10 MCU Fan Theories That Explained Marvel's Movies Better Than They Did

There have been many fan theories created about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and some of them were actually better at explaining the franchise’s stories than Marvel. Since the beginning of the MCU’s movie timeline, the franchise has grown into the most expansive in modern cinema. Its many characters and stories have been adapted from the pages of Marvel Comics, with a few key caveats. One of the most important aspects of the MCU’s adaptations is that they often employ some creative license with the source material.

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This leaves the direction of the MCU open to speculation. One of the biggest contributors to the success of the movies of the MCU is the way the franchise sparks conversation about its hints and teases. This in turn gives way to the creation of clever fan theories that posit potential explanations or future developments, and in some cases, these theories actually end up being far more intelligent than the MCU’s official canon. Here are 10 MCU fan theories that explained Marvel’s movies better than they did.

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10

Odin Made Loki Look Like Hela

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok introduced one of the MCU’s strongest villains in the form of Hela, Odin’s formerly imprisoned daughter who breaks free and wreaks havoc on Asgard. Her appearance borrows heavily from the comic book source material, although her backstory is a little different. In the comics, her visual similarities to Loki stem from being his daughter, but considering he’s her adopted brother in the MCU, fan theories sprang up surrounding their shared likeness.

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The theory posits that upon adopting the young Frost Giant baby, Odin was shown using his magic to make Loki appear Asgardian. The theory suggests that Odin was thinking of the daughter he had imprisoned at the time, making his new son look like Hela, potentially on a subconscious level. The MCU not only did not confirm this, but made no mention at all of how much the pair look alike, making the fan theory a far better explanation.

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Thor: Ragnarok

PG-13

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Superhero

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Comedy

7/10

7.9/10

Release Date

November 3, 2017

Runtime

130 Minutes

Cast

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Chris Hemsworth
Tessa Thompson

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9

Midtown Is A Magnet School For SHIELD

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Spider-Man’s MCU history has seen him more connected than ever to the Avengers, but one theory suggests a link between his education and the organization known as SHIELD. The theory goes that Midtown School of Science and Technology, where Peter Parker is enrolled, actually serves as a magnet school for SHIELD. The theory believes that SHIELD funds scholarships for particularly gifted students, such as Parker, in order to fast-track them into the agency.

Though it seems wild at first glance, the theory points to Far From Home’s story for evidence. The Skrulls posing as Nick Fury and Maria Hill are able to use SHIELD resources to rapidly authorize changes to Midtown’s pre-planned European itinerary without arousing any suspicion. It would also explain how Parker ended up on Tony Stark’s radar at such a young age, and offers a far better explanation for these plot points than the MCU even attempted.

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Spider-Man: Far from Home

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Sci-Fi

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Superhero

7/10

9.3/10

Release Date

July 2, 2019

Runtime

129 Minutes

Cast

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Tom Holland

Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Jake Gyllenhaal

Quentin Beck / Mysterio

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8

Tony Stark Synthesized Uru In Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Over the course of Iron Man’s MCU story, he achieved many impressive feats. One that is often overlooked is the way Tony Stark was able to synthesize a whole new element, saving not just his own life but revolutionizing the scientific potential of humanity. The MCU itself never actually identifies the element, but one clever theory explains that it could actually be Uru, the same metal that Mjolnir and Stormbreaker are made from.

The theorist points to the scientific context offered up throughout Iron Man 2, but also to the similarities between Stark’s later suits and Thor’s weapons. It also dispels the popular notion that it could have been vibranium through simple logic, as vibranium had already been discovered and named, and therefore wouldn’t need to be created by Stark. It may be unconfirmed by the MCU, but the Uru theory clears up a number of loose plot threads and unexplained phenomena.

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Iron Man 2

PG-13

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Action

6/10

7.4/10

Release Date

May 7, 2010

Runtime

124 minutes

Cast

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Robert Downey Jr.
Mickey Rourke

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7

Heimdall Had The Soul Stone All Along

Thor (2011)

Shortly before the Infinity Saga reached its unforgettable two-part climax, MCU fan theories sprouted in abundance regarding the locations of the final undiscovered Infinity Stone. As all but the Soul Stone had been located in the MCU, a clever theory circulated that seemed to point to its whereabouts. Known as the THANOS theory, it was suggested that the letters of the Mad Titan’s name spelled out the locations of each of the Stones.

