12 Biggest Genuine Shocks In MCU History

There are plenty of different things audiences have a right to expect when going to the cinema. First and foremost you want to be entertained, and a big part of that is being surprised. Marvel Studios in particular goes to great lengths to avoid spoilers being revealed to protect this kind of magic, cinematic wonder.

This has played out well for the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last fourteen years, as there have been some unbelievable shocks in the franchise. From returning characters, changes to the source material, and general confusion, Kevin Feige knows how to pull a strong surprise.

This article will focus on genuine, completely out-of-the-blue shocks in the MCU. Plenty of people expected Cap to eventually wield Mjolnir, so as incredible as the scene was, it wasn’t the biggest shock in the world.

The same could be said about John Krasinski appearing as Reed Richards as it was the biggest fan-casting the franchise has ever seen, and even to a degree Evan Peters’ appearance in WandaVision was rumoured before its release. No, instead this list is for the top tier of genuine MCU jaw-droppers that absolutely no one could have seen coming.

Throuhgout the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, fans have learned an awful lot about Peter Quill and the unique genealogy he can boast. His mother was from Earth, his father was a spaceman, and that brought with it its own amount of issues.

One of the most harrowing scenes in the history of the MCU comes when Peter’s mother Meredith succumbs to her battle with brain cancer. It is utterly heart-wrenching, and it shaped a lot of what made Peter the kind of man he grew to be.

His relationship with his mother was special, but his relationship with his father was special in a different kind of way. In a ‘we can expand and take over the universe if we want to’ way. As Ego spilled the details of his plan to his son, he explained that for as long as Meredith was alive, he would be drawn to Earth and the risk of never leaving to finish the Expansion.

It killed him to put that tumour in her head. Fans could see from a mile off that Ego was going to be the villain of the second Guardians movie, but to have actively given the woman he loved cancer? There aren’t many other characters in the franchise who could have done such a thing.