10. Where Were S.H.I.E.L.D. In Iron Man 3?
One of the main pitfalls that a movie like The Avengers creates is that every subsequent individual superhero movie will have fans asking, "Hey, why didn't Thor show up to kick Killian's ass?", and it's true; why
didn't The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents show up to help Tony in what was very clearly a dire hour of need? Kevin Feige has addressed the much-asked question, stating simply that the Avengers were "very busy", and that the reason will be explained in future films, which most have taken to mean next year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, given how integral S.H.I.E.L.D. appears to be to the plot (whereas Thor: The Dark World seems almost entirely removed from it, at least so far). Feige's comment has also caused some to speculate that The Winter Soldier is taking place
during Iron Man 3, and as such some have wondered whether the same might be true of Thor 2, which would neatly explain their respective absences when Tony Stark needed them the most. We'll just have to wait and see...