Published Jun 13, 2026, 11:42 PM EDT
Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.
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Since the very beginning of the MCU, post-credit scenes, mysterious teases, and dangling plot threads have helped build excitement for what's coming next in the franchise's impressive interconnected continuity. The Infinity Saga did this incredibly well from 2008's Iron Man to 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. While the current Multiverse Saga has had its own share of major teases and cliffhangers teasing the future, quite a few elements have gone unaddressed for far too long.
Across the MCU's various movies and Disney+ shows that make up the Multiverse Saga, several major plot threads and teasers have gone unsolved. Nevertheless, Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are rapidly approaching to bring the Multiverse Saga to a close.
While many of these cliffhangers still have enormous storytelling potential, it's extremely doubtful they'll all be addressed by the next two Avengers movies. That said, several of the MCU's biggest unanswered questions could still play important roles in the franchise's future beyond the Multiverse Saga itself. Keeping that in mind, here are 10 major Multiverse Saga cliffhangers that the MCU still needs to address at some point.
Shang-Chi & The Ten Rings' Mysterious Signal
After examining Shang-Chi's powerful Ten Rings, Wong, Bruce Banner, and Captain Marvel discovered that the ancient weapons Shang-Chi inherited from his father were transmitting a signal somewhere into the cosmos. Naturally, this led to several questions about the Ten Rings' true origins and original purpose before they were found by the Mandarin 1,000 years prior.
However, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi has yet to return in the main MCU timeline five years after 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and we still don't know who or what received the signal. While there are several theories connecting the Ten Rings to Kang, the Celestials, and/or Kamala Khan's Quantum Band, nothing has been directly confirmed. That said, it would certainly be nice if there was some sort of confirmation in the midst of Shang-Chi's next MCU appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Eternals & Arishem's Judgment
The Eternals ended with one of the biggest cliffhangers in the entire MCU.
After the Eternals prevented the full emergence of Tiamut (which would have destroyed the world), the cosmic Celestial Arishem took Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos before announcing that humanity would imminently be judged. However, the MCU has barely acknowledged the Eternals in the main MCU continuity, save for Tiamut in the Indian Ocean being the source of adamantium. As such, Arishem's judgment of Earth based on the Eternals' experiences remains a pretty big unanswered plot threat in the Multiverse Saga and is definitely one of its biggest questions.
Black Knight & Blade
Eternals also introduced Dane Whitman's future as the Black Knight, with Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman preparing to finally embrace his family's legacy with the cursed Ebony Blade, only to be asked by an off-screen voice if he was actually ready to wield the powerful weapon. With the voice belonging to actor Mahershala Ali, this was none other than the vampire hunter Blade.
Although this was clearly meant to set up future Eternals stories with The Black Knight as well as Ali's Blade movie originally announced back in 2019, neither character has shown up in the main MCU continuity. Likewise, the closest we got on screen was a variant of Blade in the animated Marvel Zombies miniseries where the vampire hunter became the new Fist of Khonshu. And speaking of the Fist of Khonshu...
Moon Knight's Future & Jake Lockley
2022's Moon Knight series starring Oscar Isaac seemed to wrap up Marc Spector and Steven Grant's story as the Fist Khonshu. However, there was one final twist that remains unaddressed to this day. Although Marc and his alter Steven believed they had broken free from Khonshu, their secret third personality was still the moon god's dark agent: Jake Lockley.
Shown killing Arthur Harrow for Khonshu, the implication was that Jake had fully embraced his role as Khonshu's Fist, having been the one to defeat Harrow when both Marc and Steven blacked out during the series' final battle. However, Marc Spector's Moon Knight has yet to return in the main MCU continuity, and nothing has been confirmed by Marvel Studios regarding a second season or new appearance from Oscar Isaac's beloved hero.
Doctor Strange & The Dark Dimension
2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ended with another major setup that has gone unfulfilled.
After using the forbidden magic of the Darkhold, Strange developed a third eye not unlike his darker variant whom he fought in a reality where this Strange caused multiversal destruction via an incursion, suggesting that the Doctor Strange of the main MCU reality would likely suffer consequences of his own. Likewise, the ending of Multiverse of Madness debuted actress Charlize Theron as Clea, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension (and Strange's wife in the comics), claiming that Strange caused an incursion in the realm ruled by Dormammu.
From “I Am Iron Man” to “I Am Inevitable” · Eight Questions How Well Do You Know the MCU? “Whatever it takes.”
