2024 may have been a relatively fallow year for the MCU, but there was no shortage of history-making moments scattered throughout the few movies and shows released. 2024 housed the release of just one MCU movie in the form of Deadpool & Wolverine, though it thankfully changed the fortunes of the franchise by breaking financial records after a substandard 2023. Still, the MCU's overarching narrative continued to develop between Deadpool & Wolverine and the smattering of MCU shows that landed on Disney+.
The year began with Marvel Studios' first Marvel Spotlight show in the form of Echo. Although productions that fall beneath this banner are intended to be watchable without prior MCU knowledge, Echo's centering of one of the franchise's most formidable and recognizable villains, Kingpin, meant that it, too, delivered some significant developments as Daredevil: Born Again rounds the corner. Agatha All Along was arguably the highlight of the MCU's Disney+ offerings, however, after making some huge changes for the MCU to consider.
10
The MCU Introduced Death As A Character In Agatha All Along
Death Is One Of The MCU's Most Powerful Entities
Agatha All Along was stacked with mysteries from the jump, with one of the biggest surrounding the true identity of Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal. Just as the clues suggesting Rio Vidal was Death incarnate were becoming insurmountable, Agatha All Along episode 7 - arguably the best of the entire series - finally confirmed this to be the case. While it wasn't entirely unexpected, the implications of Death's involvement in the MCU cannot be overstated.
While Death's role in Marvel is simply to carry out her duty and ferry the dead to their respective afterlives, her meddling in the events of Agatha All Along also suggests that she might be worryingly pernicious in future MCU installments.
Death is one of Marvel's most powerful cosmic beings, a primordial entity with functional omnipotence. Agatha's recognition that fighting Rio was a futile endeavor in Episode 8 hints at just how significant her powers are, confirming that the MCU just introduced its latest most unimaginably powerful character. While Death's role in Marvel is simply to carry out her duty and ferry the dead to their respective afterlives, her meddling in the events of Agatha All Along also suggests that she might be worryingly pernicious in future MCU installments.
9
Deadpool & Wolverine Brought Hugh Jackman Back As Wolverine After His Logan Ending
Hugh Jackman Is Officially The MCU's Wolverine
The announcement that Deadpool's latest sequel would also place Wolverine front-and-center was met with a certain measure of confusion given Wolverine's tenure in Fox's X-Men franchise reached a perfect and poignant conclusion with his death. Still, expectations that the multiverse would provide were vindicated as Deadpool & Wolverine spotlighted "Worst Wolverine," a variant wracked with guilt over the tragic circumstances of his timeline. Deadpool & Wolverine then ended with this variant supplanting Logan on Earth-10005, ostensibly securing him as an official part of the MCU.
The X-Men in Worst Wolverine's timeline were all killed by humans while Wolverine got drunk at a bar, leading him to violently retaliate and kill multiple humans as a result.
Following Disney's acquisition of Fox, theories about how the MCU's version of the X-Men would take shape and the characters that would comprise them began to swirl. While Hugh Jackman is now synonymous with Wolverine in live-action, his perfect ending and advancing age stoked the expectation that he would be replaced, with Wolverine fan-castings subsequently being kicked into overdrive. Instead, it looks as though Deadpool & Wolverine has confirmed that Hugh Jackman's tenure isn't quite done yet, with it now being eminently possible that he'll reemerge in Avengers: Secret Wars.
8
Deadpool Officially Entered The MCU In Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool Now Considers Himself To Be "Marvel Jesus"
Deadpool & Wolverine expertly navigated the implications of the multiverse to secure Deadpool as part of the MCU. Deadpool first interacts with the Sacred Timeline through the use of Cable's Time-Travel Device, with Happy Hogan's rejection causing him to spiral into a slump. Years later, the MCU's TVA attempts to recruit Deadpool officially into the MCU before his typical shenanigans see him return to his own timeline, where he seems happier than ever. Still, despite returning to the timeline that hosted the events of Fox's X-Men franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine officially made Deadpool a part of the MCU in earnest.
Deadpool & Wolverine finally brings Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds together as the heroes they were born to play, but is this the end of their story?
