The Biggest MCU Movie Mistakes So Far
From a plethora of origin stories and individual hero franchises to big-budget crossover events, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown by leaps and bounds, and at this point, there can be no doubt that Marvel has built a reputation of excellence through their ever-evolving creation of one of the most successful print-to-screen adaptations of all time.
But the truth is, even the MCU isn't quite as shiny and perfect as it looks at first glance. With such a myriad of characters being created, lines being delivered, stunts, explosions, and dozens of hours of finished film, there are bound to be errors that occasionally slip into the final product. After all, while the stories may be about larger-than-life superheroes, there are still lowly, fallible human beings writing the scripts, running the cameras, and working behind the scenes to make it all happen. So, without further ado, here's an affectionate look at some of the biggest movie mistakes that have weaseled their way into the MCU so far.
Black Widow's deadly hair
Black Widow is as impressive a spy and assassin as ever walked the planet, and she's demonstrated those talents on more than one occasion. However, none of them were quite as impressive as when she made her entrance early on in the first Avengers movie.
When Black Widow arrives on the screen, she's tied to a chair, surrounded by a bunch of baddies who, by their own calculations, are in total control of the situation. Except, of course, they're not. Everyone got a kick — literally — out of the ensuing encounter, with Black Widow calmly flipping around, beating the crap out of the astonished bullies literally with two hands tied behind her back. The only problem? At one point in the struggle, she beats off one of the bullies with her hair. In a move that looks like it was probably supposed to be a headbutt to the face, Black Widow's supercharged locks gently brush her opponent's face only to send him reeling backward. While this may be a hint at some odd new superpowers to come, chances are it was just a poorly filmed stunt that slipped into the final cut.
Gauntlet continuity ... or lack thereof?
Hints of the Infinity Gauntlet started showing up when it flashed by in "Thor" safely stowed away in a vault in Asgard. It showed up again, though, in the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" credits scene, where we saw that Thanos already possessed the gauntlet, which he donned to retrieve the Infinity Stones himself. Wait. What now?
The initial confusion over the Asgardian gauntlet versus the one that Thanos possessed was cleared up in "Thor: Ragnarok," when Hela declared it a fake. But then in "Infinity War," Thor pays a visit to Eitri the Dwarf King at his destroyed smithy, and we learn that Thanos visited the dwarves, forced them to make him a gauntlet, and then killed everyone but the despairing king. But didn't Thanos already have an Infinity Gauntlet? There's no way he destroyed Nidavellir all the way back before "Age of Ultron" and then no one noticed until "Infinity War." What happened? Was it too big? Did he need a backup option for when the other one was in the wash? Or was it just a mistake?
Of course, just a few movies later Tony Stark builds his very own Infinity Gauntlet as well, and the entire business of too many golden gloves floating around simply melts into the background, replaced by the new focus on competing models.
Star-Lord's mixtape
"Guardians of the Galaxy" was a sweet ride, and a nice way for Marvel to expand the MCU into a more galactic mindset. It also was loaded with laughs, many of which traced their way back to Peter Quill's Earth origins. Right in the opening scenes, we see Star-Lord using nothing less than a cassette player to boogie down with "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" blasting in his ears.
There's no denying that, right along with the Avengers themselves, that mix is among one of the best things Marvel ever assembled, with the compilation going on to become the second soundtrack ever to sell over a million digital albums. But while everyone was busy toe-tapping to the music and laughing at the comical adventures of Quill and company, a quiet little detail slipped right past our nostalgic eyes: Star-Lord's cassette is a TDK Type II "CDing 2" tape, a model that didn't come out until 1993. Quill was abducted from Earth by Yondu in 1988. So, unless the Ravagers chose to circle back around a few years later to let Quill copy his favorite soundtrack onto a new tape, chances are this mixtape is a genuine mixup. Of course, regardless of the year it was made, a cassette tape that has been played for 20 years probably wouldn't be delivering the crisp digital quality we heard in the movie anyway. But that's a discussion for another day. So unless the Ravagers chose to circle back around a few years later to let Quill copy his favorite soundtrack onto a new tape, chances are this mixtape is a genuine mixup.
Spider-Man Homecoming timeline mistake
Spider-Man had long been a missed character in the MCU (even if he'd technically made his first appearance in a quick cameo in 2010) until he finally arrived on the scene when he briefly participated in "Captain America: Civil War." Since then, the Crimestopper from Queens has earned his own solo movies and played an important part in "Infinity War."
