Every Unresolved MCU Plot Thread
Who were the 10 rings signaling? who bought Avengers Tower? Plus many many more ...
*Spoiler alert for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Wakanda Forever, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Secret Invasion.*
The MCU is full of different storylines and plot threads, which often intertwine to form climatic events. However, many people feel that the current MCU is being stretched in many different directions, with too many unresolved storylines to keep track of. So today, we are going to look at all of the currently unresolved plot threads, from as far back as 2016, to know what to be on the lookout for in upcoming properties
Mordo’s sorcerer hunting spree (2016): At the end of the first Doctor Strange movie, Mordo parts ways with the sorcerers, having felt that he was lied to for too long, and that they cause more harm than good. The post-credits scene of that film took this to the next level, showcasing him on a hunt to find and kill (or at least remove the power from) all sorcerers. While there was a deleted scene from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which showed the 616/199999 (post on that confusion incoming) Mordo hunting down the Scarlet Witch before being beheaded, that was cut from the film, which means he is still out there.
Who bought Avengers Tower? (2017): In Spider-Man: Homecoming, we learn that the Avengers have sold Avengers Tower, and are moving to a new facility upstate. This was followed up on again in Spider-Man: Far From Home, where we see a brief glimpse of the new Avengers Tower as Spider-Man glides through it (pictured below). But that leaves us with the burning question, who bought the new tower? There have been many speculations, including a Kang variant known as Mr. Gryphon of Qeng Enterprises (after seeing a Qeng Enterprises version of Avengers Tower in the Void during Loki season one) and even Mephisto (rumored to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen in the upcoming Iron Heart series). However, we have yet to receive a definitive answer.
Who were the Ten Rings calling to? (2021): In the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a meeting between Shang-Chi, Katy, Wong, Bruce Banner, Captain Marvel reveals that the Ten Rings are a sort of beacon, calling to someone or something out in the cosmos. While we don’t know who, many believe it could either be the Kree, some Kang variant, or maybe even Galactus (though I personally think it is unlikely to be Galactus). On a related note, what is the relationship between the Ten Rings, the Djinn, and the Kree? The TV show Ms. Marvel showed the Bangle being discovered in a site that bore the Ten Rings emblem, and upcoming promotional footage for The Marvels, we see the the Kree Dar-Benn obtaining the other Bangle. This is a question that will most likely be answered in The Marvels, so keep your eyes peeled for any explanation of the origin of the Bangles, and how they might connect to the origin of the Ten Rings.
The giant Celestial statue in the middle of the ocean1 (2021): After preventing the destruction of Earth via the birth of Tiamut the Celestial at the end of Eternals, there is now a gigantic statue of the Celestial in the middle of the ocean. No one seems to talk or care about this statue, other than a few easter eggs (for example the article title talking about it in She-Hulk). It is rumored to play a major role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, and some speculate that the statue could be used to mine Adamantium, a Vibranium like metal used in the comic books for Wolverine’s metal skeleton.
Arishem the Judge and the fate of the Eternals (2021): Also from the Eternals, what is going to happen to Sersi and the other Eternals who stayed on Earth and led to the death of Tiamut? Arishem says that he must judge whether saving humanity was worth the death of a Celestial, so on the more cosmic side of the MCU, there may be an ongoing (very important) trial.
The Black Knight and Blade (2021): Another unresolved plot thread from the Eternals (wow this one really set up a lot …… that has yet to be touched upon) is Mahershala Ali’s Blade’s vocal cameo during the post-credits scene of Eternals, speaking to Dane Whitman as he is about to pick up the Ebony Blade and become the Black Knight. Will he make an appearance in the constantly delayed Blade?
What happened to Kingpin? (2021): The end of the Hawkeye show leaves viewers wondering what the fate of the just reintroduced Kingpin (played by the brilliant Vincent D'Onofrio) is, after Echo shot him. There was a rumored deleted post-credits scene which showed a now blinded Kingpin, but until the MCU actually shows us what happened to him (most likely either in Echo or in Daredevil), we will just be left wondering about his current state.