While this means that the MCU will now need to answer questions such as "Why was Thor crying?", the implications of Deadpool's MCU involvement boggle the mind. It will be interesting to see how Marvel Studios navigates his fourth wall breaks and irreverence in more serious ensemble movies like Avengers: Secret Wars. Furthermore, Deadpool & Wolverine became the MCU's first R-rated movie, setting a new precedent for the MCU that had been averted for 16 years.
7
Wilson Fisk Considers Running For Mayor In Echo
Wilson Fisk May Be About To Reach His Most Powerful State
Wilson Fisk was first introduced in Daredevil, though the canonicity of that show was up for debate until Marvel Studios seemingly confirmed the entire Defenders Saga was a part of the MCU's canon last year. Fisk's reintroduction in Hawkeye was a seminal moment, though he wouldn't be spotlighted until Echo aired in January 2024.Echo then ended with Wilson Fisk making an incredibly significant decision: to run for New York Mayor.
This decision is likely to herald one of Marvel Comics' most compelling narratives, where Fisk succeeds in acquiring the role and wields his newfound power to crack down on vigilantism. While Fisk's power grab will have wider implications for the MCU's foremost heroes, the fact that New York houses so many superheroes means that this will negatively affect more than a handful of them immediately. Echo therefore reintroduced Fisk in the moments preceding his most powerful form, which is bound to carry a significant impact.
6
Wiccan's Incredible Powers Are Revealed In Agatha All Along
Wiccan Can Warp Reality Like His Mother, The Scarlet Witch
Another of Agatha All Along's biggest mysteries surrounded the identity of Joe Locke's "Teen," who was under the effects of a sigil that prevented him from revealing anything about himself. The two foremost theories suggested that he was either a reincarnated Billy Maximoff or Nicholas Scratch, though Agatha All Along episode 5 finally confirmed him to be the former. From the jump, Billy's ability to subdue three powerful witches with little effort indicated the extent of his powers, but the Agatha All Along finale then confirmed that he had manifested the entire Witches' Road through his magic.
Wiccan is a founding member of the Young Avengers in Marvel Comics, though the MCU has already started to depart from the source material by making Kamal Khan the team's founder.
This seems to put Billy Maximoff's powers on par with his mother, Wanda. Wanda's creation of the Westview Anomaly was a stark example of her ability to warp reality, and Billy was able to replicate this with the Witches' Road. With that in mind, Agatha All Along may have reintroduced one of the MCU's newest most powerful characters, with all signs pointing towards Wiccan's prominent involvement in the upcoming iteration of the Young Avengers. Somewhat concerningly, Wiccan specified that he's "Not that nice," when he first revealed his powers, suggesting the MCU may have introduced a mighty new antihero.
5
The Culmination Of Lila Calderu's Arc In Agatha All Along
Lilia Was The Star Of One Of Marvel's Best Episodes Of TV
Agatha All Along also introduced a smattering of new magic-wielders in the form of Agatha's new witches' coven. Lilia Calderu, the eldest within the coven, debuted as the coven's Divination Witch, whose clairvoyant abilities were in disarray throughout most of her arc. Nevertheless, they finally coalesced in episode 7, which comprised a mind-blowing showcase of how her powers manifested in the moments leading up to her heroic death.
Agatha All Along episode 7 was a time-jump-infused journey through Lilia Calderu’s fractured memories, ending with the reveal of Rio Vidal’s identity.
This episode was one of the best things Marvel has ever released. The impact of this single episode had immense ripple effects throughout the fandom, almost singlehandedly flouting concerns about Agatha All Along's existence and prioritizing some of Marvel's most minor characters. Despite Lila being a prime example of such a character, Lilia Calderu is now a firm fan-favorite following Patti LuPone's incredible performance and the arc that Agatha All Along delivered.
4
The Watchers Demonstrate Their Power In What If...?
The Infinity Stones Are No Match For The Watchers
What If...? Season 3 rounded out 2024 with its final foray into the multiverse and exploration of some mind-bending timelines. While season 1 leaned into disconnected narratives, using the premise as an opportunity to explore the eponymous question, subsequent seasons somewhat controversially began forming an underlying throughline in the form of Captain Carter's formation of the Guardians of the Multiverse and the Watcher's rebellion against his primary directive. This culminated in What If...? Season 3 finale where Uatu and the Guardians of the Multiverse engage in an intense battle with three other Watchers.
