When you live in a world of masked superheroes, aliens falling from the sky, and powers that cross dimensions, the weapons involved can be stranger than just fancy swords or guns.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a world of movies and television series that thrive on scientific experimentation and outlandish fantasy. With all of that comes a variety of objects that can be both weapons and defense mechanisms.
Each chapter of the MCU has introduced different items, but for as many as have stuck around (Hulkbuster armor, the tesseract, etc.) there are just as many that disappeared for years that the audience might have forgot even existed.
Just as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fifth season brought back gravitonium nearly 100 episodes later, the MCU will likely bring many more weapons back to the screen in future movie installments.
We’ll soon see the return of the hidden infinity stones thanks to Avengers: Infinity War as well, but there are still plenty of pieces of weaponry out there that likely won’t make a comeback.
In some cases, the lack of a return might be because the weapons are obsolete, but in others, it might be because there’s no plot point that needs their return.
We’re taking a look at the 9 Weapons Hidden In The MCU That Even True Fans Forgot About (And 8 We’ll Never See).
Still Hidden: Ebony Blade
As one of the few weapons here that never officially made it into the MCU, the Ebony Blade was slated for a spot in Doctor Strange.
Initially, the sword was designed by the props team to appear in the Lexicon of Relics, but was eventually eliminated from the script for an unknown reason. This mystical sword has an interesting history in the comics though.
The sword was created from a meteor and used by one of the Knights of the Round Table. Created by Stan Lee and first debuting in comics in 1955, it typically belongs to the Black Knight, usually descendants of that first user.
It’s also come into the possession of Black Panther in the comics, though, and in fact, Shuri used it to defend herself against invaders in Wakanda. Perhaps its cut from Doctor Strange means it’s lurking out there in the MCU for future use.
Never See Again: Peggy’s Sweet Dreams Lipstick
Over the course of the Agent Carter television series many “new” pieces of technology and weapons were introduced. Since the series was set in the 1940s, though, many of those things are now outdated.
One weapon that Peggy Carter only put to use once early on the show was a very special kind of lipstick. Called 102 Sweet Dreams, it wasn’t just a pretty shade, but knocked out anyone she kissed while wearing it.
In addition to being something straight out of an old spy comic, it’s the kind of weapon that requires someone to get a little too close to their target.
Modern versions of the weapon include Black Widow’s widow stings and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ICER bullets. There’s no reason for the MCU to revisit this weapon — unless they decide to go back in time.
Still Hidden: The Darkhold
With the introduction of Doctor Strange to the MCU, there are sure to be many magical elements. One that was missing in his first movie did turn up on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.The Darkhold brought a sense of magic to the show.
The comic book version of the book was written by a god and even had demons bound in its pages. While the show didn’t expand on that, it did showcase the immense power of The Darkhold and how it corrupted the minds of those who used it. With it, new dimensions were opened and new powers explored.
Last the audience saw it, Robbie Reyes took the book with him and seemingly opened a door to the MCU version of Hell. Given that Ghost Rider is still out there and there is more Doctor Strange on the way, it’s only a matter of time before the book returns.
Never See Again: Extremis
Extremis made its debut in Iron Man 3. Though it was an interesting attempt to recreate a super soldier, the formula has likely run its course.
A formula based in nanotechnology, extremis was intended to recreate the success the Strategic Scientific Reserve had with Captain America.
Created by Maya Hansen and Tony Stark, Advanced Idea Mechanics improved it. Instead of getting an easily led army, the formula was unstable and put Pepper Potts in danger. It also appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The extremis formula was part of the cocktail that turned Mike Peterson into someone with super strength and stamina — before he became Deathlok.
The formula was stabilized thanks to a paralytic agent in a bullet. With everyone involved in its creation now out of the picture (except for Iron Man himself) and only one person living successfully with it, its time in the MCU is seemingly over.
Still Hidden: Staff of the Living Tribunal
It wasn’t Doctor Strange who introduced this magical artifact to the MCU, but rather one of the men who trained him. Karl Mordo used the staff as his weapon of choice.
The staff gets its name from a Marvel comic book character known as the Living Tribunal. A cosmic entity, the character was first introduced when he challenged Doctor Strange to prove there was enough good in the world to make it worth saving. A vastly powerful entity, the Living Tribunal observes the multiverse and maintains balance in it.
