The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has expanded much in the last ten years. Take a look back with us at how Marvel became a superpower in the movie scene.
In 2008, Marvel Studios released Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the namesake character. Since then, the universe has expanded to 17 released films, plus at least seven more in the works, three TV series, six Netflix series, one Hulu series, plus several other projects in production or pre-production. The MCU has given us many characters, cross overs, relationships, inspirations, heart breaks, amazing special effects, epic music, and so much more. There have been fantastic hits, and a few misses, but the universe continues to expand and bring even more entertainment for everyone.
Let’s look back at where the MCU movies started, going through the two phases in release order of each movie.
Phase 1
Phase 1 began in 2008 with the release of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. From the beginning, Marvel seemed to have a plan and direction in mind, starting with relatively small budgets: $140 million and $150 million, while future films have had budgets over $200 million. While that doesn’t seem like much, it can make a huge difference in terms of what is available. Director Jon Favreau introduced us to Iron Man and started the ball rolling with first of many origin stories for the Avengers. After Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 was released in 2010, expanding on the growth and development of Tony Stark and introducing Black WIdow and War Machine as allies. Shield and Nick Fury also came more into play here, showing their hands more than just a few mentions (in the Incredible Hulk) and Agent Coulson following Tony and Pepper for debriefing (Iron Man).
Thor was released in 2011, introducing the Asgardian God of Thunder and Loki as keys to the continuing universe. We are also introduced to Hawkeye, though he was not named nor credited anywhere in the movie. Those not in the know would completely miss him. Thor was not as well received, with some fans feeling that it was missing something and was simply a vehicle to introduce two main players in the giant game of chess Marvel had going. Captain America: The First Avenger came next in 2011, going back in time to an origin story and lead-in to Steve Rogers being alive and kicking in the present. Captain America felt the same as Thor to some people, not hitting the mark as well as Iron Man and Iron Man 2 did. Thor did $181m gross, opening with $65.7m at the box office. Captain America: The First Avenger grossed $176m and opened with $65m at the box office. In comparison, Iron Man has grossed $318m and opened over $98m at the box office while Iron Man 2 grossed $312m and opened with $128m at box office.
However, going through all of this was worth it to set up Marvel’s The Avengers, released in 2012. Marvel took a risk setting up Avengers and pulled out all the stops to make it happen, increasing the budget to about $220 million, bringing in many different personalities and providing a visual spectacle that is still absolutely fun to watch today. The risk was well worth it, though. The movie was grand, the characters all had conflict and eventually came together as amazing allies to save the world. Additionally it provided some great laughs (who doesn’t still laugh at Hulk using Loki as a ragdoll, quipping “Puny god” when he is done?). We also see the main player in the entire chess game: Thanos. Once Thanos was seen, many people felt the Infinity Stones would begin to appear. Avengers still tops the list for the MCU in terms of money made, grossing $623m and opening at $207m box office.
Overall, Phase 1 has 744 minutes (12.4 hours) of footage to watch of superhero introductions and fun. Makes for a fun marathon!
Phase 2
Phase 2 lasted from 2013-2015, releasing six movies in three years. Phase two introduced a darker side to each of the characters we knew and really delving into the mental after-effects of the previous movie’s events. We were also introduced to some awesome new characters!
Iron Man 3 kicked off phase 2 in 2013, showing Tony Stark suffering from PTSD, too reliant on his technology, and being stripped of everything to rediscover his roots. We get to see Pepper Potts don the mantle of Rescue briefly, though mostly as a passing nod, and Tony finally gets over some mental blocks to get that heart surgery. Thor: The Dark World was released in the same year, introducing the Aether and identifying the Tesseract as an Infinity Stone. Thor: The Dark World was another Thor movie that disappointed some fans, having a lot of potential but not delivering in several ways. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, released in 2014, made up for that, bringing down Shield and Hydra and re-introducing Bucky. We were also introduced to Falcon as a great ally to Steve Rogers, and he absolutely did not disappoint. We were introduced to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, though they were not named, setting up Age of Ultron down the road. Iron Man 3 ended up grossing $409m, opening at $174m. Thor: The Dark World grossed $206m and opened at $85m box office. Captain America: The Winter Soldier grossed $259m and opened at $95m.
Guardians of the Galaxy was the second Marvel movie released in 2014, introducing Peter Quill, Rocket, Drax, Gamora, Nebula, the Collector, and an entire section of the galaxy that has been previously unknown. Guardians was extremely well received and popular. Fans of the comics were super excited and MCU fans got a unique treat that was unapologetically in your face. We see the destructive effects of the Infinity Stones, see how they are coveted by powerful beings, and we get confirmation as to which ones were already discovered, while introducing the Power Stone as well. The Guardians zoomed from obscurity into the limelight, becoming an exciting new venture for many people. Guardians ended up grossing $333m and opened at $94m.
Avengers: Age of Ultron was released in 2015 and well… kept the same theme others did: tearing down the heroes then forcing them to come together and build themselves back up. Age of Ultron suffered from too much of the film being left on the cutting room floor unfortunately, while non-die hard comic fans would miss quite a few subtle items (such as Thor’s vision while in the cave). We see the Mind Stone from Loki’s staff and get an “oooooh” moment when realizing that this Infinity Stone is how he was able to mind control everyone. Vision comes to life, Scarlet Witch is evil then good, and Quicksilver makes the ultimate sacrifice in the end. Age of Ultron gave us stunning visual effects and some comedic moments but overall it was more a movie about facing your demons. (and how Tony really needs someone to keep him in check.) Age of Ultron did very well in sales, though, grossing $459m and opening box office at $191m.
Finally, Ant-Man followed Avengers in 2015, taking the audience to the west coast and introducing a fun new set of characters. Ant-Man is an origin story for Scott Lang, but in the form of Hank Pym “encouraging” him to put on the suit and use the name. Wasp is introduced (but won’t get to suit up until the next set of movies) and we get some fun characters and moments with Luis’ rambling and one-hit KO abilities. Ant-Man follows Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of comedy at the right moments, action, and stunning visual effects. It is the perfect way to end phase 2….but not in terms of box-office take. Numbers wise, Ant-man was one of the lowest earners, grossing $180m and earning $57m at the box office opening weekend…barely higher than Incredible Hulk. It might pick up more with the sequel, but we will see.
Overall, phase 2 had 757 minutes of film (12.6 hours). So far…we’re over a day of watching movies if going straight. That is only counting the big screen events for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Part 2, we go into phase 3 and beyond of the MCU movies, so stay tuned!
