As the MCU expands rapidly in terms of storytelling, with both theaters and Disney+ offering new installments almost every month, there are oftentimes storylines that take a while to develop. There are other times though that storylines and characters either feel completely forgotten or that there is no end in sight for plots that have been set up in the many MCU installments. So, let’s take a look at eight different storylines and characters that the MCU still needs to tie up.
Warning: Major spoiler warning for the MCU at large, so beware of that before proceeding.
Where Has Betty Ross Been All This Time?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
Betty Ross has been in the MCU since 2008 with its second movie, The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton instead of Mark Ruffalo. In case you don’t remember, Betty is the former girlfriend of Bruce Banner, who had gotten injured in the accident that gave Banner his powers. In the movie, Betty ends up going on the run with him until they get caught in New York City and separated after Hulk’s battle with the Abomination. Ross is a major character within the world of The Incredible Hulk comics, so not seeing her involved in almost any of his stories within the MCU feels a bit strange.
This may change in the future, though, as the character’s father is Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the character who was just recast from the late William Hurt into being portrayed by action movie icon Harrison Ford. It is something that likely means that Marvel has big plans for the character, which might mean that Marvel Studios has something in store for his daughter as well. Also, given that Betty was in an episode of What If…? Season One, Marvel has clearly not forgotten the character and is hopefully planning on tieing up this loose end.
What Has Justin Hammer Been Doing All These Years?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
For those who don’t exactly recall, Justin Hammer was one of the villains of Iron Man 2, as he was a rival to Tony Stark who, tired of the playboys’ shenanigans that were making Hammer look bad, decided to help out the film’s main villain Whiplash. This would also prove to be his downfall, as Whiplash turned his back on him, resulting in Black Widow and Pepper Potts successfully taking Hammer down.
There has only been one project since Iron Man 2 in which we got to see Justin Hammer return; the Marvel One-Shot: All-Hail the King, where he was seen briefly at the end after Trevor Slattery gets kidnapped by the Ten Rings. While this was pretty much just a cameo, it did let us know that Hammer was staying in the same prison as Slattery, though it’s worth noting that it has been years within the MCU since this event happened.
A lot has happened throughout the years, meaning that Hammer might now be free, so it would be nice to get some definitive answers. The loose end that is Justin Hammer might get tied up in the next few years, with plenty of projects in which he could appear, including Thunderbolts and Armor Wars.
The better bet would probably be Armor Wars if you had to choose one though, given that that movie will focus on War Machine and the after-effects of Tony’s death, which Hammer could indeed have a large part in. At this point, only time will tell, so we’ll have to wait and see whether or not Justin Hammer’s story will continue.
What Exactly Is Project E.X.O.D.U.S.?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
A bit of a different loose end than the others; you’d be forgiven if you weren’t aware of what Project E.X.O.D.U.S. is, as it was actually briefly mentioned in an Iron Man 2 deleted scene. Nevertheless, the reason why it’s still worth bringing up is that other parts of the deleted scene have come true within the MCU. In Iron Man 2, Tony is trying to figure out how to create a new element that will save his body from dying. While doing the research, he brings up three projects that might help him in his search: P.E.G.A.S.U.S., G.O.L.I.A.T.H., and E.X.O.D.U.S.
While Project G.O.L.I.A.T.H. was only briefly mentioned in Ant-Man and the Wasp as the project that Hank Pym and Bill Foster were working on, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. has been a significant plot point within the MCU. It was the project used to research the Tesseract, something being done by the U.S. Government, S.H.I.E.L.D., and NASA, and was featured in Captain Marvel as Carol’s mentor, Mar-Vel was using it to help the Kree, and then the project was also showcased at the beginning of The Avengers, as it was the location where Loki arrived on Earth.
The fact that both P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and G.O.L.I.A.T.H. have been within the MCU is not the only reason why Project E.X.O.D.U.S. may end up being a loose end that needs to be tied up, though. The project also has major implications for a whole group of people: Mutants and the X-Men.
In the comics, Project E.X.O.D.U.S. was S.H.I.E.L.D. doing experiments on the X-Gene in mutants, and as mutants are already here with Ms. Marvel and Namor, it could very well be a thing as the MCU brings in more of these characters. Perhaps, Damage Control will now be in charge of it, seeing as how they were so heavily involved in Ms. Marvel, but it remains unconfirmed whether or not this is a loose end that possibly needs tieing up.
What Has Mordo Been Up to Since Doctor Strange?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
The end credits scene of the first Doctor Strange movie teased that one of the titular sorcerer’s best friends, Karl Mordo, was going rogue. After Mordo saw that the Ancient One had been drawing power from the Dark Dimension, he came to find that sorcerers are incredibly hypocritical, with him deciding to get rid of and take the powers of as many as he can. This was a tease that was seemingly setting up the second Doctor Strange movie, but that movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, barely deals with this tease.
