14 Undebatable Fans Hypotheses In The MCU That You Should Not Miss
The MCU has been running strong for over a decade, and there are fans of all kinds thanks to the hundreds of films and television series Marvel has released. Over the years, MCU fans have developed some fascinating concepts. When those people get together online to talk about their favorite features of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and other MCU characters, villains, and events, you can get some fascinating fan theories.
Every now and then, fans will post their theories to the FanTheories subreddit, where they may express their opinions and views about the characters and events that make the Marvel Cinematic Universe such a fantastic property. Below are the 14 undebatable fans hypotheses in the MCU that you should not miss.
Harley Keener (Iron Man 3 kid) was supposed to fill the Spider-Man role until the Sony deal went through
He was going to be the Iron Lad and be the young hero mentored by Tony Stark that Peter Parker eventually became (Endgame Spoilers).
I believe that originally, Harley was going to fulfill the role that Peter Parker eventually took. Namely, a "sidekick" and surrogate son for Tony to mentor. There are several reasons I believe this.
Ty Simpkins (Harley's actor) is signed for a three-film deal in the MCU. Seems a bit much for a character that would otherwise be a one-off. There was a good deal of buildup regarding Harley being a tinkerer like Tony, and there is a lot of development given to there being a father/son relationship between them.
I remember that for a while after Iron Man 3 there was a lot of speculation as to when he would return, not if because it seemed like a given that he would.
Iron Man 3 was released in 2013. A year and a half later, the Sony deal went through, allowing Spider-Man to appear in the MCU. This drastically altered the plans for the MCU, changing Civil War and adding a whole new movie to the lineup (2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming).
Spider-Man would become a key figure in the MCU and central to Tony Stark's arc in Infinity War and Endgame, with their father/son relationship being the driving force behind him deciding to research time travel and undo the Snap.
Infinity War and Endgame were in development since at least mid-2014, months before the Sony deal went through. It seems unlikely that a major component of the films like Tony and Peter's relationship would be left out of these early developments.
I think Harley was supposed to fill this role. There are many similarities between Harley and Peter. Both are interested in science and mechanics. Both have a close relationship with Tony. Both have lost their fathers. It really would require pretty minor changes to have Harley in that role. Maybe have Tony visit him and give him a suit in Civil War, etc.
I believe that the original plan was to have Harley grow into the Iron Lad throughout Phase 3 and continue to develop his relationship with Tony, but upon the Sony deal going through, Marvel Studios (obviously) chose to give that role to the bigger character of Spider-Man.
But now with the death of Tony Stark and Harley making his triumphant return at his funeral in Endgame, I believe that we will be seeing him return to his planned role of the Iron Lad in future films.
Why everyone in Guardians of the Galaxy sounds like they're in a PG-13 film
The reason that the language in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies is frequently juvenile and all profanity seems limited to the constraints of a PG-13 film is because we're usually hearing it as Starlord hears it through his universal translator (mentioned onscreen in the first movie's mugshot scene).
Starlord was taken from Earth when he was eight. He probably stopped actually learning English shortly after, since it's unlikely that he had anyone else to actually speak it with.
As such, his language (and all language he hears) is going to seem juvenile. Additionally, any profanity he knows probably came from movies and TV shows he saw before he was kidnapped.
This is my own spin on u/Arc_the_lad 's theory on Dr. Strange. I personally don't think of him as a bad guy, so here's my theory:
Right before she dies, the Ancient One talks to Doctor Strange in her astral form and she mentions that she can't see past the point of her death.
“I've spent so many years peering through time, looking at this exact moment. But I can't see past it. I've prevented countless terrible futures and after each one there's always another, and they all lead here but never further.”
So even with the Time stone in her possession, the Ancient One could not see past her own death. In the MCU continuity, there is no evidence to suggest that Doctor Strange has surpassed her skills as a wizard or as a user of the Time Stone.
This clearly establishes the fact that when Strange was seeing all those possible future outcomes on Titan, he counted every possibility where he dies (not snapped, but literally dies) as a failure.
This basically means that out of all the possible outcomes, Doctor Strange survived in 14,000,605, and out of those, there was only one in which the Avengers won.
This implies that there may have been hundreds of outcomes for the final battle, in which our heroes emerge victorious without Stark's sacrifice, but Strange couldn't envision those outcomes because he had been a casualty along the way.
