The MCU‘s Phase Four might only be a year and a half old, but thanks to Marvel Studios’ increased output, it’s already released enough entries to have wracked up its own tropes. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, the franchise’s current phase has been all about expanding the universe by introducing new heroes and exploring new corners of the mythos. Even so, fans have realized that pretty much all the films of Phase Four so far have ended the same way.
Twitter user @bigmonkeong opened folks’ eyes when they pointed out how it’s “kinda funny how many recent [M]arvel movies end with the villain turning good at the last second.” To illustrate their argument, the tweet came with images of four villains doing just that — Wenwu (Tony Leung) in Shang-Chi, Ikaris (Richard Madden) in Eternals, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in Doctor Strange 2.
To be accurate, though, this isn’t even the full trope, as, in three out of four cases, the villain then dies immediately after (in Norman’s case, he’s sent back to his own universe).
Now that it’s been brought to their attention, fans are realizing just how much they hate this trope.
People are missing the good ol’ days when villains were allowed to be villains.
The big question we have now is: will Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher do the same thing in Thor: Love and Thunder?
It’s easy to see how this trope has developed. Once upon a time, the MCU was routinely criticized for its generic villains, but at this point, the franchise has swung the other way and is over-reliant on making them redeemable, meaning fans are longing for some bad guys who simply relish being evil. Basically, we need Taika Waititi to bring Cate Blanchett back as Hela in Thor 5.