It’s odd to think about, but there was a time when the worlds of Marvel and DC comics were quite niche places. They were for the staunch enthusiasts, the people who argue late into the night on the internet about petty details from issue #324 of such-and-such comic.

This is true of all of media, though. Think about video games, and how two bearded dudes playing Pong used to be the height of the hobby. Times change, friends. As anything gains popularity, it’s also going to start to gain mainstream acceptance.

Those outdated, cheesy clichés about basement dwellers are fading into obscurity. These days, everyone from young children to the elderly is gaming. It’s opened up, become much more inclusive, and so has the world of comic books.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but in the last few years, Marvel have released a movie or two. They’ve done relatively well, sales-wise. By which I mean, they’ve made Marvel the biggest pop culture juggernaut since Harry Potter, and the makers are rolling in our cash like Scrooge McDuck.

Prior to the MCU phenomenon taking off, superhero discussions among anyone over the age of 14 or so were frowned upon in public. Now, people from all walks of life are buzzing about the release of each new movie; it’s a beautiful thing.

The only issue is, it’s thrown the spotlight on all kinds of shonky details. Here’s our rundown of the best Marvel logic memes on the web.

25 When You Spoil 'Thor: Ragnarok'

1- When You Spoil 'Thor- Ragnarok'
Via: memegenerator.net

So, naturally, being the Marvelholics we all are these days, we’re totally up to date with the movies. We’ve seen Thor: Ragnarok, and its… well, that ending. If you haven’t, for whatever unacceptable reason, you’re going to want to avert your eyes for this first entry. Just scroll on down a little.

As for the rest of us, we know that the great fire demon Surtur (who Thor defeated in the movie’s opening scene) was resurrected, trampling Asgard into smoking flecks of fiery destruction. As pest control solutions go, this could best be described as on the excessive side, but needs must. Hela was a super interesting character, and it was great to see our heroes meet their match and have to go to such extreme lengths to (seemingly) prevail.

24 When You Exploit The Avengers' Only Weakness (Old Video Footage)

2- When You Exploit The Avengers' Only Weakness (Old Video Footage)
Via: Pinterest (Avengers)

Speaking of which, that’s a situation that these movies-of-the-comics adaptions are having to deal with more and more. After all, we’ve spent decades hyping up our heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, the X-Men and all the rest. Other than equally-powerful supervillains, who can really hope to oppose them?

Generally, their enemies will take the outnumbered-but-outgunned route, throwing waves upon waves of foes at this iconic band of goodly super-people. All this really does is make them look even more powerful, as they dispatch them all in various flashy ways.

It’s like a freaking live-action God of War.

Lately, though, we’ve been emphasizing the fact that they aren’t invulnerable. They’re still human, and have all the emotional flaws that come with such. In the end, who were their greatest enemies? Each other. And Captain Mission Report December 16, 1991 over here, of course.

23 When Superman Gets All Uppity And You've Got To Teach Him Some Chill

3- When Superman Gets All Uppity And You've Got To Teach Him Some Chill
Via: funsubstance.com

Often, when it comes to superhero discussion, Superman is one of the most hyped out there. For good reason, of course. When it comes to raw power and abilities, there aren’t many that can match up to him. On paper, anyway. Who gave Batfleck a bat’s nostril of a chance against the guy in Batman Vs Superman? Nobody, that’s who.

He did get a couple of decent shots in, though, so more power to him. The thing is, over his long run in the comics, the writers have added to and augmented Superman’s abilities to a ridiculous degree. “Leap tall buildings in a single bound? Nuts to that, how about just plain old flight? And bright red underpants over the outfit, obviously. Now that’s a superhero.”

22 When The Real Star Of The Marvel Show Needs To Get His Due

4- When The Real Star Of The Marvel Show Needs To Get His Due
Via: Pinterest (All Things Marvel)

Marvel, as we know, have the movie game pretty well tied up. As a lot of fans will tell you, DC’s own efforts (while darn effective money-spinners themselves) just can’t really hold a candle.

What is the magic formula that Marvel seem to have perfected?

For some of us, it’s that delicate balance of super flashy action and genuinely funny moments. Comic relief is a huge factor here, and it’s especially welcome after huge, melodramatic setpieces (see: Captain America: Civil War).

Luis here is one character who was crucial to that in Ant-Man. A former cellmate and best friend of Scott Lang, Luis has a way of telling a story that’s just… it’s perfect. It’s hilarious. If Michael Pena would narrate audiobooks in character, that would make my life.

