All the Biggest MCU Plot Holes, Explained
In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark decides to retire as Iron Man forever. Then in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he’s just Iron Man again. Then in Captain America: Civil War, he seems to have quit being Iron Man again for a lot of the movie. He can’t seem to make up his mind — and there’s not really an explanation for all the flip-flopping.
Some think of this as a Marvel plot hole, but there’s actually a reason for it, and that’s Tony Stark’s personality. Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Tony isn’t an alcoholic like the one in the comics, he does often suggest addictive personality tendencies. Tony’s drug in the MCU isn’t alcohol; it’s being Iron Man. And his inability to let go of an idea is what makes Tony so brilliant — and also explains why he says he’s can’t actually quit being Iron Man.
That’s just one of the supposed Marvel plot holes that we explain in our latest video. Below we also break down some of the other nitpicks that have driven Marvel fans crazy for years like why Tony Stark doesn’t use Extremis to help the world, who guarded the Soul Stone before the Red Skull, why Doctor Strange didn’t teleport the Avengers back to Earth in Infinity War, and why Bruce Banner and Tony Stark don’t discover Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. in The Avengers. You can watch the answers to these questions and many more below:
If you liked this video on all of the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe plot holes (and their potential explanations), check out more of our videos below, including our look at how the Fantastic Four might be seamlessly interwoven into the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe, how we think Electro could show up in Spider-Man 3, and our comparison between Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes.
Gallery — The Evolution of Every Avengers Costume, From Movie to Movie: