10 Times Movie Sequels Abandoned Major Storylines

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark started out as a cocksure braggart, who thought he could take on the whole universe.

But after having a brush with death one too many times, Tony decided to call it quits in Iron Man 3. To ensure he didn't go back on his word, the playboy superhero destroyed all of his Iron Man suits. On top of that, he had the arc reactor surgically removed from his chest, preventing him from operating his armoured tech.

Although this was a poignant ending for the beloved superhero, we knew that this wouldn't be the last time we saw Shellhead. Because Iron Man was set to appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron (and many more instalments), it was assumed that Marvel would devise some explanation to justify Tony's return.

Instead, Tony is back to his sky-soaring, photon-blasting self ten seconds into the movie! Even though this inconsistency could've been remedied with a single throwaway line, the events of Iron Man 3 aren't referenced in anyway.

Again, nobody expected Tony to actually retire, but Iron Man 3's ending could've set up a much more interesting storyline for the hero than the one we actually got. Instead, it wasn't even mentioned.