So, instead of Strange being a diabolical evil mastermind, maybe he wasn't able to find a possibility where the Avengers won while he was dead. This possibility was the only one where he was alive after the end of Endgame. Maybe there was a reality where he died, but Tony survived?
I see a lot of comments on content having to do with Iron-Man's suits, pointing out how borderline invulnerable they were at first, and eventually got weak. Point to Iron-Man one where he walks off a tank blast to Civil War where Cap does ample amounts of damage with his bare hands and shield.
My logic behind how this is possible is simple.
Stark trades in durability for speed and focuses on making his suits more capable throughout the MCU.
Take Iron-Man one. The Iron-Man suit was a suit of armor initially and had very limited capabilities combat-wise.
Iron-Man 2, we see Tony take damage easier but has lasers, missiles, machine guns, etc.
Iron-Man 3 and almost most noticeably, his suits take the most damage (breaks by a van slamming into it) but now his suits can come to him, fight on their own I.E autopilot, and are made, sometimes, with specific purposes.
This method begins to pay off, as Stark begins playing with nano-tech in Civil War. Ultimately, his suits reach maximum durability through this experimentation, as the Iron-Man suit is capable of withstanding concentrated energy blasts from the Power Stone in Infinity War.
I also feel Stark purposefully ditches so much armor on his suit because he knows he's better with his suits. Tony knows that with more and more use with his suits, he's becoming better at flying and dodging and fighting. This is illustrated perfectly in Civil War and Infinity War as he dodges, blocks, and is now doing complex flips and spins mid-flight.
The fake Infinity Gauntlet at Asgard, Hela's and Odin's early lives, and Thanos ordering a Gauntlet from Nidavellir.
I thought of something else. Odin may have used the Space Stone to banish Hela to Hell, which may be considered unnatural since Hell isn't supposed to be for living beings. That being the case, Odin "tampered with natural law" and the bill came due by way of the Ragnarok prophecy. The destruction of Asgard may have been the universe's way of balancing itself out.
And another thing... Odin himself said that Thor was stronger than him. You could argue that "young Thor" is stronger than "old man Odin" and you'd probably be right, but what if Odin meant that Thor is always stronger than Odin? That Odin in his prime couldn't have beaten Thor?
If that's true then the question becomes: If Thor is always stronger than Odin, and Thor couldn't defeat Hela, then how did weaker Odin defeat Hela? A possible answer is that Odin held the Space Stone. Odin's power, amplified by the abilities and power of the Space Stone, may have been enough to tip the fight Odin's way.
I'm referring to at 0:33 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pd0Pk5av2s
Thanos moves his glove hand towards Rogers, and Rogers stops it with both hands. Thanos strains a bit more but is unable to move his hand forward or close his grip, so he just knocks Rogers out with his non-glove hand instead.
If you look at his facial expression, he looks shocked at 0:34 upon the initial block, then at 0:38 onwards he looks really perplexed with his eyes squinting and all like he's thinking "how is this guy able to do this"? But what is 'this' that Rogers is doing?
I don't believe it's physically blocking Thanos' hand. Thanos beat up Hulk, and Rogers is definitely not stronger than Hulk, not to mention Thanos knocks out Rogers seconds later, while Rogers' uppercut punch at 0:30 did nothing to Thanos.
The glove works by responding to the will of the user, and at that moment, both of them were in physical contact with the glove.
So Rogers was kind of "out-willing" Thanos, and while none of the infinity stones were actively being used, they were implicitly responding to both Thanos' and Rogers' wills respectively, with Rogers' influence being greater. And that's how he was able to resist Thanos.
I have a theory about the MCU Uncle Ben. So far obviously we haven't seen him we've only gotten subtle remarks about him but I think there's a way Peter always carries Ben with him, through his movie references.
My theory is that Uncle Ben was a film nut and he loved sharing his favorite movies with Peter... All the references Peter has used so far are all from "really old movies" that would've come out when Uncle Ben was around 20 based on Aunt May's age.
Sure Peter could've seen all those movies on his own, especially Star Wars but I've met kids from his generation that have never seen Wizard of Oz or Back to the Future let alone Aliens or Ferris Bueller.
So all these movies made an impact on a young Uncle Ben (some of which he may have even seen in the theater with Peter's father) so he showed them to Peter and Peter loved most of them, but not all of them judging by his remarks on Footloose.
I think this is also why Homecoming begins with "A Film by Peter Parker" he filmed it knowing he couldn't show it to anyone so I think he was making it for Ben. Peter found himself right in the middle of the kind of movie Uncle Ben would've loved so he just had to film it. I can't prove this theory and it really doesn't change anything major.
