Summary
Some of the biggest lies told in theMarvel Cinematic Universehave had a major impact on the franchise. Many characters have used dishonesty for their own benefit in the16-year history of the MCU, but not all of these have been little white lies. Many fibs told in the MCU have had a huge impact on subsequent projects, sometimes changing complete narratives, or altering the course of characters' lives forever.
Honesty is generally considered to be an essential characteristic of any true superhero, but this hasn’t always been the case in the MCU. Of course, it’s theMCU’s strongest villainsthat have told the most, and the biggest lies, andthese deceptions have affected the likes of Captain America, Spider-Man, Hawkeye and Captain Marvel, among many others. The impact of some of these lies is irreversible, making them game-changers for the MCU.
10 Biggest Tricks Marvel Movie Trailers Used To Lie To You
Marvel movie trailers are no stranger to using deception to lure in audiences to theaters, sometimes bending the truth and some times wholly lying.
10Nick Fury’s Lie Brought The Avengers Together
The Avengers (2012)
Since he’d been devising his Avengers plan since the 1990s, Nick Fury wasn’t about to let it go to waste when the team’s members didn’t immediately gel in 2012’sThe Avengers. Noticing the prospective heroes just needed a push, Nick Fury capitalized onPhil Coulson’s emotional death, showing the Avengers the visual aid of Coulson’s blood-soaked Captain America trading cards to hammer home the point that the world needed them.This was a small lie, but changed the landscape of the MCU forever, as it brought the Avengers together.
Phil Coulson’s trading cards had, indeed, been in his locker when he was killed by Loki, not in his jacket pocket, but Nick Fury’s gentle nudge at the Avengers convinced them to come together to avenge their fallen ally.Without this lie, the world would have been ravaged by the likes of Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, so it was clearly a good time for Fury to lie. Of course, Fury has deceived the Avengers many times since, and not always as positively, but this tiny fib turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments in the MCU.
9Mysterio’s Lie Turned Peter Parker’s World Upside Down
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Featured right at the end ofSpider-Man: Far From Home, and continued in its 2021 sequel, Mysterio’s biggest lie saw him reveal that Peter Parker was the one behind the drone attack in London, rather than himself.Quentin Beck was the master of illusion, so it’s still unclear exactly how he pulled off this impressive deception after his death, and his broadcast to the world wasn’t a complete lie.Mysterio’s reveal that Peter Parker is Spider-Man’s true identity was the truth, but Mysterio fanned the public’s hatred of Spider-Man by framing him.
Mysterio’s lie started a chain of events that have left Spider-Man as an anonymous hero in the MCU.
The fact that Peter Parker was named the culprit behind the attack in London meant that he was refused enrollment into MIT, as were his closest friends, MJ and Ned Leeds. This prompted Parker to seek Doctor Strange’s help in making the world forget him, kick-starting theevents ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, and ultimately culminating in Parker’s wish coming true. Mysterio’s lie started a chain of events that have left Spider-Man as an anonymous hero in the MCU, without anyone to support him.
8Talos’ Million Skrulls Lie Could Shake-Up The MCU Massively
Secret Invasion (2023)
Despite being one of the MCU’s lowest-rated and most-divisive projects, 2023’sSecret Invasionfeatured some massive reveals and events that could change the MCU significantly. One of these was delivered inSecret Invasionepisode 2, “Promises,” which saw Talos reveal that there were over amillion shape-shifting Skrulls currently living on Earth, masquerading as humans.This is far more than Nick Fury or anybody else was aware of, expanding the feeling of paranoia in the series, as literally anybody could have been a Skrull.
Unfortunately,Secret Invasiondidn’t really lean into this idea, and this million Skrull reveal went pretty much nowhere. However,Marvel Studios still has the chance to address this incredible hidden secret, as a number of characters could be outed as Skrulls in the MCU’s future, continuingSecret Invasion’sstoryline, but hopefully doing it better. This could redeemSecret Invasion’sunnecessary deaths of Maria Hilland Talos, and give the Phase 5 project more meaning in the MCU’s timeline.
7Isaiah Bradley’s Super-Soldier Career Was Hidden By The United States Government
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier (2021)
It was incredibly poignant to see Sam Wilson’s hesitation to become Captain America inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as he struggled with the concept of being both a Black man in America and the biggest symbol of patriotism there is. This wasn’t the only race-centric storyline explored in the Phase 4 series, however, asThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieralso broughtIsaiah Bradley into the MCU.Isaiah Bradley underwent experimentation during the Korean War, and successfully became a super-soldier of a similar strength to Steve Rogers' Captain America.
Carl Lumbly is set to reprise the role of Isaiah Bradley in Marvel Studios' upcomingCaptain America: Brave New World.
Isaiah Bradley was subsequently imprisoned for the next 30 years, and was continuously experimented on by the government and HYDRA before his death was faked, and he was freed. There was no record of Isaiah Bradley’s existence until Sam Wilson established a memorial to him in the Captain America exhibit of the Smithsonian.The fact that Isaiah Bradley’s entire life was covered up and wasted is one of the most tragic and abhorrent storylines in the MCU’s history, and this lie by the United States government has had a huge impact on Bradley, and now Sam Wilson.
6Valentina Convinced Yelena Belova That Hawkeye Killed Her Sister
Black Widow (2021)
Following her debut inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which saw her recruit John Walker’s US Agent, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine reappeared inBlack Widow’spost-credits scene. This revealed that Yelena Belova was also under Valentina’s employ, seemingly working as a paid assassin for the mysterious new villain.Using a bare-faced lie, Valentina aimed Yelena at Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, claiming that he had killed her surrogate sister, Natasha Romanoff, when, in fact, Romanoff had sacrificed herself.
