5 MCU Heroes Who Have Done More Harm Than Good

When it comes to the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is no question that the Avengers and others have proven their worth time and time again. The failures faced by Captain America, Iron Man, and the rest of the team are balanced by their successes and sacrifices. The imperfect Marvel Comics heroes remain true to their nature on the big screen, always persevering in the end. Tony Stark begins the MCU as a weapons contractor who builds his first armor out of necessity to save himself, Black Widow and Hawkeye were former black-ops killers turned heroes, and the Eternals’ entire existence was to help the Celestial Emergence, but chose to save humanity instead and fight their creators. These characters have all made up for their questionable pasts with their heroism.

There are still many Marvel heroes who can’t seem to get out of their own way, creating or allowing the problems they eventually have to fight once they fester. They are agents of destruction that manage to become heroes in light of their transgressions. A few characters, like The Hulk, are explicitly ‘tweeners that could be good or bad depending on the appearance. Meanwhile, some heroes think they’re doing the right thing, but realize too late they have secretly courted doom. And finally, we have the Peter Parkers of the MCU creating and solving their own villains and trouble, eventually using their powers in the end to undo the damage. Scroll down to read through the five MCU heroes that have done more harm than good over the years.

Peter Quill

Star-Lord easily helps anchor the top of any list aiming to criticize the heroes of the MCU. Quill is a relatable sort who was snatched up as a child by Yondu and the criminal Ravagers, so essentially, he was raised a criminal. He does his part to dig out of this hole, including his rescue of Xandar from Ronan the Accuser via dance off. But then he screws up Iron Man’s plan to stop Thanos on Titan and allows the erasure of half the universe with a snap.

Let’s not forget that Quill’s father is also an evil, living planet, and he’s someone who willingly uses a Zune. Star-Lord’s life started from a net negative and he fell into some heroics along the way (at least, that’s how I see it).

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Outside of Loki, Wanda Maximoff has spent the most time as a villain in the MCU than as a hero. Introduced as a Hydra test subject, Maximoff has shown greater depths of her powers with every appearance. MCU Wanda mirrors the trajectory of her comic counterpart, starting as the villainous daughter of Magneto. On screen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she works with Ultron after his creation and manipulates the Avengers with her powers, causing the Hulk’s rampage in South Africa. She ends the film as a new Avenger and puts the finishing touches on Ultron, but she is right back on the other side of the law in Captain America: Civil War.

Her selfishness in Avengers: Infinity War over Vision’s Mind Stone not only allows The Snap to happen, but it also ends up driving her to madness and to the events of WandaVision. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was her next appearance, where she kills countless people across the multiverse, including the Illuminati, in her effort to take America Chavez’s powers. You can blame the Darkhold, or you can just blame Wanda. She did choose to use the book, much like another hero.

Doctor Strange

The good doctor has shown a bad side numerous times in the MCU. Strange starts his heroic journey for selfish reasons, hoping to fix his injured hands using the magic of Kamar-Taj. He learns his purpose, thankfully, but then his decisions start to have consequences in later movies. In Infinity War, Strange gives Thanos the Time Stone, claiming it was the only way the heroes could beat Thanos after searching through all possible outcomes. Multiverse of Madness dispels that notion thanks to alternate Strange’s actions with the Illuminati and his use of the Darkhold to kill Thanos, causing an incursion as a result. He also apparently missed the entire Marvel’s What If…? scenario with Ultron and the Infinity Stones, where Thanos is sliced in half unceremoniously.

Now he’s one of the only forces dealing with incursions ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Tony Stark would be pissed.

[RELATED – These 10 MCU Heroes Should Be the New Avengers in Doomsday and Secret Wars]

Spider-Man

Peter Parker’s heroics are not in question, even in the MCU. Much like his print counterpart, MCU Spider-Man is always learning how to be a hero. A problem unique to the MCU version is that his main inspiration is Tony Stark instead of Uncle Ben. His first MCU appearance is when Stark recruits him to help arrest Captain America during Civil War.

His main problem in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Infinity War is that he doesn’t listen. The damage is avoided until he’s back to planting the seeds of his own demise to fix his identity being outed by Mysterio in Far From Home. The result is two alternate Spider-Men and their respective villains entering the MCU, the death of Aunt May, and an angry Doctor Strange. Great work, Pete.

Hulk

Bruce Banner’s Hulk is used to being labeled a monster. While he traditionally opts for heroism, he is also being prodded, poked, and attacked by the same people he’s attempting to rescue. Essentially, he’s the monster used to fight other monsters when they get out of hand. Otherwise, Bruce Banner is a hair-trigger attached to a weapon of mass destruction that will explode with a stiff breeze.

In Avengers, Hulk almost tears the SHIELD Helicarrier to pieces, nearly kills a fighter pilot, and destroys countless city blocks. The destruction continues in Age of Ultron and Tony Stark decides the best solution is to beat him with a giant Iron Man suit, destroying a lot of the city in the process.

The real crime against the MCU Hulk is his cowardice in Infinity War. Refusing to let Banner change into the Green Goliath after being beaten by Thanos, Hulk shows he’s got more yellow in him than most thought. Now that he’s suddenly “smart” in Endgame, all is supposed to be well, and he’s posing for selfies with kids. He even undoes Thanos’s Snap with the Stark Gauntlet, earning a reprieve. It just doesn’t make up for the years hiding as a living weapon of mass destruction on the run around the globe. C’mon, Banner!

The “realism” of the Marvel Universe has always been appreciated in the comics realm. DC Comics has heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman who are beloved by the public at every turn. Marvel’s heroes have typically had to earn the public trust or contend with the fears people have of their powers. Having that translate to the MCU on the big screen is a benefit, even if the actions sometimes destroy a universe or lead to countless deaths. They were just trying to help.

Do you agree with the list or feel that we missed an important hero? Let us know in the comments.