Daily News for Marvel Movie

Summary

• Some early jokes in the MCU movies haven't aged well and can ruin certain scenes.
• Certain jokes, like the one about Black Widow and Hulk, were inappropriate and didn't fit with the overall tone of the film.
• Some jokes, like the Taserface joke, went on for too long and became tiresome.

The MCU is packed full of memorable jokes, but a few from the franchise's early phases have only gotten worse with time. Though the franchise has had serious projects sprinkled across its releases, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had deep roots in comedy since Robert Downey Jr. presented a bold and snarky take on Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man. Since then, everyone from Thor to Captain Marvel has had at least a few good zingers.
Though Marvel Studios has occasionally been criticized for undermining serious moments with unneeded humor, the cinematic universe overall has done well with comedy. That being the case, the early days of the franchise finding its footing were often accompanied by jokes that just didn't land. Some poor humor can simply be ignored, but others remain so cringy to this day that they ruin the parts of the MCU movies they're in.
RelatedMCU: The 10 Best & Funniest InsultsThe MCU is known for its signature jokes and quips, including some truly hilarious insults. Revisit the very best of the franchise! 10 Nebula Eats A Yaro Root That Just Isn't Ripe Yet Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a great film overall with some truly hilarious moments, but one running joke falls completely flat. While Nebula is held captive by the Guardians (before fully embracing her face turn later), she repeatedly asks for a bite of a Yaro root. She's repeatedly told that it's not ripe yet, but later, after a battle with the Ravagers, she bites in anyway. She spits the bite out, agreeing that it isn't ripe. The joke is set up way too many times for what is an obvious punchline, and the payoff is over-explained and unfunny. On repeat watching, the repeated warnings for Nebula not to take a bit seem even worse, knowing the poor payoff that's coming.
9 Stark Makes An Inappropriate Joke To Black Widow The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) Tony Stark is no stranger to jokes and one-liners, but this particular quip feels out of character and simply doesn't land. Wondering what's taking Natasha so long to recover Bruce after his rampage as the Hulk, Bruce warns over the team's comms, "Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini." The line isn't particularly funny or befitting the movie's battle scene, but it looks worse in hindsight given the MCU's overarching issues with Black Widow. The butt of constant sexualization early on and a few other inopportune attempts at humor, joking about Widow hooking up with Hulk should have been left on the cutting room floor.
8 Korg Can't Let A Serious Moment Simmer Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Korg goes a bit too far at the end of Thor: Ragnarok and ruins what should have been a more emotional scene. After Thor makes the impossible decision to let Surtur destroy Asgard to defeat Hela, the surviving Asgardians, Korg, Miek, and a few other fighters from Sakaar watch the event from a ship flying away. It should be a huge moment as a race of gods watch their ancient homeworld crumble, and Korg begins a reasonable speech about rebuilding Asgard from the foundations to become a haven for disenfranchised beings. Then, when Asgard completely explodes, he ruins it by saying, "Those foundations are gone, sorry," completely ruining the moment.
7 The Taserface Joke Goes On Way Too Long Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Close When a group of Ravagers overthrow Yondu due to his perceived softening, their leader is the oddly named Taserface. One joke about the absurdity of comic book names works well, but the film returns to the same punchline far too many times. The Guardians series generally nails its humor, but like a few other jokes, this one simply goes on too long.
6 Spider-Man Shows His Age Incredibly Awkwardly Captain America: Civil War Close Captain America: Civil War had a lot of pressure to finally introduce Spider-Man to the MCU. While most of his time in the movie is brilliant, one attempt to show how young he is feels incredibly forced. When considering how to take down Ant-Man in giant form, Peter asks, "Hey Guys! You ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?" It's not that the movie isn't old, but the phrasing seems like a writer trying way too hard to make Peter's age and perspective funny, and the line doesn't seem to reflect how young people speak at all. The joke is made worse as it's revisited in Infinity War, that time referencing Aliens.
5 Ultron Forgets A Word Avengers: Age Of Ultron Ultron gives a speech to Wanda and Pietro Maximoff and in it lists examples of cause and effect. He notes that external threats created the Avengers and "people create…. smaller people? Uh…children? Children! I lost the word there." The idea that Ultron is young and still learning makes sense, but the joke here is poorly placed in an otherwise engaging scene and doesn't make sense with his dialogue at all through the rest of the film. Ultron is one of the Avengers' most terrifying villains at his worst, but moments like these really detract from his presence.
4 Bruce Falls Onto Natasha's Chest Avengers: Age of Ultron Avengers: Age of Ultron seemed determined to establish a romantic tie between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, but it was punctuated by a handful of uncomfortable and unfunny moments. Worse among them is when Ultron first attacks the Avengers in Avengers Tower. Bruce vaults over the bar, landing face down in Black Widow's chest. The two share an awkward glance, and Natasha says, "Don't turn green!" The scene goes from unfunny to truly cringy in hindsight with the knowledge that writer and director Joss Whedon would write the exact same joke into Justice League, this time between the Flash and Wonder Woman.
3 Thor Gets An Insult At The Wrong Time Avengers: Endgame (2019) Close Avengers: Endgame shows Thor at his lowest point, overcome with grief and guilt over everything he's lost and his failure to stop Thanos from carrying out his snap. This leads him to overeat and gain weight, which is played partially as tragic and partially as an awkward joke. However, as Thor finally finds some fire within himself once again, Rhodey interrupts him by suggesting it's "Cheez Whiz" running through his veins, not anything noble or heroic. It completely kills what is otherwise a great speech and an important moment of characterization as Thor overcomes what he perceives as his biggest personal failing.
2 Shuri's Meme Reference Was Already Dated When She Said It Black Panther (2018) Early in Black Panther, T'Challa visits Shuri's lab to see what she's been working on. When he asks about an item, she turns the question around, looking at his sandals and proclaiming, "What are those!". The real-life meme was a sensation, but it peaked in 2015 (a year before Black Panther's release). In internet joke times, a year is an eternity, and the dated reference seemed like an awkward attempt to position Shuri as a hip teen.
1 Captain America Picks A Weird Time For A Moral Stand Avengers: Age Of Ultron There's no doubt that Captain America is one of the most heroic characters in the MCU, but Avengers: Age of Ultron tries to play up his moral standings in an awkward way. The movie's opening sequence sees the Avengers battling through a Hydra base, and throughout it, Steve won't stop telling people to watch their language when they use the lightest of curse words. The attempt to showcase Steve's antiquated manners in a war zone may make sense on paper, but it doesn't fit with the character's other movie appearances or the scene's violent nature.