The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a media franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. Phase One of the franchise includes six films, featuring four different superhero properties, leading up to a crossover in the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers . The franchise's Phase Two features three sequels to Phase One films, as well as two new film properties, and the crossover Avengers: Age of Ultron , which released in 2015. Phase Three features four sequels to earlier films, and four new film properties, as well as the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). [1] The films from Phase One through Phase Three are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga". [2] [3]
As the franchise is composed of films adapted from a variety of Marvel Comics properties, there are multiple lead actors: Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark / Iron Man in the films Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), and Iron Man 3 (2013); Chris Evans portrays Steve Rogers / Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Captain America: Civil War (2016), where he is joined by Downey as Stark; and Chris Hemsworth plays Thor in Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). All three actors star in The Avengers (2012), and reprise their roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Edward Norton headlined The Incredible Hulk (2008), playing Bruce Banner / Hulk, but did not reprise the role in future films, being replaced by Mark Ruffalo for all subsequent films involving the character. Chris Pratt portrays the lead character, Peter Quill / Star-Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and returns for its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), while Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas respectively star as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hank Pym / Ant-Man in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), in which Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Hope van Dyne / Wasp.
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange (2016), Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa / Black Panther in Black Panther (2018); Holland and Boseman were both introduced in Captain America: Civil War, which Rudd also appeared in. Downey and Evans join Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Ruffalo and Cumberbatch join Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok. Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel (2019). Pratt, Cumberbatch, Holland and Boseman also appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, with Rudd, Lilly and Larson also appearing in the latter.
Samuel L. Jackson had cameo and supporting appearances as Nick Fury in several of the early films in the franchise, before co-starring in The Avengers; he would continue to have supporting roles in later films as well. Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson had supporting roles as Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow respectively in multiple films in the saga besides their leading roles in the Avengers films. Josh Brolin was cast as the saga's overarching villain Thanos for Guardians of the Galaxy, after the character first appeared at the end of The Avengers portrayed by Damion Poitier. Multiple other cast members recur across multiple films and series within the franchise. The list below is sorted by film and the character's surname, as some characters have been portrayed by multiple actors. All characters that have made appearances in other MCU media, such as the short films, television series, or digital series, are noted.
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55. An Eternal–Deviant warlord from the moon Titan, Thanos is regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has clashed with many heroes including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
Drax the Destroyer is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55.
Since the 1960s, The Marvel Comics superhero, Thor has appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books including films, television programs and video games.
The Avengers are a superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books. Aside from comics, the Avengers appear in various forms of media such as in novels, television shows, movies, videogames and stage shows.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise also includes several television series, short films, digital series, and literature. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in comic books are limited series or one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics that tie into the films and television series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The comics are written and illustrated by various individuals and each typically consists of one to four issues. They are intended to tell additional stories about existing characters, or to make connections between MCU projects, without necessarily expanding the universe or introducing new concepts or characters.
Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In the film, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from collecting the six powerful Infinity Stones as part of his quest to kill half of all life in the universe.
Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions in Infinity War which erased half of all life in the universe.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are American superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. They are the sequels to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and respectively serve as the 19th and 22nd films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Both films were directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from screenplays by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They feature an ensemble cast composed of many previous MCU actors, headlined by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fail to prevent Thanos from collecting the six all-powerful Infinity Stones and he uses them to kill half of all life in the universe. In Endgame, the surviving Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions.
Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland under the name Stark Expo. The Marvel-themed areas or "lands" are being developed simultaneously at the three parks and inspired by the MCU. However, they instead take place in the "Marvel Theme Park Universe", an alternate universe parallel to it within the MCU multiverse, in which the Blip, introduced in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and subsequent events did not occur. They are designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, in collaboration with Marvel Studios and Marvel Themed Entertainment.
The following outline serves as an overview of and topical guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), an American media franchise and shared universe created by Marvel Studios and owned by the Walt Disney Company. The franchise began in 2008 with the release of the film Iron Man and has since expanded to include various superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios, television series from Marvel Television, short films, digital series, literature, and other media. These are based on characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige produces every film and series from that studio for the MCU. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The MCU is the shared universe in which all of the films are set. The phase began in 2013 with the release of Iron Man 3 and concluded in 2015 with the release of Ant-Man. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase. Joss Whedon served as a consultant on all films as well as writer and director of the crossover film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The phase began in 2016 with the release of Captain America: Civil War and concluded in 2019 with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It includes the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War, released in 2018, and its sequel Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase, alongside Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Stephen Broussard for Ant-Man and the Wasp. The eleven films of the phase grossed over US$13.5 billion at the global box office and received generally positive critical and public response. Upon release, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time.
The Avengers are a team of fictional superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the team is a United States–based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York: originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor Odinson, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye, it later expands to include 16 total members. Regarded as an important part of the franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga. The Avengers from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga, including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). A new incarnation of the Avengers are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of the MCU's Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films/other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios: based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Due to the galaxy-spanning nature of the franchise, multiple different species have been introduced.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Over the course of the films and related media, several teams and organizations have been formed, each with different aims and purposes.
The Avengers is the dream team of superheroes, a group consisting of among others Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor. The film is planned to premier in 3D in May of next year. Stellan Skarsgård confirms to TT Spektra that he will play the same role as in the upcoming Thor: Doctor Selvig. Not much is yet known about the character apart from that Selvig is a scientist in New Mexico.
While filming the French series The Hawk, Bruno participated in the casting of Captain America ... and was selected! ... [He portrays] Jacques Dernier ... fighting alongside Captain America and his four other teammates....
Well, you'll see all the returning Avengers. The entire cast is coming back in The Age of Ultron...