mcu

Ever spotted a familiar supervillain waltzing back into a franchise just as you thought you’d buried them under your emotional Marvel baggage? You’re not alone. And no, you’re not experiencing déjà vu—Hollywood’s favorite magic trick these days is resurrecting fan favorites faster than you can say "Phase Six."

Just this week, Gizmodo dropped the scoop that the MCU is plotting the return of even more characters, from Nebula to Hela (yes, that Hela—get your crushed Mjolnir memes ready). Forget "nobody dies in comics”; it’s now "nobody’s career ever really ends in the MCU."

But before you shake your fist at yet another cinematic resurrection or roll your eyes at Loki’s inevitable comeback, let’s ask: why does this keep working? And what can writers—scripted or aspiring—learn from pop culture’s eternal second act?

Why the Resurrection Obsession?

Let’s face it: bringing back characters is the emotional equivalent of surprise pizza at a writer’s room meeting. Audiences love familiarity. Studios love guaranteed box office. But there’s a deeper, sneakier reason: returning faces turbocharge narrative stakes.

When Nebula limps back onto the scene, she’s not just purple with rage—she drags a tangled web of unresolved relationships, grudges, and dangling plot-threads with her. Every comeback is a storytelling cheat code: connecting the past, re-igniting conflicts, and summoning instant audience investment.

But here’s the twist: recycling faces isn’t lazy if you remix the recipe. Writers, take notes!

Open Loop: The Marvel Method (and How to Steal It)

You might be thinking: "Sure, Marvel’s got billion-dollar nostalgia, but my script is just me and my cat binge-watching Netflix." Wrong! The comeback formula is universal—and shockingly adaptable.

Ask yourself: - Which of your characters has unfinished business? - Whose return would upend everything? - How can an old hero or villain reveal something new about your story world—or even themselves?

Now you’re MCU-ing your own universe. You’re welcome.

How the Infinite Dude Media Gets It

And if you’re wondering where to find a tribe who analyzes, dissects, and worships these storytelling tactics for fun, look no further than storytelling masterminds making waves online. The Infinite Dude Media crowd gets that characters aren’t just chess pieces. They’re the gravitational centers of any great script, whether they’re wielding magic hammers, cursed hockey masks (looking at you, recast Crystal Lake), or merely a killer one-liner.

You want to level up your own narrative game? Join conversations, study how the pros relaunch arcs, and bounce your wildest comeback ideas off creators who know the difference between fan service and smart, emotional payoff. Infinite Dude Media’s digital watercooler is where plotlines that stick—and stick around—are born.

3 Scriptwriting Hacks We Can All Swipe from Phase 6

1. Raise the Stakes, Don’t Just Recycle: When bringing a character back, let them complicate the story—don't just drop them in for a cameo. Make their presence a game-changer.

2. Recontextualize Past Events: Use their return to reveal hidden truths. Suddenly, that showdown three movies ago? It means something entirely different now.

3. Exploit Emotional Payoff: Let their journey mirror the audience’s nostalgia. Reward fans, but keep them guessing—did someone say, "Hela’s secret redemption arc?"

The Bigger Picture: Comebacks Are Here to Stay

If you’re secretly worried your script is too reliant on returning faces, relax. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature. People crave connection—not just with new characters, but with the ones they’ve already invested years (and buckets of popcorn) in. The real magic is making every return feel inevitable and unpredictable.

So, what’s your Hela moment? Are you brave enough to resurrect an old idea and spin it in a way that’ll shock even your most genre-weary reader?

One thing’s for sure: as long as there are franchises and feverish fans, the return will always be in fashion. Steal the best moves, remix the rest, and drop by this community of infinite story possibilities for more plot resurrection know-how. Because in storytelling, just like in the MCU, it’s never truly over—until the mid-credits scene rolls.

What character would you bring back if you had Marvel’s magic wand? Tell us in the comments. Maybe your idea will be the next Phase Seven headline…