Six things that make absolutely NO sense in Marvel movies

New Delhi

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is by far the biggest cinematic brand in the world. These movies (and now shows) have dominated the global film landscape so authoritatively for almost a decade-and-a-half that it is now considered too big to fail. Even after several lack-luster entries in terms of critical reception and even box office returns, the insane popularity of MCU remains intact. The so-called 'Marvel Formula' honed over a decade by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and company is so recognisable around the world that when one utters the phrase 'Marvel movie', the others in the conversation more often than not know what kind of movies they are talking about. 

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It is usually superheroes flying around, debris of buildings, one-liners, camaraderie, and superpowers manifested by all sorts of things like technology (Iron Man), some serum or chemical (Captain America and Hulk), insect bites (Spider-Man), experiments (Wanda Maximoff) a MacGuffin (Vision, Ms Marvel and Shang-Chi), or just good-old workout in the case of Black Widow and Hawkeye. 

Since the MCU is so dominant, it is easy to forget that these movies are riddled with errors, plot holes, and logical leaps. Here we list 6 of those. Make no mistake, I believe MCU is awesome. Such an intricately plotted and written cinematic universe with dozens of superheroes, supervillains, and several thousand supporting characters who inhabit a world that feels lived-in is in itself an achievement. But due to the scale, there are bound to be issues and inaccuracies.

1. Why superheroes are not assisted by other Avengers in solo movies?

Poor Spider-Man was left to fend for himself in 'No Way Home' and only Doctor Strange came to his rescue. Where were the others?  When Strange had to face Wanda and the fate of the entire MULTIVERSE, not just one universe, was at stake, where were the others? Why were Eternals the only ones fighting the Deviants as the latter attacked global cities? Where were others to help them? 

We know the real-world reason for this: the actors demand salary to act, and a standalone movie's budget cannot go beyond the mandated mark. So if team-ups were to happen in every single film, Marvel Studios would go bankrupt. But there must be an in-universe explanation for other heroes not coming to assist their friends in need. The problem is only going to be bigger as MCU also becomes bigger.

2. Why do characters without superpowers land on their knee and just walk it off?

Yes, it is a superhero cinematic universe, and one has to suspend disbelief with this sort of stuff, but god, sometimes MCU make no sense at all. Tony Stark wears a suit of armour and can land on his knee without getting hurt. Same for Steve Rogers or Captain America, who was fortified by a special serum and Bruce Banner was exposed to gamma waves that turned into the Green Goliath called Hulk. But what about Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow? We have been looking at her landing casually in a way (see the image) that would shatter the knee caps of every flesh-and-blood human, no matter how well-developed their muscles are. 

3. Superheroes feel like different people in different films

It is a huge challenge for Feige and others pulling the strings to keep MCU tonally balanced and events should matter and character should not feel different from movies to movies in the hands of different filmmakers. And they do not always succeed For instance, Thor in the movies preceding 'Thor: Ragnarok' did not have much in terms of sense of humour. In 'Thor', 'The Avengers', and 'Thor: Dark World' he was funny so far as his Asgardian ways felt funny to other characters. But in 'Ragnarok' he turned into a jokester, becoming almost like an alternate universe version of Thor. Yes, we loved the film, but tonally that Thor does not fit well with the superhero we knew from before.

Also, Odin told Thor in 'Ragnarok' that his power is innate and that he does not need any magical hammer (Mjolnir) to use his powers "Are you a god of hammers?," smirks Odin as he dies. And sure enough, Thor made quick work of warriors resurrected by Hela and even challenged Hela for a while. But in the next film, 'Avengers: Infinity War' he went on to forge another weapon for himself, the Stormbreaker? Why? Was Odin wrong? Thor cannot manifest his powers without Mjolnir? Or what we saw in 'Ragnarok' is not canon?

4. Depiction of marginalised communities in MCU

MCU has been dominated by white males for the most part. Each member of the OG Avengers was white, and only one was female. Sure enough, there has been a course correction. We now have female-centric movies, a movie on an African superhero, and a show on a South Asian Muslim superhero. While many decry this as political correctness, other are pointing out that the parent company of Marvel Studios, does not itself advance the cause of progressivism as its projects do. The media giant has been in hot water over its ambiguous approach to LGBTQ issues.

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It had removed a gay kiss scene in the Pixar movie 'Lightyear' until there were protests and walkouts by employees. It has also removed black actors from the posters in China to satiate that country's alleged preference for white colours. For instance, it made the face of British actor John Boyega less prominent on the posters of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. Perhaps fans would take Disney more seriously if it practiced what it preaches. 

5. Why always the United States, and why nearly always New York?

It appears all the extraterrestrial beings, monsters, warlords, and entities from another universe have a beef with the Big Apple. Whenever an alien power attacks earth, they mostly choose New York for some reason. And unfortunate residents of the US financial capital either have to die or flee their homes. More often than not the city is turned into a big pile of rubble, renewing the traumatic, deeply buried memories of those MCU fans who lived through 9/11.

Granted, this is not an issue for just MCU, but it does look like NYC, in movies at least, is the first and often the only target of everything hostile outside our solar system. And if it is New York, then it is somewhere in the US. The rest of the world, it appears, is invisible to alien eyes. 

6. Thanos' insane plan

Now we come to the biggest logical leap MCU has ever taken and isn't that saying something. Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, was the Big Bad of the MCU until 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame' which ended the so-called Infinity Saga. His ultimate plan was to acquire the Infinity Stones, the most powerful objects in the universe, and place them in his Infinity Gauntlet, which would then allow him to snap his fingers and do whatever he wish. He could shape reality in any way. But he chose to end half of all living beings in the universe? Why? Because he was on a Malthusian quest to reduce the load on the universe -- so that the rest half of the living beings will be prosperous.

But the more you think about it, the less that plan makes sense. And yes, the writers do want you to sympathise, at least a little, with Thanos. He is painted as a fairly reasonable character who does not kill indiscriminately. He is precise with his words. Now, what are those 'resources' the Mad Titan was talking about? Aren't plants and animals also resources for humans and other people inhabiting the universe? Won't they die as well? Also, suppose an aeroplane pilot is snapped out of existence, the rest of the travellers will die as well in that aircraft. What about them? Over the centuries, research has proven that it is not the population that is the problem, but resource distribution. Some have everything, and some have nothing. If only Thanos had solved the hunger problem, we would not be in this mess.