Although The Avengers films are among the most beloved in the MCU, they contain 10 notable moments that divided viewers.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers films may have made the superhero film genre a dominant force in pop culture, but the series has plenty of controversial moments that divided viewers. Marvel’s in-house film studio, Marvel Studios, gradually built its shared movie universe, starting the MCU timeline with 2008’s Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk and eventually leading to 2012’s The Avengers, an overwhelming success that popularized comic book-style shared universe storytelling. While the success of the MCU in general and the Avengers films in particular changed the film industry, the movies are not without their share of controversies.

2012’s The Avengers was a massive crowd-pleaser, leading to two more Phases in what would be known as the MCU’s Infinity Saga. The following two Phases would see the Avengers roster significantly grow as the overarching narrative gradually brought them toward their ultimate conflict with Thanos. The following three Avengers movies – Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – would each feature moments that divided fans, due to factors like source material changes or questionable choices for major characters.

All Avengers movies are available to watch on Disney+

10. Wanda & Pietro Maximoff’s New Backstories

Whitewashed Jewish Characters & Left Little Room For Them To Be Retconned Into Mutants

After a post-credits tease at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron introduced the twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, better known in the comics as the mutant children of Magneto, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The two were welcome additions to the MCU, with viewers and critics praising the performances of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, respectively, yet the twins underwent major changes from their comic incarnations, one unavoidable and the other perpetuating a harmful trend in the film industry.

Wanda and Pietro had their ethnic Jewish and Romani identities erased in Age of Ultron, with only Pietro being played by a Jewish actor and both being rewritten as members of the nazi-aligned terrorist group Hydra for a time. While some viewers took issue with this, many ignored this change. The Twins no being longer mutants was similarly controversial, with some being indifferent to the change – since Marvel Studios did not have the rights to connect them to the X-Men – and others lamenting it since a vaguer origin would have left room for them to eventually be retconned as mutants.

9. Ultron’s Tony Stark-Like Quips

A Departure From The Comics That Made Him A Unique Take On The Character

In Marvel’s comics, Ultron is one of The Avengers’ greatest threats, requiring the combined efforts of the entire team to stop his many world-threatening schemes. Age of Ultron reimagined its titular villain in numerous ways, including reconfiguring him as the creation of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner rather than Hank Pym. With Ultron’s co-creation by Stark also came a significant change to his cold and calculating demeanor.

Voiced by James Spader, the MCU’s Ultron is depicted as somewhat of a foil to Tony Stark, sharing Stark’s witticisms. Of course, many viewers handwaved this change, since Ultron was still a menacing figure in the film whose new personality humanized him and made him a unique take on the classic villain. Others, however, took issue with Ultron’s significant departure from the source material and yet another quippy character in a film already full of snarky heroes.

8. Black Widow & The Hulk’s Romance

Was This Relationship Underdeveloped?

Age of Ultron also divided viewers with its romantic subplot for Black Widow and Bruce Banner. Throughout the film, Black Widow is tasked with turning The Hulk back into Banner and the two gradually form a romance that is, of course, doomed by the end. There was the kernel of a genuinely good romance for the two in Age of Ultron, but some viewers nevertheless took issue with it.

Critics of Natasha and Bruce’s romance feel that the subplot was rushed and underdeveloped. Moreover, Bruce Banner already had an established romance with Betty Ross in his The Incredible Hulk debut, making the subplot even more out of place. Viewers who appreciate the romance cite Bruce and Natasha’s conversation in Avengers Tower, noting that Bruce’s kindness and aversion to violence (all things considered) draw the two together.

7. Black Widow Calling Herself A “Monster”

Arguably Age of Ultron’s Most Controversial Moment

Possibly the most controversial moment in Age of Ultron comes from another conversation between Black Widow and Bruce Banner. Natasha explains to Bruce that her training and indoctrination in the Black Widow Program also included involuntary sterilization, referring to herself as a “monster” seemingly for her infertility. The moment has been widely criticized as extremely reductive to Black Widow’s character, especially when combined with her arguably out-of-nowhere romantic subplot with Banner.

Critics of the scene do not necessarily take issue with Black Widow mourning the lost potential for a family, but rather that, of all the horrific circumstances involved with her history as a Soviet spy and assassin, her inability to have children is what she considers monstrous. Black Widow’s problematic portrayal is exacerbated by the fact that she also happens to be the one tasked with reigning in The Hulk. Viewers do defend Natasha’s line, taking her self-description as referring to the entirety of her sordid past rather than exclusively her infertility.

6. Shuri & Bruce Banner Discuss Vision

Was This Infinity War Moment Disrespectful?

Infinity War saw key MCU characters interact for the first time, with one notable scene involving Bruce Banner, Vision, and Shuri. Bringing Vision to Wakanda to have the Mind Stone safely removed from his head, Banner notes the task’s difficulty. Shuri quickly figures out a method that, while complex and time-consuming, could remove the Mind Stone without harming Vision.

