The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made many movie scenes harder to rewatch due to how future projects ended up following on those moments. 2025’s MCU movies are going to be big. The franchise sees a new Captain America rise, while the Thunderbolts come together and their film reveals who bought Avengers Tower, and the Fantastic Four finally debut in the MCU. Such major events are bound to bring along impactful scenes.

That has been the case with the MCU’s best movies. Marvel Studios knows how to imbue films with emotional scenes, thrilling action, and hilarious comedy. However, some of the most heartwarming or impactful MCU movie scenes have become harder to view on a rewatch due to how those moments transformed into events in later MCU releases. With a few sad results, as well as some displeasing turn of events, great MCU movie scenes are now harder to view on a rewatch.

10

Peter Parker Is Snapped In Front Of Iron Man

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

First up is one of the MCU’s saddest moments. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has become one of the most popular characters in the franchise. Peter Parker’s role in the latest two Avengers movies saw the character go from a street-level hero to a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Spider-Man ended up fighting Thanos. Sadly, the heroes lost, and Peter turned to dust. The moment was emotional, as his Spider-Sense allowed the hero to understand he was dying, unlike others. Spider-Man’s slow death in Iron Man’s arms was heartbreaking in itself, but the MCU has made it even harder to rewatch.

Spider-Man comes back to life to fight alongside Tony Stark one more time. However, Iron Man dies to defeat Thanos not long after that, and Peter is right in front of him as that happens. Spider-Man: Far From Home showed how that traumatized the young hero.

9

Spider-Man & Doctor Strange Carry Out Peter’s Idenтιтy Spell

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man is the star of quite a few movies on the list. Spider-Man: No Way Home has become one of the MCU’s highest-grossing films, featuring several moments that became instant classics. Early in the movie, Peter Parker makes a choice that will have disastrous consequences.

Rewatching the moment when Peter asks Doctor Strange for a spell that makes the world forget he is Spider-Man is harder now. The reason for that is simple. The spell backfired spectacularly. First, multiverse heroes and villains from the past Spider-Man movies came to the MCU.

However, the worst part of the event is how it was resolved. In order to fix things, Doctor Strange had to conjure a new spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker was. Spider-Man’s life is worse off due to the spell than it was beforehand, as he is now all alone.

8

Star-Lord & Gamora’s Romance Begins

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Star-Lord and Gamora have one of the best relationships in the MCU. 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy did a good job of putting them together as a team before teasing their chemistry. However, its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, really dived into the couple.

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Peter Quil and Gamora have a heartwarming dance earlier in the film. During that moment, Star-Lord talks about the “unspoken thing” between them. Gamora denies its existence, which is a clear lie. At the end of the film, Peter asks why Gamora is looking at him, and she says, “It’s just… some unspoken thing.”

Sadly, that cute relationship was cut short when Thanos killed Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. They thought they had the rest of their lives together to explore their feelings for each other. However, that was not true, making the scene bittersweet.

7

Thor Becomes King Of Asgard

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok stands to this day as the best Thor movie. Director Taika Waiтιтi redefined what Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel hero could be. The film featured a cosmic story with Thor and Hulk bonding. More than that, the fate of Asgard was in the balance.

Chris Hemsworth has the most MCU solo movies so far, having led 4 Thor films.

While Surtur destroyed Asgard, what made the iconic MCU realm was not its location but its people. Thor, Loki, and the others managed to save most Asgardians. At the end of the movie, Thor becomes the King of Asgard, cementing how the MCU movie upgraded the character.

However, the moment Thor becomes king is now hard to view on a rewatch. Loki and several Asgardians die on that same ship when Thanos attacks it. A depressed Thor would step away from his duties, with Valkyrie taking care of the Asgardians. This special moment is ruined by the darkness that came later.

6

Iron Man Receives “Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart”

Iron Man (2008)

Pepper Potts and Tony Stark make up the original MCU couple. There is a lot to love in 2008’s Iron Man, the film that started the MCU. However, the core relationship between the two is what elevates the whole thing, and one specific moment would grow in importance years later.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s character helps Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark change his arc reactor. The scene showed how they had electrifying chemistry. It was made better by Pepper’s idea of sending Tony’s arc reactor back to him. Encased in glᴀss as a gift, it now bore the words, “Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart.”

