There are many unexplained mysteries and loose ends from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it seems will never be resolved. Over the last 17 years, Marvel Studios has created the most expansive and successful live-action shared universe ever, but with dozens of complex characters and even more different storylines being followed, some details have fallen through the cracks. While some mysteries have been paid off years after the fact, and more will be addressed in upcoming MCU movies and TV shows, there are more that might never be mentioned again.

Of course, it’s possible Marvel Studios may address some, or even all, of these mysteries in the MCU’s future. However, currently, there is no resolution in sight for these annoying loose ends. Unfinished stories such as the emergence of the Celestial Tiamut and Samuel Sterns’ transformation into the Leader will be explored in Captain America: Brave New World, and the upcoming Vision series will reveal exactly what happened to White Vision. Other projects will surely address some of Marvel’s other biggest loose ends, but many more don’t seem to be getting answers.

10

Why Did Steve Rogers Choose Sam Wilson To Become Captain America?

Steve Rogers Made Sam Wilson Captain America In Avengers: Endgame

Steve Rogers retired from the role of Captain America after the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame. Chris Evans’ Star-Spangled-Man returned the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines, and then elected to remain in the past of an alternate history with Peggy Carter, finally getting his happy ending. However, he returned as an elderly man to reunite with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes roughly ten seconds after he originally left, allowing him to officially pᴀss on the Captain America shield and mantle to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson.

While Sam Wilson did become Captain America in Marvel Comics, it was Bucky Barnes who took over the role when Steve Rogers was presumed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in 2008. This spurred some confusion about why Steve chose to pᴀss the mantle on to Sam in Avengers: Endgame, when he could have easily pᴀssed it to his childhood friend instead. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed that Steve and Bucky had discussed the pᴀssing of the shield before it happened, but Marvel Studios has not revealed why Steve chose Sam Wilson over his lifelong best friend.

9

How Did Quicksilver Get His Powers?

Quicksilver Debuted Alongside The Scarlet Witch In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

When they were introduced to the MCU in 2015, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were said to have received their superpowers by taking part in experiments for HYDRA. Exposure to the Mind Stone was originally thought to be the root of their abilities, but WandaVision confirmed that Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff was born with magical abilities that the Mind Stone enhanced. This makes the origin of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff more confusing, however, as he hasn’t been said to have been born with innate powers.

There have been theories suggesting the Scarlet Witch granted powers to her brother to save him from being killed by the Mind Stone, while there has also been speculation that the twins could be revealed to have been born as mutants. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were the mutant children of Magneto for decades in Marvel Comics, though this backstory was retconned in 2015, instead making them the product of the High Evolutionary’s genetic experiments. Details concerning Quicksilver’s powers in the MCU might never be addressed, since he was killed off in his debut movie.

8

Who Was Sonny Burch Working For?

Sonny Burch’s Mysterious Benefactor From Ant-Man & The Wasp Has Never Been Revealed

Walton Goggins’ debut as Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp provided some brilliant moments of comedy and obstacles for Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne. However, black market dealer Sonny Burch revealed that it was his employer who was particularly interested in Hope and Hank Pym’s Quantum Tunnel technology, though audiences still don’t know the idenтιтy of this mysterious man-behind-the-curtain. ComicBook reported in September 2022 that Walton Goggins would be returning in Armor Wars, but updates on the War Machine movie have been scarce since then.

Armor Wars was originally planned to be a six-part Disney+ series starring Don Cheadle, but was revealed to be being reworked into a feature film by September 2022. This is the most recent update Marvel Studios has given for Armor Wars, casting doubt on whether the project is moving ahead at all.

While Armor Wars could address who is pulling Sonny Burch’s strings in the MCU, the silence surrounding the upcoming movie doesn’t spell good news. Walton Goggins did return to voice Sonny Burch in What If…? season 3, episode 6, “What If… 1872?,” which saw a Wild West-themed Burch working for Xu Xialing’s Hood. Anthony Ramos will be debuting as Parker Robbins’ Hood in Marvel’s Ironheart series, so perhaps a connection to Sonny Burch could also be established here, but these connections are tenuous at best.