Given the Multiverse Saga is likely to culminate in the destruction of the Multiverse, Uatu may have a part to play as he has proven his affinity for the Multiverse and its inhabitants, while the power he demonstrates is simply staggering.
Unlike X-Men '97, What If...? is officially a part of the wider MCU, meaning the Order of the Watchers exists outside the multiverse and watches over its proceedings. Despite their largely hands-off approach, What If...? confirmed that not only are they capable of meddling in the affairs of the multiverse, but their powers make short work of Infinity Ultron. Given the Multiverse Saga is likely to culminate in the destruction of the Multiverse, Uatu may have a part to play as he has proven his affinity for the Multiverse and its inhabitants, while the power he demonstrates is simply staggering.
3
Channing Tatum's Gambit Finally Arrived In Deadpool & Wolverine
The MCU Facilitated A Long-Held Desire For Channing Tatum
Deadpool & Wolverine largely takes place in the Void, which houses a cavalcade of forgotten heroes of yesteryear. While these mostly comprise the stars of Fox's X-Men franchise, there were a couple of outliers in the form of Cassandra Nova and the resistance's Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit. Gambit makes a splash in the assault of Cassandra Nova's compound and survives the ordeal, with a deleted post-credits scene suggesting that he may have a future in the MCU.
The reception to Channing Tatum's Gambit was tremendous, but now Marvel Studios needs to decide what happens next for the forgotten hero and Tatum.
Introducing Gambit to the MCU isn't just history-making insofar as Gambit is one of Marvel's most popular mutants, but the circumstances surrounding his involvement are also worthy of note. Channing Tatum's story with Gambit is similar to that of Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool, with the actor trying hard to make a solo Gambit movie before the acquisition of Fox brought an end to these plans. Deadpool & Wolverine, therefore, finally paid off these aspirations and afforded Channing Tatum the chance to embody the role.
2
Kingpin Shows His Vulnerability In Echo
Kingpin Was Beaten By Echo Twice, But Is Now Less Likely To Let His Guard Down
After being shot in the head by Maya Lopez in Hawkeye, Kingpin reemerged in her spinoff solo series, Echo, having survived the attack. This presents Kingpin as a force to be reckoned with, given the minor extent of his injuries as a result of an attack that should have been fatal. Despite Echo's actions, Kingpin shows a genuine love for his adoptive daughter, with the series culminating in Echo being able to beat him once again.
Vincent D'Onofrio returned as Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, in Marvel Studios' Echo, exploring the supervillain's backstory and future in more detail.
With his reintroduction to the MCU, Echo reinforced Kingpin's complexity as one of Marvel's most compelling villains. The tour de force is shown to be at his weakest when it comes to those he loves. Nevertheless, after feeling betrayed by Maya Lopez, Kingpin has seemingly steeled himself against this vulnerability, which looks likely to culminate in him embodying a particularly fearsome guise when he reappears in Daredevil: Born Again.
1
Agatha's Character Arc In Agatha All Along
Agatha Does Not Undergo A Typical Redemption Arc
The star of Agatha All Along was introduced as a villain in WandaVision, and her antagonism continues throughout her solo show. She spends the majority of it throwing members of her coven under the bus, dismissing their deaths and generally looking out for herself. With that being said, the one character Agatha shows genuine concern for is Billy Maximoff, who reminds her of her late son. The end of Agatha All Along helps to humanize Agatha, showing the tragic history of her relationship with Nicholas Scratch, but stops short of entirely rehabilitating her as she continues on a murder spree.
Agatha refuses to accept death in its entirety, lingering in the material plane as a ghost after declaring that she can't face "him," whom many assume to be Nicholas Scratch.
Agatha's character arc is filled with firsts - from the first female nudity scene to the first same-sex female kiss in the MCU - but Agatha is also unusually unreformed. While it may be easier to empathize with Agatha after learning about her son, her story flies in the face of Loki's redemption arc, for instance, by having her remain villainous by the show's end. Now that Agatha embarks on a journey with Wiccan as a ghost, it appears as though the MCU is about to spotlight the truest iteration of an antihero yet.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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