12 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The MCU Phase 2, 8 Years After Its End

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe released some intriguing movies early on, but sadly, the MCU's Phase 2 has some problems that are hard to ignore upon a rewatch. Marvel Studios has released 32 movies in theaters since the MCU started all the way back in 2008 with Iron Man, and that does not include the MCU's recent expansion on Disney+ that began with Phase 4, which has led to supporting characters getting their stories fleshed out, or making their debuts, through series, shorts, and Special Presentations.
After Marvel's recent woes, with Phase 4 proving itself to be the MCU's most divisive, fans have begun to look back at Marvel's early films. While there is a nostalgic element to Phase 2, its flaws become evident upon a rewatch, which is also the case for the MCU's Phase 1. The MCU's Phase 2 includes six movies, them being Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. Some harsh realizations can be made when rewatching the MCU's Phase 2.
12 Thor: The Dark World Is One Of The MCU's Worst Movies

Chris Hemsworth's second solo adventure as Thor, after a decent start in the MCU, was a step backward. There is a lot wrong with Thor: The Dark World. The movie is not visually pleasing, its plot focuses too much on the Aether (hinting at the Reality Stone), Natalie Portman's Jane Foster does not get much to do, and the movie's main villain, Malekith, is one of the MCU's worst. Thor: The Dark World was such a bad entry that it led to Hemsworth's character heading in a completely different direction under director Taika Waititi, making Thor's second solo film one of the MCU's worst.
11 The Ant-Man Franchise Never Got Better Than The Original Film

While 2015's Ant-Man is not one of the MCU's best movies, the film is a fun adventure that did a great job of introducing Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and his cast of supporting characters to the MCU. The movie left plenty of room for the character to grow in future adventures; however, the Ant-Man franchise never managed to get better than its original film. Ant-Man and the Wasp was not as charming as its predecessor, and the hero's trilogy finale Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was a box office bomb. Due to that, an MCU Phase 2 rewatch leads to the sad realization of the Ant-Man franchise's wasted potential.
10 Ultron Was Wasted By The MCU

Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced the MCU to James Spader's version of the Marvel Comics villain. Ultron was not as menacing as he could have been in the film, but the character's destruction of Sokovia did set in motion the events that would lead to the Avengers disbanding and Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet. Ultron could have been more menacing in a future appearance, but sadly, the character has never come back to the MCU since. A variant of the character in Marvel's What If...? shows how much potential a new Ultron appearance in the MCU can have.
9 Hulk And Black Widow's Romance Was A Bad Choice

Avengers: Age of Ultron made a few bad choices, and one of them was undoubtedly the romance between Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner and Scarlet Johansson's Natasha Romanoff. The romantic subplot felt superfluous for the already bloated film, and it also came out of nowhere, as Natasha had more chemistry with Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton and Chris Evans' Steve Rogers than Banner. The Hulk and Black Widow romance was a mistake that should have been avoided, especially since the characters don't continue the relationship beyond Avengers: Age of Ultron.
8 Hydra Stopped Being A Threat Way Too Early

After Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed that SHIELD had been infiltrated by Hydra, it seemed like the evil organization was about to have more of a role in the MCU going forward, despite Steve Rogers being victorious at the end of that film. However, that was not what happened, as Avengers: Age of Ultron started with Earth's Mightiest Heroes taking down Baron Strucker and destroying Hydra's last stronghold. The organization would then stop being a threat to the MCU save for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with the series' status as canon not being set in stone.
Related: Subtle Marvel Change Messes With Agents Of SHIELD's MCU Canon Status
7 Most MCU Phase 2 Villains Were Underwhelming

Save for Sebastian Stan's turn as a brainwashed Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, all villains in the MCU's Phase 2 were underwhelming. Ronan the Accuser is a forgettable foe in the spectacular Guardians of the Galaxy, which brings the movie down. The villain is joined by Yellowjacket, Aldrich Killian, Malekith, and Ultron as disappointing additions to the MCU. With a superhero movie only being as good as its villain in many cases, the MCU's Phase 2 severely suffers from its lackluster villain problem.
6 The Other Movies Fail To Match Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is not only the best movie out of the MCU's Phase 2, but it is also one of the best Marvel movies of all time. The film has it all. Eye-grabbing action sequences, an intricate plot that makes its conspiracies work, stunning VFX, a strong villain, a character-defining performance from its lead star, and a talented supporting cast. Guardians of the Galaxy is the only MCU Phase 2 movie that comes close to Evans' second solo Captain America movie, but the cosmic team's poor villain makes the movie stand a few steps below Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
5 Avengers: Age Of Ultron Is The Worst Avengers Movie

While Marvel's fix of Phase 2 over the years has made the film better, Avengers: Age of Ultron still stands as the weakest Avengers movie upon a rewatch. Despite the film setting up many plots that would lead to some of the MCU's most exhilarating scenes, such as Captain America using Thor's hammer in the fight against Thanos or rallying Earth's Mightiest Heroes with the "Avengers Assemble" war cry in Avengers: Endgame, the second movie for the team is ultimately a bloated affair that fails to match the other entries in the franchise, with too many plots colliding to form an incoherent picture.
4 Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver Deserved Better

One of Avengers: Age of Ultron's biggest problems was the death of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver. The actor delivered a charismatic performance as the character that had plenty of room to grow in the MCU but was sadly cut short by the hero dying after not being fast enough to save Hawkeye and get out of the way of speeding bullets. Seeing how Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch has flourished since her MCU introduction, Quicksilver's wasted potential will always remain one of the MCU's biggest what-ifs.
3 Iron Man 3's Harley Keener Setup Went Nowhere

Ty Simpkins' Harley Keener was part of the most emotional story in Iron Man 3, helping Tony Stark recover from his PTSD after the Battle of New York in 2012's The Avengers. As with many MCU Phase 2 characters, Harley had a lot of potential that went nowhere. The character only came back for a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo during Tony's funeral in Avengers: Endgame, with Harley never becoming Iron Lad in the MCU like many had theorized would be his fate (at least yet). With the debut of Dominique Thorne's Ironheart, any possible MCU future for Simpkins' character is not looking likely.
2 Ant-Man Might Be The MCU's Worst Origin Story Movie

Ant-Man is a fun movie led by a charismatic performance from lead star Rudd; however, the film is also one of the more forgettable entries in the MCU. Ant-Man does not belong in the conversation about the MCU's best origin story movies, which include the likes of Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The First Avenger. The first Ant-Man movie likely sits at the bottom of the list, being swapped around with The Incredible Hulk and Captain Marvel, depending on who's asked, as the film simply does not have a strong enough villain or story to rank any better.
1 Robert Downey Jr. Deserved A Better Trilogy Finale Than Iron Man 3

RDJ deserved a better trilogy finale after starting the MCU. Tony Stark's final solo movie, Iron Man 3, is normally remembered for its poor Mandarin twist — which has since been made better by 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It did not help that the movie ended with Tony destroying all his Iron Man suits, and then the character was back in the saddle for Avengers: Age of Ultron with the idea of creating the Iron Legion. Add that to Iron Man 3's bloated story and lackluster villain in Aldrich Killian, and it is easy to see why the MCU's Phase 2 failed the character.
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