This led to the spar between Clint Barton and Yelena Belova inHawkeyeon Disney+, with the latter believing Valentina’s claims to be true. However, now that she’s learned the truth about her sister’s death, Yelena will surely have some stern words for Valentina, which could be featured in theMCU’s upcomingThunderbolts*movie.It’s unclear why Valentina wanted Hawkeye taken off the board, particularly since she is the Director of the CIA, so this lie will be interesting to unpack in the MCU’s future.
5Yon-Rogg Erased Carol Danvers’ Memories
Captain Marvel (2019)
Yon-Rogg originally traveled to Earth to kill Mar-Vell and claim her light-speed engine for himself. However, when Carol Danvers destroyed the engine and absorbed its energy, stemming from the Tesseract, Yon-Rogg decided to take Danvers herself back to Hala, the Kree homeworld. There,he erased her memories of her time on Earth, and convinced her that she was Kree, a blood transfusion sealing the deal. This was a huge lie that severely limited Danvers' power, as she had no idea where it came from or what she was capable of.
These manipulations and deceptions were undone after Carol Danvers found herself back on Earth in 1995.She regained her memories, learned the full extent of her power, and easily bested Yon-Rogg in battle before setting out to save those in need across the universe. Danvers' time on Hala gave her a vendetta, however, which culminated in her destroying the Supreme Intelligence and almost taking the planet with it. This proved the danger of Yon-Rogg’s original lie, and also demonstrated some ofCaptain Marvel’s own darker tendencies.
4Odin Raised Loki As His Own Son (& Kept Hela Secret)
Thor (2011) & Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Loki is perhaps the most changedand most improved character in the entire MCU, and this transformation started with the reveal that he was never actually Odin’s son in 2011’sThor.Odin had stolen a runt Frost Giant baby after a battle against King Laufey, and raised the child as his own, hoping that, one day, Thor and Loki would be able to unite the thrones of Asgard and Jotunheim. This was a pretty monumental lie that seemed to mark Loki’s complete transition into an outright villain, though perhaps freed him enough to begin his redemption arc, instead.
Loki went on to become one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes, as he now stands guard over the entire multiverse.
As if lying about Loki’s true heritage wasn’t enough, Odin also thought it was necessary to cover up the existence of his firstborn child and only daughter,Hela, the Goddess of Death. Keeping Hela secret was an effort to erase the dark history of Asgard, which had seen Odin and Hela violently conquer the Nine Realms and bring them to heel.Hela was released to wreak havoc after Odin’s demise inThor: Ragnarok, with the Allfather leaving his sons to clean up his enormous and destructive mess.
3Wakanda Was Thought To Be A Third-World Country
Black Panther (2018)
This is perhaps the longest-running lie in the world of the MCU, as early Wakandans agreed to keep the true nature of their nation hidden from the outside world. What appeared to be a third-world, poor nation to the outside world,Wakanda was actually remarkably advanced, with technologies, weapons, clothing, and concepts far more developed than those outside the nation’s barrier dome, all because of Wakanda’s rich vibranium deposits. This became a huge point of contention in 2018’sBlack Panther, asKillmonger wanted Wakanda to reveal itselfto the world.
While Killmonger had plans of a global war with Wakanda coming out on top, T’Challa had other ideas. Of course,Killmonger was right, to an extent, leading T’Challa to reveal the truth about Wakanda to the world in the hopes of sharing resources, technology, medicine, and aid.Avengers: Infinity WarandEndgame’sBlip, and T’Challa’s subsequent death, threw a spanner into these works. Even so,Wakanda was the MCU’s best kept secretfor many years, which has spurred theories that mutant nations of Genosha or Krakoa could be revealed in much the same way.
2HYDRA Infiltrated SHIELD For Decades With A Huge Series Of Lies
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Despite hopes that Steve Rogers had managed to eliminate HYDRA during World War II, 2014’sCaptain America: The Winter Soldierrevealed that the sinister organization had been growing like a cancer within SHIELD since the very beginning. This meant thatThe Winter Soldierdidn’t include just one lie, but hundreds upon thousands of them, as friend turned against friend, and the entire security system of the United States fell apart. It was impressive thatCaptain America: The Winter Soldiermanaged to stay so grounded and intimate with such a monumental narrative.
The MCU is still dealing with the political and societal impact of HYDRA revealing itself inside SHIELD.
Alexander Pierce, the Undersecretary of the World Security Council and Nick Fury’s close friend, was outed as a high-ranking HYDRA member.SHIELD’s entire STRIKE team, led by Brock Rumlow, were also outed, while this also contributed to lies involving Nick Fury’s “death”, and the reveal thatBucky Barnes was still alive as the brainwashed Winter Soldier. The MCU is still dealing with the political and societal impact of HYDRA revealing itself inside SHIELD, and likely will be for years to come.
1He Who Remains Manipulated The TVA With A Cosmic Fairytale
Loki (2021-2023)
While there have been some pretty massive Earth-based lies from the likes of Wakanda and HYDRA, He Who Remains is the source of the biggest deception in the MCU’s history.Kang the Conqueror variant He Who Remainsbuilt the Time Variance Authority after besting his variants during a Multiversal War and isolating the Sacred Timeline from the rest of the multiverse.He employed variants from Earth to capture rogue variants and prune branching timelines, ensuring no more Kang variants could emerge, but this had a sinister twist.
Instead of being upfront and honest,He Who Remains wiped the memories of everyone in the TVA, and spun them a tale of three cosmic lizards who created and maintain all time, always. This meant they had no memory of their time on the Sacred Timeline, and were destined to spend eternity committing murder by wiping out entire timelines, all based on a whopping lie.He Who Remains' plans were completely unraveled by Loki, who has replaced him as a much more benevolent figure in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, though it remains to be seen for how long.