It's just something I like to believe because to me it brings more depth to the new Spider-Man and adds an emotional element to some of his quips.
So throughout the MCU and in comics, the Super Soldier Serum has been a bit of a mystery. Dr. Erskine never left notes about its creation and only one person was able to use it, Captain America. However, I think that Erskine was using something else in the MCU as a baseline. I think the Heart-Shaped Herb of Wakanda was the basis of the serum. I have a few reasons to believe this.
The powers of the herb are very similar to the powers that Steve has. Increased strength, agility, and durability are all shown to be something that the Black Panther has as well.
The Vibranium shield. It seems really odd to me that Howard Stark would be able to get enough Vibranium to make a shield. Seeing as Wakanda is pretty much the only place to get it. He very likely could have gotten a sample of the herb along with the Vibranium.
It would also explain why Erskine wouldn't leave notes about the serum. Leaving notes about that could lead the Germans and Hydra to Wakanda which would be catastrophic.
It also explains why there is a hard time replicating the serum in modern times. It's based on a plant that few would know exist. We've seen in The Incredible Hulk, they haven't stopped trying to replicate Erskine's results. I think that with how brilliant scientists are in Marvel it would be weird that no one would come close in 60 years.
Nothing is really known about the weaponry used by the Children Of Thanos but their weapons share some properties with other Dwarven weaponry.
They can be called to return to the users' hands like Mjolnir. Corvus Glaive's Glaive and Proxima Midnight's Trident are both shown flying back towards their owners, out of the hands of the heroes. Cull Obsidian has some level of control over his hammer thing though it is connected by some kind of chain.
They can resist the power of the Infinity Stones. Just like the Infinity Gauntlet was created to harness the power of the stones, we see the Glaive deflecting and returning an energy blast from Vision with the Mind Stone.
The Glaive also seriously messes up Vision where nothing had previously been seen to harm him, the only other time we see Vision take damage is from Thanos though he may not have needed the Gauntlet's power.
So yeah, a few powers in line with other Dwarven gear, I think the Dwarves also made the weaponry of the Black Order when they were forced to make the Infinity Gauntlet.
Also, no doubt they made Loki's Sceptre too which harnessed the power of the Mind Stone, and possibly even they made the Tesseract containing the Space Stone.
Let's Dispel Once And For All This Fiction That Loki Didn't Know What He Was Doing.
He knows exactly what he's doing.
TL;DR: Loki is going to Valhalla to consult with Odin/other dead Asgardians, and dying in "battle" with Thanos was the only way to get there.
Disclaimer: I've seen a lot of theories as to why Loki dies so easily at the start of the Infinity War, including many that assert he dies on purpose. I give full credit to those other theorists for inspiring this theory, but I think this one ties all the evidence together in a way that makes the most sense.
1) Loki's move against Thanos looks like suicide. So, it probably is.
He should know that a tiny knife isn't going to do much damage to an Infinity Stone-wielding Thanos.
This creates two options: Loki is stupid enough to think this attack will work, or he know it won't, and is intentionally setting himself up to die. Given Loki's history as a master manipulator, I think Option B is far more likely.
2) Why would Loki want to die? To get to Valhalla.
In order for an Asgardian to get to Valhalla, they must die in battle. That would explain why Loki couldn't just kill himself to accomplish his goals. Loki may not be an Asgardian, but as a son of Odin, he would probably be eligible to enter Valhalla. He just needed to perish while fighting.
That would explain why Loki did exactly what he did--making a lame attempt to strike Thanos down and then dying brutally at Thanos' hand. That was basically the quickest way for him to ensure a one-way ticket to Valhalla.
3) Why Valhalla? Odin is there.
Although Odin himself didn't technically die in battle, he did die while exerting his power to imprison Hela, and that probably counts enough. It stands to reason that, if Valhalla exists, Odin is there, along with a bunch of other dead Asgardians.
Loki could be looking to visit Odin to get advice on what to do with Thanos, and how Thor can defeat him.
The OG Avengers in the MCU represents the 6 Infinity Stones:
Not so much a theory, just an observation. I haven’t seen anyone discuss this before.
Tony/Iron Man: Mind - arguably the smartest Avenger, also figured out how to use the mind stone.
Thor: Space - he comes from a different/faraway place, travels through the Bifrost which acts similarly to the space stone.