	Infinity Stone	Location
T	Space Stone	Tesseract
H	Soul Stone	Heimdall or Heart-shaped Herb
A	Reality Stone	Aether
N	Time Stone	Necklace (Eye of Agamotto)
O	Power Stone	Orb
S	Mind Stone	Scepter

As the H was the only letter unaccounted for, many fans believed that Heimdall could be in possession of the Soul Stone, as his powerful abilities and the orange glow of his eyes seemed to confirm the idea. However, this wasn’t the case, and the THANOS theory was proved wrong in Infinity War when the Soul Stone was found on Vormir. However, the clever theory that Heimdall might have hidden the Soul Stone was actually far more interesting than the MCU’s ultimate explanation.

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Thor

PG-13

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Superhero

Action

Fantasy

7/10

6.4/10

Release Date

May 6, 2011

Runtime

115 minutes

Cast

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Chris Hemsworth
Natalie Portman

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6

Mephisto Would Appear In No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Across Spider-Man’s MCU timeline, comic-accuracy has largely been a secondary concern, as the franchise took the hero in a slightly different direction. However, the announcement of No Way Home and its story prompted theories that Mephisto would make his long-awaited MCU debut in the movie. This was because the movie seemed set to adapt the One More Day story from the comics, which involved Peter Parker making a deal to have the world forget his exposed identity after it leads to the death of Aunt May.

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The theory pointed to Doctor Strange’s uncharacteristic demeanor in the movie’s trailer, as well as the general thrust of its story. However, it was proven to be untrue upon No Way Home’s release, with Mephisto nowhere to be seen. Though One More Day is a particularly contentious storyline, the way the MCU skirted around a legitimate adaptation and avoided Mephisto’s involvement was disappointing for many.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home

PG-13

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Superhero

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

8.9/10

Release Date

December 17, 2021

Runtime

148 Minutes

Cast

See All

Tom Holland

Peter Parker
Zendaya

MJ

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5

Ego Is A Parasite, Not A Celestial

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. (2017)

Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego the Living Planet was revealed as Star-Lord’s biological father. The movie saw its villain introduce himself as a Celestial, going on to explain more about his impressive abilities and the way in which Star-Lord himself could also tap into them. However, one theory suggests that Ego is not a Celestial at all, but a parasitic entity that feeds off of Celestial energy.

The introduction of Celestials in the cast of Eternals highlighted key differences between the ancient beings and Ego. Ego’s plan to gather more power fed off of at least one planet harboring a dormant Celestial – Earth – hinting that he may actually need their life force to sustain him or grow more powerful. Though this actually makes far more sense than the explanation of him being a different type of Celestial, the MCU has not offered any real explanation of his nature beyond his own vague announcement to Star-Lord.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

PG-13

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Superhero

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Sci-Fi

7/10

7.7/10

Release Date

May 5, 2017

Runtime

137 minutes

Cast

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Dave Bautista
Chris Pratt

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4

Alexander Pierce Was The Red Skull In Disguise

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The introduction of Captain America to the MCU saw him face his comic book nemesis, the Red Skull. Though the villain was seemingly killed during the battle that ended with Steve Rogers frozen in time, a theory surrounding his survival came about ahead of the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The theory was that Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford, would actually be revealed as the Red Skill in disguise, especially as the movie’s plot was set to explore Hydra having infiltrated every level of SHIELD.

The movie’s release dispelled the theory entirely, when Pierce was revealed to be simply himself. Though the casting of an actor as high-profile as Redford was considered evidence that Pierce might be more important than he seemed, and the Red Skull’s role as Cap’s nemesis hadn’t really been formed in the MCU, the theory proved wide of the mark. However, it would have actually been far more satisfying than the reality had it actually been true.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Sci-Fi

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Superhero

8/10

8.8/10

Release Date

April 4, 2014

Runtime

136 Minutes

Cast

See All

Chris Evans

Steve Rogers / Captain America
Samuel L. Jackson

Nick Fury

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3

The Soul Stone Was In Wakanda

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Another off-shoot of the THANOS theory saw an even more compelling idea spread throughout the MCU’s fanbase ahead of Infinity War’s release. The H that supposedly stood for the location of the Soul Stone was suggested to be the heart-shaped herb, the Wakandan plant used to grant the Black Panther super soldier-like abilities. It was undoubtedly the most compelling theory about the Soul Stone, because it made perfect sense within the context of the MCU.

