Avengers: Endgame is about to release in cinemas worldwide, so here's a full recap of the MCU ahead of the film. The MCU is unlike anything that's been seen on the big screen before; a shared universe of disparate franchises, an ongoing narrative that somehow weaves its way through 22 different movies. Marvel calls the first three waves of the MCU "The Infinity Saga," because they set up Thanos' insane quest for the Infinity Stones.
A lot of Marvel fans have been conducting walkthroughs of the MCU, trying to rewatch each film before they go to see Avengers: Endgame. But with Endgame releasing within the week, it's really hard to do that now. And that matters, because Endgame is envisioned as a celebration of the last decade's worth of Marvel blockbusters, and there's evidence it even features time travel that will revisit the ends of previous movies. Most MCU films can be watched as standalone, but Avengers: Endgame is set to be the exception.
Given that's the case, here's the CliffsNotes version of the MCU to date. This runs through all the highlights in each movie, with a particular focus on all the major plot threads that build up to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
- This Page: Phase 1
- Next Page: Phase 2 and 3
Iron Man
- Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is kidnapped by terrorists and escapes after creating a powerful suit of armor.
- After improving the armor, Stark publicly outs himself to the world as Iron Man.
- Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., approaches Stark with the offer of making him part of the Avengers Initiative.
The Incredible Hulk
- The Incredible Hulk is confirmed to exist in the MCU.
Iron Man 2
- Tony Stark clashes with Nick Fury, and is initially viewed as unsuited for the Avengers Initiative.
- S.H.I.E.L.D. super-spy Black Widow infiltrates Stark Industries to monitor Stark for a while.
- James Rhodes takes one of Stark's armors to become the superhero War Machine.
Thor
- Thor, son of Odin, is briefly banished to Earth where he must prove himself worthy to wield the enchanted hammer Mjolnir.
- His half-brother Loki makes his first attempt to claim the throne of Asgard, and sends the Destroyer to Earth to kill Thor.
- S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit Doctor Erik Selvig, a scientist under the influence of Loki, to research the Tesseract.
Captain America: The First Avenger
- Back in the 1940s, Steve Rogers is injected with the super-soldier serum and transformed into Captain America.
- Working with the SSR, he battles to stop the Red Skull using the power of the Tesseract to destroy the Allied Forces.
- In the final battle, the Tesseract blasts the Red Skull into space and is lost in the Atlantic Ocean. Steve Rogers is forced to sacrifice himself by crashing his plane in the Greenland ice.
- Steve Rogers' body is recovered in the present-day by S.H.I.E.L.D., who successfully resuscitate him.
The Avengers
- Loki steals the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D. and uses it to launch an alien invasion. It is revealed that he was working for Thanos.
- Nick Fury assembles the Avengers, who successfully drive back the invasion.
Page 2 of 2: MCU Phase 2 and 3
Iron Man 3
- Tony Stark struggles with PTSD after the events of The Avengers.
- Fearing more attacks, Tony builds numerous new suits, constantly evolving the Iron Man technology.
Thor: The Dark World
- Jane Foster unwittingly stumbles upon the Aether, a.k.a. the Reality Stone.
- Thor learns of the Infinity Stones. While the Asgardians keep the Space Stone secure, they send the Reality Stone to the Collector for safekeeping.
- Loki fakes his own death and takes the throne of Asgard.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Steve Rogers discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised from within by Hydra, and brings them down.
- Captain America also learns that his old friend Bucky has been kept in cryogenic suspension since the 1940s, and turned into the assassin called the Winter Soldier.
- The Avengers gain an ally in Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon.
Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ronan the Accuser locates the Power Stone for Thanos, but decides to use it to destroy the planet Xandar instead.
- He is opposed by an unlikely band of "a**-holes," who come to call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Peter Quill discovers that he is only half-human after he successfully wields the Power Stone.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Tony Stark uses the Mind Stone to create Ultron, an AI that promptly goes rogue and attempts to wipe out the human race.
- The Avengers are assisted by Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, who gained their powers after being exposed to the Mind Stone. Quicksilver is killed.
- Vision is created, another artificial intelligence whose forehead houses the Mind Stone.
- The war-torn nation of Sokovia is devastated during the final battle.
Ant-Man
- Scott Lang is manipulated into stealing the Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym, and becomes the new Ant-Man.
- Scott proves that it is possible to survive in, and escape from, the Quantum Realm. This inspires Hank to attempt to rescue his wife, who was stranded there decades ago.
Captain America: Civil War
- The Avengers are divided over the Sokovia Accords, which require superheroes to be regulated and controlled by the United Nations.
- The ideological conflict between Captain America and Iron Man becomes personal when Stark discovers the Winter Soldier murdered his parents in 1991.
- Spider-Man and Black Panther are introduced in the MCU.
Doctor Strange
- Stephen Strange becomes a member of the Master of the Mystic Arts, and is trained by the Ancient One until her death.
- He learns that the Masters of the Mystic Arts are the guardians of the Time Stone.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Peter Quill learns that he is half-Celestial, and is forced to kill his father Ego to save the universe.
- Thanos' "daughters," Gamora and Nebula, reconcile.
- The Guardians are joined by the empath Mantis.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Spider-Man is mentored as a hero by Tony Stark, but ultimately decides he isn't ready to join the Avengers.
Thor: Ragnarok
- Odin's death allows Thor's sister Hela to escape millennia of imprisonment, and she conquers Asgard.
- Mjolnir is destroyed.
- Thor is forced to destroy his homeworld in order to defeat Hela, and leads a band of Asgardian refugees - plus a handful of aliens and the Hulk - towards Earth. They are intercepted by Thanos.
Black Panther
- T'Challa claims the throne of Wakanda after his father's death.
- After a brief civil war triggered by Killmonger, T'Challa decides Wakanda should open its borders to the outside world for the first time.
Avengers: Infinity War
- Thanos launches his insane plan to wipe out half the life in the universe, hunting down and claiming each Infinity Stone.
- Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone to glimpse alternate futures and identifies just one scenario in which the heroes win.
- Thor gains a new weapon, Stormbreaker.
- Thanos successfully collects the Infinity Stones, in spite of heroes who oppose him every step of the way. He snaps his fingers and kills half the life in the universe, including heroes such as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Tony Stark and Nebula are left stranded on Titan, while the rest of the Avengers grieve.
- In the post-credits scene, Nick Fury uses a pager to summon Captain Marvel before he is turned into dust.
Ant-Man & the Wasp
- Hope Van Dyne suits up as the Wasp, and works with her father Hank Pym and Ant-Man to rescue Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum Realm.
- In the post-credits scene, Ant-Man is stranded in the Quantum Realm because he is there when Thanos snaps his fingers.
Captain Marvel
- In 1995, Nick Fury meets Captain Marvel and helps her discover her past; she was an experimental pilot who was exposed to Tesseract energy, transformed into a superhero.
- Captain Marvel heads into space to end the Kree's wars, leaving Nick Fury a pager to summon her in an emergency.
- Captain Marvel's example inspires the Avengers Initiative.
Key Release Dates
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The Avengers 4
Release Date:2019-04-26 -
spider-man homecoming 2
Release Date:2019-07-02