Hulk: Power - “Hulk like raging fire”
Cap: Time - he has lived in and experienced different eras, essentially traveling through time. He rues the time he has lost, and he experienced Peggy’s life as being fast-forwarded.
Natasha/Black Widow: Reality - this one is the toughest argument to make, but I think her experience with the Red Room has made her consider what could have been (other realities). Also, her tendency to see both sides/switch sides (like in Civil War) demonstrates her ability to consider the complexity of reality.
Clint/Hawkeye: Soul - heart, and soul of the team, often has to sacrifice loved ones (figuratively, by leaving his family) to do what he believes in.
Mjolnir is actually Thor's power dampener
Thor is at his most powerful in Infinity War where he overpowers even the Infinity Gauntlet and nearly kills Thanos. He doesn't have Mjolnir then. Instead, he uses Stormbreaker.Thor is more powerful in Thor 3 than in 1&2. The only difference being he no longer wields Mjolnir.
In Endgame, he again wields Mjolnir and he becomes nerfed. Now his loss of power may be due to his sedentary lifestyle however it should mainly affect his agility and reflexes. His physical strength while decreased should still be somewhere near the same level as before.
While that is debatable what is certain is that his lightning powers should be nearly as strong as it was during Thor 3 and Infinity War. However, he hardly uses lightning and what little he uses does not seem to be as effective as before. He is completely outmatched by Thanos without any Infinity Stones.
Captain America while wielding Mjolnir shows incredible strength and furthermore even lightning attacks. So where did this power come from?
u/zaneman777 posted a great fan theory that's been stuck in my head ever since. With additions from u/loveWaffle1 and u/nosoyyo9 the theory goes as follows:
The real villain in the Infinity Saga is not Thanos, at least not entirely. The real cause for all the trouble is the mind stone (yes all the Infinity Stones are sentient).
Thanos had the mind stone for a long while, and when Titan was on the brink of collapse, he asked it for a solution and it led him to genocide.
In Thor, Loki is mischievous and wants the throne, and to please his father. It's the corruption of the mind stone that causes him to be so much more evil in The Avengers, causing harm indiscriminately. This is supported by Thor's general confusion regarding Loki's actions
The previous point is supported by the fact that in The Avengers, when everyone is on the HeliCarrier, Bruce in frustration is compelled to pick up the Scepter (Mind Stone) while everyone is fighting and arguing, and is arguably a catalyst to all the fighting in the first place.
Stark is compelled by Scarlett witch (who got her power from the mind stone) to make Ultron. Ultron comes from the mind stone and immediately attacks JARVIS; his first instinct is violence. Then his solution to a better world after only a few days alive? You guessed it, genocide.
When Thor tells the team about his vision in AOU he says that he saw "a whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center, is that" as he points at the mind stone.
Vision is much more nuanced and perhaps the weakest point of the argument, but arguably Vision has more control over the stone than anyone else, and it's always alluded to that his relationship with the stone is very complicated.
The Trolley Problem. Different characters experience variations of the Trolley Problem and try to solve it in different ways.
For those unfamiliar, the Trolley Problem is a thought experiment to help understand the complexity of ethics and choices. The basic scenario is that you're the conductor of a runaway trolley barreling towards a group of 5 workers. You can trigger a switch on the tracks to divert the trolley — which will save the workers — but kill 1 pedestrian in the trolley's new path. Do you trigger the switch?
Thanos is the conductor in the basic scenario. He sees the universe's finite resources as the trolley, all the future lives of the universe on one track (the 5 workers), and chooses to throw the switch: kill half the universe (the 1 pedestrian) so that future generation will survive.
Thanos is a sympathetic villain because the most common conclusion of the Trolley Problem is that saving the 5 workers is a moral obligation. This is how our movie begins.
The story picks up with Doctor Strange, who actually agrees philosophically with Thanos, and goes out of his way to say it. His choice is to protect the Time Stone and stop Thanos, even if it means sacrificing Stark or Spidey. He's flipping the switch to save the 5 workers too, just in a different way than Thanos.
Every now and then, fans will post their theories to the FanTheories subreddit, where they may express their opinions and views about the characters and events that make the Marvel Cinematic Universe such a fantastic property. Below are the 14 undebatable fans hypotheses in the MCU that you should not miss.
1. The Deal Between Tony And Disney
Source: Marvel Studio
Harley Keener (Iron Man 3 kid) was supposed to fill the Spider-Man role until the Sony deal went through
He was going to be the Iron Lad and be the young hero mentored by Tony Stark that Peter Parker eventually became (Endgame Spoilers).