It was the first part of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," though, in which the folks at Marvel had one of their most obvious faceplants to date, and it all had to do with a little time jump that left fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. In general, the MCU tends to follow a real-life timeline that occurs at or near the time each movie is released. However, in Homecoming, the movie begins with a flashback to the aftermath of the Battle of New York, which is supposed to take place in 2012. It then claims to jump forward "eight years," which would put the rest of the movie in 2020. This throws it off from the rest of the movies, especially considering the fact that it would put Spidey's first film right smack dab in the middle of the five-year snap-gap. While the web-head's sequel does get back on track by lining up with the events of the "Blip," the year for the first film is definitely off-kilter and has even been confirmed by the Russo brothers themselves to be a mistake.
Capital Hill
Sometimes it's the little details that matter. Things like continuity between scenes, details on a costume, or actually filling in background content with meaningful information are often what take a mediocre flick and take it to the next level. Over the years the MCU has done a fantastic job in this regard, maintaining both continuity and impressive details throughout the complex web of storylines that they've woven — even if the occasional detail like the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault comes back to bite them after the fact.
But even the geniuses at Marvel aren't flawless, as was on display in a quick little scene from "Iron Man 2." Toward the beginning of the film, Tony watches a clip of himself on C-SPAN's YouTube channel. The clip is titled "Stark Industries CEO Stark on Capital Hill." The only problem? He's on Capitol Hill. It may be common to hire editors for the script, but it looks like Marvel may need to get somebody on board to check onscreen spelling as well.
What kind of survivor?
Everyone knows Gamora is awesome, and she has one of the absolute best backstories in the MCU to boot. How many protagonists can claim to be part of Thanos' family and still be one of the good guys? As compelling as Gamora's origin is, though, she's been around long enough now for a bit of a wrinkle to develop in her narrative as the writers have attempted to weave her relationship as Thanos' adopted daughter in with her otherwise busy storyline with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The main issue here concerns her original people. The scene in "Guardians of the Galaxy" in which the gang is arrested by Nova Corps is full of a boatload of background info as well as some typically edgy humor, largely thanks to Star-Lord. During the scene, a small detail flashes up on the screen for a moment regarding Gamora's origin. It states that she's the "last survivor of the Zehoberei people." Of course, anyone who's watched "Infinity War" will recall that we see Gamora being "taken in" by the Mad Titan, who distracts her as half of her people are annihilated. Half, though? What happened to the rest that would make Gamora the "last survivor?" While explanations could doubtless be cooked up, chances are this one is just an oversight.
Inconsistent communications
The Battle of New York is the highlight of the first huge Marvel crossover, with the fully assembled Avengers all doing their best to manage the Chitauri hordes that are flowing into the city at an unstoppable rate. The dramatic crescendo to what was already one of the best superhero romps of all time is a collective memory that we can all look back on fondly. But with so many missiles firing, arrows flying, and Hulk smashing everything to bits, it's easy to get so sucked into the action that a few really obvious facts about physical reality quickly get shoved onto the back burner.
There are already quite a few interesting, seemingly unexplainable phenomena at work here, such as Iron Man's endless supply of missiles, Hawkeye's ever-filled quiver, or the fact that an incredible amount of rubble is falling every which way and hitting virtually no one. But the one fact that never ceases to amaze is the way all of the Avengers seamlessly talk to one another, sometimes in little more than whispered tones, as if they're calmly sitting down chatting over drinks in the Avengers HQ. From Clint Barton barking orders like a madman from a lonely rooftop with literally no one in earshot to Natasha Romanoff calling for help as she careens through the air on a Chitauri ship, it's difficult to explain — not that the movie really tries.
Coordinates to nowhere
It's easy to excuse incorrect small details as oversights, but a ton of the Marvel magic takes place in those very details. It's an art that they've mastered, with tucked away spoilers and Easter eggs serving as a large part of how they've built up so much anticipation for the arrival of new characters and stories over the years. But even the masters can stumble from time to time.
Such is the case with a brief bit of text that flashes up on the screen during "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." As the camera pans across the Triskelion S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, it flashes a quick latitude/longitude graphic on the screen showing where exactly this impressive building is located. It's the kind of detail that most viewers would ignore and the diehard fans would take screenshots of in order to go look it up later — and unfortunately, in this case, the diehards won't ever get to know where the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ is located, as the onscreen directions both read as latitude, with one indicating north and the other south.