Banner is surprised by the ease at which Shuri solves the conundrum, to which she quips “I’m sure you did your best.” Shuri’s witticism is consistent with the way she is portrayed in 2018’s Black Panther: a snarky super genius whose confidence occasionally becomes cockiness (not unlike Tony Stark). Some, however, felt that the scene – particularly the line – perhaps needlessly trounced one of the original Avengers heroes, even if Shuri is canonically the smarter of the two.

5. Star-Lord Attacks Thanos

Consistent Characterization Or Lazy Writing?

One of the tensest scenes in Infinity War involves a small group of Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy devising a plan to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos. The coordinated attack nearly works, but the revelation that Thanos killed Gamora causes Star-Lord to lash out and attack Thanos, interrupting his allies and allowing the Mad Titans to regain the Gauntlet. The moment was extremely frustrating for many viewers, considering how close the heroes came to defeating Thanos, yet how accurate it was to Star-Lord’s character is another matter.

Some viewers argue that the moment was a lazy way for the heroes to fail, while others believe that Star-Lord’s outburst was consistent with his established characterization. The latter argument uses Star-Lord’s well-established love for Gamora and mission to rescue her as evidence. Moreover, Star-Lord has a proven track record of impulsivity in the previous Guardians of the Galaxy films.

4. Bruce Banner & The Hulk Become “Smart Hulk”

What Some See As Natural Progression, Others See As An Unsatisfying Resolution

Following the five-year time jump in Endgame, a new form for Bruce Banner is revealed: Smart Hulk. Combining his two personas, Smart Hulk has Bruce Banner’s intelligence and The Hulk’s strength, allowing him to utilize all his skills within The Avengers. The new Smart Hulk persona is one of Endgame’s many sources of humor, and it allows Banner to undo Thanos’s omnicidal use of the Infinity Stones since Banner can survive the gamma radiation in his Smart Hulk form.

Smart Hulk’s introduction, however, did divide viewers, even with his role in the plot and comic relief. A large part of the appeal of both The Hulk and Bruce Banner is their duality and the latter’s attempts to reconcile with and control the former. Smart Hulk arguably removed this element of Banner’s character without earning it.

3. Thor’s Downward Spiral Into “Bro Thor”

Thor’s Infinity War Progression Was Arguably Undone

Viewers were, for the most part, pleased with Thor: Ragnarok’s drastically different take on Thor and the Thor mythos, but Infinity War, thankfully, brought much-needed gravitas back to Thor’s character. After the five-year time jump in Endgame, however, Thor was once again a parody of himself, with the MCU doubling down on Taika Waititi’s interpretation of Thor. Most viewers considered Thor’s following appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder – which took the comedy even further – to be a bridge too far, and some saw the writing on the wall with Endgame’s “Bro Thor.”

Endgame arguably takes the Waititi-style comedy too far with Thor, undermining the goodwill he and his side of the MCU built with viewers since their collective debut in 2011’s Thor. Thor’s character trajectory in Infinity War, which put him back on track, was debatably tarnished for the sake of cheap laughs in Endgame, which some longtime Thor viewers took issue with. Others defended – or at least forgave – “Bro Thor” by citing his worthiness of Mjolnir and his satisfying final confrontation with Thanos.

2. Avengers: Endgame’s Heroine Ensemble

Was It Too Overt?

In Endgame’s action-packed finale, nearly the entirety of the MCU’s established pantheon of heroes battle Thanos and his minions to prevent him from using the Infinity Stones again. In one notable moment, all living MCU heroines gather to defend Spider-Man (the temporary custodian of the Infinity Gauntlet). The brief yet cathartic moment pleased many viewers, while others criticized it.

The MCU has gradually diversified its properties and characters over the years – though Age of Ultron and the more recent Moon Knight have shown that there is still plenty of room for improvement. This moment in Endgame highlighted how far the franchise had come by 2019, yet despite its good intentions, some viewers criticized it, feeling it was too overt.

1. Steve Rogers Passes Down His Shield To Sam Wilson

Would Bucky Have Been Any Less Controversial?

In one of Endgame’s final scenes, Steve Rogers passes down his shield – and thus the title of Captain America – to a successor: Sam Wilson. This touching moment closed the book on Rogers’s MCU story and set up a bright future for another beloved MCU hero. For better or worse, there would have been controversy no matter who Rogers chose as his successor, and many viewers felt that Bucky would have been a more appropriate choice for the next Captain America.

In Marvel’s comics, both Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson have wielded the shield as Captain America at different points, so Endgame would have been loosely adapting the source material with either one. If Bucky had been chosen as the next Captain America, there likely would have been just as much division among viewers who would have wished to see Sam Wilson succeed Steve Rogers. Both heroes have well-established friendships with Steve Rogers and the necessary qualities to use his shield and lead The Avengers in his place.