TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas made many movie scenes harder to rewatch due to how future projects ended up following on those moments.2025’s MCU moviesare going to be big. The franchise sees a new Captain America rise, while the Thunderbolts come together and their film reveals who bought Avengers Tower, andthe Fantastic Four finally debut in the MCU. Such major events are bound to bring along impactful scenes.
That has been the case with theMCU’s best movies.Marvel Studios knows how to imbue films with emotional scenes, thrilling action, and hilarious comedy. However, some of the most heartwarming or impactful MCU movie scenes have become harder to view on a rewatch due to how those moments transformed into events inlater MCU releases. With a few sad results, as well as some displeasing turn of events, great MCU movie scenes are now harder to view on a rewatch.
10Peter Parker Is Snapped In Front Of Iron Man
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
First up isone of the MCU’s saddest moments. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has become one of the most popular characters in the franchise. Peter Parker’s role in the latest two Avengers movies saw the character go from a street-level hero to a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
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Spider-Man ended up fighting Thanos. Sadly, the heroes lost, and Peter turned to dust. The moment was emotional, ashis Spider-Sense allowed the hero to understand he was dying, unlike others. Spider-Man’s slow death in Iron Man’s arms was heartbreaking in itself, but the MCU has made it even harder to rewatch.
Avengers: Infinity War
Cast
Avengers: Infinity War brings together the Avengers and their allies to face a new threat from the cosmos, Thanos, who seeks to collect the Infinity Stones. The film, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unites numerous superhero characters in a battle to prevent Thanos' ambition of altering reality itself.
Spider-Man comes back to life to fight alongside Tony Stark one more time. However,Iron Man dies to defeat Thanosnot long after that, and Peter is right in front of him as that happens.Spider-Man: Far From Homeshowed how that traumatized the young hero.
9Spider-Man & Doctor Strange Carry Out Peter’s Identity Spell
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man is the star of quite a few movies on the list.Spider-Man: No Way Homehas become one of the MCU’s highest-grossing films, featuring several moments that became instant classics. Early in the movie, Peter Parker makes a choice that will have disastrous consequences.
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Spider-Man 4
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Rewatching the moment whenPeter asks Doctor Strange for a spell that makes the world forget he is Spider-Manis harder now. The reason for that is simple. The spell backfired spectacularly. First, multiverse heroes and villains from the past Spider-Man movies came to the MCU.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.
However, the worst part of the event is how it was resolved. In order to fix things, Doctor Strange had to conjure a new spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker was.Spider-Man’s life is worse off due to the spellthan it was beforehand, as he is now all alone.
8Star-Lord & Gamora’s Romance Begins
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Star-Lord and Gamora have one of the best relationships in the MCU. 2014’sGuardians of the Galaxydid a good job of putting them together as a team before teasing their chemistry. However, its sequel,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, really dived into the couple.
Peter Quil and Gamora have a heartwarming dance earlier in the film. During that moment, Star-Lord talks about the “unspoken thing” between them. Gamora denies its existence, which is a clear lie. At the end of the film, Peter asks why Gamora is looking at him, andshe says, “It’s just… some unspoken thing.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of Peter Quill and his eclectic crew as they navigate complex family dynamics and revelations about Quill’s mysterious heritage. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film explores themes of family and identity against a backdrop of intergalactic adventure.
Sadly, that cute relationship was cut short whenThanos killed Gamora inAvengers: Infinity War. They thought they had the rest of their lives together to explore their feelings for each other. However, that was not true, making the scene bittersweet.
7Thor Becomes King Of Asgard
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarokstands to this day as the best Thor movie. Director Taika Waititi redefined what Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel hero could be. The film featured a cosmic story with Thor and Hulk bonding. More than that, the fate of Asgard was in the balance.
Chris Hemsworth has the most MCU solo movies so far, having led 4 Thor films.
While Surtur destroyed Asgard, what made the iconic MCU realm was not its location but its people.Thor, Loki, and the others managed to save most Asgardians. At the end of the movie, Thor becomes the King of Asgard, cementing how the MCU movie upgraded the character.
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok, released on Jun 24, 2025, is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It features Chris Hemsworth as Thor, who is imprisoned on the other side of the universe, racing against time to return to Asgard to prevent Ragnarok and confront the formidable Hela.
However, the moment Thor becomes king is now hard to view on a rewatch.Loki and several Asgardians die on that same ship when Thanos attacks it. A depressed Thor would step away from his duties, with Valkyrie taking care of the Asgardians. This special moment is ruined by the darkness that came later.
6Iron Man Receives “Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart”
Iron Man (2008)
Pepper Potts and Tony Stark make up the original MCU couple. There is a lot to love in 2008’sIron Man, the film that started the MCU. However, the core relationship between the two is what elevates the whole thing, and one specific moment would grow in importance years later.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s characterhelps Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark change his arc reactor. The scene showed how they had electrifying chemistry. It was made better by Pepper’s idea of sending Tony’s arc reactor back to him. Encased in glass as a gift, it now bore the words, “Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart.”
