If you’re a Marvel fan, you probably know that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a massive franchise that started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Since then, there have been 23 movies in the MCU, with more on the way. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the Marvel movies that have been made so far.
The First Phase
The first phase of the MCU consisted of six movies, starting with Iron Man and ending with The Avengers. Here’s a list of all the movies in this phase:
- Iron Man (2008) – This movie introduced us to Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.), a billionaire industrialist who becomes Iron Man.
- The Incredible Hulk (2008) – This movie starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, who turns into the Hulk whenever he gets angry.
- Iron Man 2 (2010) – In this movie, Tony Stark faces off against Ivan Vanko (played by Mickey Rourke), who has his own suit of armor.
- Thor (2011) – This movie introduced us to Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth), the Norse God of Thunder.
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – This movie tells the origin story of Captain America (played by Chris Evans), a super-soldier created during World War II.
- The Avengers (2012) – In this movie, all of the heroes from the previous movies team up to save Earth from an alien invasion led by Loki.
The Second Phase
The second phase of the MCU consisted of six movies, starting with Iron Man 3 and ending with Ant-Man. Here’s a list of all the movies in this phase:
- Iron Man 3 (2013) – In this movie, Tony Stark faces off against the Mandarin (played by Ben Kingsley).
- Thor: The Dark World (2013) – In this movie, Thor teams up with his brother Loki to stop Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston) from destroying the universe.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – In this movie, Captain America teams up with Black Widow and Falcon to stop HYDRA from taking over S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – This movie introduced us to a new group of heroes, including Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), Drax (played by Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – In this movie, the Avengers must stop Ultron, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark that turns against them.
- Ant-Man (2015) – This movie tells the story of Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd), a thief who becomes Ant-Man after stealing a suit that can shrink him down to the size of an ant.
The Third Phase
The third phase of the MCU consisted of eleven movies, starting with Captain America: Civil War and ending with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Here’s a list of all the movies in this phase:
- Captain America: Civil War (2016) – In this movie, the Avengers are split into two factions, one led by Captain America and one led by Iron Man, over a disagreement about government oversight.
- Doctor Strange (2016) – This movie introduced us to Stephen Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), a former surgeon who becomes a sorcerer after a car accident.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – In this movie, the Guardians of the Galaxy team up again to stop Ego (played by Kurt Russell) from taking over the universe.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – This movie tells the story of Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland), who becomes Spider-Man after getting bitten by a radioactive spider.
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – In this movie, Thor teams up with Hulk and Loki to stop Hela (played by Cate Blanchett) from destroying Asgard.
- Black Panther (2018) – This movie tells the story of T’Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman), who becomes the king of Wakanda and must defend his country from an outsider named Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan).
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – In this movie, the Avengers must stop Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) from collecting all six Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) – This movie takes place before the events of Infinity War and tells the story of Scott Lang teaming up with Hope van Dyne (played by Evangeline Lilly) to rescue her mother from the quantum realm.
- Captain Marvel (2019) – This movie tells the origin story of Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larson), a former Air Force pilot who becomes Captain Marvel after being exposed to alien technology.
- Avengers: Endgame (2019) – In this movie, the Avengers must travel through time to collect the Infinity Stones and bring back everyone who was dusted by Thanos in Infinity War.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) – This movie takes place after Endgame and follows Peter Parker on a school trip to Europe, where he must stop a new villain named Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).
The Fourth Phase
The fourth phase of the MCU is currently underway, with several movies and TV shows planned. So far, there have been three movies released in this phase:
- Black Widow (2021) – This movie takes place between Civil War and Infinity War and tells the story of Natasha Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson) as she confronts her past.
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – This movie introduces us to Shang-Chi (played by Simu Liu), a martial artist who must confront his father, the leader of an evil organization called the Ten Rings.
- Eternals (2021) – This movie tells the story of a group of immortal beings who have been living on Earth for thousands of years.
In Conclusion
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive franchise that has produced 26 movies (as of September 2021), with more on the way. Each movie tells its own story while also contributing to the larger narrative of the MCU. Whether you’re a fan of Iron Man, Captain America, or any other hero in the MCU, there’s something for everyone in this epic franchise.