7

How Long Was Rhodey A Skrull?

Secret Invasion Revealed Rhodey Was Replaced By Raava

Don Cheadle’s Rhodey was supposed to be returning in Armor Wars following his transformative appearance in Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated projects in 2023, and the reveal that James “Rhodey” Rhodes had, at some point, been replaced by a Skrull did nothing to boost the series’ popularity. This was particularly annoying as Marvel Studios did not reveal when Rhodey had been replaced, though the fact that he woke up in a hospital gown led some to believe he could have been switched immediately after his accident in Captain America: Civil War.

Controversially, this would mean that Rhodey was absent for the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, meaning he spent over five years comatose and missed the Blip and his best friend’s, Tony Stark’s, sacrifice to save the universe. There were no signs in Infinity War or Endgame that Rhodey wasn’t himself, so Secret Invasion has caused a huge amount of confusion. With no word on when Armor Wars might be released, if at all, Rhodey’s MCU timeline has become a bit of a mess, and Marvel should make an effort to clear it up.

6

What Is That Last Guardians Of The Galaxy Easter Egg?

James Gunn Hasn’t Revealed Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Last Easter Egg

Ever since the release of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, filmmaker James Gunn has fielded questions and guesses about all the possible easter eggs featured in the Phase 2 movie. In the decade since, most of them have been uncovered, but Gunn, who now helms DC Studios and the newly-rebooted DC Universe, has remained adamant that one easter egg from Guardians of the Galaxy still hasn’t been found. An exchange on X in May 2023 saw him respond with a blunt, “No,” when asked if it had been found, and it seems likely he’ll never reveal the truth.

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The hunt for Guardians of the Galaxy’s easter eggs has fueled entertainment and excitement from audiences since the original movie’s release, and the fact that only one has gone undiscovered proves the dedication of the MCU’s fanbase. It’s very unlikely that James Gunn will willingly give up information on the final Guardians of the Galaxy easter egg, especially now that he’s moved on to the world of DC. Unless new MCU audiences can somehow figure out this unknown detail, it seems this curious mystery will never be resolved.

5

What Is The Soul Realm?

Thanos Entered The Soul Realm In Avengers: Infinity War

Most of the MCU’s six Infinity Stones got a great deal of development before being targeted by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, all except the Soul Stone. While the Mind, Time, Power, Space and Reality Stones all appeared in previous MCU projects, the Soul Stone made its debut in Infinity War, guarded by the Red Skull on Vormir, but its rushed introduction meant that little has actually been revealed about what the Stone does, what it’s capable of and what effect it has on its user. This was teased, however, when Thanos found himself in the Soul Realm.

The Soul Realm is a much more crucial location in Marvel Comics, as Adam Warlock spends a lot of time there with other characters, usually trapped inside. The mysterious dimension has been given much less focus in the MCU, however, only having appeared once when Thanos snapped his fingers and was taken there to speak to a young Gamora. It could be ᴀssumed that Bruce Banner and Tony Stark also appeared in the Soul Realm after using all the Infinity Stones, but this wasn’t shown aside from a deleted scene which sees Stark meeting his grown-up daughter.

4

Why Were The Sokovia Accords Repealed?

Daredevil Confirmed The Sokovia Accords Had Been Repealed In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

The majority of Captain America: Civil War’s storyline was centered on the Avengers’ disagreeing about what to do in the face of the Sokovia Accords. This document would have limited the Avengers’ actions, as they would have fallen under the control of a United Nations panel, rather than operating as a private organization who go where they please with no jurisdiction. The Sokovia Accords were signed and ratified, culminating in Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff and more becoming fugitives, but this didn’t last very long.

