8 Teases From MCU Phases 1-3 That Marvel Still Hasn’t Paid Off Yet

The Marvel Cinematic Universe thrives on long-awaited payoffs, but there are more than a few lingering threads from early on in the franchise that have yet to resolve years later. Some of the best moments in the famed cinematic universe come about when the MCU pays off long-awaited setup, delighting fans by expanding on small Easter eggs or making good on the promise of post-credits scenes. But not every lingering plot threat introduced by the franchise has been lucky enough to get a satisfying payoff, resulting in some long-overdue developments hanging in limbo.

Some of these as-of-yet missed opportunities are from the more recent of the MCU’s phases, such as Shang-Chi never re-appearing since his introduction as a new starring Marvel hero or the curious absence of White Vision from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While these moments will assuredly eventually get a payoff, possibly sometime in late phase 5 or even phase 6, there are even earlier lingering teases from earlier in the MCU’s timeline that have yet to go anywhere. From teased characters to post-credits developments, Marvel still has a lot to answer for from phases 1 through 3.

8 William Ginter Riva Got Away With Mysterio’s Tech

Quentin Beck’s legacy may live on

William Ginter Riva may just be one of the most unassuming villains in MCU history, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to come back at some point. The scientist and engineer was best known for being yelled at by Obidiah Stane, not able to live up to Tony Stark’s legacy for invention by failing to build him an Arc Reactor. Later, Riva joined Quentin Beck as one of the many disgruntled Tony Stark employees who joined him to create Mysterio in the wake of the latter’s death.

Riva was the one responsible for leaking the edited video that attempted to make a villain out of Spider-Man, painting Peter Parker as the one being in charge of the fleet of holographic drones rather than Beck himself, not to mention exposing Peter Parker’s secret identity to the entire world. Although Mysterio’s initial plan was ultimately foiled, Riva still managed to safely upload the blueprints and codebase for the dangerous technology on a safe computer drive, something the MCU has failed to follow up on in the years since Spider-Man: Far From Home.

7 Bill Foster (Or Anyone Else) Never Became Goliath

No one ever took the mantle of the size-changing hero

In one of Marvel’s most wasted casting choices, Lawrence Fishburne was brought on to briefly play Bill Foster in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The biochemist and former S.H.I.E.L.D. member was an old associate of Hank Pym who, like most people in Pym’s life, wound up having a falling out with the genius scientist over petty disagreements. Once a part of the “Goliath” project, Foster was the first to use Pym particles to increase his relative size, boasting about his record holding a massive form before being outdone by Scott Lang in Captain America: Civil War.

Between the codename of his project and bearing the same name of the Goliath of Marvel Comics, one could be forgiven for assuming that a film featuring Fishburne playing the giant-sized hero was sure to come. Not only was Fishburne never brought back, but no one else ever stepped in to take on the mantle of Goliath. The comics provide several avenues for successors, similar to Scott Lang as Ant-Man, from former villain Erik Josten to Foster’s own nephew, Tom Foster. Tragically, Marvel has only shown off Foster as Goliath via animation, in a brief appearance in What If…?

6 A Hydra Holdout Casually Stole Pym Particles And Was Never Seen Again

The creation of a new size-changing villain has been waiting in the wings

A shady character, Mitchell Carson is one of the seldom-recognized MCU characters lurking in the background that just may cause havoc later on down the line. Carson is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was later revealed to be an undercover member of HYDRA, along with many members of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s leadership. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. collasped, Carson continued to be a loyal agent for the terrorist organization, facilitating some shady deals with Darren Cross.

Before he became MODOK, Darren Cross managed to nearly identically replicate Pym particles, creating an off-brand version he dubbed Cross particles. Unlike the refinements made to Pym’s version, Cross particles render their user increasingly mentally unstable over prolonged use, leading to Darren’s own psychotic break. In the chaos of the first Ant-Man movie’s climax, Mitchell Carson was able to surreptitiously sneak away with a supply of Cross particles, never to be seen again. It’s shocking that HYDRA’s ownership of the dangerous particles has yet to spawn a size-changing supervillain.

5 Mac Gargan’s Scorpion Still Wants Revenge On Spider-Man

Peter Parker’s fellow arachnid has been waiting in the wings for two movies now

The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming showed Adrian Toomes entering prison, only to be met face-to-face with Mac Gargan, better known as Scorpion in the comics. Played by Michael Mando of Better Call Saul fame, the dangerous criminal demands to know Spider-Man’s real identity, which Toomes refuses to divulge. While this clearly set up an appearance of Scorpion later down the line, Mac Gargan has yet to appear again after two more Spider-Man solo films.

