The Biggest MCU Movie Cliffhangers Of The Last Few Years

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been feeding our addiction to epic storytelling for over a decade now, with each film leaving us yearning for more. Over the last few years, the franchise has dropped some major cliffhangers that have left us on the edge of our seats, eagerly awaiting the next installment. Let’s dive into some of the most significant ones that have had us sleepless at night.

The Snap Heard ‘Round the World

It all started with Avengers: Infinity War (2018), where Mad Titan Thanos collected all six Infinity Stones and snapped his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe. Dubbed "The Snap," the event sent shockwaves throughout the cosmos, leaving us speechless and our favorite heroes reeling. Who can forget the haunting image of Spider-Man dissolving into dust in Tony Stark’s arms? The world was left with the burning question: will the remaining Avengers be able to restore balance to the universe?

Time to Get Familiar with the Quantum Realm

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) showed us that the Quantum Realm is full of mysteries and power. The Quantum Realm, a miniature subatomic universe beneath our own, holds the key to time travel and other extraordinary capabilities. In the latter film, the Avengers harness its power to undo the damage caused by The Snap, but not without risks. What lies ahead for Scott Lang and his crew in this uncharted territory?

Loki Takes Off

Avengers: Endgame also gave us a parting gift in the form of an alternate Loki. After the God of Mischief was killed by Thanos in Infinity War, a divergent timeline saw Loki seize control of the Space Stone. In a shocking turn of events, Loki snatched the Tesseract and vanished into the shadows. Is this our introduction to Loki, the benevolent leader of Asgard? Only time will tell.

Loki’s show comes to an end, Kang Has Arrived

We learn that the events of Loki were just a setup for the greater events of Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This movie sets up a villain that will span for many years to come – a villain that so grand and sinister, they’d become the ultimate big bad for Marvel’s next big saga: The Kang Dynasty.

Secret Invasion Looms Over Earth

With the introduction of Talos in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Captain Marvel, we discover that Skrulls may be lurking on Earth incognito, disguised as prominent figures. It appears that we are witnessing an unfolding Skrull plot to infiltrate the planet, foreshadowing a potentially massive threat in the near future. Also, it was an early sign of Nick Fury’s role in Marvel Universe, as this was one of his central most pressing conspiracies while being director of S-H-I-E-L-D.

Shang-Chi Takes on the Ten Rings

In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), we meet a lesser-known hero in the comics who’s been around for decades. Xu Shang-Chi’s adventure to reconnect with his notorious father, Wenwu, resulted in our introduction to a new ring technology. The key to defeating his malevolent father has opened up an alternative form of power. Our hero, however, is unaware of what these dark forces, these aliens, and supernatural beings from other realms could achieve with the rings in the future.

Eternals Join the Fold, Deviants Lurk

After witnessing an eternal relationship of 7,000 years and then being introduced to a strange power through a secret planet called the Celestial and Eternals, we then meet Sersi. These humans are tasked to represent Celestials on planetary systems. Deviants are lurking nearby – Celestial-like freaks that terrorize the world – and humans unaware of when Deviants will decide to take revenge against their adversaries.

Dr. Strange’s Madness Has Left Us Dazed

In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) we first saw its narrative expanded to alternate realities – this movie changed the world, and since this change brought on an interesting new direction in cinema this 2022: Multiverse Movie. We all saw an action-packed exciting and suspenseful conclusion with the introduction of numerous realities where some key Marvel Characters went mad to help resolve the threat while in No Way Home.

Marvel offers us many more worlds in mind as the company continues to grow as well as new more expansive storytelling in a recent showing at Comic-Con of one movie that will be incredibly complex featuring multiple storylines at various times.