10 Controversial Comic Book Movie Moments That Actually Aged Well

Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe have produced some of the best movie moments of all time, from Iron Man’s sacrifice to Joker’s introduction in The Dark Knight, but there have also been a lot of controversial moments. There is a lot to look forward to regarding comic book movies. The DCU is kicking off, and the MCU timeline continues to grow with each passing project. As more and more heroes are introduced, more and more iconic scenes will find their own place in cinematic history.

Not every moment in comic book movies can be great, or even good, just like not every comic book movie can be, but some moments have left a bad taste in audience’s mouths over the years for a variety of reasons. Still, there are some once-derided scenes that have aged better than others, whether that is due to the march of time or other films retroactively making them better. Here are some of those controversial moments that have actually aged well.

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10

The Mandarin Reveal

Iron Man 3 (2013)

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When Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin was actually revealed to be Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3, an actor that was only posing as Iron Man’s greatest villain, it was quite controversial to say the least. For a lot of fans, it felt like a slap in the face after the Mandarin was built up so well throughout the film. The conclusion of Iron Man’s trilogy promised to have him come face-to-face with his biggest comic book foe, but the rug pull felt unsatisfactory, with Aldrich Killian calling himself the Mandarin as a third-act plot twist.

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This was considered one of the biggest missed opportunities for the MCU, but that changed after the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. Aldrich Killian was retconned as the villain, revealing that Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu, father of Shang-Chi, was the actual Mandarin and he wielded the ten rings. Trevor Slattery even returned in the film, held as a prisoner by Wenwu and used as entertainment for the Ten Rings. These reveals helped to make the Iron Man 3 twist much stronger in retrospect.

9

Gwen Stacy’s Death

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2012)

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Going into The Amazing Spider-Man 2, those comic book-savvy fans knew there was a possibility that Gwen Stacy could die in the film. Including the Green Goblin and showing Gwen in the same outfit she had on when she died in the comics was a big enough hint, but there was a chance the film could change her fate, as it has long been a controversial plot point in Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, she did indeed die and with the film series being canceled early, there was no actual resolution for Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker.

Garfield’s Spider-Man revealed that after he lost Gwen he got bitter, rageful, and stopped pulling his punches.

Garfield’s Parker was seemingly gone forever until Spider-Man: No Way Home brought him back into the fold, and had a full circle moment that strengthened The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s dour ending. Garfield’s Spider-Man revealed that after he lost Gwen he got bitter, full of rage, and stopped pulling his punches. When he saves MJ after Tom Holland couldn’t, he gets a moment of catharsis, but the lingering pain of losing Gwen is there.

8

Deadpool’s Sewn Mouth

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

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Prior to his mega-successful trilogy, Ryan Reynolds played Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool, for the first time in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The first part of his role is pretty great, but when he returns at the end of the third act, something drastically awful was done to the character. His mouth was sewn shut, and he contained all the powers of the mutants that were previously seen in the film. Given that Deadpool’s most defining trait is that he won’t shut up, it was an egregious decision to have him be like that in the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine, the third film in the trilogy, became one of the MCU’s highest grossing movies ever in 2024.

The reason that Deadpool having his mouth sewn shut has aged so well is because it sort of helped lead Ryan Reynolds and Fox to eventually make an actual Deadpool movie that respected the character, including featuring the Merc with the Mouth in all his nonstop talking glory. If he had just been Wade Wilson without everything else that added to the outrage, there is a possibility Reynold’s as the character could just be a footnote in comic book movie history.

7

Peter Parker’s Dancing

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

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There was nothing quite like seeing Peter Parker dressed in black, and going through an emo phase, terribly dancing in Spider-Man 3. It was a moment that was derided by Spider-Man fans for years, citing it as arguably the worst moment in the worst film in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. It really is that bad, but it can be argued that is what makes it so good, and it has since been looked upon more favorably as time has gone on.

Endless memes shared about “Bully Maguire” and the distance of time has seen Spider-Man 3 reclaimed, with it becoming a messy, but a really fun film to watch, and a solid end to the trilogy. Peter Parker thinking he is cool, and showing how cool he actually is by dancing is very in-character for what Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi were going for throughout the trilogy. It’s Parker’s idea of what is cool.

