Much like the comics the Marvel Cinematic Universe was based on, Marvel movies and shows thrive on cliffhangers and sequel hooks. But which ones have yet to be followed up on? Here’s every MCU cliffhanger that hasn’t been answered yet.
The Incredible Hulk
Honestly, most people forget that The Incredible Hulk was one of the first MCU movies. As a result, this movie has probably the most plot lines that have not and will not be resolved. While Thunderbolt Ross was a secondary antagonist in Civil War and is still a recurring character, with Harrison Ford now in the role, Betty Ross has not appeared or really been mentioned in any films since then.
Also, Samuel Stern’s villainous origin was teased during this film, only to be revealed in a tie-in comic that Black Widow captured him offscreen. The character is reportedly returning in Captain America: New World Order. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did, given that we got the Abomination in Shang-Chi and She-Hulk.
Thor: The Dark World
One of the alien beasts that came through during the Convergence was never returned to their homeworld and was shown tearing up Greenwich at the end of Thor: The Dark World. Not even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tried cleaning up this one. (Yes, I know, it was mostly a throwaway joke).
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The Ravager Reunion at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 seemed to tease a potential movie with the original Guardians of the Galaxy—not the version of the team that’s been used for the MCU so far. However, there’s been no announcement of any planned movies or shows since then.
Adam Warlock was also teased in the post-credits scenes, though he is confirmed to be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Doctor Strange
The first Doctor Strange movie ends with the reveal that Karl Mordo is killing off other sorcerers, which seemed to build him up as the next antagonist. However, the implication from Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is that Strange dealt with Mordo at some point between the first movie and the second, hence he was nervous around the variant Mordo.
WandaVision
There are two main cliffhangers left from WandaVision that still haven’t been resolved. The first is White Vision and his apparent identity crisis, which may have partially restored his memory but has also led to him being MIA since then.
The second teaser is Monica Rambeau meeting with a Skrull and being told that Nick Fury needs her help. Whether this will be answered in Secret War or The Marvels, we don’t yet know.
The Falcon and the Winter Solider
There’s two more teasers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the main one being the reveal that John Walker is now U.S. Agent and working for Valentina de Fontaine, one part of the setup for the upcoming Thunderbolts movie.
The secondary one was Sharon Carter’s pardon, which opens the doors of the U.S. government up to the Power Broker and her crime syndicate, so we’ll have to wait and see where that goes.
Loki
The first season of the Disney+ Loki series ends with the creation of the multiverse and a seeming reset of the sacred timeline, with Mobius having no memory of Loki or Sylvie and Kang having statues of himself in the TVA.
Kang has now returned in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, though he still has a lot more of a future in the MCU, and we won’t know what’s going on between him and the TVA until the second season of Loki.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The main teaser at the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was Shang-Chi meeting with multiple Avengers, none of whom can identify the origin of the 10 rings. However, the rings are also found to be a beacon, letting out a signal to an unknown location.
There’s currently a theory that they were sending a signal to the quantum realm, due to how similar the signal looks to Kang’s Multiversal Power Core in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Of course, that could be the result of Marvel CGI blending together, but it would be a strong way to tie Shang-Chi into the coming conflict.
Eternals
Eternals had a few major cliffhangers: the first being the abduction of Kingo, Phastos, and Sersi by the Celestials, the second being Jon Snow Dane Whitman teased as becoming the Black Knight, and Star Fox being introduced to the remaining Eternals. We currently have received no news of a sequel or any real references to the events of the Eternals movie, beyond movie posters of Kingo, and it’s unclear right now whether a sequel will ever happen—but that doesn’t mean events and teases from the movie won’t pay off elsewhere in the MCU.
Hawkeye
Let’s be honest: No one believes that Echo killed Kingpin offscreen. There’s no way they brought back Vincent D’Onofrio for two episodes of Hawkeye only to kill him off, especially considering the Echo and Daredevil MCU shows set to come out eventually.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
While MJ’s memory of Peter was erased as a result of Doctor Strange’s spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, she’s also still wearing fragments of the glass Black Dahlia necklace that Peter gave her. While Peter seems to think she’ll be safer away from him, I also feel like this relationship is far from over.
Moon Knight
Meet Jake Lockley, the third alter of Mark/Stephen in Moon Knight. It seems that he’s Konshu’s path to maintaining his champion and his one-god war on evil, though I doubt he’ll be able to continue for very long without the others knowing.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
I refuse to believe Wanda is dead. Sue me.
Besides that, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave us the introduction of Clea, a warning that the multiverse is in danger, and the reveal that Strange’s use of the dark arts has resulted in a third eye. We’ll have to see where that all goes in the MCU’s future.
Ms. Marvel
The main cliffhanger of Ms. Marvel is the post-credits scene, which seemingly resulted in Kamala Khan and Captain Marvel switching places. This presumably leads into The Marvels, which was set to release this summer but has since been pushed back to November.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder was a hot mess, but I’m glad Thor is happy and getting to kick butt alongside his adopted daughter. We also got a teaser for Zeus sending Hercules after Thor in retribution, a bit like the Adam teaser at the end of Guardians Vol. 2.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
There were a few teasers in the Disney+ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series, the most surprising of which was the reveal of Hulk’s son, Skaar. There was also Wong’s second release of Emil Blonsky from prison.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
While Wakanda and Talokan end Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with a tenuous truce, Namor has made it clear that he’s simply waiting for a chance to turn Shuri and Wakanda against the rest of the world. However, legal issues may keep Namor from having a solo movie, since Universal owns the movie rights to the character, much like the Hulk, so if/how his plan will pan out is unknown.
Spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follow!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Obviously, the main cliffhanger for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the reveal of the Council of Kangs, who may end up being the main antagonists of the MCU for the foreseeable future. We also got a teaser for the next season of Loki, with both Mobius and Loki possibly meeting the main MCU’s Kang.
Did we miss any cliffhangers/teasers? What’s your favorite MCU teaser of all time? Comment below!
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment/Disney)