Birth date...s?
In the "Winter Soldier" scene when Captain America visits the Smithsonian exhibit about his own life, he approaches a memorial to Bucky Barnes. The scene is overloaded with information, so it's hard to take it all in, but at the bottom of the entry it reads "Bucky Barnes 1917-1944."
Set against this, however, is the first line at the top of the memorial, which reads "Born in 1916." Okay, so which was it, guys? The best part about this one is that the typo takes place on the same piece of information. Usually, Marvel has a few movies of separation to point to as an excuse for a developing storyline gone awry, such as the questions surrounding Gamora's origin. This time, though, it appears that someone simply changed their mind about Bucky's birth year in the short span of time it took to write two paragraphs of text ... and then never went back to fix the original date.
Doctor Strange's mask
Doctor Strange ends up being a pretty cool cat by the end of his first film, with appearances in "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Infinity War" only adding to his mystic awe. But, of course, the Sorcerer Supreme started as a cocky career-obsessed doctor that acted like he owned the world. The early sequences of the movie exhibit the future Master of the Mystic Arts as a top-of-the-line surgeon, strutting around the operating room like he knows his stuff.
But is he really a master of his craft? Some called the fact into question when they noticed that right in the opening moments of his solo film, Doctor Strange washes his hands and then puts on his mask. Isn't one of the first things we teach our children (let alone our doctors) to keep your hands clean? And in the operating room, no less? After all, this isn't taking place in the 18th century. The info should be common knowledge, especially to the best surgeon in town. And yet, this accomplished professional takes his purified hands and touches his face right before surgery. Tsk-tsk, Stephen. It's a rookie mistake that's hardly the sign of a master of any art form.
Boots or sandals?
We've already established the excellence of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, but as we saw with Quill's cassette deck, even films as good as these aren't impervious to errors. In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," though, the error is a bit less obvious.
The second installment of the franchise opens with a little backstory on the relationship of Peter Quill's parents, with the movie showing Ego and Meredith Quill cavorting through the Missouri countryside. As Ego leads Meredith down a slope to show him the alien seedling he's planted, she can be seen flitting down the slope behind him in fur-capped boots. However, a moment later she's shown next to the strange glowing plant in sandals. Was the script continuity supervisor home sick that day? After all, going from winter to summer footgear is a pretty noticeable difference. While the change is subtle onscreen, it's a mistake that the MCU, the planter of so many minute details, can't expect to go unnoticed.
Cap's hair
We now return to the end of "The Avengers," this time in the aftermath of the epic Battle of New York. As the team splits up, we see each Avenger as they go their separate ways, heading off to the next great adventure. One of the scenes shows Steve Rogers, dressed down from his Captain America uniform, riding a motorcycle as he ponders all that's taken place.
The scene is serene, tranquil, and calm. A bit too calm, actually. After a moment it becomes glaringly apparent that there's no way Cap is riding a real bike that's moving down the road. Many fans point to the fact that his hair doesn't budge during the scene as proof that Chris Evans is just sitting still. The truth is, though, if you look closely, the hair does move toward the end of the clip — a little flip caused by a light draft. However, when taken into consideration, this only reinforces the fact that if he was driving at 50 miles an hour, his hair would be flapping all over the place. Way to take a moment of closure and turn it into a scene that screams "green screen," guys.
Tony's changing goatee
In the epic showdown between Iron Man and Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War," the stakes couldn't be higher, as Thanos is dangerously close to obtaining the power to erase half of humanity. As Tony Stark faces his formidable opponent, the focus intensifies on an unexpected detail — his iconic goatee. As we know by now, Marvel enthusiasts with keen eyes are quick to discern even the subtlest mistakes that slip into the final cut, and this time, it was Tony's inconsistent facial hair stealing the spotlight.
In two back-to-back close-ups featuring Tony suited up in his Iron Man armor, the inconsistency in his mustache becomes apparent. The shape and color of his facial hair undergo a subtle transformation, and once noticed, you can't unsee it. Throughout the movie, Tony's signature goatee maintains a dark and slender appearance. However, in a fleeting moment that editors likely didn't think viewers would notice, his mustache appears more grown in, revealing hints of gray. Likely, this continuity error was due to reshoots, showing that, once again, Marvel filmmakers underestimated the astute vigilance of Marvel fans.
