Did you know that there have been EIGHTEEN movies released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past decade?
18. Do you know how many Star Wars movies there are? 10, give or take (depends on if you count that Ewok stuff from the ’80s). And that’s over 40 years.
18.
If you haven’t been trying to keep up, you’re probably already painfully aware that it was a ridiculous number like that. If you’ve been gobbling them all up like a sleeve of girl scout cookies, however, you might have lost track of the madness.
Never fear, however! If you haven’t been keeping up and don’t want to sit through 40 hours of movies (check out this absurd marathon, which I’m pretty sure would kill a normal person), but you still have an interest in checking out one of the newer movies — perhaps the cultural phenomenon that is “Black Panther” or the mega-hyped “Avengers: Infinity War” coming out in a month or so — I am here to help. As a handy reference point, I’ll attempt to break down the major characters/plotlines in as simple a fashion as possible.
Feel free to bookmark and return to this as you need a refresher.
Obviously, we’ve got spoilers here, so read on at your own peril. I will steer clear of spoilers for the aforementioned Black Panther until the end, and I’ll mark that with a big spoiler tag.
So let’s get all caught up, shall we?
Ironman
The original “Ironman” movie kick-started all of this as the first movie in the series in 2008. It tells the story of an arms dealer turned good (no, seriously). This maker of weaponry, Tony Stark, is brilliant, clever with the quips, rich beyond reason and a wooer of the ladies, until he has a change of heart (literally) after one of his own missiles is used against him and embeds shrapnel in his chest.
Necessity being the mother of invention, he creates a suit of armor whilst in captivity of said missile shooters, escapes, and soon scoots along a path of trying to be a hero (which involves a series of armor upgrades and a change in direction for his company toward clean energy).
Tony is now a hero!
He wears this mantle awkwardly, to say the least, though he’s not at all modest about it either … which draws out both enemies and allies.
Yes, the previous couple of paragraphs probably sound silly to the uninitiated, but this movie came out the same summer as “The Dark Knight,” when studios were trying to keep their heroes more grounded. There’s genuine pathos on display everywhere, as well as joy, humor and humanity. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark has become iconic and he remains the rock of this entire endeavor. Marvel might be ready to have a go of it without him now, but that’s only after a decade of world-building around him, and his absence — should it come about — would be felt.
Anyway, Stark has met several challenges in his three solo adventures (alcoholism, a budding romance and all the entanglements that inspire, rivalry and betrayal, PTSD, and more), but the major character development has been from someone staunchly anti-establishment and free-spirited morphing into someone who craves structure and control.
In other words, Tony got old.
Captain America
We’re first introduced to Captain America in a block of ice, then retroactively told his origin story. The short of it is Steve Rogers starts his life as a weakling with the greatest of character strengths (bravery, compassion, intelligence, and so on), then his body catches up through the use of a “super serum” enabling him to become a great American hero during World War II.
Compulsively armed with a shield while clad in red, white and blue and fiercely loyal to his friend James Buchanon “Bucky” Barnes, Steve gets pounded on worse than any other character, yet his goodness continues to shine through … and that’s sort of the point of the guy: Uncompromising morals.
He loses his friend Bucky in the first movie, gets frozen, wakes up 70 years later to discover his friend has been brainwashed/turned into a master assassin and the villainous super organization he’d been trying to defeat (Hydra) has infiltrated his own government. The woman he loved has Alzheimer’s. He gets his ass kicked, repeatedly.
I suppose it’s not all awful, as he teams with Stark to head up the team known as the Avengers, a collection of superheroes tasked with protecting the Earth from internal and external threats, and they get some wins under their belts (and he makes several new friends along the way).
But because this is Steve we’re talking about, the team fractures over a fundamental difference of opinion and conflict revolving around Bucky. This ends in a brutal fist fight with Stark, in which each party comes away battered and bloodied.
“Cap” is currently on the run as a war criminal.
It’s a safe bet that he’s marked for more misery in the upcoming film(s).