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The heart-shaped herb not only granted impressive abilities, but it also transported those who ingested it to the Ancestral Plane. There, they would speak with the souls of lost loved ones, sharing an eerie similarity with the way the Soul Stone was later shown to work in the MCU. Considering the evidence even continued to mount after the theory was proven wrong, it’s clear that the idea was far more logical than the MCU’s canonical location of the Soul Stone.

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Avengers: Infinity War

PG-13

Action

Sci-Fi

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Superhero

Adventure

6/10

9.2/10

Release Date

April 27, 2018

Runtime

149 minutes

Cast

See All

Chris Hemsworth
Anthony Mackie

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2

WandaVision Would Introduce Mutants Into The MCU

WandaVision (2021)

WandaVision helped usher the MCU into its post-Endgame era, laying the foundations for the Multiverse Saga while also exploring the emotional fallout of Wanda Maximoff’s loss. The show was not just set to better explore Wanda as a character, but it teased that she would finally become the Scarlet Witch. This led to theories about the MCU TV show potentially introducing mutants to the MCU, especially as Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men franchise, was among its cast.

WandaVision did subtly reference Wanda possessing a latent mutant gene, but no actual mutants appeared in the show. Peters posed as Quicksilver for a time before it was revealed that he was actually an actor, with the show’s comic-accurate costumes proving to be a simple nod to the source material. As the MCU proved itself unable to explore Wanda’s mutant nature before her death, the theory was actually far better than the franchise’s end product.

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WandaVision

Adventure

Drama

Action

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Superhero

7/10

9.2/10

Release Date

2021 – 2020

Showrunner

Jac Schaeffer

Cast

See All

Paul Bettany
Elizabeth Olsen

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1

The Mind Stone Is The Infinity Saga’s Real Villain

The Avengers (2012)

One of the more complicated but surprisingly logical theories regarding the MCU involved the Mind Stone and its role in the Infinity Saga. The theory goes that the Mind Stone is actually the real villain: first, it manipulated Thanos into forming his genodical plan, before he passed it on to Loki. Then, Loki was corrupted by its power to invade Earth, before it then went on to create Ultron, who also tried to destroy humanity.

The theory even suggests that Doctor Strange’s single winning timeline needed Thanos to win so that the Mind Stone would be destroyed, ending its villainous influence. Though the theory was never proven or even explored in the MCU, it’s certainly a thought-provoking interpretation of the franchise’s narrative. Despite being somewhat convoluted, it’s still one of the most compelling theories about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that actually surpassed the franchise’s own explanation of events.

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First Film

Iron Man

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Category: Entertainment

10 Odin Made Loki Look Like Hela

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

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9 Midtown Is A Magnet School For SHIELD

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

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8 Tony Stark Synthesized Uru In Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 (2010)

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7 Heimdall Had The Soul Stone All Along

Thor (2011)

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6 Mephisto Would Appear In No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

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5 Ego Is A Parasite, Not A Celestial

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. (2017)

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4 Alexander Pierce Was The Red Skull In Disguise

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

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3 The Soul Stone Was In Wakanda

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

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2 WandaVision Would Introduce Mutants Into The MCU

WandaVision (2021)

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1 The Mind Stone Is The Infinity Saga’s Real Villain

The Avengers (2012)

Upcoming MCU Movies

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10

Odin Made Loki Look Like Hela

9

Midtown Is A Magnet School For SHIELD

8

Tony Stark Synthesized Uru In Iron Man 2

7

Heimdall Had The Soul Stone All Along

6

Mephisto Would Appear In No Way Home

5

Ego Is A Parasite, Not A Celestial

4

Alexander Pierce Was The Red Skull In Disguise

3

The Soul Stone Was In Wakanda

2

WandaVision Would Introduce Mutants Into The MCU

1

The Mind Stone Is The Infinity Saga’s Real Villain