10 Biggest Mistakes Made By MCU Heroes

From deadly AI to poor self-control, relive the MCU's messiest mistakes!

Avengers Infinity War Thor Thanos
Marvel Studios

The heroes of the MCU have saved countless lives during their careers, and the entire universe owes them its survival. However, that doesn't mean that they always make the right call. Even the most selfless and powerful Avengers have been prone to grievous mistakes, that ultimately endangered the lives of those they sought to protect.

Of course, no hero is without flaw, but some mistakes are bigger than others. While several errors of judgement were prevented from spiralling out of control thanks to timely interventions (such as Iron Man coming to Spider-Man's rescue at the ferry in Homecoming), others had dire repercussions for the MCU's inhabitants. In some cases, mistakes made by heroes resulted in numerous casualties and terrible suffering.

The following blunders will be ranked according to their inherent stupidity, the consequences resulting from them, and any extenuating circumstances that were affecting the heroes' judgements at the time.

On the subject of extenuating circumstances, actions that were the result of brainwashing or childhood indoctrination won’t be counted (in other words, Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff won’t be featured here for their pasts as assassins).

With that, it's time to abandon reason, and relive some of the biggest foul-ups in Marvel history!

10. Baiting The Mandarin

Avengers Infinity War Thor Thanos
Marvel

Tony Stark's initial decision to give his address to 'the Mandarin' and call him out on TV was understandable; one of his friends had almost been killed, and he was already dealing with psychological issues. However, his utter failure to prepare for an attack is far harder to overlook.

Despite being aware of the ruthlessness and intelligence behind the Mandarin campaign, Tony made the classic mistake of underestimating his enemy. He failed to make use of his numerous resources and allies, ranging from a vast armada of suits to his fellow Avengers, the aid of which would have made easy meat of the helicopters sent to Malibu.

Tony's failure to prepare was particularly highlighted by his dismissal of Pepper's desire to evacuate, not to mention the fact that he only realised what was going on when Maya Hansen - someone working with Aldrich Killian - pointed out an approaching missile to him on TV! Had the lasting consequences of Tony's mistake not been confined to the loss of his house, this one would have ranked much higher.

Contributor

Tim Hand hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.