If you’re a fan of superhero movies, chances are that you’ve watched at least one movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU is a collection of movies that are interconnected and share the same continuity.
Created by Marvel Studios, the MCU has been one of the biggest movie franchises in history. In this article, we’ll take a look at what movies are in the Marvel collection.
Phase One
The first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Iron Man in 2008 and ended with The Avengers in 2012. Here’s a list of all the movies in Phase One:
- Iron Man: The movie that started it all. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, a billionaire genius who creates his own suit of armor to fight crime.
- The Incredible Hulk: Edward Norton stars as Bruce Banner, a scientist who transforms into a giant green monster whenever he gets angry.
- Iron Man 2: Tony Stark faces off against Whiplash (played by Mickey Rourke) and tries to keep his technology out of the wrong hands.
- Thor: Chris Hemsworth plays Thor, a god who is banished to Earth by his father Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins).
- Captain America: The First Avenger: Chris Evans stars as Steve Rogers, a scrawny soldier who becomes Captain America after being injected with an experimental serum.
- The Avengers: All the heroes team up to fight Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) and an alien army from another dimension.
Phase Two
The second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Iron Man 3 in 2013 and ended with Ant-Man in 2015. Here’s a list of all the movies in Phase Two:
- Iron Man 3: Tony Stark faces off against the Mandarin (played by Ben Kingsley) and tries to protect Pepper Potts (played by Gwyneth Paltrow).
- Thor: The Dark World: Thor teams up with his brother Loki to fight Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston), who wants to destroy the universe.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Steve Rogers teams up with Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) to uncover a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Guardians of the Galaxy: A group of misfits including Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), Drax (played by Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) team up to save the galaxy from Ronan the Accuser (played by Lee Pace).
- Avengers: Age of Ultron: The Avengers face off against Ultron (voiced by James Spader), an artificial intelligence who wants to destroy humanity.
- Ant-Man: Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) becomes Ant-Man, a superhero who can shrink in size but increase in strength. He teams up with Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas) to stop Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll) from using Pym’s technology for evil purposes.
Phase Three
The third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019. Here’s a list of all the movies in Phase Three:
- Captain America: Civil War: The Avengers are split into two factions, one led by Captain America and the other by Iron Man, over a dispute about government oversight.
- Doctor Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Strange, a former surgeon who becomes a sorcerer after a car accident.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: The Guardians team up again to stop Ego (played by Kurt Russell), who is revealed to be Star-Lord’s father.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: Tom Holland plays Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, who tries to balance his high school life with his superhero responsibilities.
- Thor: Ragnarok: Thor teams up with Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo) and Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) to stop Hela (played by Cate Blanchett), the goddess of death, from destroying Asgard.
- Black Panther: Chadwick Boseman plays T’Challa, the king of Wakanda and the Black Panther. He faces off against Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan), who wants to take over Wakanda.
- Avengers: Infinity War: The Avengers team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) from collecting the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
- Ant-Man and The Wasp: Scott Lang teams up with Hope van Dyne (played by Evangeline Lilly), aka The Wasp, to rescue her mother from the quantum realm while being pursued by a mysterious villain called Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen).
- Captain Marvel: Brie Larson plays Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot who becomes Captain Marvel after being exposed to alien technology.
- Avengers: Endgame: The surviving Avengers team up with their allies to reverse the damage caused by Thanos in Infinity War and bring back the heroes who were turned to dust.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe and faces off against Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a villain with illusions.
Conclusion
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a massive success, both critically and commercially. It’s amazing to see how all these movies are interconnected and share the same universe.
With new movies and TV shows coming out every year, it’s clear that Marvel isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Hopefully, this article has given you an idea of what movies are in the Marvel collection and where to start if you’re new to the franchise.