Whether audiences will ever be introduced to the Living Tribunal on the screen remains to be seen, but the staff was last seen in the hands of Karl Mordo.
Mordo abandoned his old life, taking the staff with him, when he decided to seek out more power. We’ll certainly see him and the staff again.
Never See Again: The Substance
When Sigourney Weaver’s character revealed that she and several members of the Hand were positively ancient on The Defenders, the audience wondered just how that was possible. As it turned out, a mysterious substance kept them alive.
That substance was eventually revealed to be created from the bones of dragons — yes, actual dragons — and there was an entire dragon graveyard under New York. Before the members of the Hand could unearth any, the Defenders and their allies blew up a building on top of them.
One could argue that since Daredevil (and likely Elektra as well) was dug up from the rubble that dragon bones could be as well, but the storyline that would result would be too repetitive for Marvel to retread. The substance won’t be keeping anyone else alive any time soon.
Still Hidden: The Judas Bullet
When a man reveals himself as bulletproof, plenty of villains try to find a way to bring him down and restore their own power. Such was the case in Luke Cage.
The Judas bullet was designed and developed with alien technology scavenged during the aftermath of events in The Avengers.
Though Luke Cage had unbreakable skin, the bullet was able to pierce him. The bullet also trickled down through the MCU to appear in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when Jeffrey Mace had a similar power set.
It would be more surprising if this particular weapon doesn’t pop up again in the hands of more villains in a super powered world.
As Diamondback pointed out, “You don’t need to [end] God with one shot to sell a weapon. You just need to make him bleed.” Sales of the Judas bullet should be pretty high in the MCU.
Never See Again: Midnight Oil
Originally conceived as a combat drug, Howard Stark designed a gas for the military that was supposed to help keep soldiers awake for days at a time. Instead, it drove them mad.
The gas made its appearance in the first season of Agent Carter, though it had ties to World War II and Captain America.
After Howard Stark realized how dangerous his invention was, he sealed it away, but it was stolen and used by soldiers. A Russian contingent massacred one another, and Stark cut all his military ties.
Over the course of the season, he also destroyed all his research into the gas so it couldn’t be replicated, so it’s unlikely to be seen again. As the MCU has since evolved to demonstrate other combat drugs, like the ones used by Will Simpson in Jessica Jones, the midnight oil would be obsolete now.
Still Hidden: Staff of One
The Staff of One had a bit of a cameo in Doctor Strange, but it’s real story occurs in the Marvel series Runaways.
With Runaways exclusively on Hulu in the United States, its audience claims slightly smaller numbers than the rest of Marvel’s properties, so forgetting that the Staff of One exists within the MCU can be forgiven.
While it’s essentially a magic wand in the comics, the series sees it as a scientific advancement. Created by Tina Minoru at her tech company, her DNA is necessary to activate it.
That means that only Tina and her descendants can utilize its abilities. So far, her daughter Nico hasn’t been able to get much practice in with it, though she did steal it on more than one occasion.
The last audiences saw of the staff, it was in Tina’s possession. She used it to make sure her husband could remain alive.
Never See Again: Hammer Tech’s Suits
Like the Judas bullet in Luke Cage, Justin Hammer’s tech company also used alien technology to augment defensive suits to wear in combat. Also like the Judas bullet, Diamondback made use of it in the series.
The suit looked remarkably similar to what Diamondback wore in the comics, full of plenty of padding to keep the villain safe from Luke Cage. In a perfect world, the MCU would probably use it again. In the MCU though, technology has already moved on.
Audiences have seen the vibranium woven into clothing in Black Panther, upgrades to Iron Man’s suits over the years, and more.
With more aliens on their way to Earth in Infinity War as well, the technology of Hammer Tech will be outdated by the time Luke Cage’s second season debuts in June.
Still Hidden: Tesseract Powered 0-8-4
In only the second episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the team uncovered what looked like an ancient artifact embedded in rock in Peru. It appeared to be of German design around World War II and fueled by tesseract technology.
That object of unknown origin AKA 0-8-4, was stored in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility until Hydra took control. Most (if not all) of Hydra’s assets were seized as they were dismantled, but there is also a small pocket of Hydra still left, as revealed in the fifth season of the series.
