10 Most Twisted Moments In The MCU

Throughout the sprawling narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has delivered several particularly twisted moments. The movies and TV shows of the MCU have built one of the most successful shared universes in all pop culture, weaving a huge and interconnected story across multiple releases. The franchise’s adaptations of the characters and stories of Marvel Comics have proved massively popular, dominating the box office with their fantastical action, high-stakes drama, and renowned use of levity. However, the MCU isn’t always purely lighthearted, as it sometimes offers developments far less wholesome in nature.

Across the MCU’s timeline of movies and TV shows, the franchise has explored a number of themes and topics as part of its stories. These vary in nature, occasionally resulting in dark and unsettling moments or developments. The unexpected nature of such moments combined with the characteristic humor of the MCU often makes them seem especially twisted. However, with so many heroes and villains locked in a perpetual struggle, it’s perhaps to be expected that lines are occasionally crossed into especially dark territory, even if it is somewhat disturbing. Here are the 10 most twisted moments in the MCU.

10 Westview’s Residents Appeal To Wanda

WandaVision (2021)

In the finale of WandaVision, Wanda finally begins to learn the full truth about the strange circumstances she finds herself in. The grief-stricken hero is then confronted by the people trapped within the Westview Hex, with the innocent victims begging Wanda to be set free. The pain and panic of Wanda’s victims is horrifying, but her visceral reaction to her own confusion is even more so: she instantly silences them all with a blast of chaos magic. It’s a dark ending that cements Wanda’s inadvertent villain turn, and a particularly twisted MCU moment.

9 Ego Admits To Killing Meredith Quill

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Across the many movies of the MCU, there are few villains as casual about their disregard for life as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s Ego. Star-Lord’s Celestial father deceives and manipulates him into complying with his plan, revealing at the critical moment that he was responsible for the death of the hero’s mother many years before. It’s when Ego nonchalantly announces that he placed the fatal tumor in Meredith Quill’s brain that’s the most twisted moment of all, with the revelation proving substantial enough for Star-Lord to break free and fight back against Ego.

8 Wanda Brutally Kills The Illuminati

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

The Illuminati were an excellent addition to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ cast, and they also provided the movie with one of its most twisted moments. Shortly after Doctor Strange meets the most powerful heroes of Earth-838, Scarlet Witch arrives at their headquarters. That universe’s most important heroes step up to stop her, only to be easily slaughtered in the most gruesome manner. Introducing multiple highly anticipated characters only to immediately kill them off was twisted enough, but the specifics of their deaths at Wanda’s hands made the scene all the more disturbing.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The story of Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Mysterio manipulate a young grieving Peter Parker into giving over Iron Man’s legacy. The deception and betrayal perpetuated by Mysterio hints at the depths of his depravity, but it’s not until he traps Spider-Man in one of his illusions that the most twisted side of his imagination is revealed. In an attempt to torment Spider-Man, Mysterio conjures the illusion of his mentor Iron Man’s decomposed corpse, which is especially dark considering the hero is still a minor at the time.

6 Agatha Pays An Actor To Exploit Wanda’s Grief

WandaVision (2021)

One of the biggest reveals from the ending of WandaVisionwas that it was Agatha all along, and that Wanda had been lied to by Agatha Harkness. It’s also revealed that Wanda’s brother Pietro hadn’t really returned from the grave (played by Evan Peters in a perceived X-Men crossover), but that Agatha had paid an actor to pose as Pietro to further break Wanda’s mind. It’s twisted in a subtle way, but it’s an incredibly dark and unpleasant revelation, cementing Agatha as one of the MCU’s most inhumane villains.

5 Darren Cross Turns A Critic To Goo

Ant-Man (2015)

Darren Cross serves as Ant-Man’s antagonist, who is shown to be close to perfecting a replication of Hank Pym’s shrinking formula. The film shows Cross’ initial attempts to be fatal, with any biological matter being liquefied upon being shrunk. When a prospective investor criticizes Cross, the villain corners him in the bathroom and lectures him menacingly. Without warning, Cross then uses the experimental tech on the man, deliberately reducing him to a small pile of steaming goo. The way that Cross wipes him up and discards him only makes the scene feel all the more twisted.

4 Gorr Torments Asgard’s Children

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

In the comics, Gorr the God Butcher is an especially bloodthirsty villain. However, Thor: Love and Thunder also displays another facet to the antagonist’s dark side, as he kidnaps all of New Asgard’s children in an attempt to lure Thor across the galaxy. During a scene in which the frightened children try to lift each other’s spirits, Gorr appears from the shadows and mocks the children, menacing them for no real reason other than his own apparent pleasure. It’s a twisted moment because it makes the villain seem all the more reprehensible even after the kidnap and murder.

3 Falsworth Tortures A Skrull Prisoner

Secret Invasion (2023)

Sonia Falsworth was one of the more exciting additions to Secret Invasion’s cast, as it brought acclaimed actor Olivia Colman into the MCU. In episode 2 of the series, however, Falsworth engages in one of the most twisted acts depicted in the MCU when she tortures a Skrull prisoner for information. Falsworth not only cuts off the Skrull’s finger, but further threatens him, all the while smiling as though she’s enjoying the experience. It’s a particularly dark and unsettling introduction to the character, and the scene itself is one of the MCU’s most twisted.

2 Dreykov Forces A Widow To Terminate Herself

Black Widow (2021)

Black Widow’s subject matter was actually much darker than it initially seemed, as it concerns human trafficking, brainwashing, indentured servitude, and psychological and physical abuse. This is made evident early on, when Natasha and Yelena track down one of Dreykov’s Widows. The woman fights against them, and is eventually wounded when falling from a building. As Natasha watches on, the Widow is remotely ordered to kill herself by Dreykov, and has no choice but to comply. Her pained assertion that she doesn’t want to makes the moment completely heartbreaking, immediately setting up Dreykov as one of the MCU’s most twisted villains.

1 Vision’s Corpse Speaks To Wanda

WandaVision (2021)

Perhaps the most twisted moment in MCU history might not be obviously so at a glance, but its deeper implications are especially dark. Before WandaVision’s big reveal, Wanda begins to suspect something is amiss in Westview. While having a conversation with Vision, Wanda turns to see him as he really is: dead. Vision’s corpse stands before her, continuing their conversation as normal, making for one of the most twisted interactions in the MCU’s history. Considering Wanda’s own sense of grief and confusion, the moment is as upsetting as it is unexpected, making it the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most twisted scene.

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