Thanos' destruction of Xandar is a glaring MCU omission.
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00:00The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about as expansive as modern movie franchises get.
00:05And yet, even with such a massive canvas on which to tell basically any kind of story they want,
00:10Marvel Studios hasn't always found room for everything, for better or worse.
00:15There are many, many pivotal or amusing MCU moments that ended up taking place largely
00:21off-screen, leaving fans to basically fill in the blanks in their own imagination.
00:25So, with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture,
00:28here with 10 off-screen MCU moments we all want to see.
00:3310. The fallout of the blip in Avengers Endgame
00:37In terms of sheer global impact, the most glaring MCU omission to date is surely the
00:42five years' worth of trauma and chaos that transpired during the blip, before Thanos'
00:47decimation of the universe was finally undone in Avengers Endgame.
00:51In the four-plus years since Infinity War was released, we've seen only fleeting snippets of
00:56life during the blip, despite the absolute goldmine of material it offers for both movies
01:01and especially more expansive Disney Plus shows. The psychological impact of the snap on those
01:06left behind, both regular civilians and superheroes, speaks for itself. Not to
01:11ignore the volatile power vacuum as various unsnapped villains scramble to take advantage
01:16of the situation. This would be a fascinatingly eerie setting for future MCU stories,
01:21and it's frankly baffling that we've seen so little of what is undeniably the most pivotal
01:25and transformative event in the MCU's history to date. While there's likely never going to
01:30be a time where fans won't want to see more of life during the blip, it nevertheless makes
01:34sense to strike while the iron's hot and tell these stories while Infinity War and Endgame
01:38are still fresh in fans' minds. 9. Hulk becomes Sakaar's champion
01:43in Thor Ragnarok Though Thor Ragnarok lovingly incorporated
01:48elements of the beloved Planet Hulk comic storyline, many fans decried the fact that
01:52it was ultimately adapted in such a piecemeal fashion, effectively serving as a relatively
01:57minor portion of Ragnarok's story. By the time we first see the Hulk on the alien planet Sakaar,
02:02he's already a much-Ballyhooed champion gladiator, when the journey getting to that
02:06point would arguably be much more interesting and entertaining. Ultimately, it would have
02:10been ideal for the MCU to simply adapt the Planet Hulk story in a more overt way,
02:15showing the Hulk's rise through the ranks as an unmatched combatant who wins himself
02:19a legion of adoring fans in the process. A Planet Hulk movie styled as a parody of
02:24classic sports films could have been a lot of fun. An array of awesome gladiatorial combat,
02:28crossed with a giddy satire of the cult of celebrity, Hulk enjoys on Sakaar.
02:33Sadly, it feels like the boat has well and truly sailed on this one, especially with
02:37Marvel still not pulling the trigger on a solo Hulk film. Though it's not entirely
02:41out of the question that we might catch a flashback to Sakaar in the upcoming She-Hulk series.
02:478. Peter Number 3 as a bitter, vengeful Spider-Man in Spider-Man No Way Home
02:53One of Spider-Man No Way Home's greatest triumphs was in doing justice to Andrew Garfield's
02:58iteration of Peter Parker, who was of course done so dirty by the wildly uneven Amazing
03:03Spider-Man films. By the time we reconvene with him in No Way Home, it's clear that Peter Number
03:09isn't in a good place. He confesses that he's still wracked with guilt over the death of his
03:13love Gwen Stacy, and in the years since her demise, he's become a bitter shadow of his former self.
03:19Though Peter Number 3 doesn't go into specifics, he basically implies that he's shifted away from
03:23being a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man and instead transformed into a more violent,
03:27merciless type of superhero, while using his persona to distract himself from the
03:31realities of his grief. While Peter Number 3 thankfully wound up in a far better spot by
03:36the end of No Way Home, it sure would be fascinating to see a down-and-out, ruthlessly
03:40unforgiving Spider-Man vengefully prowling the streets in the wake of Gwen's death.
