Across 38 movies and a large but unclear number of canon TV shows, the MCU has had thousands of hours of screen time to develop its heroes, meaning that we’ve seen many of them grow and change throughout the years. However, all of these projects with all of their different writers mean that it is inevitable that some details will fall through the cracks, even with the franchise’s most popular characters.
The Multiverse Saga is constantly upgrading its heroes, but since so many of them have only had a handful of appearances, it’s impossible to say whether these upgrades were forgotten about yet. However, the MCU does forget to utilize some of the biggest upgrades for its most popular characters, such as these four.
4) Thor’s Allspeak
Thor is one of the MCU’s most prominent characters, as he has appeared in four solo films and every Avengers movie. He is the only original Avenger on this list who is still around, and with him set to have a major role in Doomsday, it is possible that this upgrade could be utilized in the near future. For now, however, it seems like Marvel has completely forgotten about Thor’s Allspeak. Although we don’t know when Thor gained the ability to communicate with all alien species, it has only been demonstrated one time, and only for the purpose of a joke. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thor is able to communicate with Groot, showing the extent of his knowledge of alien languages.
While Thor’s lightning powers and strength are still more significant abilities, it is odd that the MCU hasn’t used this helpful ability more. After all, Thor traveled through space with the Guardians after the events of Endgame, meaning that Thor: Love and Thunder could have easily shown off more of the power when interacting with other alien species.
3) Steve Rogers’ Super Speed
Steve Rogers is back in Doomsday after his retirement in Endgame, meaning that he is another character whose forgotten power could reappear when the upcoming crossover hits theaters. As the MCU went on, Steve was flanderized into being a great leader with a shield, with the films forgetting about his Super Soldier abilities beyond strength. Captain America: The First Avenger demonstrates that the Super Soldier Program also gave Steve super speed, with him able to run as fast as a speeding car.
Sadly, we haven’t seen any other feats of super speed in the MCU. While he isn’t as fast as other Marvel speedsters like Quicksilver or Makkari, Steve’s super speed could have been useful in other chase sequences he’s been part of throughout the franchise. He should be able to outpace basically every other Avenger on foot, something that could have been shown off during the Battle of Wakanda or the Battle of Earth.
2) Pepper Potts’ Rescue Armor
Pepper Potts has been around since day one of the MCU, with Gwyneth Paltrow’s character making her debut in the franchise’s inaugural film, 2008’s Iron Man. Pepper has had several appearances, such as the Iron Man films and Spider-Man: Homecoming, but one of her most exciting moments came in Endgame. During the Battle of Earth, Pepper shows up to fight, with her wearing her Rescue armor from the comics. Pepper’s debut as a proper superhero was a long time coming, and it was great to see her fight alongside Tony shortly before his death.
However, Pepper hasn’t returned as Rescue since Endgame. This is an odd choice for the franchise, as it seems like she could easily fill the hole that Iron Man left in the public eye. Pepper seems comfortable in the armor and could do a lot of good, even if she only occasionally pops up for Avengers-level threats. However, the MCU doesn’t seem to like bringing Pepper out without Tony, which is a shame, as Rescue could be a fantastic superhero in her own solo stories.
1) Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster Armor
Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor was one of the most iconic and heavily advertised aspects of Avengers: Age of Ultron, with him having specially made it for instances where he needed to subdue Hulk. However, since its debut, Tony has used the Hulkbuster armor exactly once. While Age of Ultron is the only time when Tony had to fight Hulk, the massive tank of a suit would undoubtedly be helpful in other instances, such as fighting Thanos or an army of aliens. However, Tony died without ever using the Hulkbuster armor again, meaning that the suit missed out on so much potential.
Yes, Bruce Banner did temporarily use the Hulkbuster during the events of Infinity War, but without Tony, it wasn’t used to its full effect. For such an iconic costume and upgrade, it is shocking that the MCU totally dropped it after Age of Ultron. Now that Tony is dead, it is doubtful that we’ll ever see it again, making it the most significant upgrade that the MCU has ever forgotten about.
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