I believe that originally, Harley was going to fulfill the role that Peter Parker eventually took. Namely, a "sidekick" and surrogate son for Tony to mentor. There are several reasons I believe this.
Ty Simpkins (Harley's actor) is signed for a three-film deal in the MCU. Seems a bit much for a character that would otherwise be a one-off. There was a good deal of buildup regarding Harley being a tinkerer like Tony, and there is a lot of development given to there being a father/son relationship between them.
I remember that for a while after Iron Man 3 there was a lot of speculation as to when he would return, not if because it seemed like a given that he would.
Iron Man 3 was released in 2013. A year and a half later, the Sony deal went through, allowing Spider-Man to appear in the MCU. This drastically altered the plans for the MCU, changing Civil War and adding a whole new movie to the lineup (2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming).
Spider-Man would become a key figure in the MCU and central to Tony Stark's arc in Infinity War and Endgame, with their father/son relationship being the driving force behind him deciding to research time travel and undo the Snap.
Infinity War and Endgame were in development since at least mid-2014, months before the Sony deal went through. It seems unlikely that a major component of the films like Tony and Peter's relationship would be left out of these early developments.
I think Harley was supposed to fill this role. There are many similarities between Harley and Peter. Both are interested in science and mechanics. Both have a close relationship with Tony. Both have lost their fathers. It really would require pretty minor changes to have Harley in that role. Maybe have Tony visit him and give him a suit in Civil War, etc.
I believe that the original plan was to have Harley grow into the Iron Lad throughout Phase 3 and continue to develop his relationship with Tony, but upon the Sony deal going through, Marvel Studios (obviously) chose to give that role to the bigger character of Spider-Man.
But now with the death of Tony Stark and Harley making his triumphant return at his funeral in Endgame, I believe that we will be seeing him return to his planned role of the Iron Lad in future films.
2. The Influences of Peter Quill's Upbringing On How He Hears The Aliens In The MCU
Source: Marvel Studio
Why everyone in Guardians of the Galaxy sounds like they're in a PG-13 film
The reason that the language in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies is frequently juvenile and all profanity seems limited to the constraints of a PG-13 film is because we're usually hearing it as Starlord hears it through his universal translator (mentioned onscreen in the first movie's mugshot scene).
Starlord was taken from Earth when he was eight. He probably stopped actually learning English shortly after, since it's unlikely that he had anyone else to actually speak it with.
As such, his language (and all language he hears) is going to seem juvenile. Additionally, any profanity he knows probably came from movies and TV shows he saw before he was kidnapped.
3. Was Doctor Strange Wrong About Beating Thanos
Source: Marvel Studio
This is my own spin on u/Arc_the_lad 's theory on Dr. Strange. I personally don't think of him as a bad guy, so here's my theory:
Right before she dies, the Ancient One talks to Doctor Strange in her astral form and she mentions that she can't see past the point of her death.
“I've spent so many years peering through time, looking at this exact moment. But I can't see past it. I've prevented countless terrible futures and after each one there's always another, and they all lead here but never further.”
So even with the Time stone in her possession, the Ancient One could not see past her own death. In the MCU continuity, there is no evidence to suggest that Doctor Strange has surpassed her skills as a wizard or as a user of the Time Stone.
This clearly establishes the fact that when Strange was seeing all those possible future outcomes on Titan, he counted every possibility where he dies (not snapped, but literally dies) as a failure.
This basically means that out of all the possible outcomes, Doctor Strange survived in 14,000,605, and out of those, there was only one in which the Avengers won.
This implies that there may have been hundreds of outcomes for the final battle, in which our heroes emerge victorious without Stark's sacrifice, but Strange couldn't envision those outcomes because he had been a casualty along the way.
So, instead of Strange being a diabolical evil mastermind, maybe he wasn't able to find a possibility where the Avengers won while he was dead. This possibility was the only one where he was alive after the end of Endgame. Maybe there was a reality where he died, but Tony survived?
4. Tony Stark's Suits Become More Powerless Over Time
Source: Marvel Studio
I see a lot of comments on content having to do with Iron-Man's suits, pointing out how borderline invulnerable they were at first, and eventually got weak. Point to Iron-Man one where he walks off a tank blast to Civil War where Cap does ample amounts of damage with his bare hands and shield.
My logic behind how this is possible is simple.
Stark trades in durability for speed and focuses on making his suits more capable throughout the MCU.
