There’s no denying that the MCU creators and producers are masters at connecting different storylines across the universe. From bringing multiple solo franchises together in the Avengers films to growing and developing its ensemble of heroes, there have been many iconic storylines and moments in the MCU. Across 30 movies and counting, the MCU has narratively expanded and explored different themes and ideas across other subgenres.

Updated January 27th, 2023: This article has been updated to reflect the recent releases of the MCU, which did address a few of the unresolved plot points and has been updated with more plot lines the franchise has yet to acknowledge.

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However, there have also been many instances where the MCU has seemingly abandoned what they set up in certain movies of the franchise. From the Hulk’s insecurities about many lost loves, including Betty Ross and Black Widow, the MCU has introduced some storylines that ultimately went nowhere. Yet Phase 4 has recently shown that the franchise can still bring back characters and plot threads long forgotten, like the return of Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader in Captain America: New World Order or the arrival of Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It is never too late to bring back a character or plot point. Phase 4 has introduced plenty of storylines audiences are waiting for answers on, like the giant Celestial head in Eternals or what the new Ten Rings organization will be, yet those are new developments. Take a look back at storylines during the Infinity Saga that the MCU has neglected and deserves a second chance.

The Collector’s Collection

     Marvel StudiosDisney

Benicio del Toro was perfectly cast as Taneleer Tivan, widely known across the galaxies as The Collector. This unique character was introduced to us in the post-credits scene of Thor: Dark World. We learned that Taneeler collects every valuable relic, fauna, or species throughout the universe; from Hela’s helmet to Aether, one of the Infinity Stones. He was nearly able to obtain a second Infinity Stone, but, as time went on, the audience realized that the hype around his mysterious persona was practically made for nothing. As soon as the focus turned to Thanos’ quest, The Collector was wiped away. Many assumed he died in Avengers: Infinity War and it was not revealed until The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that he was still alive, and he sold Knowhere to the Guardians.

An episode of What If…? showed exactly how powerful the Collector could be and with the character a major part of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout Ride in Disney’s California Adventure it feels like there is still more to explore with this character. His collection probably holds even more Marvel easter eggs and cameos that could be fun to explore in future storylines.

Sonny Burch’s Employer

Ant-Man and the Wasp introduced a new villain, the criminal Sonny Birch played by Walton Goggins. Throughout the movie the character is teasing he is after Hank Pym’s Quantum lab for an employer, yet the identity of said employer is never revealed. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania heading for a massive multiverse story, this plotline is unlikely to be resolved in that film.

Who is his employer exactly? It could be used to bring back fan favorite Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer who has not been seen since the short film All Hail the King which was made canon by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It could also be The Power Broker, who was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, although that series implied Sharon Carter became the villain in the five years during the Blip which was after Ant-Man and the Wasp. It could easily be Kingpin, who appeared on Hawkeye and is set to be a major player in future MCU projects like Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. There are plenty of characters it could be, and the plotline could be resolved in films like Captain America: New World Order or Armor Wars.

Lady Sif

Lady Sif was introduced as a fierce female character in Thor, as part of the God of Thunder’s closest circle. She was a respected warrior, always ready to fight side by side with Thor. Once Thor was banished from Asgard by Odin to Earth, she was ready to disobey her new king Loki in order to help her close friend. She also fought in the Second Dark Elf Conflict in Thor: Dark World. However, as Thor: Ragnarök rolled around and Hela completely took over Asgard, Lady Sif was nowhere in sight.

Of course, the reason for this was because of scheduling conflicts between Ragnarök and Alexander’s show Blindspot. Nevertheless, there was no mention or explanation for Lady Sif’s absence. Sif returned in Thor: Love and Thunder but had a minor role. No explanation was given as to why she was not on Asgard when Hela attacked, and what she has been doing in the time since. She was last seen helping train the children of New Asgard in combat following the loss of her arm. Sif feels like a great character underutilized in the MCU and would make for a great recurring character on one of the Disney+ series, particularly She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as she likely would have a fun dynamic with Jennifer Walters.

Mitchell Carson

Mitchell Carson was a spy, acting as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, while in reality working for the biggest terrorist organization HYDRA. He’s been an infiltrator ever since the 80s when he tried replicating the Pym articles along with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter. Years later, he was ready to buy the Yellowjacket Suit, so he could supply HYDRA with the Pym Articles. When his attempts failed, once Ant-Man intervened, he managed to grab a suitcase with a sufficient amount of the particles.

