A lot of reviews for nostalgia-baiting franchise installments like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have used the term “fan service” in a negative light. But giving fans what they want isn’t always a bad thing. It can be cheap and indulgent, like the Overlook-set Shining homage sequence in Doctor Sleep, but it can also be euphorically entertaining, like Luke Skywalker’s return to action in The Mandalorian.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige has proven himself to be a master of making the fan base’s wildest dreams come true – like putting Thor’s hammer in Captain America’s hand or teaming up all the cinematic Spider-Men in one movie – in wholly unexpected ways.
10 Next Time, Baby! (Iron Man)
The first Iron Man movie – the game-changing gem that kicked off the MCU in 2008 – teased the introduction of War Machine for the sequel. When James Rhodes stops by Tony Stark’s lab and spies a shiny suit of armor, he quips, “Next time, baby.”
Rhodey would go on to don the War Machine armor in Iron Man 2, but he wasn’t played by Terrence Howard. Due to contractual disputes, he was instead played by Don Cheadle, who shared equally brilliant chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr.
9 J.K. Simmons Returns As J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
J.K. Simmons’ standout performance as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy defined his character traits perfectly. Feige recognized that nobody else could play the motormouth Daily Bugle editor as effectively as Simmons and brought him back when Jameson was introduced into the MCU in Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credits scene.
While Simmons’ performance is spot-on across the board, the MCU’s Jameson is more like the podcaster heard throughout the Spider-Man PS4 game than the traditional newspaper editor seen in the Raimi trilogy.
8 Hulk Vs. Hulkbuster (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
The most exhilarating Marvel action scenes feel like the filmmakers are playing with action figures on-screen, like the elevator fight in The Winter Soldier or the Battle of Titan in Infinity War.
A perfect example of that is the Hulk’s fight with Tony Stark in his Hulkbuster armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The scene doesn’t necessarily serve the plot, but it’s exactly what fans wanted to see as soon as the Hulkbuster armor was introduced.
7 Thanos-Copter (Loki)
In the penultimate episode of Loki, the titular trickster god is stranded at the edge of the universe with a bunch of other discarded variants of himself, including President Loki, Kid Loki, and Alligator Loki.
Among the Easter eggs that can be spotted in the background of this place is a live-action rendition of the Thanos-Copter, the goofy branded helicopter flown by the Mad Titan in the comics.
6 Michael Giacchino’s Revamped Spider-Man Theme (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
When Michael Giacchino was tapped to come up with a theme for the latest incarnation of the Spider-Man franchise, he decided not to compose a new tune and instead revamped a familiar one that already captured the character perfectly.
The opening credits of Spider-Man: Homecoming are set to a glorious orchestral rendition of the fan-favorite Spidey theme from the old cartoon series: “Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Does whatever a spider can.”
5 Steve Rogers Lifts Thor’s Hammer (Avengers: Endgame)
Before being joined by the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the core trio of Avengers – Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America – face Thanos alone in the finale of Endgame. When the God of Thunder is getting pummeled, his hammer levitates from the ground and smacks the Mad Titan in the head.
But it wasn’t summoned by Thor himself; it was summoned by Cap, who’s worthy of wielding Mjolnir after all. This moment is pure fan service, but it works beautifully.
4 Ant-Man Hangs From Hawkeye’s Arrow (Captain America: Civil War)
The airport battle in Captain America: Civil War, in which the Avengers that support the Sokovia Accords fight the ones that don’t support it, is filled with moments of fan service, like Spider-Man stealing Cap’s shield.
One of the standout moments is a recreation of iconic comic book art in which a shrunken-down Ant-Man takes a ride on one of Hawkeye’s arrows. This is followed by even more Ant-Man fan service with his triumphant transformation into Giant-Man.
3 Stan Lee Is A Watcher (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2)
After the MCU established a trend of Stan Lee cameoing as a different character in every movie, a fan theory rose to prominence suggesting that Lee was playing a Watcher tasked with keeping an eye on the Avengers’ activities.
While Yondu, Rocket, and Groot are bouncing from planet to planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, they zip past a bunch of Watchers – one of whom is played by Lee, recounting his days as a FedEx worker – confirming that fan theory.
2 I Am Iron Man (Avengers: Endgame)
In many ways, Endgame is a love letter to the fans who followed the Infinity Saga for over a decade. It has a thrilling sense of finality and a bunch of payoffs that audiences waited years for.
The movie brings Tony’s entire MCU arc full circle when he snatches the Infinity Stones from Thanos and tells him, “I am Iron Man” – the same thing he said to the world at the end of the first Iron Man movie – before snapping his fingers and making the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe.
1 Live-Action Spider-Verse (Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Sony and Marvel officially announced the inclusion of multiversal villains like Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock in the lead-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home’s release. But whether or not Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men would appear alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was technically just fan speculation until the threequel hit theaters.
Of course, fans weren’t disappointed. The rumors were true: No Way Home opened up a live-action Spider-Verse incorporating Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men into the MCU. This experimental, self-aware premise could’ve easily gone wrong, but director Jon Watts nailed it with a strong thematic throughline evoking the timeless classics of Frank Capra.
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Author: Ben Sherlock