Take Iron-Man one. The Iron-Man suit was a suit of armor initially and had very limited capabilities combat-wise.
Iron-Man 2, we see Tony take damage easier but has lasers, missiles, machine guns, etc.
Iron-Man 3 and almost most noticeably, his suits take the most damage (breaks by a van slamming into it) but now his suits can come to him, fight on their own I.E autopilot, and are made, sometimes, with specific purposes.
This method begins to pay off, as Stark begins playing with nano-tech in Civil War. Ultimately, his suits reach maximum durability through this experimentation, as the Iron-Man suit is capable of withstanding concentrated energy blasts from the Power Stone in Infinity War.
I also feel Stark purposefully ditches so much armor on his suit because he knows he's better with his suits. Tony knows that with more and more use with his suits, he's becoming better at flying and dodging and fighting. This is illustrated perfectly in Civil War and Infinity War as he dodges, blocks, and is now doing complex flips and spins mid-flight.
5. Why Odin Tried To Conquer The Nine Realms
Source: Marvel Studio
The fake Infinity Gauntlet at Asgard, Hela's and Odin's early lives, and Thanos ordering a Gauntlet from Nidavellir.
I thought of something else. Odin may have used the Space Stone to banish Hela to Hell, which may be considered unnatural since Hell isn't supposed to be for living beings. That being the case, Odin "tampered with natural law" and the bill came due by way of the Ragnarok prophecy. The destruction of Asgard may have been the universe's way of balancing itself out.
And another thing... Odin himself said that Thor was stronger than him. You could argue that "young Thor" is stronger than "old man Odin" and you'd probably be right, but what if Odin meant that Thor is always stronger than Odin? That Odin in his prime couldn't have beaten Thor?
If that's true then the question becomes: If Thor is always stronger than Odin, and Thor couldn't defeat Hela, then how did weaker Odin defeat Hela? A possible answer is that Odin held the Space Stone. Odin's power, amplified by the abilities and power of the Space Stone, may have been enough to tip the fight Odin's way.
6. Why Steve Could Stop Thanos's Fist
Source: Marvel Studio
I'm referring to at 0:33 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pd0Pk5av2s
Thanos moves his glove hand towards Rogers, and Rogers stops it with both hands. Thanos strains a bit more but is unable to move his hand forward or close his grip, so he just knocks Rogers out with his non-glove hand instead.
If you look at his facial expression, he looks shocked at 0:34 upon the initial block, then at 0:38 onwards he looks really perplexed with his eyes squinting and all like he's thinking "how is this guy able to do this"? But what is 'this' that Rogers is doing?
I don't believe it's physically blocking Thanos' hand. Thanos beat up Hulk, and Rogers is definitely not stronger than Hulk, not to mention Thanos knocks out Rogers seconds later, while Rogers' uppercut punch at 0:30 did nothing to Thanos.
The glove works by responding to the will of the user, and at that moment, both of them were in physical contact with the glove.
So Rogers was kind of "out-willing" Thanos, and while none of the infinity stones were actively being used, they were implicitly responding to both Thanos' and Rogers' wills respectively, with Rogers' influence being greater. And that's how he was able to resist Thanos.
7. Peter Parker's Words About "Really Old Movies" From Uncle Ben
Source: Marvel Studio
I have a theory about the MCU Uncle Ben. So far obviously we haven't seen him we've only gotten subtle remarks about him but I think there's a way Peter always carries Ben with him, through his movie references.
My theory is that Uncle Ben was a film nut and he loved sharing his favorite movies with Peter... All the references Peter has used so far are all from "really old movies" that would've come out when Uncle Ben was around 20 based on Aunt May's age.
Sure Peter could've seen all those movies on his own, especially Star Wars but I've met kids from his generation that have never seen Wizard of Oz or Back to the Future let alone Aliens or Ferris Bueller.
So all these movies made an impact on a young Uncle Ben (some of which he may have even seen in the theater with Peter's father) so he showed them to Peter and Peter loved most of them, but not all of them judging by his remarks on Footloose.
I think this is also why Homecoming begins with "A Film by Peter Parker" he filmed it knowing he couldn't show it to anyone so I think he was making it for Ben. Peter found himself right in the middle of the kind of movie Uncle Ben would've loved so he just had to film it. I can't prove this theory and it really doesn't change anything major.
It's just something I like to believe because to me it brings more depth to the new Spider-Man and adds an emotional element to some of his quips.