🤖Phase OneRDJ & the founders, 2008
🛡The AvengersWhedon’s team, 2012
💎Infinity SagaThanos & the stones
⚡EndgameWhatever it takes, 2019
🌏MultiversePhase 4–6, 2021–
ASSEMBLE →
01
Iron Man (2008) is, in retrospect, the most consequential casting decision in modern blockbuster history — but at the time Marvel Studios and parent company Paramount were openly hostile to director Jon Favreau’s push for the lead actor he eventually got. Favreau later said he had to fight “tooth and nail” and the actor had to do a paid screen test, a screen-test deal almost unheard of for an A-lister. What was the executive objection to him?
AHe was considered too old for a 15-year contract BHis history of drug arrests made him uninsurable CHe was already under contract to DC/Warner Bros. DHe’d publicly refused to do any superhero work
✓ Correct! Robert Downey Jr. had been arrested multiple times between 1996 and 2001 on drug and weapons charges, served roughly a year in California state prison (1999–2000), and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 after relapsing. By 2007 he’d been clean for several years, but Marvel/Paramount considered him essentially uninsurable for a $140 million tent-pole. Favreau pushed for him over studio favourites Tom Cruise (who’d had Iron Man development at Fox years earlier) and Sam Rockwell (who’d later play Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 as a consolation). RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than Terrence Howard, whose role he then permanently overshadowed.
✗ Wrong. The answer is his arrest history. RDJ had drug-related arrests from 1996–2001, served prison time in 1999–2000, and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 — which made him uninsurable in studio terms even though he’d been sober for several years by 2007. Favreau fought for him over Tom Cruise and Sam Rockwell, and RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than co-star Terrence Howard.
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02
The Avengers (2012) — the film that proved the shared-universe model could work, grossed $1.52 billion, and ended Phase One with Loki, Thanos’s mid-credits reveal, and the “swarm shot” of the team rotating in Manhattan — was written and directed by a TV showrunner best known at the time for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Name him.
AJon Favreau BKenneth Branagh CJoss Whedon DJoe Johnston
✓ Correct! Joss Whedon. Marvel hired him in mid-2010 partly on the basis of his uncredited script rewrites and his comfort writing ensemble team dynamics from Buffy/Angel/Firefly. He directed The Avengers (2012) and the follow-up Age of Ultron (2015), then exited the MCU and Marvel handed the next two Avengers films to the Russo brothers. The three other directors named all really did make Phase One films: Favreau directed Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Branagh directed Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) — which is why this question separates Phase One trivia from Avengers-specific trivia.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Joss Whedon — hired largely on the strength of Buffy, Firefly, and uncredited Hollywood script work. The three wrong options are deliberately all real Phase One MCU directors: Favreau did Iron Man 1 & 2, Branagh did Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston did The First Avenger (2011). Whedon directed Avengers (2012) and Age of Ultron (2015) before exiting the MCU.
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03
Marvel co-architect Stan Lee (1922–2018) appeared in every theatrical MCU film from Iron Man (2008) onward, even shooting cameos in advance to outlast him. He died on November 12, 2018. In which film does his final filmed MCU cameo appear — as the long-haired young driver of a 1970 car bearing the bumper sticker “NUFF SAID”?
AAvengers: Endgame (2019) BAvengers: Infinity War (2018) CCaptain Marvel (2019) DSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
✓ Correct! Avengers: Endgame (April 2019). Lee appears digitally de-aged behind the wheel of a 1970 Chevy at the New Jersey army base where Tony Stark and Steve Rogers travel back to retrieve the Tesseract; he shouts “hey man, make love, not war!” The cameo was filmed before Lee’s death and confirmed by the Russos as his final filmed MCU appearance, although the next-released film, Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019), became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all. Captain Marvel (March 2019) has him reading the script for Mallrats on the L.A. train and was the first posthumously-released cameo, but Endgame was the last one he actually shot.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Avengers: Endgame — the de-aged hippie-era driver in the 1970 New Jersey time-heist scene. Captain Marvel (March 2019) was the first cameo to release posthumously, but Endgame (April 2019) was the last one Lee actually filmed. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019) became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all.
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04
Across Phase One through Three, each Infinity Stone is hidden inside a distinctive container before being claimed for Thanos’s Gauntlet. The blue Space Stone is housed inside a glowing cube that originates with the Asgardians, is recovered by Howard Stark from the wreckage of the Red Skull’s plane, is taken to Asgard by Loki in 2012, and is finally retrieved by Hulk on Sakaar before falling to Thanos. What is that container called?