03:44The fact that Peter Number 3 anguished over his loss for so many years would have surely seen him
03:49embark on some uniquely dark adventures as Spider-Man, ones quite unlike those undertaken
03:54by either Tobey Maguire or Tom Holland's variants of the character. We'll almost certainly never get
03:59to see anything from the period between The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and No Way Home, sadly,
04:04but the storytelling possibilities are nevertheless massive.
04:097. Cap Returns The Soul Stone To Red Skull In Avengers Endgame
04:14There are many things that fans would love to see because they'd simply be awesome as hell,
04:18and then there are moments so outrageously weird and awkward that the novel curiosity
04:23factor speaks for itself. Case in point, when Captain America returns the Infinity Stones to
04:27their original places in time at the conclusion of Avengers Endgame. As Cap had to visit Vormir
04:33to return the Soul Stone, that surely guaranteed he had a surprising encounter with the Soul Stone
04:38stonekeeper, his own former nemesis Red Skull. One can only imagine the look on both of their
04:43faces when they each cast their gaze upon the other. What would they have said and done? Would
04:48they have fought? While the countless possibilities are perhaps more exciting than the franchise ever
04:53actually committing to a concrete answer, this potential-filled belated reunion between Cap and
04:58Red Skull is still consistently one of the MCU's most requested missing scenes.
05:036. Hulk's Nightmare Vision In Avengers Age of Ultron
05:08Though Scarlet Witch ends up joining the Avengers during Age of Ultron's third act,
05:12she and her brother Quicksilver are initially presented as antagonists,
05:16hellbent on revenge against Tony Stark and his comrades.
05:19Scarlet Witch uses her abilities to attack the heroes with horrifying visions, such as Stark
05:24witnessing an illusion of Earth being successfully invaded by the Chitauri. Wanda also subdues Bruce
05:29Banner by forcing him to witness a vision, one which causes him to uncontrollably Hulk out,
05:34requiring Tony Stark to stop him with his new Hulkbuster armor.
05:38Yet unlike with Stark, we never actually see the content of Banner's vision,
05:42though the implication is clearly that it's something intensely disturbing enough to make
05:46him transform into the Hulk. Given that all of Wanda's other visions were either reminders of
05:50a horrific past or premonitions of a painful future, it's reasonable to assume that Banner
05:55may have been witnessing his worst nightmare, losing control of his abilities and causing
05:59a mass catastrophe. Whatever the content, it's certainly a shame we didn't get to see it,
06:04because anything traumatic enough to freak out the big green guy sure must be bad.
06:095. The Secret Avengers Fighting Crime In Avengers Infinity War
06:13Captain America's Civil War concludes with Cap breaking his imprisoned allies out of the rough,
06:18which of course leads to the events of Avengers Infinity War,
06:21where Team Cap is effectively working as the Secret Avengers. Despite their awesome new looks,
06:27especially Black Widow's blonde hair and Cap's thick beard, the Secret Avengers' time as off-the-grid
06:32heroes is disappointingly short-lived, with them rejoining the core Avengers lineup in an attempt
06:37to stop Thanos. Considering that roughly two years pass between Civil War and Infinity War,
06:42that's a lot of unexplored time for Cap, Black Widow and Falcon to be off around the globe
06:47fighting crime. One can only imagine the more minor comic book villains they could have battled
06:52during that time, and which could have made for a thrilling movie or limited series in its own
06:57right. This is another corner of MCU lore we probably won't get to see much, if any of,
07:02unfortunately, especially given the monumental cost of getting Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
07:06and Anthony Mackie back together for even a six-episode Disney Plus show.
