After nearly two decades and more than 30 films, Marvel has had to deal with its fair share of controversies. Whether it was fan backlash or mind-boggling creative decisions Greg Evans looks back at 12 times the studio found itself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008, even the most ardent of fans wouldn’t have believed that it would still be going strong 17 years later. Thirty-five movies down the line, the MCU has proven to be an unstoppable behemoth – albeit with many peaks and troughs along the way.
![[Edgar Wright was originally set to direct ‘Ant-Man’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/01/15/12/newFile-1.jpg)
The conveyor belt of films and TV shows that Marvel and Disney have produced so far can feel overwhelming. And with such an intense turnover of projects, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the studio has dealt with numerous controversies in that period. Whether it’s fan backlash, unhappy creators, disgruntled actors or just criticism over sloppy craftsmanship, it often feels like Marvel is never far away from its next stumbling block.
![[Rob Liefeld at the Deadpool and Wolverine premiere]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/07/07/newFile.jpg)
With the critically panned Captain America: Brave New World in cinemas and ahead of a plethora of new films and shows due for release soon – including this summer’s Thunderbolts* and a Fantastic Four reboot – here are 12 times Marvel was caught in a storm that even superpowers couldn’t fix. 12. Fantastic Four’s AI controversy. 11. Directors leaving following creative differences. 10. Deadpool creator cuts ties with Marvel.
![[Anthony Mackie in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/12/17/Film_Review_-_Captain_America__Brave_New_World_19801.jpg)
9. Conservatives threaten boycott after star says ‘honourable’ Captain America is not so American any more. 8. Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner apologise for tasteless joke about Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. “We were asked about the rumours that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America,” Evans said in a statement after the controversy broke. “We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologise.”.
![[Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans laugh at their Black Widow joke in an ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ interview]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/04/24/10/jeremy-renner-chris-evans.jpg)
Renner also issued an apology: “I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.”. 7. Captain Marvel bombarded with negative reviews by ‘sexist trolls’. 6. Marvel actors call the movies “monotonous”. 5. Rebecca Hall has villain role reduced because of toy sales.
![[Brie Larson in ‘Captain Marvel’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2019/02/20/10/brie-larson-captain-marvel.jpg)
4. James Gunn fired from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ over offensive tweets. 3. Tilda Swinton's whitewashed character. 2. Jonathan Majors sacked following assault charges. 1. The MCU’s first LGBT+ character. The representation in Avengers: Endgame, though? An easily missable character named “Grieving Man” in the film’s credits and who, for some reason, was played by Joe Russo himself. Marvel has done better with its LGBT+ representation since then, with the likes of Brian Tyree Henry and Tessa Thompson both playing queer characters in the MCU – but this first attempt felt like a patronising slap on the cheek.
![[Christian Bale as Gorr in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder']](https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/07/06/09/newFile-2.jpg)