6

Black Widow’s Sacrifice

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

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Despite being one of the first Avengers to appear in the MCU, with a supporting role in Iron Man 2, Natasha Romanoff never really had much development as a character over the years. Joss Whedon attempted to do it in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the romance between her and Bruce Banner felt out of place. Because of her lack of depth and history, her death in Avengers: Endgame didn’t hit as hard as it could have, especially when compared to Tony’s, who audiences have seen change and grow tremendously over the years.

Natasha Romanoff’s MCU Appearances
Movie	Year
Iron Man 2	2010
The Avengers	2012
Captain America: The Winter Soldier	2014
Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015
Captain America: Civil War	2016
Avengers: Infinity War	2018
Avengers: Endgame	2019
Black Widow	2021

Set after Captain America: Civil War and before the events of Infinity War and Endgame, Black Widow actually helped to retroactively strengthen Natasha as a character, and rewatching (or watching for the first time) in chronological order makes her death much more impactful. Revealing more of her backstory, including her family and especially her sister Yelena Belova, made Natasha a more complex character than ever before, and Yelena looking to carry on her legacy is one of the MCU’s most intriguing plot points being explored.

5

Hulk’s Comic Book Style Transitions

Hulk (2003)

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Hiring Ang Lee, coming off of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to helm Hulk was a bold choice. What was even more of a bold choice, was Ang Lee’s decision in the ways the film evokes comic book imagery throughout, especially with how he decided to have a lot of the movie’s scene transitions play out. They were edited to look like panels on a page in a comic book, adding to the entire feel of the film. It was unique for its time, and still is now.

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The editing style and overall slow-burn approach to Hulk was viewed as divisive at the time, but it seems to have aged better than other films of its time, like The Punisher and Daredevil. Sometimes, it feels like some modern comic book movies are ashamed of their source material, trying to ground them in different ways, but Ang Lee’s embrace of the literal look of comics for Hulk helps it stand out even to this day.

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Peacemaker Killing Rick Flag

The Suicide Squad (2021)

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James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad lived up to its name, killing seven members of Task Force X throughout the film. There were some controversial deaths, like the early demise of Captain Boomerang, but Peacemaker killing Rick Flag Jr. towards the end of the film came as a true shock, and made John Cena’s character irredeemable in the eyes of a lot of fans. Rick Flag Jr. was actually liked in this film compared to his Suicide Squad role, and it was a shame to see him go.

Throughout the show, it’s the basis for all of the character growth of Peacemaker, who has become one of the best live-action DC characters.

The first season of Peacemaker not only strengthened Rick Flag Jr.’s death, but made it one of the most important aspects of Peacemaker’s character. Peacemaker wrestles with his death throughout most of the season, and his regret for doing that helps him look inwards at his actions and attempt to move forward. Throughout the show, it’s the basis for all of the character growth of Peacemaker, who has become one of the best live-action DC characters.

3

Spider-Man’s Organic Web Shooters

Spider-Man (2002)

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One of the defining characteristics of Peter Parker is how smart he is, and that is shown in a variety of ways. One important way is the fact that he makes his own web shooters, but Sam Raimi decided to do away with that in Spider-Man, having him produce webs organically from his wrists. At the time, it was incredibly controversial, even if Raimi embraced a lot of comic book sensibilities throughout his entire trilogy.

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Spider-Man 2 dealt with the idea of Peter running out of webbing by having it tied to an existential crisis, but it wasn’t until Spider-Man: No Way Home that shows the idea of organic web shooters is actually a pretty neat idea. Both Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers are fascinated with Tobey being able to produce his own webs, leading to a number of great jokes. At this point, it is a defining trait for Tobey’s iconic character, and would feel wrong any other way.

2

Star-Lord Attacking Thanos

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

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Towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes stuck on Titan devise a plan to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos’ hand, and are almost successful until a character’s decision derails the whole thing. After learning that Thanos killed Gamora, Star-Lord attacks a subdued Thanos as the others almost have the gauntlet off. Because of Star-Lord’s actions, Thanos is able to break out of his trance and defeat the heroes, getting the Time Stone from Doctor Strange before heading to Earth.