Resolved, sort of! In the recent trailer for the Echo show, we see a brief shot of Kingpin after the Hawkeye finale, with an eyepatch over his left eye. So, he is still alive, just partially blinded, similar to the comic run his outfit was based on (Daredevil Vol. 2 #15).
Who was the missing person in the Illuminati? (2022): Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduces us to new universes, one of which, designated 838, is home to the Illuminati. However, on that panel, there was one empty chair, and the director has hinted that we will eventually find out who was the other person on that team. Some industry insiders claim that we will return to the 838 universe in Deadpool 3 (and some even claim we will return there sooner at the end of The Marvels), so we might not have to wait long for that answer.
Where is Hercules? (2022): The end of the movie Thor: Love and Thunder shows us Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein (who you may know from playing Brett Goldstein in the fantastic show Ted Lasso), tasked by Zeus with killing Thor. The next Thor movie is already rumored to be in development (or at least it was briefly pre strikes), so we will most likely see this plot thread play out in that film.
Will Jane Foster and Heimdall return? (2022): The other post-credits scene for Thor: Love and Thunder shows us Jane Foster reuniting with Heimdall in Valhalla after her death at the end of the movie. When and where will they make another appearance?
Wait, Hulk has a son?! (2022): The end of She-Hulk shows the Hulk returning from his excursion back to Sakaar with his son, Skaar (annoyingly similar names, I know). Could this all be leading to a World War Hulk movie? I suppose we will have to wait and see.
Where will we see T'Challa's son, Prince T’Challa again? (2022): The movie Wakanda Forever was forced to deal with actor Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death, meaning his character, King T’Challa, also faced an untimely death as well. It is rumored that this movie initially dealt with T’Challa’s five year absence during the blip, and the effect that had on his son. While this story was scrapped (for obvious reasons), they still kept his son in the film, as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman’s character and also as a new person to carry the mantle forward.
So … is everyone in the MCU going to die? (2023): In the recent movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the Kang variant they fight warns them that if he dies, the MCU universe will collapse, destroyed by all of his variants. This is reiterated again at the end of the film in the closing inner monologue of Scott Lang, who worries that he has doomed the entire universe by killing (or imprisoning) the Kang variant. We then see what the Kang variant was talking about during the first post-credits scene of the film, which shows thousands of Kang variants gathering together. This will most likely be tackled in Avengers: Kang Dynasty, presuming Jonathan Majors is innocent or recast.
How long has Everett Ross been a Skrull? (2023): The most recent Marvel series, Secret Invasion, had a few surprising reveals. First of all, Rhodey has been a Skrull since Captain America: Civil War (he was seen in the same gown as he was in that movie and was also unable to walk), and Everett Ross has been a Skrull since …. when? The show doesn’t actually answer that question, but after revealing Everett Ross as a Skrull in the first episode and then showing the real Everett Ross again in the finale in the Skrull base, we are left wondering, how long has he been a Skrull?
What universe is Monica Rambeau in? (2023): The Marvels film, despite it’s mixed reviews and terrible box office performance, had the first real shot of X-Men in the live action MCU! Sure, we had Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier in Multiverse of Madness, and the mutant name drop with the classic X-Men 90s riff (0:06), but the post-credits scene of The Marvels shows us not only Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, but also the X shaped door. However, we are still left wondering what universe this is, considering we also see Lashana Lynch (actress of Maria Rambeau) as Binary.
And that takes us right up to where we are now. That’s a lot to keep track of, I know. There are a few more smaller ones that I did not mention, such as the new Guardians team and whether or not the Scarlett Witch is still alive. However, those are the most important things to try and remember for the upcoming MCU projects. Here’s to hoping that they tie some of these together relatively quickly! As you might have noticed, I will keep going back in to mark things as resolved, or more likely, to keep adding new ones. Thanks for reading, and until next time, bye!
Seriously. This thing is massive. Everyone should be talking about it, not just a random blog post easter egg on She-Hulk.