Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe included many strange scenes, some of which have only gotten weirder as time has marched on. As the first movies of the MCU, the Phase One slate represented an era in which the mᴀssively successful franchise was still finding its footing. As a result, the early films featured quite a few awkward stumbling blocks that have only become straight-up weird over time.
There are many factors in play that can take a given MCU scene from slightly out-of-place to concerningly uncomfortable. Jarring of-the-times references and shifting cultural values can age certain moments dramatically poorly over time. In other cases, the early franchise insists on contradicting itself with later developments, with the MCU retconning certain elements from Phase One that cause an already weird beat to be even weirder.
10
Thanos “Courting Death” Is Weirder Now The MCU’s Death Actually Exists
The Avengers (2012)
Part of what made the Infinity Saga work so well is just how early it was seeded in the MCU’s history. Few fans even remember that Thanos has an appearance as early as Phase One, appearing in the post-credits scene of The Avengers. Here, the conquering тιтan mentions his efforts being akin to “courting death”, alluding to his love for Lady Death being his motivation for erasing half of all life in existence like in the comics. However, Avengers: Infinity War establishes that Thanos merely intends to cull the population of the MCU.
It’s strange for Thanos to mention his comic storyline when the change to his backstory was ultimately made, but the line becomes even weirder thanks to Agatha All Along. Here, it’s revealed that Lady Death does, in fact, exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning that the series could have utilized Thanos’ comic-accurate motivations from the very beginning. If nothing else, the line is a bizarre missed opportunity for what could have been.
9
Tony Stark & Thunderbolt Ross’ The Incredible Hulk Conversation Makes Him Becoming Red Hulk Even Weirder
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Thanos’ premiere appearance in the MCU is far from the only strange post-credits scene in Phase One. The Incredible Hulk provides a denouement in which Tony Stark confronts a dejected General Ross, nursing his loss with, of all things, a green cocktail in a seedy military bar. Stark lectures Ross about the superiority of hardware over biological experiments before pitching him on the idea of the Avengers initiative.
This is strange enough in the moment, as it appears that Stark is recruiting Ross himself rather than The Hulk. If his intention is to get The Hulk on the team, as what ends up happening, it seems like an odd move to attempt to reach him via his mortal enemy. The entire situation is complicated even further by the reveal that General Ross himself will be gaining a Hulk form in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
8
Black Widow & Hawkeye’s “Budapest” Joke Feels Really Strange Now It’s Been Revealed
The Avengers (2012)
The two most human an underpowered Avengers and the only two who hadn’t gotten a solo project by the time the first movie came out, Black Widow and Hawkeye have a lot in common. The Avengers reveals that the two have a long shared history as secret operatives as well, giving them some form of prior working relationship before joining up. At one point during the Battle of New York, Black Widow and Hawkeye reminisce about the chaos, calling it similar to their fateful Budapest mission.
The details of what exactly happened during this mission aren’t unearthed until Black Widow, where it’s shown that Black Widow and Hawkeye worked together in Budapest to take down General Dreykov, the leader of the insidious Black Widow program. The botched attempt on Dreykov’s life ends up seemingly killing his innocent daughter in a form of collateral damage. This grave consequence makes it all the stranger that Hawkeye and Black Widow would cheekily reference the event with such a cavalier atтιтude in The Avengers.
7
Banner’s Seeming Control Over His Transformations Is Quite Inconsistent
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
It’s hard enough enduring the whiplash of going back to Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk after over a decade of enjoying the Mark Ruffalo Hulk recast. But the film itself also features a mind-boggling final scene that provides more questions than answers, especially when compared to The Hulk’s storyline in the MCU going forward. Before cutting to black, the film shows Bruce Banner meditating before his eyes suddenly go emerald green and his “Days without incident” counter resets to zero.
Yet in The Avengers, lots of concern is still leveled at Bruce Banner’s risk as a security threat, even if he largely has his emotions under control.
This last beat seems to imply that Banner has grasped control over his Hulk transformations, able to hone his mind to hop between the two personas as he sees fit. Yet in The Avengers, lots of concern is still leveled at Bruce Banner’s risk as a security threat, even if he largely has his emotions under control. He validates these fears by going on a rampage through the Helicarrier, making the final sH๏τ of his own solo movie seem like a moot point.
6
Abomination’s Gross Older Design Seems Even Stranger After His Recent Changes
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Phase One, with the exception of Loki, sadly struck out when it came to putting forth memorable villains. Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. Abomination, is one of the most forgettable of the bunch, being a fight-crazed special forces soldier who gleefully transforms into a Hulk-like creature of his own before engaging his nemesis in a brutal tear-down brawl through Harlem. His design is nothing to write home about, looking like a sickly Lord of the Rings troll with an uncomfortably visible spinal column.
