10 Worst Moments In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

In probably the most contrived plot point of the entire MCU, Tony Stark invents a new element as a new energy source for his arc reactor. The idea itself isn't necessarily bad, but everything about how it is executed just baffles the mind.

First off, Tony is able to figure all of this out by extrapolating that his father's design layout of the World's Fair is actually a blueprint for a new element. How was Tony supposed to figure this out? Why would Howard Stark decide to leave this information behind in such a cryptic way? He could have just explained it all in that reel of film he left him. And how would he know that a future computer would be advanced enough to figure out that the model was a blueprint?

But the next stage is even more confusing. Right after Tony figures this out, JARVIS tells him that synthesizing this new element is impossible. What does Tony do? He fiddles around in his lab for a bit, shoots a lazer at a thing, and now suddenly he's created the power source.

There's not even any technobabble explanation. He's told he can't synthesize it, and then he does. Why even include that line? In the end, the entire storyline of Tony needing a new power source amounts to nothing more than a load of false tension; take it out of the movie, and little would be affected.