By Camille Sweeney-Carter
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) consists of all movies under Marvel Studios that have been released in theaters since 2008. There have been over 16 additional movies since then, each with their own characters, stories, and action-packed adventures–all connected in one giant timeline–leading up to Marvel’s next, most-anticipated film, “Avengers: Infinity War.” As fns go to see this latest installment, they shouldn’t forget what movies have led them to this epic battle between their favorite characters and the evil Titan, Thanos.
“Iron Man,” released in 2008, is the film that started it all. The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, who inherited Stark Industries from his father, Howard Stark. He builds a suit of armor, and after a violent incident with his mentor, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), Tony admits to being the hero that the press calls “Iron Man.” In the first of the famous after-credits bonus scenes that lead the audience into the next or another upcoming movie, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of an organization known as the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.), approaches Stark and says that Tony is not the “only superhero in the world” and that he would like to discuss the “Avenger Initiative.” “Iron Man 2” introduces Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) as Black Widow, a spy and assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark’s best friend Lieutenant Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) as War Machine after Stark gives him his own suit of armor.
“Thor” (2011) begins with Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of a godly realm called Asgard, waging war on a race called the Frost Giants to keep them from taking control of the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. After a reckless act, Odin’s son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is stripped of his godly powers and exiled to Earth along with his hammer Mjolnir, which only the worthy can wield. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) also known as Hawkeye, another one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s spies, is also introduced in this film.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) is set in 1942, and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to join the military to fight in World War II. However, he is unable to because of medical issues and participates in an experimental “super soldier” procedure in order to gain the power to join the military. He becomes the iconic figure “Captain America.” Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) gives Steve several upgrades, including a shield made of vibranium, the strongest metal in the world. After a battle against an evil organization named Hydra, Rogers wakes up to find himself in present-day (2011) Times Square in New York City, where Nick Fury tells him he was “asleep” for almost 70 years.
In “The Avengers” (2012), Thor returns to help stop his brother, and Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) all work together to defend Earth against an alien race called the Chitauri and Loki who stole the Tesseract. After the battle, Thor returns Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard. The after-credits scene introduces Thanos, the main antagonist in “Infinity War.”
“Thor: The Dark World” was also released in 2013. The Asgardians repair the bifrost, which is the gateway between realms. The Convergent, a rare alignment of the Nine Realms, approaches, causing portals linking the worlds to open up randomly. Thor defeats the dark elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), and after faking his death, Loki impersonates Odin in order to rule Asgard. A man named Taneleer Tivan (Benicio Del Toro) also known as “The Collector” is entrusted with the Aether, which is one of the Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone.
In 2014, the world was introduced to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Fury is attacked by a mysterious assailant named the Winter Soldier, who is a brainwashed Bucky Barnes. After learning that there are several agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. working for Hydra, Roger enlists former USAF operator Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), as the Falcon. Rogers stops Hydra from killing millions of people, but he refuses to fight Bucky. The Winter Soldier saves Steve after he falls from a helicarrier into a river and disappears into the woods. An after-credits scene introduces us to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) Maximoff: twins with superhuman abilities.
In “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) Peter Quill, also known as “Starlord,” (Chris Pratt) steals an orb containing one of the Infinity Stones, the Power Stone. Quill meets Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista), and after defeating a man named Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), they become known as the Guardians of the Galaxy.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) starts off with the Avengers–Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye–raiding a Hydra facility that has Loki’s scepter. Tony uploads his artificial intelligence program J.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic body named Vision (Paul Bettany), who now has the mind stone from Loki’s scepter embedded in his forehead. The Avengers along with the Maximoffs interfere and stop the catastrophe, but Pietro dies during the battle. Hulk leaves, and Vision destroys Ultron. Thor returns to Asgard to find out more about the Infinity stones, and Rogers and Romanoff begin training the new Avengers–Falcon, Rhodey, Vision, and Wanda. In a mid-credits scene, Thanos, disappointed with his subordinates, puts on the Infinity Gauntlet and vows to collect all six of the Infinity Stones himself.
“Captain America: Civil War” (2016) is the third Captain America film. After several international incidents, the U.N. decides the Avengers need to be controlled with the Sokovia Accords. Tony Stark sides with the government because of his creation of Ultron and the destruction of parts of the country Sokovia, and Steve Rogers believes in being able to choose. Rogers assembles a team, consisting of Wilson, Barton, Maximoff, and Ant-Man, to apprehend a man named Helmut Zemo without the authority’s permission. The rogue heroes are opposed by Stark, Romanoff, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman)–T’Chaka’s son–, Rhodey, Vision, and Spider-Man (Tom Holland)–a 15-year-old boy with spider powers. After an epic battle, Stark learns that a brainwashed Bucky was the one who killed his parents. Stark is enraged and fights Bucky and Rogers. In the last scenes, Steve rescues his team from prison, and Bucky takes refuge in Wakanda.
“Doctor Strange,” released in 2016, is the story of Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a talented but arrogant neurosurgeon who gets in a car accident that severely maims his hands. He goes to Kamar-Taj, where he learns about the mystic arts and eventually becomes a great sorcerer. He also acquires the Eye of Agamotto, which contains one of the Infinity Stones, the Time Stone.
In “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2” (2017), the Guardians work to defeat Ego (Kurt Russel), a Celestial, who is also Quill’s father, as he tries to take over the universe. Along the way, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and the Sovereign, an alien race that eventually allies with Thanos, are introduced. Gamora reconciles with Nebula, who leaves to kill Thanos herself.
Also released in 2017, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is the first Spider-Man movie part of the MCU. After the events of Civil War, Peter Parker has been told by Tony Stark that he is not yet ready to become a full Avenger, so he goes back to high school and focuses on being “a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” In the final battle with the Vulture (Michael Keaton), Spider-Man stops him from stealing the Avenger’s property, and Tony invites Peter to become a full Avenger, but he refuses the offer.
In “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), Thor discovers his brother impersonating Odin on Asgard. Thor crashlands on a planet called Sakaar, and he reunites with Hulk. Thor, Loki, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and the Hulk fight Hela–a now dead Odin’s firstborn–and defeat her using the catastrophic event, Ragnarok. Thor, with only his left eye remaining, decides to take his comrades to Earth. A mid-credits scene shows them being intercepted by a menacingly-larger ship.
In “Black Panther,” released February 2018, fans see T’Challa become King of Wakanda after the events of Civil War. T’challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and his mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) are introduced, as well as Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Okoye (Danai Gurira)–leader of the Dora Milaje. T’Challa fights the vengeful Wakandan named Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) after he challenges him for the throne and threatens Wakanda. The film ends with T’Challa back on the throne and starting an outreach program that shares Wakanda’s technology and resources with the world.
The first part of the next MCU movie, “Avengers: Infinity War,” was released in theaters Friday, April 27 and starred more than 60 of the characters from these past films as they battle Thanos (Josh Brolin). Thanos wants to gather all six Infinity Stones and add them to the Infinity Gauntlet in order to destroy half of all life in the universe. One thing is certain: Thanos will not be easy to defeat.