As far as the audience knows, this particular 0-8-4 is in storage somewhere in a government facility, just waiting to see the light of day and produce massive blasts of energy again.
Never See Again: Captain America’s “New” Shield
Spider-Man: Homecoming, set after the division of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, included a throw-away line about a brand new weapon.
While packing up what used to be Stark Tower, it’s mentioned that there’s a new shield for Captain America.
Presumably, Tony Stark made a brand new shield for his comrade in arms before the events of Civil War, though we never saw him use it. After their falling out, and Captain America leaving his shield behind, we’ll likely never see him use this particular shield.
Instead, the Avengers: Infinity War trailers show the hero using a shield made in Wakanda and gifted to him by Black Panther. With so many inventions and research locked away, perhaps Tony Stark will find a way to repurpose the materials for what would have been Captain America’s new shield.
Still Hidden: The Cocoon
One of the most talked about Easter eggs in Guardians of the Galaxy was a cocoon in the Collector’s shop. With the Guardians only occupying two movies, it’s easy to forget that there’s a massively powerful being waiting out in space — and no, we don’t mean Thanos.
That cocoon is a precursor to one that holds comic book character Adam Warlock, one of the most powerful beings on the page.
He even rivaled Thanos for power and the Infinity Gauntlet. Essentially immortal thanks to the cocoon helping him to evolve, he can consume energy to increase his strength.
The character has yet to be introduced, but we could see him in an eventual Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Never See Again: The Berserker Staff
Throughout its five seasons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has maintained an interesting relationship with all things Asgardian. While Thor hasn’t popped by for a visit, Lady Sif and an Asgardian who found refuge on Earth have.
During the first instance of Asgardian lore making its way into the show in season one, the agents went on the hunt for the pieces of a staff that magnified the rage inside of someone.
Known as the Berserker Staff, it sent believers in the Norse gods on a rampage. The only team member able to successfully handle it was Agent May.
The staff emerged again during the Hydra uprising, but it was left, along with several Hydra operatives, buried at the bottom of a secret base in Cuba. The series hasn’t returned there since, and it seems unlikely that anyone ever dug the staff out of the rubble at this point.
Still Hidden: Darkforce
While Darkforce initially debuted in the MCU on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it got its own origin story on Agent Carter, where it was called Zero Matter when first discovered.
Darkforce, according to Agent Carter’s storyline, draws energy to itself and absorbs it. So far, the MCU has used it to make someone intangible, to pull electricity from people and objects, and to create sentient shadows. Its manifestations seem to differ depending on the storyline.
When Darkforce first appeared on Agent Carter, it resulted from a dimensional rift. That idea might come back into play in the MCU when Cloak and Dagger debuts this year.
In the comics, Cloak’s ability to teleport relies on that Darkforce Dimension as well. With so many characters affected over the course of 70 years, we’re sure to see more of it.
Never See Again: Nexus of all Realities
Not a formal weapon, but something that could definitely be utilized as one, the Nexus of All Realities only appeared as an Easter egg in the MCU so far. It seems unlikely that we’ll see it in all of its comic book glory.
In the comics, the Nexus of All Realities can be found in the middle of the Florida Everglades, guarded by a character called Man-Thing.
Man-Thing has a history in the MCU, even if he never appeared on screen. His wife appeared in Iron Man 3 as an extremis experiment. He got a mention by Maria Hill in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Nexus appeared as an Easter egg in a board written by Dr. Selvig that highlighted several other comic book locations in Thor: The Dark World. With the MCU already providing tears between dimensions, highlighting an area where all realities and dimensions meet isn’t needed.
Still Hidden: The Soul Stone
With Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon, many audience members won’t forget this particular weapon, but there might be a few out there who don’t realize that not all of the Infinity Stones are accounted for.
The only one we haven’t seen in action in the MCU just yet is the Soul Stone. Its powers in the comics revolve around people’s souls, hence the name.
The Soul Stone can steal the souls of living beings and trap them inside itself. It can also protect whoever wields it from attacks on their own soul. So far, it’s unclear just how it will be translated for the screen.
Plenty of fans theorize that we’ll finally see the Soul Stone in Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War since the country became a big part of the MCU in Black Panther. We’ll find out for sure when the movie lands in theaters this month.
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Did we forget other weapons out there lurking in the MCU? Let us know which ones we missed, and where you think they might appear next, in the comments!