AThe Tesseract BThe Aether CThe Orb DThe Eye of Agamotto
✓ Correct! The Tesseract — the blue cube that houses the Space Stone — first appears in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), powers the portal Loki opens over Manhattan in The Avengers (2012), and is destroyed by Thanos in Infinity War (2018) when he crushes it to claim the stone inside. The wrong options are all real Infinity Stone containers from the MCU: the Aether (red liquid form) houses the Reality Stone in Thor: The Dark World, the Orb houses the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Eye of Agamotto houses the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. So all four answers refer to genuine stone containers — only the Tesseract holds Space.
✗ Wrong. The answer is the Tesseract. The trap is that all four options are real Infinity Stone containers: the Aether holds Reality (Thor: The Dark World), the Orb holds Power (Guardians of the Galaxy), and the Eye of Agamotto holds Time (Doctor Strange). Space — the blue stone shown in Cap’s 1942 plane wreckage and Loki’s 2012 invasion — is the Tesseract.
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05
In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the Soul Stone is hidden on Vormir and guarded by a Stonekeeper — revealed to be a cursed Red Skull. To claim it, the seeker must sacrifice the person they love most by throwing them from a cliff. Thanos arrives on Vormir with one adopted daughter, weeps, and pushes her over the edge. Which character does Thanos sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone?
ANebula BGamora CMantis DProxima Midnight
✓ Correct! Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). Thanos forces her to lead him to Vormir because Nebula has earlier revealed under torture that Gamora knew the Soul Stone’s location all along. The scene is the emotional pivot of Infinity War: it confirms that Thanos really does love Gamora, which means the sacrifice qualifies. In Endgame (2019), a 2014 version of Gamora returns through time travel with her father — meaning Gamora-of-Infinity-War remains dead at the end of the saga, while a different Gamora wanders the cosmos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War; Mantis survives Vormir entirely; Proxima Midnight is one of Thanos’s Black Order children, killed in the Battle of Wakanda.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Gamora. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War (she’s the one whose torture reveals Gamora knew where the stone was hidden). Mantis isn’t on Vormir. Proxima Midnight is Thanos’s adopted daughter via the Black Order, not via Zen-Whoberi, and is killed during the Battle of Wakanda by Scarlet Witch. Thanos sacrifices Gamora — the only adopted daughter he genuinely loves.
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06
In Avengers: Endgame (2019), Steve Rogers travels back in time to return the Infinity Stones, then chooses to remain in the past and live out a life with Peggy Carter. He returns to the present as an old man, sits on a bench by the lake at the Avengers compound, and hands his vibranium shield to a younger Avenger as the symbolic transfer of the Captain America identity. To whom does Steve give the shield?
ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CT’Challa DPeter Parker
✓ Correct! Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — the Falcon. The choice deliberately bypasses Bucky, the original comics successor, because the Russos and screenwriters Markus & McFeely wanted the moment to read as a deliberate, racially-charged passing of an American icon rather than the obvious comics-canon handoff. The thread is then picked up directly in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, 2021), in which Sam initially gives the shield to the Smithsonian, sees the government install John Walker as a replacement Cap, and ultimately takes the mantle himself — setting up Captain America: Brave New World (2025) with Mackie as the franchise’s new lead.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Sam Wilson, the Falcon. In the comics Bucky is the classic Cap successor, but the Russos and screenwriters Markus and McFeely deliberately picked Sam instead — a choice the entire Falcon and the Winter Soldier series (Disney+, 2021) then unpacks before Mackie carries it into Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
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07
After Endgame, Marvel Studios’ Phase Four launched the MCU on Disney+ with a sitcom-pastiche limited series in which Wanda Maximoff and a resurrected Vision live inside a reality-warping suburban hex. Each episode parodied a different era of US TV sitcom — The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Family Ties, Modern Family. The show premiered January 15, 2021 and ran nine episodes. Which series was it — the first MCU project on Disney+?
AWandaVision BLoki CThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier DHawkeye
✓ Correct! WandaVision (January 15 – March 5, 2021), created by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman. It launched Phase Four, earned 23 Emmy nominations, and effectively rebooted Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier followed it in March 2021 — not first — and Loki landed in June 2021. Hawkeye is the 2021 Christmas series with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld. The original launch order was WandaVision → FATWS → Loki → What If...? → Hawkeye, and WandaVision’s sitcom format remains the boldest swing of the Disney+ era.
