10 Important Milestones The Marvel Cinematic Universe Must Pass

8. Incorporating The Supernatural Into A Science-ish World

'Magic' seems to be something of a dirty word in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first Thor movie went to great lengths to make sure we all knew that the Asgardians were definitely aliens - not gods - who just used such highly advanced technology that early Scandinavians mistook them for the latter, and in an early Agents of SHIELD episode Phil Coulson and Melinda May spell out for everyone that there's never been a confirmed report of psychic power in any human. The supernatural is swept firmly under the rug by Marvel, which seems to deem decidedly dodgy science experiments gone wrong/right and the eccentricities of billionaires as credible explanations for superheroes but no even vaguely mystical elements. Perhaps they're afraid of stepping too deeply into that pool too quickly and alienating large swathes of their fanbase by introducing occult characters and scenarios to a world not necessarily set up for those kinds of stories. They might end up having realised they shot themselves in the foot, however, as the currently-in-development Doctor Strange movie will be full of such occult and mystical elements and will open a whole other side of the Marvel U, much like Guardians of the Galaxy with the Cosmic stuff. Perhaps the studio is being pragmatic and waiting to see how that movie fares before committing to another game-changing prospect...