Blonsky laid dormant in obscurity for years before showing up again in the MCU, first in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and later in a more prominent role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In these later appearances, his Abomination form suddenly looks much more faithful to the comics, complete with a darker shade of green and fish-like fins sticking out from either side of his head. This total redesign is a welcome change, but makes his initial appearance feel all the stranger.
5
Elon Musk’s Cameo Has Only Gotten Worse
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 2 is widely considered to be the single worst Phase One MCU movie, if not one of the worst films in the franchise’s entire history. The case for it isn’t helped by a sudden and very gratuitous cameo by Elon Musk, who approaches Tony Stark at a high-class soirée. Musk mentions to Tony his idea for an electric jet before being waved off by the billionaire superhero.
At the time of the film’s release, Elon Musk’s public image was much better, being considered to be the closest equivalent to a real-life Tony Stark. Even so, the scene felt woefully out-of-place, as is always the case for jarring celebrity cameos in the MCU. Now that Elon Musk is a widely-reviled alt-right figurehead and controversial political figure, to say the least, this brief moment feels all the more cringeworthy and needless, better left off on the editing room floor.
4
Loki’s Casual Misogyny Is Quietly Walked Back
The Avengers (2012)
Loki has had one of the best arcs of any Marvel Cinematic Universe character, with his appearance in The Avengers arguably being him at his most evil. Not only does he murder hordes of innocent lives in his bid to conquer Earth, but the simple language he uses to address others is dripping with contempt in this film. Case in point, at one point the God of Mischief calls Black Widow a “mewling quim“, what might easily come off to many as a nonsensical Middle Ages insult meant to demonstrate Loki’s home time period.
But the actual words Loki uses are far more offensive than most realize, being a vulgar, if antiquated Sєxist term that the movie wouldn’t dare translate into modern English while expecting to keep a PG-13 rating. Loki seemingly calls Black Widow this for no other reason than the fact that she is a woman, and the only female member of The Avengers, at that. Considering the Loki of the Loki Disney+ series is meant to be closer to this 2012 version, it’s quite telling just how far his casual misogyny is walked back to make him more likable.
3
Captain America’s Rule-Following Is Extremely Out Of Character
The Avengers (2012)
Even putting the controversy of Joss Whedon aside, the scribe of The Avengers seemed to have a difficult time understanding the characterization of Captain America. As an earnest hero that doesn’t fit neatly into Whedon’s disposition for fast-paced quippy dialogue, Captain America is turned into something of a rule-following boy scout. This is confirmed when Steve insists “We have orders, we should follow them” when Stark and Banner question Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.l.D.’s motivations.
Just because he wears the American flag doesn’t mean he’s an unquestioning soldier, as proven from his very enlistment and unsanctioned combat missions in World War II.
In truth, this is a tremendous misunderstanding of Captain America’s character. Just because he wears the American flag doesn’t mean he’s an unquestioning soldier, as proven from his very enlistment and unsanctioned combat missions in World War II. Later in the MCU, Steve proves his willingness to go against the status quo by openly betraying the U.S. government and going on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D., making this scene on the Helicarrier feel quite ironic and inconsistent years later.
2
Black Widow’s Interrogation Scene Is Alarmingly Objectifying
The Avengers (2012)
Scarlett Johansson simply couldn’t get a break in the early MCU movies when it came to the audacious objectification of her character. Black Widow is used as eye candy at multiple points in her Phase One appearances, but none are as alarming or awkward as the interrogation scene that introduces her in The Avengers. Meant to show off just how good she is as an international super spy, Black Widow pauses her own torture and interrogation in order to take a phone call, revealing that she has her targets right where she wants them.
However, the way the scene is framed leaves something to be desired. Black Widow’s suggestive restraints, low-cut dress and the way she’s manhandled by the criminals “interrogating” her draws some cheap and concerning attention for the wrong reasons. Going back to this scene after seeing the well-rounded and fleshed-out character Natasha Romanoff was able to evolve into, Phase One seems like a very strange time in the MCU’s history indeed.
1
The Galaga Gag Feels Stranger The More Thought It’s Given
The Avengers (2012)
Part of the strength of Iron Man’s character in the MCU, particularly the early films, is how much free rein was given to Robert Downey Jr. to improvise his lines. While this lᴀssiez-faire atтιтude to ad libbing resulted in some of the most classic MCU moments ever, such as the “I am Iron Man” press conference, other script additions just feel plain strange. A great example is Tony Stark’s Galaga quip as he strides across the bridge of the Helicarrier in The Avengers.
After commanding the attention of the room and making a fool out of himself, as usual, Tony Stark points out that a random S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is slacking off playing the classic Namco arcade game Galaga at his desk. After he leaves, he turns out to be right, and the distracted soldier resumes play. This is such a strange joke to be worthy of inclusion that only gets weirder the more one thinks about it, making for one of the most odd scenes in the early MCU.
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