21 When You Fall Foul Of Thor And His Super-Impractical Hammer

5- When You Fall Foul Of Thor And His Super-Impractical Hammer
Via: quotesnhumor.com

Of all the questionable logic in the comic book world, one of my favourite examples would have to be that of Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. Now, as we know, Marvel’s Thor is loosely based on the deity of Norse mythology. So too is his weapon.

The mythological Thor was also able to throw it at his enemies. It would never miss, nor would it ever fail to return to his hand after throwing. Marvel’s Thor Odinson enjoys additional powers above and beyond that, such as the ability to fly by spinning Mjölnir. Another thing the movies make clear is that only the worthy may wield the legendary weapon; fellow Avengers cannot even lift it.

The practicalities of this concept are endlessly debated (if the Hulk picks up Thor while he’s holding it, say, does that make him worthy? What kind of garbage is this?), but let’s not get into it.

20 When You Just Can't Choose A Favourite Darn Avenger

6- When You Just Can't Choose A Favourite Darn Avenger
Via: owned.com

Ah, yes. The ultimate schoolyard debate: which superhero is the strongest? The best?

Now, really, there’s no answer to this one. Marvel and DC alike have twisted and flip-flopped their timelines so much that there’s just too much variation to make a real judgment. You might have thought that Superman would effortlessly crush Batman into tiny bleeding hunks of tear-soaked spam on the sidewalk, but that wasn’t how the movies played out at all.

It’s all about the context, really. Who could or couldn’t triumph over the other can change dramatically, depending on where we are in their storyline. In this world, heroes can pull previously-unknown powers out of their undercrackers at any moment.

As such, it can be tough to choose. So why bother? If you’ve been umming and ahhing over a cosplay outfit, why not go as all of the Avengers at once?

19 When Nobody Has Time For The Good Guys Any More

7- When Nobody Has Time For The Good Guys Any More
Via: 9gag.com

Growing up with video games like Black and White, I’ve always been interested by different moral decisions and what influences people to make them.

More and more, games are adopting a morality system, whereby players are asked to make a choice between various courses of action. Somewhere along the line, they tend to be rewarded or punished for their decisions. They may also alter the course of the entire storyline in the process.

Often, the tendency with these sorts of systems is to go rogue, choose the darker, edgier path.

You know how it is. You’re given a choice between Help That Harmless Grandma Across The Road or Push Her Into The Path Of A Speeding SUV, and the psychotic impulse is real.

This totally and 100% scientific explanation also applies to the age-old question, why do girls like bad boys?

18 When Hawkeye's Unlimited Arrow Hax Is Real

9- When Hawkeye's Unlimited Arrow Hax Is Real
Via: rebloggy.com

It’s that same old criticism, isn’t it? Back in the days before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie career disappeared down somebody’s u-bend, he was the man. Not only the man, but the manliest man in the business. In that last half-hour of Commando, when he emerges from his dinghy on the beach in his speedos (like a Bond girl gone horribly and hilariously wrong), he just exuded action hero from every pore.

These movies were all about suspension of disbelief. You’re not supposed to get picky about why does he never have to reload his gun? There’s just no time for any of that sort of business.

It’s just the same with Hawkeye.He does not care.

Just watch him during any of the movies’ big action sequences. That’s a darn big quiver you’ve got there, guy.

17 When The Villains Are Totally Unimaginative With Their Costumes

14- When The Villains Are Totally Unimaginative With Their Costumes
Via: Instagram (@cinfacts)

As I said previously in this rundown, our Marvel heroes have needed a little more testing of late. The old tactic of throwing swarms and swarms of bad guys at them just isn’t cutting it. They may be vastly outnumbered, but they’ll eventually prevail.

You’ve got to try harder than that, supervillains.

And try harder they have. The primary tactic we’re seeing of late is simply to imitate said heroes. By so doing, the playfield is leveled out again, and the Avengers are actually threatened. Just recently, we saw this with Black Panther and The Guy Who’s Player Two And So Got A Palette Swap Of Black Panther. Now that was a showdown.

Ant-Man And Bad Yellow Ant-Man are another example from the recent MCU.

16 When You Were Totally Asking For A Good Explosion-ing

15- When You Were Totally Asking For A Good Explosion-ing
Via: Pinterest (Super Heroes)

As I say, in the earlier MCU movies, a lot was made of Tony’s Stark’s playboy lifestyle. His lack of work ethic, his tendency to shirk responsibilities, all of that sort of thing. As the movies have gone on, he has come around a little on that score, to give him his due. This goes a long way to explaining his point of view with regards to the accords in Civil War.