The moment is now quite dark when rewatching. The reason for that is the gift was brought back by Marvel after Iron Man’s death. At his funeral, Tony’s arc reactor is surrounded by flowers and sent to float in a lake as all MCU heroes watch.

5

Scorpion Going After Spider-Man Is Teased

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

While many MCU movie scenes are harder to view on a rewatch due to sad events that happen later, others are because they lead nowhere. That is, sadly, the case of a villain who has incredible potential. Spider-Man: Homecoming saw the MCU debut of Mac Gargan.

Marvel has not used the character since then, and with multiverse rumors for Spider-Man 4, that plot point seems unlikely to return soon.

Better Call Saul actor Michael Mando plays the character. In the comics, Gargan turns into the Spider-Man villain known as Scorpion. Spider-Man: Homecoming teased that as Mac was sent to prison after being stopped by the hero and asked Michael Keaton’s Vulture whether he knew Spider-Man’s idenтιтy.

Vulture might not have revealed that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, but the moment seemed to set up Scorpion’s return. However, that has yet to happen. Marvel has not used the character since then, and with multiverse rumors for Spider-Man 4, that plot point seems unlikely to return soon.

4

Peter Finds Norman Osborn With Aunt May

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the MCU’s most thrilling Spider-Man film. Through the multiverse, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men, as well as villains from their movie franchises, returned to the big screen. Willem Dafoe’s Green Gobin was the film’s main villain, and he made his screen time count.

The scene that is hard to view on a rewatch is between Norman Osborn and Aunt May. Peter Parker rushes into FEAST thinking Aunt May is in danger, only to find that Norman is seemingly a gentle guy suffering from not knowing where he is, not a villain. The scene is also funny, with Norman sneaking donuts into his hoodie.

However, it is now put into a more tragic context. The scene represents the first meeting between Aunt May and the character who would kill her. With the Green Goblin serum taking over, Norman kills May and leaves Peter an orphan again, plaguing the good nature of the FEAST scene.

3

Yellowjacket Shrinks and Seemingly Dies

Ant-Man (2015)

Yellowjacket was the main villain of the MCU’s first Ant-Man movie. Played by Corey Stoll, the character stood as a dark self of Scott Lang. The reason for that is because Darren Cross had been mentored by Hank Pym before Scott, but he turned out to be evil.

Ant-Man‘s ending seemed to kill Yellowjacket. The scene featured Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man almost dying to protect his daughter. He shrunk enough to sabotage Yellowjacket’s suit. By doing that, the villain begins to shrink with no way of stopping it, seemingly dying.

However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had a very different fate in mind for the character. Darren Cross survived, with his head growing in size and the rest of his body shrinking, which turned him into MODOK. The move was a waste, as MODOK is a major villain in the comics, but he was reduced to a joke and died in his MCU debut, all while being a completely new character.

2

Captain America Says Goodbye To Bucky

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Chris Evans’ Captain America and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes have one of the MCU’s most beloved friendships. The characters have been through it all together. However, the time for them to be apart came in Avengers: Endgame, as Steve chose to stay in the past with Peggy Carter.

The MCU scene has become harder to view on a rewatch due to Bucky’s next project after the film. Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focused on how Bucky was doing after freeing himself from HYDRA’s mind control. Bucky was hurting, trying to make amends for the sins he committed.

It is hard to believe that Steve Rogers would abandon his best friend to deal with that alone. However, that was exactly what happened in the MCU. Bucky’s path to healing would have been aided by Steve’s presence, and their goodbye is now sadder to watch.

1

Doctor Strange Reveals In How Many Futures The Avengers Defeat Thanos

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War is one of the MCU’s most rewatchable movies. As one of the franchise’s biggest releases, it sets up many plot points for future projects. Avengers: Endgame is largely connected to its predecessor, as the final Avengers movie of the Infinity Saga features a major Infinity War callback.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone to look into over 14 million possible futures. He reveals to a group of heroes that the Avengers are only able to defeat Thanos in one of them. This scene became more meaningful and darker after Avengers: Endgame was released.

The reason for that is simple. Avengers: Endgame saw Doctor Strange tell Tony that there was only one way for them to succeed, with Iron Man realizing he had to die for it to happen. This recontextualizes the scene, as Strange knew that Iron Man had to die for the heroes to win and kept that a secret, making it quite a dark MCU moment.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  
  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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