8. Dr. Erskine And Howard Used Wakanda's Heart-Shaped Herb To Draft The Super Soldier Serum
Source: Marvel Studio
So throughout the MCU and in comics, the Super Soldier Serum has been a bit of a mystery. Dr. Erskine never left notes about its creation and only one person was able to use it, Captain America. However, I think that Erskine was using something else in the MCU as a baseline. I think the Heart-Shaped Herb of Wakanda was the basis of the serum. I have a few reasons to believe this.
The powers of the herb are very similar to the powers that Steve has. Increased strength, agility, and durability are all shown to be something that the Black Panther has as well.
The Vibranium shield. It seems really odd to me that Howard Stark would be able to get enough Vibranium to make a shield. Seeing as Wakanda is pretty much the only place to get it. He very likely could have gotten a sample of the herb along with the Vibranium.
It would also explain why Erskine wouldn't leave notes about the serum. Leaving notes about that could lead the Germans and Hydra to Wakanda which would be catastrophic.
It also explains why there is a hard time replicating the serum in modern times. It's based on a plant that few would know exist. We've seen in The Incredible Hulk, they haven't stopped trying to replicate Erskine's results. I think that with how brilliant scientists are in Marvel it would be weird that no one would come close in 60 years.
9. The Dwarves Created The Weaponry Of The Black Order
Source: Marvel Studio
Nothing is really known about the weaponry used by the Children Of Thanos but their weapons share some properties with other Dwarven weaponry.
They can be called to return to the users' hands like Mjolnir. Corvus Glaive's Glaive and Proxima Midnight's Trident are both shown flying back towards their owners, out of the hands of the heroes. Cull Obsidian has some level of control over his hammer thing though it is connected by some kind of chain.
They can resist the power of the Infinity Stones. Just like the Infinity Gauntlet was created to harness the power of the stones, we see the Glaive deflecting and returning an energy blast from Vision with the Mind Stone.
The Glaive also seriously messes up Vision where nothing had previously been seen to harm him, the only other time we see Vision take damage is from Thanos though he may not have needed the Gauntlet's power.
So yeah, a few powers in line with other Dwarven gear, I think the Dwarves also made the weaponry of the Black Order when they were forced to make the Infinity Gauntlet.
Also, no doubt they made Loki's Sceptre too which harnessed the power of the Mind Stone, and possibly even they made the Tesseract containing the Space Stone.
10. Loki Assaults Thanos In 'Infinity War' To Go To Valhalla
Source: Marvel Studio
Let's Dispel Once And For All This Fiction That Loki Didn't Know What He Was Doing.
He knows exactly what he's doing.
TL;DR: Loki is going to Valhalla to consult with Odin/other dead Asgardians, and dying in "battle" with Thanos was the only way to get there.
Disclaimer: I've seen a lot of theories as to why Loki dies so easily at the start of the Infinity War, including many that assert he dies on purpose. I give full credit to those other theorists for inspiring this theory, but I think this one ties all the evidence together in a way that makes the most sense.
1) Loki's move against Thanos looks like suicide. So, it probably is.
He should know that a tiny knife isn't going to do much damage to an Infinity Stone-wielding Thanos.
This creates two options: Loki is stupid enough to think this attack will work, or he know it won't, and is intentionally setting himself up to die. Given Loki's history as a master manipulator, I think Option B is far more likely.
2) Why would Loki want to die? To get to Valhalla.
In order for an Asgardian to get to Valhalla, they must die in battle. That would explain why Loki couldn't just kill himself to accomplish his goals. Loki may not be an Asgardian, but as a son of Odin, he would probably be eligible to enter Valhalla. He just needed to perish while fighting.
That would explain why Loki did exactly what he did--making a lame attempt to strike Thanos down and then dying brutally at Thanos' hand. That was basically the quickest way for him to ensure a one-way ticket to Valhalla.
3) Why Valhalla? Odin is there.
Although Odin himself didn't technically die in battle, he did die while exerting his power to imprison Hela, and that probably counts enough. It stands to reason that, if Valhalla exists, Odin is there, along with a bunch of other dead Asgardians.
Loki could be looking to visit Odin to get advice on what to do with Thanos, and how Thor can defeat him.
11. They Represent The Infinity Stones
Source: Marvel Studio
The OG Avengers in the MCU represents the 6 Infinity Stones:
Not so much a theory, just an observation. I haven’t seen anyone discuss this before.
Tony/Iron Man: Mind - arguably the smartest Avenger, also figured out how to use the mind stone.
