The MCU features too many intersecting storylines to be resolved in one sitting, and many mysteries took years to resolve.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania features the formal debut of Kang the Conquerer, who was first mentioned two years prior in Loki. The mystery behind Kang’s first appearance was there for a while, but not nearly as long as several other plot points that the MCU kept hanging.
RELATED:8 Most Important Worlds In The Microverse And Quantum RealmThe series has a knack for keeping fans guessing for many years without delivering resolutions. Some of these lingering questions have to do with the characters’ unresolved statuses until they appear again; others are part of the larger narrative, finally answered after a long time. It’s interesting to look at the mysteries put on hold for years.
10Trevor Slattery Turned Out To Be The Mandarin’s Prisoner
Trevor became one of the MCU villain-turned-heroes in Shang-Chi when he aided the protagonist in defending Ta Lo. But the reveal of his living status came seven years after he was last seen in a Marvel One Shot. The character had been missing for a long time without clues of his whereabouts.
Fans knew Trevor was in trouble for pretending to be The Mandarin, but didn’t know if he was alive. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed that the real Mandarin imprisoned him for his actions and essentially made him his personal jester before Shang-Chi rescued him. The character is back for good and will next be seen in Wonder Man.
9Thanos’ Acquisition Of The Infinity Gauntlet Was Later In The Chronology
Thanos was MCU’s primary villain in the Infinity Saga but took his sweet time to make a full appearance. The antagonist seemed to be on his way in Avengers: Age of Ultron when he acquired the Infinity Gauntlet – he didn’t actually show up with it until three years later, though.
Fans wondered why Thanos took so long to act after he got the gauntlet, but this was revealed as a flash-forward in Avengers: Infinity War. The Dwarves on Nidavellir are attacked by Thanos’ forces around the time of Thor: Ragnarok, which means Thanos didn’t waste much time assembling the gauntlet.
8Black Widow Was Responsible For A Tragedy In Budapest
Black Widow and Hawkeye had the habit of always bringing up an event in Budapest without revealing any specifics. This was a constant source of speculation for fans for about a decade until the Black Widow film revealed that Natasha had bombed Dreykov’s house with his daughter in it.
RELATED:10 Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Actors’ Most Iconic RolesNatasha wanted to get rid of Dreykov and overlooked his daughter being a casualty. An interesting fact about this mystery is that the reveal was discreetly given in 2012’s The Avengers– Loki mentions Dreykov’s daughter as one of Natasha’s immoral actions. The resolution of the Budapest aspect also served as a closure to Black Widow’s character.
7Janet Van Dyne Lived In A Civilization Within The Quantum Realm
There were several plotholes with MCU’s Quantum Realm, namely how a person could survive without nourishment for decades. This was because of Janet van Dyne’s survival for 30 years, during which she’d aged. The mystery lasted for several years until Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The movie revealed an entire civilization in the Quantum Realm, meaning that Janet lived a linear existence down there. This explained why she’d aged naturally and hadn’t experienced isolation and loss of sanity. Doubts over Quantum Realm’s true standing in the MCU were also resolved when it was learned that it exists outside of other physical locations.
6Uncle Ben Exists In The MCU
Uncle Ben’s existence has been a talking point ever since Spider-Man debuted in the MCU. The character went unmentioned through multiple movies to the point where it seemed he didn’t exist in this universe at all. However, the mystery was resolved when Peter mentions him in What If…?
As with other versions, Uncle Ben was confirmed to have passed away. The MCU variant died in Peter’s childhood, with the latter mentioning a piece of advice he always carried with him. As it turned out, the lack of mentions for the character was because Peter didn’t have too many memories of his uncle.
5Emil Blonsky Recovered From Becoming Abomination
Emil Blonsky had a big question mark over his MCU status for over a decade. The villain was last seen in The Incredible Hulk, where it seemed as if he was stuck as the Abomination. He didn’t receive any other mentions for years before finally reappearing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
RELATED:10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Phase 1 Of The MCUBlonsky was shown to have gained control over his transformations, which was enough to grant him his freedom. Fans also got confirmation that Bruce was aware of Blonsky’s rehabilitation and had forgiven him for their conflict. This put to rest one of the longest-running loose ends the MCU has had so far.
4Odin’s Infinity Gauntlet Was A Fake
The first Thor film features a shot of the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin’s vault. This perplexed viewers for years since it didn’t make sense why Thanos was looking for it if it was in Asgard the whole time. The speculation was brought to an end in Thor: Ragnarok by Hela.
The villain tossed the gauntlet aside by revealing it was a fake, meaning Odin never had the gauntlet or the Infinity Stones. The existence of the replica was simply a nod to the fact that the Infinity Gauntlet exists in the MCU, and also served as the reason why Loki knew about them.
3Nick Fury Lost His Eye Because Of Goose
Fans had to wait 11 years to learn why Nick Fury wears an eyepatch. Although his scarred eye was shown in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was a mystery as to how he’d been blinded. Captain Marvel finally brought a resolution, although it was more comedic than dramatic.
RELATED:20 Smartest Decisions In The MCUAs it happened, Fury was blinded while messing around with the alien cat Goose, who scratched his eye out. Fans were surprised that such a simple cause was behind one of the biggest mysteries. But there’s at least the satisfaction of putting all speculation aside for good.
2Loki Exiled Odin To Earth
As one of the strongest gods in Marvel history, it made little sense how Loki managed to do away with Odin in Thor: The Dark World. The film’s ending showed Loki posing as Odin with the implication that he’d killed his adoptive father. This was the last time fans saw both characters for years until Thor: Ragnarok.
The sequel revealed that Loki had exiled Odin to Earth to live in a retirement home. The resolution was tamer than many had guessed, as Loki didn’t actually harm Odin. The return of both characters also brings an end to their turbulent dynamics, with Odin forgiving Loki for his actions.
1The Red Skull Became The Soul Stone’s Guardian
The Red Skull was missing from the MCU for almost a decade after mysteriously disappearing in Captain America: The First Avenger. The antagonist seemed to have been vaporized or blasted into space – Avengers: Infinity War confirmed that the latter scenario was his fate.
The Red Skull appeared on Vormir as the guardian of the Soul Stone. It turned out that the Tesseract had deemed him unworthy and banished him to the secluded planet. The mystery behind the Red Skull’s survival was worth the wait. It tied into his obsession with the Infinity Stones with perfect irony, as he couldn’t possess the thing he desired most.