This is all well and good. You shouldn’t snark on the Stark for trying to better himself, after all. Deflating that ego and dangerous self-confidence is always a good thing. If you can’t keep those traits in check, this sort of thing’s going to happen. Come on, Tony, that was an amateur mistake.

15 When Thor Is Unimpressed By Your Supposed 'Civil War'

16- When Thor Is Unimpressed By Your Supposed 'Civil War'
Via: Twitter (@americaguy20)

Speaking of Captain America: Civil War, you probably noticed someone who was conspicuous by their absence.

A certain Asgardian hero with a glorious blond wig that just won’t quit.

That’s right. Thor, for whatever reason, was absent from the 2016 mega-hit movie. Plot reasons, Chris Hemsworth’s schedule, all these sorts of things played a part and he had to sit this one out.

Needless to say, Thor is one of the fan favourite Avengers, and his absence led to a heaping helping of disappointment. Plus, of course, a whole multitude of memes.

This particular one is my favourite, because it neatly summarises a lot of fans’ thoughts about THAT climactic scene. Considering the hype the whole got pre-release, I can’t help but have mixed feelings about the whole thing. With everything Thor’s been up against, I doubt he’d have been impressed by a parking lot scuffle either.

14 When Marvel Cannot And Will Not Stop Freezing Their Heroes

17- When Marvel Cannot And Will Not Stop Freezing Their Heroes
Via: @whitewolfbbarnes

As we’ve already discussed, Marvel seem to have developed a magical formula with the MCU. All gamers know that adaptations from movies to video games (or vice versa) are darn tough to pull off, and the same’s true of any media really. Over the years, we’ve seen some truly mixed results, from great success stories to horrible franchise-rupturing disasters.

The MCU seems to have completely nailed that, though, delivering consistent blockbusters that are (by and large) worthy of the name. And then some.

I don’t know what crooked deal someone’s made with Beelzebub here, but it’s clearly paid off. The key to all of this, I guess, is not to deviate from the formula. There are three key elements to this: have lots of dramatic action scenes, temper them with humour and moments of genuine emotion, and just freeze EVERYBODY.

13 When Those Marvel Ships Cannot Be Stopped Either

18- When Those Marvel Ships Cannot Be Stopped Either
Via: vm.com

So yes. As I’ve probably thoroughly drummed into your skulls by now, the MCU is one of the most successful movie machines of our time. They’ve managed to perfect that rare feat, actually getting those with zero interest in the original comics to fully invest in these characters. For many fans, the release of the latest movie is nothing less than a darn event.

This means a lot of things. It means a whole lot of new fans, lots of money for the studio, and a great influx of memes.

It also, sadly, means ships.

There are more darn ships than the Spanish Armada over here. You know what fans are like, this sort of thing is inevitable. Avert your eyes, Maximoffs, you don’t want to see the fan art.

12 When Black Widow Realises She Didn't Dress Appropriately

19- When Black Widow Realises She Didn't Dress Appropriately
Via: Instagram (blerd.vision)

Sadly, this sort of talk was also inevitable. In these movies, there are more super-attractive famous people than in your average episode of the OC. When the beautiful Scarlett Johansson was cast as Black Widow, specific attention was going to be paid to her outfit.

On that note, you know what they say about female armor. In a lot of video games, the concept of less is more seems to win out, resulting in something that looks like a cast-iron bathing suit.

Now, granted, Natasha Romanoff is a sneaky, agile fighter, and not the sort who’d want to be constrained by heavy plate armor. Or a fancy Iron Man suit, come to that. Are we being practical here, or are we not? I just can’t tell.

11 When Marvel Characters Actually Have A Little Emotion

20- When Marvel Characters Actually Have A Little Emotion
Via: wattpad.com

I know. I hear you, friends, I hear you. Batman is not a Marvel character. That’s exactly why he’s here.

Now, I wouldn’t call myself a Batman fan. Not by a long chalk. I did enjoy the Dark Knight movies, definitely, and I think that Christian Bale did the dark and brooding character some good justice.

The jury’s still out on Batfleck, but he’ll probably grow on me too.

For my dime, though, Batman’s just a little too dark and brooding. This is necessary, sure, for the whole antihero/vigilante thing he’s got going on, but I’m just not really sold on that.

