Of the three motion pictures launched as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2025, the endings of two of them noticed the heroes defeating the villain in the identical actual manner. After having just one film in 2024, Marvel returned in 2025 with three theatrical releases, together with Captain America: Courageous New World, Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps.
On the floor, all three motion pictures had been very completely different. Courageous New World noticed Sam Wilson’s Captain America going through off with Pink Hulk, who was being manipulated by The Thinker. Thunderbolts* featured a ragtag group of antiheroes becoming a member of forces towards a person with god-like powers. First Steps launched the MCU’s Incredible 4 and instructed the story of them defending child Franklin and the world from the planet-eating Galactus.
Nevertheless, two of those three 2025 Marvel motion pictures confirmed the heroes beating their villains in the very same manner — and it epitomizes a rising drawback that is grow to be a development inside the MCU.
Captain America & The Thunderbolts Defeat Their Villains The Identical Approach
Main as much as their releases, each Courageous New World and Thunderbolts* had been stricken by the identical query: How can the heroes defeat such an overpowered villain? It seems, the reply was the identical for each movies: By speaking the villain down.
That could be a little bit of an oversimplification, however it’s true. On the core of it, that is how Sam Wilson was capable of defeat Pink Hulk and the way Yelena Belova, together with the remainder of the Thunderbolts, saved New York Metropolis from The Void.
Captain America used recollections of President Ross’s daughter and extra calming phrases to assist him get himself below management and rework again from Pink Hulk. Within the Thunderbolts* ending, Yelena went into the void and helped Bob escape, permitting him to regain management of his physique from The Void. It is basically the identical plot level.
The Captain America: Courageous New World & Thunderbolts* Endings Are Half Of A Larger MCU Downside
Each Thunderbolts* and Courageous New World pulled off their endings with completely different ranges of success. Whereas Yelena saving Bob from himself suits with the bigger themes of the film, Sam Wilson with the ability to speak down Pink Hulk makes a lot much less sense. However they each characterize an even bigger drawback within the MCU — Marvel introducing characters who’re too overpowered for his or her heroes to realistically defeat.
Secret Invasion confronted an analogous drawback, introducing G’iah and giving her the powers of among the strongest characters within the MCU. Physician Unusual within the Multiverse Of Insanity featured an analogous ending to Courageous New World and Thunderbolts*, during which Scarlet Witch was solely defeated as a result of she lastly noticed cause and introduced a mountain down on herself. It is turning into a repetitive drawback, nearly as dangerous because the early days within the MCU, when all of the villains had been simply evil variations of the heroes.
Marvel has lengthy struggled with their villains, and it appears the MCU has traded one problematic development for one more, however the franchise has a chance to show issues round. Subsequent 12 months’s Spider-Man: Model New Day’s villain is not but recognized, however Spider-Man has so many nice villains, and he is such a strong character, he will not have bother defeating them. Then Avengers: Doomsday will lastly introduce Physician Doom to the MCU, and hopefully give audiences a villain worthy of the Marvel superheroes he’ll face.