In 2008 we saw the birth of what has come to be known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the release of Iron Man. Eleven years, 21 films and $18.6 billion in worldwide ticket sales later, that universe has come to redefine the idea of the modern blockbuster. This weekend Avengers: Endgame will give audiences the ending they were promised all those years ago, concluding the events that began with last year’s record-breaking release of Avengers: Infinity War, en route to a sure-fire record breaking performance of its own.
So let’s recall all the 21 movies which have set the premise for the conclusion Endgame:
Iron Man (2008)
The movie which started everything we see today. Iron Man is the first MCU movie starring Robert Downey Jr.. After being held captive in an Afghan cave, Tony Stark creates a unique weaponised suit of armor to fight evil.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The second MCU movie after Iron Man— starring Edward Norton as scientist Bruce Banner who desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk. Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat: a supremely powerful enemy known as The Abomination (Tim Roth).
Iron Man 2 (2010)
In the third MCU movie, with the world now aware that he is Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from all sides to share his technology with the military. He is reluctant to divulge the secrets of his armored suit, fearing the information will fall into the wrong hands.
Thor (2011)
The fourth MCU movie that introduced third Marvel superhero Thor played by Chris Hemsworth son of Odin, king of the Norse gods, who will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father. But arrogant Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Steve Rogers, a rejected military soldier transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a ‘Super-Soldier serum’. But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a war monger and a terrorist organisation.
The Avengers: (2012)
Earth’s mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity. The movie starts with Loki, gaining access to the unlimited power of the energy cube called the Tesseract.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.
Thor-The Dark World (2013)
When Dr Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful entity known as the Aether, Thor is heralded of the cosmic event known as the Convergence and the genocidal Dark Elves.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Guardians of Galaxy (2014)
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it’s up to Earth’s mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
Ant-Man (2015)
Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Political involvement in the Avengers’ affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.
Doctor Strange (2016)
While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Guardian of Galaxy Vol 2 (2017)
The Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord’s encounter with his father the ambitious celestial being Ego.
Spiderman Homecoming (2017)
Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.
Thor Ragnarok (2017)
Thor is imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, and must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
Black Panther (2018)
T’Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country’s past.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Ant Man and The Wasp (2018)
Scott Lang is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym, Lang must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, with help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.