Although an alternate ending shows Carson getting captured, the cut didn’t make it into the final version of the movie. Where are Carson and the particles now then? Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania looks to have moved far beyond this threat, although it would be nice to see Mitchell Carson apprehended and taken out earlier in that film, or another project like Ironheart or Ms. Marvel season two while also showing what HYDRA is currently up to in the MCU.

Aldrich Killian’s Advanced Idea Mechanics

Iron Man 3 was a controversial film at the time of its release but has grown in esteem since it came out (and is now celebrated as a Christmas movie). Many plotlines from that film, including the Mandarin and Ten Rings, have been revisited in future MCU films. However, one major one that hasn’t is Aldrich Killian’s company Advanced Idea Mechanics also known as A.I.M. Killian was one of many villains who come about thanks to the good guys (Tony Stark) messing up and facing little to no consequences for what they did. Stark tricked Killian into thinking he would join his project Extremis (a group of enhanced soldiers), but when he didn’t, Killian went on to create his own company A.I.M., a think tank with sinister intentions.

A.I.M. is a big organization in Marvel Comics, often finding themselves employed by other supervillains to develop technology and also coming into conflict with organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. and the various Marvel superheroes. A.I.M. feels like a recurring antagonist that would be great for the MCU, one that can pop up across the various Disney+ series and films that connect a wide array of projects and allow a street-level property like Daredevil: Born Again to tie into something more large scale like Thunderbolts. A.I.M.’s most famous leader M.O.D.O.K is set to join the MCU in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania so here is hoping he survives and takes control of A.I.M. to pose a threat to future Marvel heroes.

Mordo

Doctor Strange ended with Mordo walking away from the heroes, hinting at his fate as Doctor Strange’s arch-enemy. The after-credit scene showed Mordo beginning his villainous plan, to destroy all sorcerers and supposedly was setting the character up as the main villain for a Doctor Strange sequel. That project quickly became Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Mordo’s role was reduced.

He is in the movie but not the version audiences met in the previous film, but instead a variant from another universe he works with the Illuminati. Doctor Strange does reference how Mordo has tried to kill him in the past, implying the two have had battles off-screen, but it feels like quickly trying to push back a major plot development. The MCU Mordo was originally supposed to be killed by the Scarlet Witch at the beginning of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that scene was deleted leaving him still active in the MCU. With Doctor Strange currently busy trying to save the multiverse, maybe Mordo can appear as a villain on the upcoming magic-themed Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

Replicas of Iron Man Technology

     Paramount Pictures

When Tony was called to the court with regard to the dangers of his technology in Iron Man 2, a few things were mentioned. Stark is deemed a national threat, but Justin Hammer fails to mention that Hammer Industries has been trying to replicate some of Iron Man’s technology itself. Of course, the attempts didn’t end there. It was revealed that countries like North Korea and China were working hard to replicate Stark’s mechanisms. Tony assured everyone that it would take them at least ten years to even scratch the surface of his works. Well, more than ten years have passed since, but there’s suddenly no word from those countries. What happened to their hard work to imitate the Iron Man technologies?

The question of Tony Stark’s technology is one that Marvel is set to address with the upcoming film Armor Wars. The movie will focus on War Machine dealing with the repercussions of Tony Stark’s technology getting out into the world. This was first teased in the end credit scene of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when Sharon Carter aka The Power Broker revealed they had access to government resources and weapons which include Stark Tech drones for Damage Control that were confiscated in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Other projects like Secret Invasion and Thunderbolts will also likely play a role in setting this up, and Marvel might use this to introduce other armored-themed villains from the comics like Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo, and Ezekiel Stane.

Scorpion

     Marvel StudiosSony

Spider-Man: Homecoming’s after-credit scene teased the introduction of another Spider-Man villain, Mac Gargan aka The Scorpion played by Better Call Saul star Michael Mando. Gargan appeared earlier in the film as a criminal Spider-Man stopped and Vulture and his team were working on “The Gargan tail,” clearly setting up his eventual transformation into Scorpion. Spider-Man: Homecoming saw Gargan approach Vulture in prison wanting to get revenge on Spider-Man and proposing a team-up.

Yet the Spider-Man MCU franchise moved on and Scorpion was quickly forgotten about. Spider-Man: Far From Home featured an international setting with Mysterio as the primary villain, and Spider-Man: No Way Home was a multiversal team-up featuring a variety of Spider-Man villains from past film iterations. Scorpion was teased as the next villain and the movies never delivered on him, but everyone assumes it is a sure thing based on the character’s popularity and the last film’s box office performance. The next Spider-Man movie will likely be a smaller-scale film, and that might be the perfect time to bring back a street criminal like Scorpion.