The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a fair few deus ex machinas to contend with, as is the nature of the science fiction, superhero, and fantasy genres. For those unaware, a deus ex machina is a sudden and unexpected solution to a narrative problem, which is usually far too convenient to be believable.

Captain Marvel hadn't been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until Nick Fury suddenly called on her to defeat Thanos. Her very arrival was a deus ex machina in itself, and while there has been an explanation as to who the character is, there's been no real defense of where she's been all those years.

It was an unexpected solution to Peter Parker's problem. Spider-Man's identity had been leaked around the world and the only way to put things right was to completely wipe the memory of Peter from everyone. It was a deus ex machina solution that had been avoided thus far; the final fix that hadn't previously been touched upon but would remove all the good Peter had done.

Doctor Strange had to turn to dark magic to defeat the Scarlet Witch. It was a moment of madness that led to him embracing some of the corrupt teachings of the Darkhold, elements of which he has seemingly held on to for future adventures. Yet, in his past, dark magic had been quite controversial.

Black Widow has never mentioned having a family previously. Characters like White Widow, Iron Maiden, and Red Guardian had never been brought up, although Clint Barton seemed aware of them. It seemed as if they were sudden allies, created out of thin air, to help combat the rest of the Widows. 

Tony Stark has always had some gadgets hidden away, saved for a special occasion. He seemingly has a fix for everything, whether it's the lasers he takes down Whiplash's robots with, or the Hulkbuster armor that he eventually breaks out to combat the incredible Hulk.

Thor's battle against Gorr and his shadow creatures was taken up a notch when he bestowed the surrounding kids with the powers of the god of thunder. It was a feel-good moment that helped to beat down Gorr's forces and ultimately allow Thor to reach victory.

While Thanos and Iron Man might have been the two characters to make the most impact with the Infinity Gauntlet, it was Hulk who utilized the device to bring back all of those that had been snapped away. It genuinely damaged Bruce so much that it seems his replacement in the MCU is being lined up.

The age of Ultron descended upon the MCU, even if that period didn't exactly last very long. The android seemed like an unstoppable force to overcome, with the Avengers having to rally to battle against his seemingly limitless army of robots.

Often, by bringing in this story device, it can help the creative team get out of a sticky situation, allowing the narrative to move forward. But through the MCU, the use of these deus ex machinas has ensured that other plot holes have arisen, which might have to be addressed at some point down the line.

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