10 Times The MCU Totally Subverted Expectations

Sorry, were you not expecting that?

The Mandarin
Marvel Studios

Since the birth of the MCU, we’ve seen a lot of speculation, from thinking characters might die, to expecting new characters to be introduced. The Marvel Cinematic Universe however, doesn’t always deliver in what people expect to see.

There are many occasions we’ve been led astray by trailers, cleverly answered interview questions, or just from the movies not following the comics exactly.

While it’s not inherently wrong to subvert audience expectation, the MCU hasn’t necessarily gotten off lightly every time. In the case of some films, they’ve even gained a poor reputation - unfairly - due to the twists.

It’s no secret that the Russo Brothers are planning something big for Avengers: Endgame, so it's fairly likely that we will see our expectations subverted once more. With word that the trailers contain some faked footage, and the Russo Brothers themselves claiming some of the clips aren’t real in interviews, Avengers: Endgame will probably be different to what anybody expects.

10. The Skrulls Not Being Villains In The Avengers

The Mandarin
Marvel Studios

Initially, the shape-shifting creatures we’ve now seen in Captain Marvel were supposedly going to appear in The Avengers. With the first big team up between the six heroes nearing release, some rumours regarding the villains were floating around.

The Skrulls, who would eventually make their debut 7 years later, were thought to be the hordes of enemies that would bring the original six Avengers together in 2012 under Loki's evil leadership. This was in part due to tie-in toys that were released before the film, which teased alien henchmen. Fans put two and two together and came up with the Kree or the Skrulls as the answer.

The theory about Skrulls making an appearance didn't last too long as we then found from the trailers that the hordes of enemies were Chitauri (and Joss Whedon confirmed at SXW in 2012 that they weren't involved).

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