It seemed as though all was forgiven during Avengers: Endgame’s Blip, which was understandable given the circumstances, but then Matt Murdock revealed in court in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law that the Sokovia Accords had, in fact, been repealed. Perhaps the nations of the world realized that, had the Avengers been a united front, Thanos may not have succeeded in Infinity War, Nevertheless, the repealing of the Sokovia Accords has not been explained past a throwaway line, and it seems Marvel Studios has quickly moved on from this game-changing storyline.

3

Where Is Mordo?

Mordo Hasn’t Been Seen Since Doctor Strange

2016’s Doctor Strange ended with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo declaring that he believed there were “too many sorcerers,” effectively vowing to steal the magic from those he deemed to be abusing it. This set up some exciting storylines for the MCU’s future, with Mordo himself becoming a villain, but Marvel Studios has not followed up on Doctor Strange’s post-credits scene whatsoever. Efiofor even returned to the MCU in 2022 to play Earth-838’s Mordo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while there was no sight of his Earth-616 counterpart.

Baron Mordo’s quest to rid the world of magic and stop people abusing it, as he felt the Ancient One and Doctor Strange had done, was the perfect jumping off point for a dark and dramatic, perhaps more grounded, Doctor Strange story. Marvel ignored this in favor of sending Benedict Cumberbatch’s Master of the Mystic Arts across the multiverse in Phase 4. Deleted scenes from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would have seen the Scarlet Witch kill Mordo, but the fact that this wasn’t included means Chiwetel Ejiofor’s villain could possibly still return all these years later.

2

What Was Captain Marvel Doing Between 1995 & 2018?

The Marvels Did Nothing To Reveal What Carol Danvers Had Been Doing

Phase 3’s Captain Marvel was set in 1995, and Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers didn’t meet Earth’s other Mightiest Heroes until after Thanos snapped his fingers and Nick Fury hit the pager in 2018. Danvers’ actions in that 23-year-long period have still not been explored in the MCU, not even in 2023’s The Marvels, though the Phase 5 sequel did reveal that Danvers had spent some time invading Hala and destroying the Supreme Intelligence. Aside from her stating that she was helping other worlds that didn’t have the Avengers, nothing is known about this period in Carol Danvers’ life.

Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers has not yet been confirmed to be returning to the MCU, though she could prove important in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men stories, as X-Men member Rogue steals many of Captain Marvel’s powers for herself in Marvel Comics.

Secret Invasion explored some of the aftermath of Captain Marvel, revealing that Nick Fury had vowed to work with Carol Danvers to find a new home for the Skrull refugees living on Earth in the 1990s. This obviously didn’t happen, however, which makes Captain Marvel’s activities during this time even more confusing. After the disappointing performance of The Marvels, it’s unclear if Marvel Studios will give Brie Larson’s cosmic hero much attention in the future, which means this huge gap in her timeline may never be filled.

1

Where Did Spider-Man Get Bitten If There’s No Oscorp?

Marvel Studios Has Avoided Showing Peter Parker’s Origin Story As Spider-Man

Because of its proximity to 2002’s Spider-Man and 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Studios elected for 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming to not explore Peter Parker’s origin story. The majority of Marvel fans will be very aware of the details surrounding Peter Parker’s transformation into Spider-Man, so Tom Holland’s wall-crawler never explored this story on-screen. However, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home seemingly confirmed that Oscorp, where Spider-Man has typically (not originally) been bitten by his fateful spider, doesn’t exist, so Spider-Man’s origin story would be very different in the MCU.

Marvel Animation’s new Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man saw a variant of Peter Parker bitten by a spider that appears to have come from another dimension, perhaps connected to the Symbiote alien fought by Doctor Strange. In Marvel Comics, Peter Parker was bitten by a spider at a science fair, while Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Peters were both bitten at Oscorp. Marvel Studios could have taken some huge creative liberties with Spider-Man’s origin story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but, instead, it might simply be too late for this story to be explored.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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