In the eyes of both fans and the bean counters in the Disney boardroom, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t put a foot wrong after thirteen years and 23 movies. Every single one of the franchise’s superhero blockbusters has made money at the box office and received warm reviews from critics, with Marvel Studios yet to suffer a major financial bomb or critical disaster.
Surely Kevin Feige’s outfit can’t keep up that incredible level of consistency forever, and it’s bound to happen one day, but that doesn’t mean the entire MCU back catalogue is perfect. Far from it actually, with many of the standalone films suffering from issues including weak villains, flimsy plotting and disappointing conclusions.
To that end, Looper recently conducted a poll to have fans name the MCU movie they believed to have the worst ending, and The Incredible Hulk came out on top by a huge distance after netting 25% of the vote. To be fair, it’s hugely anticlimactic, with Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner smirking before it cuts to black, although it’s not a problem anymore seeing as you could erase it from official canon completely and it wouldn’t change a thing in the long run.
Second place went to Doctor Strange, which over 17% of those polled admitted left them cold by the time the credits rolled. The Sorcerer Supreme’s solo debut isn’t widely regarded as one of the MCU’s high points despite boasting no shortage of visual splendor, and the relatively fresh time loop climax is all resolved a little too quickly and neatly for many people’s liking. Third place, meanwhile, surprisingly went to the acclaimed Captain America: Civil War, even though it directly set the stage for Avengers: Infinity War, proving that not even the MCU is immune from substandard endings.