The closest audiences have gotten to Scorpion in live-action was the silhouette of a certain villain with a spiked tail towards the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, appearing among the rest of Peter Parker’s expanded rogue’s gallery as the interdimensional rift appeared. Yet the primary MCU universe already having a Scorpion of its own made this appearance all the more puzzling, possibly suggesting repeat Spider-Man villains across multiverses. Regardless, Mac Gargan seemed to have some prior connection to Spider-Man that fuels his revenge, something that will hopefully finally be explored in Spider-Man 4.

4 Stakar Got His Old Gang Back Together Only For Them To Do Nothing

The new Ravagers have some big-name actors waiting in the wings

The end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 saw the tragic send off of Yondu, who ends up getting a full Ravager’s funeral despite former comrade Stakar’s earlier insistence otherwise. After Yondu’s death brings his old clanmates back together, who’ve since split off and formed their own Ravager chapters, Stakar suggests that his old team get back together officially. Other than Sylvester Stallone himself playing Stakar, the new Ravager team also featured some big names, including Miley Cyrus as the voice of Mainframe.

To be completely fair, Stakar’s new Ravager group does briefly re-appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in which they welcome an alternate Gamora with open arms. However, none of the teased new Ravager leaders from the previous film get much time in the spotlight, with only Stakar continuing to interact with the Guardians. It seems odd for Marvel to have emphasized the formation of this new Ravager team only for nothing to really come of it beyond the roles Stakar could’ve fulfilled by himself in the next movie.

3 How Successful Was Mordo’s Mission To Kill All Rogue Sorcerers?

Surely there were many opponents in between his first kill and Doctor Strange

Karl Mordo is a relatively forgettable villain amid the wider roster of Marvel Cinematic Universe bad guys, but he still deserved his due as a threat to magic users across the globe. At the end of Doctor Strange, Mordo announces his intent to murder every rogue sorcerer he can find, making a point of his statement by absorbing the magic power from Jonathan Pangborn. However, the next audiences see him, he’s already gone after Doctor Strange himself, and presumably failed miserably.

Karl Mordo should’ve had a few steps in between announcing his intent to rid the world of all rogue sorcerers and going after the Sorcerer Supreme himself, but neither Doctor Strange nor Wong seemed to make any mention of Mordo being on a murderous rampage in their subsequent appearances in the MCU. Granted, it may have been a stretch to squeeze in a line about Mordo during Thor or Spider-Man’s brief visits to the New York Sanctum. But seeing Mordo already fail by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seemed to have skipped a few story beats.

2 Donald Glover’s Miles Morales Reference Hasn’t Gone Anywhere

The MCU may be afraid to step on Spider-Verse’s shoes

Just like in the amazing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aaron Davis is a criminal with a certain famous nephew in Spider-Man: Homecoming. When interrogated by Spider-Man, the live-action Aaron Davis, played by none other than Donald Glover, begrudgingly admits to the good Spider-Man is doing, citing people like his nephew as having a need to be kept safe. Despite the clear mention of Miles Morales, the MCU seems to have no intention of having another Spider-Man show up.

A character as popular as Miles Morales would seem to be an easy slam dunk for the MCU to include in future films, but after two more Spider-Man movies, no mention of another webslinger has come up. It could very well be that the MCU is afraid to step on the toes of Sony’s Spider-Verse films, which use Miles as a protagonist. That’s not to say a live-action Miles couldn’t work in the franchise, however, and Marvel has played with fire by teasing the character with no follow-up.

1 Sonny Burch’s Boss Still Needs A Name

Walter Goggins’ hilarious thief worked for a mysterious benefactor

Another unresolved thread of the Ant-Man trilogy, Sonny Burch ended his brief tenure as a tertiary Ant-Man villain by being arrested by the San Francisco Police Department. It seems unlikely that a man with as much influence as Burch could be held for long by a local government, and on top of that, he seemed to have friends in high places. The film reveals that Sonny Burch didn’t act alone, being hired by a mysterious benefactor to steal Hank Pym’s mobile lab and the technology within.

The only description audiences were let in on of Burch’s employers is that they were some “very dangerous people“, by his own admission. Theories range from a nascent Oscorp to a rogue HYDRA cell to another black market arms dealer similar to The Vulture. Whatever the case, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been less than forthcoming about Burch’s mission even six years later after the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp, making this one Marvel mystery audiences may never see resolved.

Key Release Dates