It was the most controversial moment in the film, and one of the most in MCU history, with fans actually hating Star-Lord for doing that, since it led to the snap and half the universe’s population being wiped out instantly. Looking at it from Star-Lord’s perspective makes it more complex, and even Doctor Strange knew it was going to happen, given that it was part of the only scenario that led to the Avengers defeating Thanos.

1

Logan Killing Jean Grey

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

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There isn’t much to like in X-Men: The Last Stand. The film attempted to adapt the Dark Phoenix Saga, but failed on virtually every level. There were a lot of controversial moments throughout the film, but Logan having to kill Jean Grey towards the end of it is one of the biggest. Not only did it lead to a relatively weak ending, it didn’t give Jean a chance at redemption, killing her off before she could have a complete arc.

As the franchise went on, the moment became much stronger, given that it informed a lot about Logan as a character going forward. It made The Wolverine a more emotionally complex film, and when X-Men: Days of Future Past erases X-Men: The Last Stand from existence, bringing back Jean Grey in the process, Logan seeing her alive again, packs an emotional punch that wouldn’t have been possible without what came before.

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  Marvel Cinematic Universe

  The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.

  Created by

  Kevin Feige

  First Film

  Iron Man

  First TV Show

  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

  Cast

  Robert Downey Jr.
  , Chris Evans
  , Scarlett Johansson
  , Samuel L. Jackson
  , Jeremy Renner
  , Chris Hemsworth
  , Mark Ruffalo
  , Edward Norton
  , Paul Rudd
  , Tom Holland
  , Tom Hiddleston
  , Anthony Mackie
  , Cobie Smulders
  , Brie Larson
  , Chadwick Boseman
  , Sebastian Stan
  , Chris Pratt
  , Dave Bautista
  , Zoe Saldana
  , Bradley Cooper
  , Vin Diesel
  , Pom Klementieff
  , Josh Brolin
  , Karen Gillan
  , Clark Gregg
  , Paul Bettany
  , Don Cheadle
  , Benedict Cumberbatch
  , Evangeline Lilly
  , Simu Liu
  , Aaron Taylor-Johnson
  , Angelina Jolie
  , Kit Harington
  , Salma Hayek
  , Richard Madden
  , Barry Keoghan
  , Gemma Chan
  , Ma Dong-seok
  , Brian Tyree Henry
  , Kumail Nanjiani
  , Lauren Ridloff
  , Lia McHugh
  , Jonathan Majors

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  DC Universe

  The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

  Created by

  Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

  First Film

  Man of Steel

  First TV Show

  Peacemaker

  Cast

  Henry Cavill
  , Ben Affleck
  , Gal Gadot
  , Ezra Miller
  , Ray Fisher
  , Jason Momoa
  , Amy Adams
  , Jesse Eisenberg
  , Laurence Fishburne
  , Jeremy Irons
  , Will Smith
  , Jared Leto
  , Margot Robbie
  , Joel Kinnaman
  , Viola Davis
  , Jai Courtney
  , Jay Hernandez
  , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
  , Cara Delevingne
  , Chris Pine
  , Robin Wright
  , Zachary Levi
  , Dwayne Johnson
  , Amber Heard
  , Patrick Wilson
  , Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
  , Mark Strong
  , Asher Angel
  , Jack Dylan Grazer
  , Djimon Hounsou
  , Mary Elizabeth Winstead
  , Jurnee Smollett
  , Rosie Perez
  , Ella Jay Basco
  , Ali Wong
  , Ewan McGregor
  , Idris Elba
  , John Cena
  , Michael Keaton
  , George Clooney
  , Xolo Mariduena

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Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  Release Date

  February 14, 2025

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  Thunderbolts*

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  Release Date

  May 2, 2025

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  July 24, 2026

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  Release Date

  May 7, 2027

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

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  Superman

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  July 11, 2025

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  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

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  June 26, 2026

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  The Batman Part II

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  October 2, 2026

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