Every Movie Referenced in the MCU That Creates a Plot Hole, Paradox, or Breaks the Franchise

From the beginning, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done its best, like the comic books that its based on, to depict a world that feels pretty close to our own. This can be done not only in the realistic tone that defines each movie, but in what it chooses to reference. Sometimes the films bring in real-life figures to sell this illusion, like Iron Man having an episode of Mad Money With Jim Cramer, where the figure tells viewers to divest their money from Stark Industries, or Iron Man 2, which includes a jumpscare cameo by Bill O’Reilly.

Another way that the MCU tries to make it seem like the events are “real” or happening in a world not too different from our own is how it references other movies. At first, this was something clearly done as a shorthand in the writing, being throwaway gags that wink at the audience or which offer a chance of character-building levity (like Captain America’s iconic “I understood that reference” after someone makes a joke about flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz). As the MCU has continued to grow, though, some of these references have become tough to justify, some of them even so bizarre that they completely break the MCU continuity.

17) Alien (1979)

As Marvel’s The Avengers officially reaches its break from Act 2 into Act 3, one of the most surprising cameos of the entire MCU occurs, and it’s one that kind of breaks the franchise. In the sequence, the Hulk has fallen from the sky and landed in an abandoned warehouse. After Bruce Banner wakes up, he’s greeted by a security guard played by none other than Harry Dean Stanton, who asks if he’s an alien.

As film fans know, Stanton starred in Ridley Scott’s Alien. Now, on its surface, this is simply a cheeky reference, but as the MCU continues, the Alien franchise is continuously referenced in dialogue by other characters and shows, with Spider-Man bringing it up in Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming Wonder Man featuring a reference to it. The more the MCU continues to act like the Alien franchise is a real thing, the tougher it is for this joke to exist.

16) The Lord of the Rings

In another cheeky reference during The Avengers, Iron Man refers to Hawkeye as “Legolas,” calling back to Orlando Bloom’s archer from the story. Now, one could argue that Stark is making reference to the books, which wouldn’t break the franchise, but we have to assume he’s speaking with regard to the films. There are notable crossovers across the cast from both the Lord of the Rings and the MCU, like Andy Serkis (Gollum/Klaue), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel/Hela), and Karl Urban (Eomer/Skurge), all of whom would arrive in the MCU after this movie. It’s worth noting, though, that the MCU already includes two major Rings actors at this point, Hugo Weaving (Elrond/The Red Skull) and Liv Tyler (Arwen/Betty Ross).

This also doesn’t get into the immense crossover between the MCU and The Hobbit movies (like stars Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch), though we can perhaps assume that they don’t exist in the MCU (as they didn’t at the time, truthfully). To take it a step further, Wētā FX was a primary creative force for the visual effects of The Lord of the Rings movies, and would also develop some of the visual effects for…The Avengers.

15) Star Wars

Steve Rogers’ “catch-up” list in Captain America: The Winter Soldier includes a slew of pop-culture moments that bend the reality of the MCU. Notably, the first visible entry that does this is Star Wars. As of that film’s release, there are a few stars in the MCU who were also in Star Wars, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson. We can perhaps assume that the reference in his notebook is only to the first movie; maybe the prequels don’t exist in the MCU, but then that brings up the franchise-breaking star: Harrison Ford. Though not the character at the time, eventually the Han Solo actor himself would become President of the United States in the MCU.

14) Star Trek

Right next to Star Wars is also “Trek,” again, we can perhaps assume he’s supposed to just catch up on the original series, but at this point, there are notable MCU stars in the revived Star Trek movies, like Zoe Saldaña and even Chris Hemsworth.

13) Rocky

The final movie in the notebook is 1976’s Rocky, a movie that Steve Rogers no doubt would love. The film stars and is written by Sylvester Stallone, who has appeared in the MCU as Stakar Ogord.

12) Pulp Fiction

Nick Fury’s fake tombstone at the end of The Winter Soldier features the most obvious movie Easter egg of the entire MCU, referencing “Path of the Righteous Man – Ezekiel 25:17,” the bible verse that his character Jules Winfield recites throughout the film Pulp Fiction. This is obviously the most pointed reference of the movie, but one that makes your head hurt if you think about it too long. Wouldn’t someone see this grave and immediately think of Pulp Fiction? Does Pulp Fiction not exist in the MCU? Who would ever pick THAT bible verse if it doesn’t? We simply have to move on.

11) Starman

In reference to having fallen in love with Ego, in a flashback scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Peter Quill’s mom, Meredith, says, “I can’t believe I fell in love with a starman.” Though likely just a cheeky reference to the fact he came from space, she could have just as easily called him a “Spaceman.” Using the phrase “Starman” evokes, what else, the 1984 movie Starman, which stars Jeff Bridges, Obidiah Stane himself from the original Iron Man. In truth, maybe it’s a David Bowie reference rather than the film itself, but we’re still going to twist our brains into a little knot over it.