Thor
Norse mythology comes to life in the form of the god of thunder, Thor, his adopted brother the god of mischief, Loki, and their alien world, Asgard. Cleverly, the creative team here leans into Arthur C. Clarke in showing the Asgardians’ advanced technology as almost magical. (But these are still super-powered individuals running about, so one still must make a leap of faith.)
Thor begins his character arc as an arrogant, prideful braggart, so spoiled that his father Odin takes away his power and banishes him to Earth. Thor must then earn back his power and eventually battle his treacherous brother, who has a bad habit of continually vexing both Thor and the Avengers at large.
Their sibling rivalry consists of Thor seeking to redeem Loki, whilst Loki can’t resist turning on him. It defines their relationship, though perhaps Thor has finally wisened up some?
Thor has adopted Earth as a second home, and it’s a good thing too, because first home Asgard is eventually destroyed in the third film (along with Thor’s trusty hammer).
Hmmm. He might be making a run at Cap in terms of amount of misery suffered.
The Avengers
Loki attempting to take over Earth (with an army, to boot!) sparks the formation of the Avengers. Captain America and Ironman are essentially co-leaders of the group, with Thor playing a key role as well. Thus far the team has defeated Loki’s army and turned back the threat of Ultron (an evil A.I. robot) but has recently fractured thanks to the aforementioned conflict (“Civil War”) between Tony and Steve.
Here’s a list of the other team members:
Bruce Banner/Hulk — The brilliant scientist who through a failed experiment created an alter ego for himself that is a giant green rage monster is another key cog of the team. Each alter ego is battling for control over the other, as the Hulk persona is continually developing in intelligence/emotional depth. Basically invulnerable as Hulk, Bruce was last seen teaming with Thor to guide the homeless Asgardians through space, presumably toward Earth.
Black Widow — Counter intelligence/spy games should probably be tattooed across Natasha Romanova’s forehead. Her background thus far is still murky (Russian Cold War stuff?), and her allegiances are never entirely clear. We do know she had a very stunted romance with Bruce, and she is also friends with Hawkeye and Cap. She is probably in hiding right now thanks to the fallout from “Civil War.”
Hawkeye — Gifted with rare vision and accuracy with a bow, Clint Barton is close friends with Black Widow and develops a mentor role with Scarlet Witch. He has a family hidden away so as to keep them safe from danger. He is presumably on the run with Captain America at present. He is the final member of the original lineup.
War Machine — A former pilot turned colonel and best buds with Tony, James “Rhodey” Rhodes eventually gets his own suit of armor and has since become a valued member of the team. He suffered a spinal injury (ouch!) during “Civil War” but appears to be on the mend (to what degree is unclear).
Falcon — Sam Wilson befriended Rogers as the latter attempted to integrate himself into modern society and the two quickly became close. A former pararescue officer who now assists “Cap” through the use of a winged jetpack (and other gadgets), he sided with Steve during “Civil War” (obviously) and is now on the run as well.
Scarlet Witch — Of eastern European descent, Wanda Maximoff agreed to undergo experimentation (along with her brother) to help free her country from constant war. Said experimentation imbued her with powers of mind control and telekinesis, making her supremely powerful. Wanda was originally aligned with Hydra, was then recruited to assist Ultron before settling into an alliance with the Avengers. Her brother died in the ensuing battle, but she stayed on with the good guys in the aftermath. She sided with Hawkeye/Captain America during “Civil War,” so she is also presumably on the run.
Vision — A creation of Ultron, who was in turn a creation of Stark, Vision ultimately sides with the cause of saving humanity, which aligns him with the Avengers. His powers (strength, flight, the ability to fire an intense energy beam and an ability to pass through solid objects) come in part from an “infinity stone,” which is embedded in his forehead. He has a major crush on Wanda.