Instead, this movie acts as more of a crossover between Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch, leaving us questioning where exactly Mordo is. Especially because the Mordo that shows up in Doctor Strange 2 is an entirely different sorcerer from the one we came to know in the first movie. Well, Doctor Strange does end up explaining very briefly that Mordo has, in fact, been out targeting other sorcerers, with the rogue sorcerer even going after the former sorcerer supreme; however, nothing more is mentioned regarding Karl Mordo.
It’s worth noting that thanks to some behind-the-scenes information, we do know that the Mordo from the first movie was initially supposed to show up in the second, as he would’ve gone and targeted Wanda. Unfortunately for this Mordo, Wanda is able to dispose of him, going so far as to supposedly decapitate the rogue sorcerer. Since we never saw this, it can be assumed that Mordo is still alive and well, so perhaps we’ll see Doctor Strange and Clea needing to go after him during a third Doctor Strange movie.
Is the Scorpion Still Plotting Against Spider-Man?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
One of the weirder things that the MCU has yet to tie up is that of the Scorpion and his end-credits scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In the scene in question, Mac Gargan, aka the Scorpion, questions Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, on whether or not Toomes knows who Spider-Man is. The Vulture lies to Gargan, stating that he had no idea, and thus is the last time we see Gargan.
It was seemingly clear in Spider-Man: Homecoming that the film was setting up Gargan to make a future appearance and perhaps actually become the full-on Scorpion. Unfortunately, we never ended up getting this, as the MCU never even mentions the character again. So, what gives?
Well, it’s possible that the MCU will have Gargan make his next appearance in Spider-Man 4, which may have been complicated by Morbius’ end-credits scene in which Vulture ends up being transported to the Sony Universe after the events of No Way Home. It’s an extraordinarily bizarre sequence, though, so hopefully it won’t impact this Scorpion loose end getting tied up.
Is Aaron Davis Going to Become the Prowler?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
Aaron Davis, like Scorpion, was a character introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming and seemingly set up for future Spider-Man movies. Since then, we haven’t heard anything about the character in the MCU.
For those who don’t know, Aaron Davis is the uncle of fan-favorite comic book character Miles Morales, a character Davis briefly mentions during one of his scenes. As Sony will likely want to introduce Miles in their own movie and not within the MCU, at least not at first, this may be the only time we see Aaron Davis within the MCU.
Given where Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is after Spider-Man: No Way Home, it simply doesn’t make sense to introduce Miles Morales on top of everything, especially seeing as how Peter is only around 18 years old right now.
Yet, Sony will hopefully decide to make a live-action Miles Morales project, so perhaps we’ll get to see Davis return in that way. Still, unfortunately, the Aaron Davis within the MCU will seemingly be a loose end that will remain untouched, even though it really shouldn’t be.
What Has Mitchell Carson Been Doing With the Stolen Pym Particles?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
Mitchell Carson, who was introduced in the first Ant-Man movie, is another character who set up a storyline that the MCU seemingly dropped. In Ant-Man, Carson was one of the secret HYDRA agents who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. with the double agent working with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter after he joined the organization.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. got destroyed, as portrayed in the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Carson returned to working full-time with HYDRA, attempting to buy Pym Particles for the group from Darren Cross. However, because of a confrontation between the Pyms and Cross, Mitchell Carson was able to sneak away with some Pym Particles and thus never to be heard from again within the MCU.
The stealing of Pym Particles is something that was likely meant to set up a possible sequel in which the Pym Particles become much more widespread, with other groups being able to transform their members. Yet, we have never even heard the name Mitchell Carson be uttered in the MCU since the first Ant-Man, making this a clear loose end in need of being tied up.
Is Steve Rogers Still Alive?
8 MCU Loose Ends Marvel Still Needs to Tie Up
Captain America is alive and well in Sam Wilson, with the character set to headline his own movie in Captain America: New World Order; however, the previous title holder Steve Rogers, has a currently unknown status within the MCU. What we do know is that Steve Rogers, after returning the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their rightful timelines, decided to live out the rest of his life with Peggy Carter until presumably her death in 2014.
At the very end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers became an older man, handing off the title of Captain America to Sam Wilson. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it has become an ongoing joke that the people of Earth are constantly theorizing about where exactly Rogers currently is, with one such joke being that he is now living on the Moon.
Nevertheless, we as an audience have no idea whether or not Steve is dead or just living the rest of his life elsewhere, so it would be great to finally get a definitive status update on one of the most important MCU characters.
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