10) Mallrats

In Captain Marvel, Stan Lee’s cameo is one of his funniest, as he’s spotted on an LA bus reading the script for Kevin Smith’s Mallrats. A funny gag since the film is set in the 1990s, this one really makes our head hurt, as Smith’s movie makes pointed jokes about the genitals of both the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four. One could argue that maybe the MCU version of Mallrats didn’t focus on these heroes, but c’mon, it’s a big part of the movie and Lee’s appearance in it.

9) Raiders of the Lost Ark

In Avengers: Endgame, Rhodey drops a vague reference to the first Indiana Jones movie, noting he expected a temple they entered to have booby traps, saying: “This is the part where spikes come out with skeletons on the end and everything…” It’s a clear reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark, which, as we’ve noted with Star Wars, stars the Red Hulk himself, Harrison Ford. Naturally, we could wash this one away, but the next one…

8) Hot Tub Time Machine

When having a detailed discussion about the rules of time travel during Avengers: Endgame, Earth’s mightiest heroes list several notable movies, Back to the Future, Terminator, TimeCop, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, none of which really create a paradost, but there’s one that gets mentioned as a joke, but which carries headache-inducing ramifications: Hot Tub Time Machine. Who stars in Hot Tub Time Machine? MCU pillar and frequent actor, Sebastian Stan. How can Hot Tub Time Machine exist in the MCU if the Winter Soldier is one of the stars?

7) The Big Lebowski (1998)

This is perhaps the most brain-breaking movie reference in the entire MCU. In response to Thor’s now disheveled appearance, long beard, sunglasses, and sweater, Tony Stark refers to the god of thunder as “Lebowski.” It’s a funny sight gag for sure, as he surely does look like The Dude, but Jeff Bridges is not only already in the MCU but is literally the first supervillain Iron Man ever fought. How does Tony Stark know what The Big Lebowski is? Who played The Dude in the MCU? Don’t think about it too hard, just enjoy your sensible chuckle and move on.

6) DC

Marvel’s Eternals makes it clear that the Distinguished Competition, aka DC Comics, actually exists in the MCU. Not only is Ikaris compared to Superman at one point, but Karun is also compared to Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred. These jokes are a shorthand for the audience, but they have to make us consider the larger ramifications, like how successful DC is in the MCU. Which of their heroes is the most different because they’re being published in a world with actual superheroes? What happened instead of their crossovers with Marvel? But there’s also the bit worth mentioning, Alfred was most recently played by an MCU star, Andy Serkis.

5) Avatar

In the first episode of Moon Knight, upon hearing a reference to a god’s avatar, Steven Grant says, “Avatar – blue people. Love that film,” referring to James Cameron’s 2009 movie. As fans know, Avatar stars Zoe Saldaña, who is also Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Maybe with Gamora being an alien, the MCU still has Zoe Saldaña, the actress, running around as well, but again, we can’t think about it too hard.

4) Godzilla

In the final minutes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, when Scott and Cassie embrace while both giant-sized, Paul Rudd’s hero quips that it’s “like hugging Godzilla.” Of course, this could be a generic reference to the kaiju himself, but the 2014 reboot of the character quite notably stars two MCU actors: Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen (playing a married couple one year before Avengers: Age of Ultron, where they played siblings).

3) Dead Poets Society (1989)

In The Marvels, Kamala Khan says, “Oh captain, my captain!” to Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. Now, she could clearly just be a fan of Walt Whitman’s poetry, but this is notably a major reference to the powerful use of the poem in Dead Poets Society. That film, of course, stars Ethan Hawke, who plays Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight.

2) Man of Steel (2013)

This one is perhaps even messier than any others, as Deadpool has long been about referencing other movies and breaking the fourth wall. It’s a trait that carried over from the comics into the movies, but Deadpool & Wolverine push it to its breaking point. As Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth is looking for Wolverine replacements across the multiverse, he comes across a variant that has been dubbed “The Cavillrine” since it features Henry Cavill as the X-Men character. In the brief scene, he even says, “We’ll treat you so much better than those sh-tf-cks down the street.”

Of course, this joke is about Cavill’s time as Superman in the DCEU, and how factors outside of his control made his future in the character a rocky one (the Black Adam post-credit scene debacle happened just two years earlier). This gag, however, makes it almost impossible for Cavill to actually ever take a role in the MCU, not only because he’s played a Wolverine variant already, but then it gives Deadpool’s joke some real-world implications.

1) Mad Max: Fury Road

Upon entering the Void, Deadpool compares the wasteland to Mad Max and later makes a reference to “Furiosa.” As we know, Furiosa was played by none other than Charlize Theron, who had already appeared in the MCU at this point in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness post-credit scene as Clea (a role she has yet to reprise).

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