✗ Wrong. The answer is WandaVision (January 15, 2021), the first MCU show on Disney+ and the launchpad for Phase Four. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier came in March 2021, Loki in June 2021, and Hawkeye in late 2021. The sitcom-pastiche structure — Dick Van Dyke through Modern Family — is unique to WandaVision.
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08
At the closing panel of San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, 2024, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige brought the Russo brothers back on stage to announce a new title for the next Avengers film — previously labelled “The Kang Dynasty” before Jonathan Majors’s December 2023 conviction forced a pivot — and then unmasked a cast of actors wearing green hoods. The final hood came off Robert Downey Jr. RDJ is returning to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark. As whom?
AMister Sinister BDoctor Doom CNorman Osborn DMephisto
✓ Correct! Doctor Doom — Victor von Doom, the Latverian dictator and Reed Richards’s lifelong nemesis, generally considered Marvel’s greatest comics villain. The next Avengers film, originally announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, was retitled Avengers: Doomsday after Jonathan Majors was dropped as Kang following his December 2023 assault conviction. Doomsday is scheduled for May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars to follow in May 2027 — both directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, returning to the MCU after Endgame. The in-universe explanation for RDJ playing Doom rather than Stark hinges on the multiverse: Doom is being positioned as a variant of Stark from another timeline.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Doctor Doom. The film was retitled from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026) after Jonathan Majors was dropped, and the Russos returned to direct. RDJ’s casting as Doom — rather than as Tony Stark — is being explained in-universe via the multiverse: Doom as a Stark variant from another timeline.
REVEAL MY RATING →
The Stones Are Cast · Final Scorecard Your Avengers Standing
💎
/ 8
A worthy Avenger — or dusted in the snap?
⤴ ROUND TWO
Entering the Dark Dimension together, Strange and Clea's adventure has yet to be shown, leaving many to wonder how the Master of the Mystic Arts will be featured in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars, especially with the threat of incursions more than likely playing a key role in the next two Avengers movies.
Thor vs Hercules
Humiliated by the God of Thunder, the end of 2022's Thor: Love & Thunder saw Zeus tasking his son Hercules with hunting down the God of Thunder, serving as Brett Goldstein's MCU debut as the legendary Greek hero. While a battle between two of the most well-known mythological figures would of course be quite impressive, Marvel Studios has yet to deliver four years later.
The Council of Kangs
At the time, few post-credit scenes seemed more important than the Council of Kangs shown at the end of 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. After the exiled Kang variant ruling the Quantum Realm was defeated by Scott Lang's Ant-Man and his family, the ending of the movie saw countless united variants of Kang the Conqueror gathering and preparing for war. However, Marvel's plans have significantly shifted due to various creative pivots and changes behind-the-scenes, explaining why Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is now Avengers: Doomsday with Doctor Doom as the central antagonist.
Technically, it's been suggested that the events of Loki season 2 could be used to explain that the Council of Kangs is no longer a threat, thanks to the efforts of the TVA. In any event, it would be nice to get even a few lines referencing the major threat that was being set up, even if it's not the most satisfying of resolutions (something is better than nothing).
The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return
At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and James Gunn's final MCU movie before moving on to run DC Studios, it was revealed that Peter Quill's Star-Lord returned to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather. Then, a title card confirmed that "The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return." While Chris Pratt has not yet been confirmed to appear in Doomsday or Secret Wars, Marvel absolutely needs to follow through on that promise.
The Young Avengers
Across the entire Multiverse Saga, a significant number of young heroes have debuted in the MCU who were part of the Young Avengers and/or The Champions in the comics. This includes Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, Cassie Lang, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, America Chavez, Kid Loki, and several others. Likewise, 2023's The Marvels confirmed that Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop were planning to recruit young heroes, including Cassie Lang, mirroring Nick Fury's original Avengers Initiative. The groundwork is very much in place, and yet there's still been no word as to when this brand-new MCU team might fully assemble on-screen.
Mephisto
At the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, the demon lord Mephisto was the subject of massive speculation and theories, starting with 2021's WandaVision and running all the way to 2024's Agatha All Along, where his existence in the MCU was finally confirmed.
Ultimately, Sacha Baron Cohen debuted as Mephisto just last year in 2025's Ironheart series, having made dark deals with both The Hood and Riri Williams' Ironheart herself. Hopefully, a plan is in place for Mephisto's MCU future beyond the Multiverse Saga, as he absolutely has the potential to be a major big bad going forward.
Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on December 18th from Marvel Studios.
Release Date December 18, 2026
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
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