The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the biggest franchises in the history of cinema, captivating audiences all over the world. Since its inception in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has grown into a massive universe with interconnected storylines and characters that have left fans wanting more.
So, just how many Marvel movies have been released since 2008? Let’s take a look.
Phase One: The Beginning
The first phase of the MCU began with Iron Man in 2008 and concluded with The Avengers in 2012. In total, six movies were released during this phase.
- Iron Man (2008): This movie introduced us to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his journey as Iron Man.
- The Incredible Hulk (2008): This movie starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk and was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo in future films.
- Iron Man 2 (2010): This sequel followed Tony Stark as he battled new enemies and introduced Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to the MCU.
- Thor (2011): This movie introduced us to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his home planet of Asgard.
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): This film showed us Steve Rogers’ transformation into Captain America (Chris Evans) during World War II.
- The Avengers (2012): This movie brought together all the superheroes for the very first time to save Earth from an alien invasion.
Phase Two: Expansion
The second phase of the MCU began with Iron Man 3 in 2013 and concluded with Ant-Man in 2015.
- Iron Man 3 (2013): This movie showed us a vulnerable Tony Stark as he faced his biggest enemy, the Mandarin.
- Thor: The Dark World (2013): This sequel followed Thor as he saved the Nine Realms from a dark force known as the Aether.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): This film saw Captain America team up with Black Widow and the Falcon to take down a corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D organization.
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): This movie introduced us to a new group of heroes, including Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper).
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): This movie saw the Avengers fight against Ultron, an artificial intelligence program that was designed to protect Earth but ultimately turned against them.
- Ant-Man (2015): This film introduced us to Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who took on the mantle of Ant-Man and joined forces with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to save the world from evil forces.
Phase Three: The Endgame Is Near
The third phase of the MCU began with Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and concluded with Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019. In total, eleven movies were released during this phase.
- Captain America: Civil War (2016): This movie saw the Avengers split into two factions over the Sokovia Accords, which sought to regulate their actions.
- Doctor Strange (2016): This movie introduced us to the mystical world of magic and sorcery, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the titular character.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): This sequel saw the Guardians reunite and Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finally meet his father, Ego (Kurt Russell).
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): This movie saw Peter Parker (Tom Holland) balancing his life as a high school student and a superhero under the guidance of Tony Stark.
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017): This movie saw Thor teaming up with Hulk and Loki to save Asgard from Hela, the goddess of death.
- Black Panther (2018): This film introduced us to Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation ruled by T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018): This movie saw the Avengers teaming up with other heroes to take on Thanos, who was on a quest to collect all six Infinity Stones.
- Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018): This sequel saw Scott Lang teaming up with Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to rescue her mother from the quantum realm.
- Captain Marvel (2019): This movie introduced us to Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), who became one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU.
- Avengers: Endgame (2019): This movie saw the Avengers and their allies taking on Thanos for the final time, with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): This film showed us Peter Parker going on a school trip to Europe and facing new threats, including Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
Conclusion
So, in total, there have been 23 Marvel movies released since 2008, with more on the way. The MCU has become a cultural phenomenon that has captured the hearts of fans all over the world, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.