Iron Man
Iron Man is the first film in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, who becomes Iron Man after he is kidnapped and discovers terrorists are using weapons developed by Stark Industries. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Tony’s love interest Pepper Potts alongside Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Jeff Bridges as the villainous Obadiah Stane.
The moment is now quite dark when rewatching. The reason for that isthe gift was brought back by Marvel after Iron Man’s death. At his funeral, Tony’s arc reactor is surrounded by flowers and sent to float in a lake as all MCU heroes watch.
5Scorpion Going After Spider-Man Is Teased
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
While many MCU movie scenes are harder to view on a rewatch due to sad events that happen later, others are because they lead nowhere. That is, sadly, the case of a villain who has incredible potential.Spider-Man: Homecomingsaw the MCU debut of Mac Gargan.
Marvel has not used the character since then, and with multiverse rumors forSpider-Man 4, that plot point seems unlikely to return soon.
Better Call Saulactor Michael Mando plays the character. In the comics,Gargan turns into the Spider-Man villain known as Scorpion.Spider-Man: Homecomingteased that as Mac was sent to prison after being stopped by the hero and asked Michael Keaton’s Vulture whether he knew Spider-Man’s identity.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming follows Peter Parker after the events of Captain America: Civil War as he navigates high school challenges and battles the emergence of a new villain, the Vulture. With mentorship from Tony Stark, Peter strives to prove himself while balancing his responsibilities as Spider-Man and a student.
Vulture might not have revealed that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, butthe moment seemed to set up Scorpion’s return. However, that has yet to happen. Marvel has not used the character since then, and with multiverse rumors forSpider-Man 4, that plot point seems unlikely to return soon.
4Peter Finds Norman Osborn With Aunt May
Spider-Man: No Way Homeisthe MCU’s most thrilling Spider-Man film. Through the multiverse, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men, as well as villains from their movie franchises, returned to the big screen. Willem Dafoe’s Green Gobin was the film’s main villain, and he made his screen time count.
The scene that is hard to view on a rewatch is between Norman Osborn and Aunt May. Peter Parker rushes into FEAST thinking Aunt May is in danger, only to find thatNorman is seemingly a gentle guysuffering from not knowing where he is, not a villain. The scene is also funny, with Norman sneaking donuts into his hoodie.
However, it is now put into a more tragic context. The scene representsthe first meeting between Aunt May and the character who would kill her. With the Green Goblin serum taking over, Norman kills May and leaves Peter an orphan again, plaguing the good nature of the FEAST scene.
3Yellowjacket Shrinks and Seemingly Dies
Ant-Man (2015)
Yellowjacket was the main villain of the MCU’s first Ant-Man movie. Played by Corey Stoll, the character stood as a dark self of Scott Lang. The reason for that is becauseDarren Cross had been mentored by Hank Pym before Scott, but he turned out to be evil.
Ant-Man’s ending seemed to kill Yellowjacket. The scene featured Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man almost dying to protect his daughter.He shrunk enough to sabotage Yellowjacket’s suit. By doing that, the villain begins to shrink with no way of stopping it, seemingly dying.
Ant-Man
Ant-Man follows master thief Scott Lang as he becomes a hero under the guidance of Doctor Hank Pym. Using his Ant-Man suit, Lang gains the ability to shrink in size while increasing in strength, and together they must protect the technology from new threats and execute a world-saving heist.
However,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniahad a very different fate in mind for the character. Darren Cross survived, with his head growing in size and the rest of his body shrinking, whichturned him into MODOK. The move was a waste, as MODOK is a major villain in the comics, but he was reduced to a joke and died in his MCU debut, all while being a completely new character.
2Captain America Says Goodbye To Bucky
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Chris Evans' Captain America and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes haveone of the MCU’s most beloved friendships. The characters have been through it all together. However, the time for them to be apart came inAvengers: Endgame, as Steve chose to stay in the past with Peggy Carter.
The MCU scene has become harder to view on a rewatch due to Bucky’s next project after the film. Disney+‘sThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierfocused on how Bucky was doing after freeing himself from HYDRA’s mind control.Bucky was hurting, trying to make amends for the sins he committed.
It is hard to believe that Steve Rogers would abandon his best friend to deal with that alone. However, that was exactly what happened in the MCU.Bucky’s path to healing would have been aided by Steve’s presence, and their goodbye is now sadder to watch.
1Doctor Strange Reveals In How Many Futures The Avengers Defeat Thanos
Avengers: Infinity Waris one of the MCU’s most rewatchable movies. As one of the franchise’s biggest releases, it sets up many plot points for future projects.Avengers: Endgameis largely connected to its predecessor, as the final Avengers movie of the Infinity Saga features a majorInfinity Warcallback.
InAvengers: Infinity War,Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone to look into over 14 million possible futures. He reveals to a group of heroes that the Avengers are only able to defeat Thanos in one of them. This scene became more meaningful and darker afterAvengers: Endgamewas released.
The reason for that is simple.Avengers: Endgamesaw Doctor Strange tell Tony that there was only one way for them to succeed, withIron Man realizing he had to diefor it to happen. This recontextualizes the scene, as Strange knew that Iron Man had to die for the heroes to win and kept that a secret, making it quite a darkMCUmoment.
