Fans were excited for the movie, and expected some great performances, plus a cool plot.
But what they didn't expect came at the end of the movie: Nick Fury (portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson) creepily sat in Stark's dimly-lit living room, waiting to talk to the genius about the Avengers Initiative, and how Iron Man is "not the only superhero in the world", thus creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Let's hop in our time machine and travel to the present, where there have been nine- yes, nine- MCU movies, with more coming along the way, such as Guardians of the Galaxy on Aug. 1. Journey with me as we explore the MCU Movie Timeline.
PHASE I
AVENGERS ASSEMBLED
Iron Man
5/2/08
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Produced by: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Running Time: 126 minutes
Budget: $140 million
Box Office: $585,174,222
Plot Summary: Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Son of legendary inventor and weapons contractor Howard Stark. When Tony Stark is assigned to give a weapons presentation to an Iraqi unit led by Lt. Col. James Rhodes, he's given a ride on enemy lines. That ride ends badly when Stark's Humvee that he's riding in is attacked by enemy combatants. He survives - barely - with a chest full of shrapnel and a car battery attached to his heart. In order to survive he comes up with a way to miniaturize the battery and figures out that the battery can power something else. Thus Iron Man is born. He uses the primitive device to escape from the cave in Iraq. Once back home, he then begins work on perfecting the Iron Man suit. But the man who was put in charge of Stark Industries has plans of his own to take over Tony's technology for other matters.
The Incredible Hulk
6/13/08
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, William Hurt
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Produced by: Avi Arad, Gale Ann Hurd, Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Zak Penn
Running Time: 112 minutes
Budget: $150 million
Plot Summary: A cure is in reach for the world's most primal force of fury: The Incredible Hulk. We find scientist Bruce Banner, living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote. But the warmongers who dream of abusing his powers won't leave him alone, nor will his need to be with the only woman he has ever loved, Betty Ross. Upon returning to civilization, our brilliant doctor is ruthlessly pursued by The Abomination -- a nightmarish beast of pure adrenaline and aggression whose powers match The Hulk's own. A fight of comic-book proportions ensues as Banner must call upon the hero within to rescue New York City from total destruction. One scientist must make an agonizing final choice -- accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or the creature he could permanently become: The Incredible Hulk.
Iron Man 2
5/7/10
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Justin Theroux
Running Time: 125 minutes
Budget: $200 million
Plot Summary: Now that Tony Stark has revealed to the world that he is Iron Man, the entire world is now eager to get their hands on his hot technology - whether it's the United States government, weapons contractors, or someone else. That someone else happens to be Ivan Vanko - the son of now deceased Anton Vanko, Howard Stark's former partner. Stark had Vanko banished to Russia for conspiring to commit treason against the US, and now Ivan wants revenge against Tony - and he's willing to get it at any cost. But after being humiliated in front of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, rival weapons contractor Justin Hammer sees Ivan as the key to upping his status against Stark Enterprises after an attack on the Monaco 500. But an ailing Tony has to figure out a way to save himself, get Vanko, and get Hammer before the government shows up and takes his beloved suits away. And can he figure out what a mysterious figure named Nick Fury wants with him?
Thor
5/6/11
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarguard. Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopskins
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
Running Time: 114 minutes
Budget: $150 million
Box Office: $449,300,000
Plot Summary: The reckless Thor son of Odin, challenges his brother's claim to the throne of Asgard. To teach him humility , Odin casts the young warrior down to Earth to live among humans. Robbed of his powers, Thor falls in love with a scientist Jane Foster. While Thor's brother; Loki usurps the throne of Asgard for evil gain and plans revenge, Thor's love for Jane and his lessons of humility turn him into the true hero and legendary and immortal warrior-defender of the peoples of the Earth saving them from destruction.
Captain America:
The First Avenger
7/22/11
Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Haley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Running Time: 124 minutes
Budget: $140 million
Plot Summary: It is 1942, America has entered World War II, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated at being rejected yet again for military service. Everything changes when Dr. Erskine recruits him for the secret Project Rebirth. Proving his extraordinary courage, wits and conscience, Rogers undergoes the experiment and his weak body is suddenly enhanced into the maximum human potential. When Dr. Erskine is then immediately assassinated by an agent of Nazi Germany's secret HYDRA research department (headed by Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. the Red Skull), Rogers is left as a unique man who is initially misused as a propaganda mascot; however, when his comrades need him, Rogers goes on a successful adventure that truly makes him Captain America, and his war against Schmidt begins.