Ant Man — An ex-con with a heart of gold, Scott Lang steals some pretty incredible tech (a suit that allows the wearer to shrink) from scientist Hank Pym, which folds the two into each other’s worlds. He has a thing for Pym’s daughter, Hope van Dyne, who seems destined to join Scott as the Wasp. He has cast his lot with Captain America, meaning he’s now on the run as well.
Spider-man — Not officially a member of the team just yet, Peter Parker remains a friendly neighborhood Spider-man for now. A teenager (with all the daily challenges that entails), Peter Parker gained his powers after a bite from a radioactive spider … he can shoot webs, crawl vertical surfaces and sense danger among other things. He’s taken on Stark as a mentor (which seems like a supremely poor choice on the face of it, but whatever).
Black Panther — We are introduced to T’Challa, son of the king of Wakanda, in “Civil War.” After his father is assassinated, T’Challa comes to believe Bucky is the assassin, drawing him into the conflict. He has super strength, claws and a suit composed of a seemingly indestructible metal called Vibranium (the same metal Cap’s shield is made of). After he learns the truth that Bucky wasn’t involved in his father’s murder and brings the guilty party to justice, he withdraws back to his home country of Wakanda.
Doctor Strange — Doctor Stephen Strange has crossed paths with Thor/Loki, but no one else just yet. Tasked with protecting the Earth from external threats, his interests align with those of the Avengers, so we can assume a team up is forthcoming. A former surgeon who has learned the art of magic, he has the ability to manipulate space, and through the use of another “infinity stone,” time as well.
More people to know
There are literally dozens of other supporting characters and baddies we can run through, but here are the most important folks left to know.
Thanos — This big purple alien dude is after the aforementioned “infinity stones,” because they would make him super powerful and stuff. He’s got minions helping him with this, and he has familial ties to certain members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And that’s about all you really need to know about him. The stones he’s after … there are six of those, and he’s trying to get them all (they will eventually be housed in a big gold glove called the infinity gauntlet). As mentioned, Doctor Strange has the time stone (1), and Vision has the mind stone (2). In addition, we know the location of the space stone (3) — currently with Loki — the reality stone (4) — with a collector of strange objects appropriately called “The Collector” — and the power stone (5) — under guard on the planet Xandar. Only the soul stone (6) remains a current mystery.
The Guardians of the Galaxy — A motley team of criminals and undesirables, they nonetheless have lived up to their self-given name in protecting the galaxy from annihilation … twice even. The current team is half-human Peter “Starlord” Quill, Gamora (adopted daughter of Thanos), raccoon-looking Rocket, vengeance-minded Drax “The Destroyer,” empath Mantis, and of course the humanoid walking tree, Groot. Gamora has an antagonistic sister, Nebula, who the team has crossed paths with on multiple occasions.
And that’s it if you haven’t seen Black Panther yet and still plan to. If you want to get caught ALL the way up, though…
— SPOILERS FOR BLACK PANTHER BELOW —
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The power vacuum created in Wakanda — a fictional country technologically advanced and withdrawn from the outside world due to self-preservation — by the death of its king draws out direct challengers to T’Challa for the thrown, one of whom is his orphaned cousin, Erik “Killmonger.” This conflict is presented in a very interesting way, but the ultimate outcome is T’Challa is annointed king, Killmonger dies, and Wakanda reveals itself to the outside world. Oh yeah, and Bucky, who had long been tormented by brainwashing and had provided great drama to everyone as the “Winter Soldier,” finally appears to be finding peace in his refuge there.
And that’s basically it. Whew.
Now you’re ready for “Avengers: Infinity War.”
And if after reading/watching all of that, you still want to try for a marathon, these guys have done a great job of outlining a way to do so (if film release order doesn’t seem sufficient).
If that seems like way too much (it is), I recommend watching these three movies as a refresher:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Thor: Ragnarok
Guardians will offer you exposition on the Infinity Stones and a Thanos cameo, while Civil War and Ragnarok will catch you up on (most) of the other main characters. Feel free to throw in Doctor Strange too, if you have the time (between Civil War and Ragnarok).