Ant-Man in two places at once
During the intense final battle between the Avengers and Thanos' army in "Avengers: Endgame," it's essential the Avengers find an operating Quantum Tunnel to go back in time and return the infinity stones from various points in the past. Believing that there's no way to do so since Thanos destroyed the Quantum Tunnel, Ant-Man reminds the heroes of Luis's van and its time-traveling abilities. With the van parked in the middle of the battlefield, Ant-Man and Wasp shrink down to sneak inside, but when they're in, they realize it's dead. It's up to Ant-Man to hot-wire the van amid all the chaos.
However, observant fans noticed an error that made it seem like Ant-Man is in two places simultaneously. While Ant-Man is supposed to be hot-wiring the van, he can be seen in his giant form on the battlefield in the background of Black Panther's shot, fighting along with everyone else. Fortunately, it's a small enough mistake that doesn't interfere with the plot, but it makes you wonder how it made its way into the final cut. When asked about it in an interview with BBC Radio 1, Paul Rudd speculates, "Maybe there's a bit of a glitch in the system." With all the alternate realities that have since been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it could easily be written off as intentional, but we all know the truth.
Visible boom mic
The dreaded appearance of a visible boom mic is among the most common and amateur movie-making mistakes that one can make, and surprisingly, one made its way into one of the highest-grossing blockbusters of all time. During Tony Stark's funeral in "Avengers: Endgame," Happy Hogan is having a heartfelt exchange with Tony's daughter Morgan when the tip of a fluffy windshield mic cover can be seen at the top of the screen peeking into the shot.
While some emotionally overwhelmed fans, as per comments on a Reddit post addressing the mishap, claim they were too engrossed in the scene to notice, one astute user suggests that the mic cover might only be visible in the IMAX editions available on Disney+. If that's the case, then curious viewers better take the chance to watch it for themselves on the streaming platform before Marvel randomly decides one day to remove all traces of the mistake with an easy fix.
Crew member caught in the background
The next time you watch "Doctor Strange," pay close attention to the background around the 56-minute mark. As the camera pans past the mystical relics in the Sanctum Sanctorum, you'll be able to spot a figure way off to the right. Could it be a statue? Perhaps it's an easter egg introducing a new Marvel character? Most likely, it's just some guy from the film crew who accidentally got caught in the frame without anyone noticing.
In a Reddit post, user Originalitie highlights this oversight, emphasizing the telltale signs of a crew member — clad in the classic hoodie and baseball cap, the unofficial uniform of those working behind the scenes. Like the noticeable intrusion of a boom mic, crew members unintentionally appearing in the frame create an unwelcome distraction, disrupting the movie's magic. Thankfully, the crew member in question is discreet, so the average viewer wouldn't notice unless they were intentionally looking.
Incorrect license plate
As part of their mission to undo the Snap caused by Thanos, Hulk and Rocket travel back in time to New Asgard in the year 2013 to retrieve the Reality Stone in "Avengers: Endgame." Their encounter with Thor, who's in a state of disarray and self-imposed isolation, provides both humor and depth to his character, reflecting the aftermath of "Thor: The Dark World." However, a couple of overlooked mistakes in this scene add yet another layer for fans to unpack.
The truck carrying Hulk and Rocket to New Asgard sports a UK license plate (SN61 5PN), a geographical mismatch for Norway, where New Asgard is located. The correct Norwegian plate would've followed the format of two letters and a sequence of numbers. In a similar mistake, pizza boxes in Thor's house feature a UK phone number. Both these blunders can be explained away by the movie's filming location in Scotland. Still, it's surprising no one caught it before the final cut.
Tony's upside-down mug
In the montage of Tony Stark crafting the Mark II armor in "Iron Man," an amusing oversight has been pointed out by Reddit user TheOutsider134. As Tony diligently types at his computer, a seemingly upside-down mug rests beside him on his desk. However, in the next shot, we cut to a close-up of Tony taking a sip from said mug. While it's no secret actors are almost always drinking from empty cups, the mug's upside-down placement in the shot before made this all the more obvious.
This oversight is the exact reason why prop masters and script supervisors exist to ensure visual continuity across scenes and takes. So where were they for this take? While we'll never know exactly what happened behind the scenes, there could be a myriad of reasons why this error was overlooked. Even if they caught it later in editing, they could've chosen to leave it in regardless, especially if that's all they had to work with. However, it seems unlikely that they couldn't have utilized a quick CGI fix to turn that coffee mug right side up.