Marvel's The Avengers
5/4/12
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon
Story by: Joss Whedon, Zak Penn
Running Time: 142 minutes
Budget: $220 million
Plot Summary: Loki, the stepbrother of Thor, teams-up with the Chitauri Army and uses the Tesseract power to travel from Asgard to Earth to plot the invasion of Earth by the Chitauri and become the king of Earth. The director of the agency S.H.I.E.L.D Nick Fury sets in motion the project Avengers Initiative, joining Tony Stark a.k.a. the Iron Man; Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America; Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk; Thor; Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow; and Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, to save the world from the powerful Loki and the alien invasion.
PHASE II
ULTRON DEFEATED*
Iron Man 3
5/3/13
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley.
Directed by: Shane Black
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Drew Pearce, Shane Black
Running Time: 130 minutes
Box Office: $1,215,439,994
Plot Summary: The events of Loki's attack on New York City has left Tony Stark a completely changed man. Now saddled with a severe case of insomnia and post traumatic stress disorder, Tony spends his sleepless nights the only way he knows how - coming up with new prototypes for the Iron Man suit. But now new events require that Tony suit up again. A villainous mad man known only as the Mandarin has staged a horrible attack on the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, and is coming for Tony. An angry Tony wants to confront the Mandarin face to face, who proceeds to stage an attack on Tony's Malibu mansion and leaves him with absolutely nothing - no Pepper, no toys except for a defunct Iron Man prototype called the MK42, and he's stranded in the middle of Tennessee. Tony believes the attack on the Chinese Theater and an attack on a small town in Tennessee are related. As he puts the pieces together and tries to get the MK42 working, he discovers far more sinister forces at work greater than the Mandarin himself. But how does an event from Tony's past fit in with the events of the present?
Thor:
The Dark World
11/8/13
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, and Rene Russo.
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Running Time: 112 minutes
Budget: $170 million
Box Office: $644,800,000
Plot Summary: Odin recalls when his father Bor and the warriors from Asgard vanquished the evil Dark Elves and their leader Malekith that wanted to send the universe into the darkness during the convergence of nine realms unleashing the powerful weapon Aether. Mallekith escapes and Bor hides the Aether in-between two stone columns. In the present days, on Earth, the scientist Jane Foster that is waiting for the return of Thor, investigates a gravity phenomenon in an abandoned factory with her assistant and her intern. She finds the column where the Aether is hidden and the substance possesses her. In Asgard, Heimdall reports to Thor that Jane has disappeared. Thor returns to Earth and finds Jane; but when he sees that he has a strange energy protecting her, he brings Jane to Asgard to be healed. However, Malekith also awakes and goes to Asgard to retrieve the Aether. After a bloody battle, Frigga is murdered by Malekith and Thor proposes treason to his warriors friends of Asgard and teams up with Loki to seek revenge for the murder of their mother and to vanquish Malekith before he destroys Asgard with his Dark Elves.
Captain America:
The Winter Soldier
4/4/14
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Running Time: 136 minutes
Budget: $170 million
Box Office: $712,726,981
Plot Summary: For Steve Rogers, awakening after decades of suspended animation involves more than catching up on pop culture; it also means that this old school idealist must face a world of subtler threats and difficult moral complexities. That comes clear when Director Nick Fury is killed by the mysterious assassin, the Winter Soldier, but not before warning Rogers that SHIELD has been subverted by its enemies. When Rogers acts on Fury's warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organization. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow and his new friend, The Falcon. However, the battle will be costly for the Sentinel of Liberty, with Rogers finding enemies where he least expects them while learning that the Winter Soldier looks disturbingly familiar.
Guardians of the Galaxy
8/1/14
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro
Directed by: James Gunn
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
Running Time: 121 minutes
Budget: $170 million
Box Office: N/A
Plot Synopsis: After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill, a half human/half alien is now the main target of a manhunt lead by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team known as the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to save the world.
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*Unofficial name for Phase 2. I just thought it sounded cool.
Eruptshake here! This is going on my favorites!!!
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