07:114. Mordo Tries to Kill Strange… A Lot in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
07:17The first Doctor Strange concluded with the revelation that the villainous Karl Mordo was
07:22effectively plotting to purge sorcerers on Earth, with the implication being that he was coming for
07:27Doctor Strange 2. Mordo reappears in the recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,
07:32albeit not quite how anyone expected. The version of Mordo in the film is a sorcerer supreme from
07:37the alt-universe Earth-838, while the Mordo from Strange Prime's own universe is never actually
07:43seen. However, Strange does make a comment about the original Mordo having dedicated his life to
07:48trying to assassinate him ever since we last saw him, with all of these attempts evidently being
07:53unsuccessful. Considering the apparent gravity of Mordo's heel turn in the first film's post-credits
07:59scene, it is a bit of a cop-out that this still hasn't been properly followed up almost six years
08:04later. A montage showing off Mordo's various botched attempts to kill Strange in a multitude
08:08of wacky scenarios could have been insanely fun, but with credible rumours suggesting that a scrapped
08:14scene saw Mordo being executed by Wanda at the start of the sequel, we may never see the original
08:19Mordo again. 3. Young Loki Turns into a Snake and Stabs Thor in Thor Ragnarok
08:26While many of the moments on this list are broader and more conceptual, there's one incredibly
08:31specific moment mentioned in Thor Ragnarok that just about everybody would love to see.
08:36In the film, Thor hilariously mentions that when he and Loki were just eight years old,
08:40Loki transformed himself into a snake. Thor, being a great lover of snakes, went to pick
08:45the reptile up, at which point Loki turned back into himself and stabbed his brother,
08:49confirming he's been a sneaky trickster from a most tender young age. Incredibly funny though
08:54the story might be, as told by Thor, actually seeing it would be something else entirely.
09:00We can only hope that we might see the scene play out for real in the upcoming Thor Love and
09:04Thunder, especially as the trailer confirms that the film will feature flashbacks of Thor's youth.
09:09Sometimes a story is only as good as you tell it, but in the case of Young Loki turning himself
09:13into a snake and stabbing Thor, we definitely need to see it. 2. Thanos Destroys Xandar for
09:19the Power Stone in Avengers Infinity War Avengers Infinity War kicked off with a big
09:25surprise, revealing that Thanos had actually already picked up the Power Stone from Xandar,
09:30with it later being confirmed that he sacked the planet and annihilated the Nova Corps in the
09:34process. The Mad Titan then used the stone to intercept and attack the Statesmen, the ship
09:40harbouring the Asgardian refugees, as well as Thor, Loki, the Hulk and Heimdall, and acquire
09:45the Space Stone. While earlier drafts of Infinity War's scripts did indeed show Thanos destroying
09:51It was ultimately cut to avoid repetitious scenes of Thanos wrecking locations and pinching coloured
09:56stones, even if it left many fans disappointed regardless. More than four years since Infinity
10:01War's release, fans still regularly lament the scene's absence, while holding out hope that the
10:06recently announced MCU Nova project will feature a flashback to Thanos' destruction of the planet.
10:12While the event has arguably now been built up so much that it'll struggle to satisfy everyone,
10:17it'd still be quite the sight to witness Thanos wreaking havoc on Xandar.
10:211. Peter and May argue over him being Spider-Man in Spider-Man Homecoming
10:28Spider-Man Homecoming ends on an extremely funny and unexpected exclamation point when Peter dons
10:34his recently-returned Spider-Man suit, only to be greeted by an unsuspecting Aunt May,
10:39who loudly shouts, what the f- as we abruptly cut to the credits.
10:43Given that sequel Far From Home picks up many years later after the blip, we never get to see
10:47any sort of confrontation or discussion between Peter and May about this shocking superheroic
10:53revelation. The heavy dramatic lifting all takes place off-screen, with May having fully accepted
10:58Peter's web-slinging superheroism by this point in time. And yet, considering both the awkwardly
11:04comedic and character-driven potential of such a scenario, it's a shame that we never got to see
11:09it. Knowing the headstrong, fiercely protective May's foul-mouthed reaction to seeing Peter in
11:13the Spidey suit, we can only imagine that the two didn't exactly have a calm exchange of words
11:18before she came around to the idea, or more likely realised she was powerless to stop her nephew.
11:24There isn't an immediately obvious place where this scene could've been slotted in, really,
11:28beyond appearing as a credit scene in Homecoming or an establishing scene in Infinity War,
11:33but even then it likely would've felt pretty rushed in either case.
11:37And that concludes our list. If you can think of any we missed, then do let us know in the
11:41comments below, and while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that
11:44notification bell. Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across
11:48various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild. I've been Ellie with What Culture,
11:52I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you real soon.