The Marvel Cinematic Universe is replete with seemingly ordinary events that have significantly changed the future of the franchise.
Some seemingly insignificant decisions can alter the course of history or remarkably impact the future—and often—no one can see these events coming. MCU has been all about universe-altering moments. While some incidents would be fundamental to the plot, others altered the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe more than others. Certain events needed to occur to catalyze the other circumstances that introduced new superheroes or narrated an origin story.
When Tony was looking for more support on his side—to fight against Steve Rogers—he approached Peter Parker as an ally. Peter was just a teen boy, but he had the potential to fight against Steve.
By recruiting Peter, Tony also introduced Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This alliance set the stage for the growing closeness between the iconic duo—Peter Parker and Tony Stark—which later turned into an absolute fan-favorite superhero partnership. It also paved the path to present Peter's quirky combat style and personality.
The destruction of Asgard plays a critical role in determining the emotional state of Thor in the subsequent films—Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. In the following films—Thor is plagued by the grief of losing his home and the guilt of disappointing his people. The grief intensifies in Avengers: Endgame—the Asgardian God holds himself responsible for failing to prevent Thanos' snap—and was so grief-stricken that he had almost given up the hope of battling against the evil Titan.
Peter Parker's desire to undo the event in which Mysterio discloses Spider-Man's real identity results in the former’s interruption of Doctor Strange while he was casting the memory spell. As a result, the Multiverse gets involved.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doc Ock, Sandman, Electro, the Lizard and Green Goblin return to seek revenge on Peter Parker. However, the events also involve Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man variants.
The heartbreaking conclusion of the film leads to a massive change—Peter (Tom Holland) erases people’s memories of him—to save the world. In the end, everyone remembers the existence of Spider-Man but forgets who Peter Parker is.
Kamala Khan—in Ms. Marvel—accidentally discovered her superpowers by putting on a bangle, which looked like a regular ornament, but it later turned out to be a Quantum Band. She found it after unboxing a parcel from her nani (grandmother).
She wears the bracelet to a superhero convention—as a part of her costume and unintentionally activates her powers, eventually becoming Ms. Marvel. Had Kamala’s grandmother not sent her the Quantum Band, or had she not tried it on, her powers would have never been unleashed. This event played a critical role in the making of the first three members of the Young Avengers in the future.
This is hands down one of the most hilarious moments in MCU that had a massive impact. In the first Ant-Man film, Scott Lang gets terminated from Baskin-Robbins. He is seen struggling to find a stable job and meet Cassie—his daughter—who is on child support.
When Scott’s brief stint does not work out at Baskin-Robbins, he decides to steal money. It eventually leads him to Hank Pym's house, and his journey to becoming Ant-Man kickstarts there. Had Scott never lost his job at Baskin-Robbins, he may have lived an ordinary life and never become Ant-Man. It would have massively changed the course of actions even in Avengers: Endgame.
While it is true that, throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe— tragic deaths, major battles, and new character introductions have molded the trajectory of larger arcs and individual stories —smaller coincidences have also left substantial effects on the timeline of the franchise. Some of the defining moments and critical events of the MCU emerged from seemingly inconsequential incidents, permanently reshaping the future of the franchise.
