There are blessings and curses for the biggest movie franchises in the world. On the one hand, popular movie series are beloved by millions and become one of the storytelling anchors of a filmgoing generation. On the other hand, the fans can be rabid and attack the films in production for the franchise for plot-based cues.
Sometimes, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) can be obsessed with obtaining leaks, spoilers, and rumors about what will transpire in their most-anticipated films. There will always be more rumors that end up being false, but every now and then, some rumors hit. And some of them are pretty crazy.
Odin Goes To Earth
Back in January 2016, Geek.com brought out some rumors for Thor: Ragnarok, a movie that was then twenty-two months away. Before the movie even started filming, they shared the rumor that Anthony Hopkins would return as Odin.
That's not all, though. Geek.com's report also confirmed that Odin would be turning up on Earth, a long way from Asgard. The rumor also stated that Odin would be warning of the Norse apocalypse, which wasn't exactly true, but it was an impressively accurate claim all the same.
Thor Wields Stormbreaker
For the MCU, a large portion of the revenue for the blockbuster films comes from the toy and merchandise sales. As such, some occasional toy leaks come about and fuel some of the rumors revolving around MCU movie plot points.
This was definitely the case for Avengers: Infinity War, which saw a few toys leaked ahead of the movie's release. One of these compounded the rumor that Thor's plot in Infinity War revolved around a pseudo-solo adventure where he'd try to forge a new weapon. The Funko Pop figure confirmed this before the movie was even released.
Bruce Rides The Hulkbuster
The Hulkbuster suit was seen in the trailer for Infinity War, but rumors were instantly abound that Tony Stark was not the one inside the suit even if he did wear it in the second Avengers film. Instead, the rumor stated that Bruce Banner was actually operating the suit that was once used to contain his rage.
Another toy leak ahead of Infinity War revealed the identity of Bruce operating the Hulkbuster. While he didn't burst out of the suit as the Hulk, as suggested by the toy, it did end up coming to fruition that Bruce manned the suit in Wakanda.
Vulture & The Chitauri Will Be A Part Of 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
Devin Faraci's rumors have varied over time, but one instance where he actually hit the truth for Birth. Movies. Death. came ahead of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only did his rumor of the movie's title come true, but so did the villain.
He correctly tabbed The Vulture (Adrian Toomes) as the first MCU villain for a solo MCU Spider-Man outing and he was also accurate in theorizing that Toomes would use reversed-engineered Chitauri technology to equip himself and his accomplices. It was actually a charming rumor that seems to have its origin all the way back in Sam Raimi's cancelled fourth Spider-Man movie, which would have featured John Malkovich as the Vulture.
Professor Hulk Makes His MCU Debut
Mark Ruffalo is one of the MCU actors who's best known for accidentally dropping spoilers and hints or outright live streaming the premieres of Marvel movies. One such interview set Professor Hulk rumors in motion for an entire year.
The rumors gained much more traction when Ruffalo only appeared in marketing materials for Endgame as himself, with no hints of the Hulk nearby. Obviously, this wound up being true as Ruffalo's time in Avengers: Endgame was dominated by the verbose and intelligent Professor Hulk, who was a far cry from his previously rage-filled versions.
No Hawkeye In 'Infinity War'
This eagle-eyed observation from fans on the movie's posters and trailers led to the rumors of Professor Hulk, which proved to be true. The same can also be said of Hawkeye's role in Infinity War, as his outright absence from the marketing led to fan speculation that he'd be missing an Avengers affair for the first time.
While it did end up being true that Hawkeye was not in Infinity War at all, this wasn't always going to be the case. The scene at the beginning of Endgame where the Barton family dies during Thanos' snap was originally meant to take place in Infinity War's final minutes. Ultimately, this was saved for Endgame.
The Deaths Of Vision & Loki
To be fair, these predictions weren't too outlandish. Some thought Vision's death was inevitable since Thanos wanted the Mind Stone and Loki was known for faking his death. Given how obvious these deaths would be, many didn't anticipate that Infinity War would actually commit to them.
Bustle made a whole list about why Vision's death was sealed in stone, while Screen Crush suggested that Loki's death in Infinity War would be heartbreakingly permanent. Helping the latter was the fact that Loki's presence in the Infinity War trailers was limited to one setting (i.e. the spaceship of Asgardian refugees), which was a red flag for some. The two will get their own Disney+ shows, though neither were resurrected after their deaths. Loki is a past version who's exploring alternate timelines while Vision may or may not be a manifestation of Wanda's grief.
Time Travel Would Play A Major Role In 'Endgame'
While Infinity War rumors certainly were insanely bonkers, it's hard to rival the era of Endgame rumors, which strove to make some semblance of sense regarding the chaotic output of the film that many expected.
Set photos of Endgame led to the rumor that time travel would be an important plot point in the grand finale of the Infinity Saga. Between Cap's original Avengers suit and recreations of the Battle of the New York (with an Ant-Man appearance to boot), the trip through MCU history proved to be valid speculation.
Cap Hails Hydra
Some of the most insane Endgame rumors that came true were from a bizarre, anonymous Twitter source named Roger Wardell. As early as December 2018, he was spreading wild, baseless rumors about Endgame that wound up being true.
Among such claims, Wardell was the first to reveal that Steve Rogers would utter the phrase, "Hail Hydra" at some point. This worried fans, who feared that Endgame would adapt the controversial Marvel Comics arc Secret Empire, where Cap was a Hydra sleeper agent. As fringe as Roger was, this rumor surprisingly turned out to be true but, fortunately, "Hail Hydra" was a punchline in Endgame.
Spider-Man Joins The MCU
Lastly, the most insane MCU rumor to come true revolves more around the production of the films than the actual plot points. After the Sony email leaks, rumors gained traction that they would share Spider-Man with Marvel Studios to keep their cash cow property afloat. It seems implausible for major film studios to split custody over a lucrative intellectual property but alas, the rumor was true.
Since the bewildering, unprecedented announcement that the studios would join forces, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has made five MCU appearances and become a fan favorite. That's the power of a cinematic universe for you.