Thor: Space - he comes from a different/faraway place, travels through the Bifrost which acts similarly to the space stone.
Hulk: Power - “Hulk like raging fire”
Cap: Time - he has lived in and experienced different eras, essentially traveling through time. He rues the time he has lost, and he experienced Peggy’s life as being fast-forwarded.
Natasha/Black Widow: Reality - this one is the toughest argument to make, but I think her experience with the Red Room has made her consider what could have been (other realities). Also, her tendency to see both sides/switch sides (like in Civil War) demonstrates her ability to consider the complexity of reality.
Clint/Hawkeye: Soul - heart, and soul of the team, often has to sacrifice loved ones (figuratively, by leaving his family) to do what he believes in.
12. Mjolnir Is Thor's Power Dampener
Source: Marvel Studio
Mjolnir is actually Thor's power dampener
Thor is at his most powerful in Infinity War where he overpowers even the Infinity Gauntlet and nearly kills Thanos. He doesn't have Mjolnir then. Instead, he uses Stormbreaker.Thor is more powerful in Thor 3 than in 1&2. The only difference being he no longer wields Mjolnir.
In Endgame, he again wields Mjolnir and he becomes nerfed. Now his loss of power may be due to his sedentary lifestyle however it should mainly affect his agility and reflexes. His physical strength while decreased should still be somewhere near the same level as before.
While that is debatable what is certain is that his lightning powers should be nearly as strong as it was during Thor 3 and Infinity War. However, he hardly uses lightning and what little he uses does not seem to be as effective as before. He is completely outmatched by Thanos without any Infinity Stones.
Captain America while wielding Mjolnir shows incredible strength and furthermore even lightning attacks. So where did this power come from?
13. The Mind Stone Contributes Significantly To Doctor Strange's Plans
Source: Marvel Studio
u/zaneman777 posted a great fan theory that's been stuck in my head ever since. With additions from u/loveWaffle1 and u/nosoyyo9 the theory goes as follows:
The real villain in the Infinity Saga is not Thanos, at least not entirely. The real cause for all the trouble is the mind stone (yes all the Infinity Stones are sentient).
Thanos had the mind stone for a long while, and when Titan was on the brink of collapse, he asked it for a solution and it led him to genocide.
In Thor, Loki is mischievous and wants the throne, and to please his father. It's the corruption of the mind stone that causes him to be so much more evil in The Avengers, causing harm indiscriminately. This is supported by Thor's general confusion regarding Loki's actions
The previous point is supported by the fact that in The Avengers, when everyone is on the HeliCarrier, Bruce in frustration is compelled to pick up the Scepter (Mind Stone) while everyone is fighting and arguing, and is arguably a catalyst to all the fighting in the first place.
Stark is compelled by Scarlett witch (who got her power from the mind stone) to make Ultron. Ultron comes from the mind stone and immediately attacks JARVIS; his first instinct is violence. Then his solution to a better world after only a few days alive? You guessed it, genocide.
When Thor tells the team about his vision in AOU he says that he saw "a whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center, is that" as he points at the mind stone.
Vision is much more nuanced and perhaps the weakest point of the argument, but arguably Vision has more control over the stone than anyone else, and it's always alluded to that his relationship with the stone is very complicated.
14. Infinity War' Is "The Trolley Problem."
Source: Marvel Studio
The Trolley Problem. Different characters experience variations of the Trolley Problem and try to solve it in different ways.
For those unfamiliar, the Trolley Problem is a thought experiment to help understand the complexity of ethics and choices. The basic scenario is that you're the conductor of a runaway trolley barreling towards a group of 5 workers. You can trigger a switch on the tracks to divert the trolley — which will save the workers — but kill 1 pedestrian in the trolley's new path. Do you trigger the switch?
Thanos is the conductor in the basic scenario. He sees the universe's finite resources as the trolley, all the future lives of the universe on one track (the 5 workers), and chooses to throw the switch: kill half the universe (the 1 pedestrian) so that future generation will survive.
Thanos is a sympathetic villain because the most common conclusion of the Trolley Problem is that saving the 5 workers is a moral obligation. This is how our movie begins.
The story picks up with Doctor Strange, who actually agrees philosophically with Thanos, and goes out of his way to say it. His choice is to protect the Time Stone and stop Thanos, even if it means sacrificing Stark or Spidey. He's flipping the switch to save the 5 workers too, just in a different way than Thanos.
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