The difference, for me, is that the Avengers and their associates drop the act and embrace that side of themselves. Like Jim Carrey having one serious emotional moment in his movies so he can prove he’s not just a jokes machine.

10 When You've Got To Expect A Little Collateral Damage

21- When You've Got To Expect A Little Collateral Damage
Via: memecenter.com

Okay, yep. Fair’s fair here, we were snarking on Superman earlier in this rundown for… you know, that thing he did in Man of Steel. Now that was the kind of damage that you can’t hide from your mama when she comes home and sees the aftermath of your house party.

The Avengers have certainly left their fair share of destruction in their wake too. Really, that very fact is what led to the creation of the accords in the first place. We really should cut them some slack, though. After all, in this line of work, damage is inevitable. Someone’s opened a portal to a demon’s underpants hamper over New York City, and all manner of horrors are pouring out of it. Some buildings are going to have to be leveled in the battle.

Besides, flashy explosions are what Marvel movies are all about.

9 When Marvel Take Their Flexing A Little Too Far And You Have To Remind Them

22- When Marvel Take Their Flexing A Little Too Far And You Have To Remind Them
Via: memebase.cheezburger.com

So, yes. Like much of the world just now, I’ve been enjoying the MCU out the wazzoo here. It’s just… well, who isn’t? Those ticket sales and general record-breaking performances speak for themselves at this point.

Whether you’re a comic fan or not, the Marvel universe is just where it’s at right now.

The trouble with building that sort of momentum, of course, is that it becomes harder and harder to maintain. Once you’ve scaled the heights of the ensemble cast superhero mashup, where do you go from there? Try and throw more fanservice at it, that’s where. The upcoming Infinity War is set to be the biggest movie yet, but you’ve got to stay a little humble, Marvel. Remember that Space Jam was a thing.

Michael Jordan playing basketball with Bugs Bunny is what you’re up against here, and I have no clue how you compete with that.

8 When The Two Of You Will Never Get Along

23- When The Two Of You Will Never Get Along
Via: quirkybyte.com

Here it is again, friends. Whenever I hear this sort of talk, it always gives me flashbacks to the schoolyards of the nineties. Back then, your console allegiance was serious business. Friendships were made or cast aside depending on where you sat in the great Mario vs Sonic divide. That’s still very much the case today, with all this talk of Sony ponies and Nintendrones and all the rest of it.

Can’t we all just get along? Can’t we stride happily into the sunset together, all gamers, all as one, as Ebony and Ivory plays in the background? Well, no, we can’t. We should, really, but we can’t.

Can’t the MCU and the DCU happily co-exist, side by side? Again, no. This is more the logic of the fans, sadly, than of Marvel themselves.

7 When Loki Doesn't Even Know What He's Super Bitter About Any More

11- When Loki Doesn't Even Know What He's Super Bitter About Any More
Via: quotesnhumor.com

As we’ve already seen, Marvel’s Thor is loosely based on the Thor of Norse mythology. The same is true of his father, Odin, and his adopted brother Loki. There may not have been any shenanigans with the Hulk or Infinity Stones in the original mythology, but some of the old stories live on in the comics and movies.

So too does Loki’s d-baggery.

In the legends of old, he was eventually bound with the entrails of one of his sons for his misdeeds (which is pretty extreme compared to, say, detention). Marvel’s Loki is just as nefarious, serving as Thor’s unwilling ally/archenemy as the fancy takes him.

In his defense, though, he’s portrayed by none other than Tom Hiddleston. For some, this fact alone makes up for all of his heinous misdeeds.

6 When Your Characters Make A Crossover Too Far

12- When Your Characters Make A Crossover Too Far
Via: funnyjunk.com

Now, admittedly, you could say that this slice of Marvel logic isn’t the company’s fault at all. Rather, it’s the rabid fans, doing their usual fan thing.

You see this everywhere. In any fandom, from Friends to Harry Potter and everything in between, it can be tough to separate the actors and actresses themselves from the characters we love so much. All these years later, for instance, Alfonso Ribeiro can’t even cross the street to grandma’s house without someone insisting he do the Carlton dance for them. That’s got to grate on the poor guy. You know, just a little.

By the same token, this isn’t Falcon in 2002’s 8 Mile, alongside Eminem.

It’s Anthony Mackie. Still, when it comes right down to it, we’re only being snarky jokers anyway.