleshed out, making it seem rushed and unnecessary. The scene was a controversial and unimportant distraction from the movie’s actual story, making it seem much worse than it otherwise might have been.
Thor: Ragnarokmarked another important shift for the MCU, as it was able to offer up family-friendly comedy even in the midst of its decidedly tragic story. In spite ofRagnarokseeing Thor lose his father, his hammer, his long-lost sister, and his home all in the span of a single movie, it was beloved by fans and critics upon release. However, there is a scene in the movie that many consider the worst, and it’s all down to the handling of specific characters’ stories.
The Warriors Three were introduced alongside Thor as his closest friends and formidable allies. Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun were then used sparingly in Thor’s first two outings, only to be killed unceremoniously inRagnarokupon Hela’s arrival in Asgard. The scene showing the ease with which Hela dispatches three of Asgard’s most powerful defenders is considered the film’s worst simply becauseit wasted some of Thor’s most compelling supporting charactersin such an underwhelming fashion.
Black Pantheris widely considered one of the best movies in the entire MCU. The reasons for its popularity are well-documented, but one of its greatest assets is its multitude of unique action sequences. Alongside some ofBlack Panther’s unforgettable set pieces, including its cliff-top one-on-one battles for the throne of Wakanda, there was a single action scene that let the movie down. Unfortunately, that scene was the movie’s climactic showdown between T’Challa and Killmonger.
The battle in the Vibranium mines sees the hero and villain face off for the final time. Unlike the many other action sequences in the movie,Black Panther‘s climax is rendered almost entirely in underwhelming CGI, making it far less exciting than the brilliantly choreographed scenes that came before it. As such, the worst scene in the movie is perhaps its most important, and for allBlack Panther’s quality, it simply couldn’t stick the landing with one final great action sequence.
Steve Rogers’ MCU story began during World War II, and promptly saw him frozen in ice and outliving almost everyone from his previous life. His time on ice also separated him from his love interest, Peggy Carter, although the pair were shown reuniting in his solo sequel,Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The scene was unable to do justice to their story, however, and was one of the worst additions to perhaps the MCU’s best ever movie.
Having Steve and Peggy reunite all too briefly was bittersweet, but the way the scene was presented was incredibly disappointing.Hayley Attwell being aged using CGI was nowhere near convincing enough to sell the emotion in the scene, and it prevented the actors from recapturing their earlier chemistry. Instead, the scene comes off as one of the flattest and most uninspiring moments in the movie, despite having the potential to be its most poignant and touching.
Avengers: Endgameremains the most important movie of the MCU, with its narrative precipitating major change within the franchise. However, for all its triumphant moments and its unforgettably touching endings,Endgamealso has its flaws. The movie was positively packed with narrative development, but it also dropped the ball on one or two issues, with a notable moment standing out as the worst in the movie: the introduction of Professor Hulk.
Having Hulk appear and explain that he has undergone one of the most incredible transformations in the MCU off-screen was incredibly disappointing. The scene highlighted how the MCU had effectively robbed fans of seeing Hulk’s greatest triumph, instead reducing it to something mentioned in passing. The scene itself is passable, but it’s perhaps the only one in the entirety ofEndgamethat truly lets fans of the franchise down, making it the worst scene in one of the best movies in theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s history.
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.
