287-623: The multiverse is a fictional setting within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise . Based on the setting of the same name from the Marvel Comics , it is a collection of infinitely many alternate realities and dimensions . First explored in the film Doctor Strange (2016), it is revisited in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019) before playing a key role in Phases Four , Five , and Six of
574-543: A FedEx delivery man, referring to Lee's cameo in Captain America: Civil War . This acknowledged the fan theory that Lee may be portraying the same character in all his cameos, with writer and director James Gunn noting that commentators believed Lee was portraying the character Uatu the Watcher and "that all of these cameos are part of him being a Watcher . So, Stan Lee as a guy who is working for
861-604: A crossover film; Arad, who resigned in 2006, doubted this strategy would work. He insisted that it was his reputation that helped secure the initial financing. In 2007, Feige was named studio chief. To preserve its artistic integrity, Marvel Studios formed a creative committee of six people familiar with its comic book lore: Feige, Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito , Marvel Comics' president of publishing Dan Buckley , Marvel Entertainment's chief creative officer Joe Quesada , comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis , and Marvel Entertainment president Alan Fine , who oversaw
1148-496: A "hands-on role" in each series' development. Feige said these series would "tell stories... that we wouldn't be able to tell in a theatrical experience—a longer-form narrative". He added that being asked by Disney to create these series "energized everyone creatively" within Marvel Studios, since they "could play in a new medium and throw the rules out the window in terms of structure and format". Television specials from
1435-450: A "variant" by the TVA, is recruited by Mobius M. Mobius to hunt down Sylvie , another alternate version of himself who has been ambushing TVA Minutemen in alternate timelines. After a skirmish at a 2050 Roxxon supermarket, the duo are forced to work together to escape 2077 Lamentis-1 , a moon destined to be destroyed in an alternate timeline. Additional variants of Loki are introduced in
1722-414: A 2018 agreement between Alonso and Disney to not work for a competing studio. The decision was made by a group that included Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman and Disney's human resources and legal departments. Alonso reportedly did not seek permission to work on the film and was asked by Disney to stop working on it or promoting it. The situation was deemed serious enough that Disney requested
2009-504: A Marvel film if asked. When developing the crossover miniseries The Defenders , showrunner Marco Ramirez consulted with the creators of all the individual Marvel Netflix series, having them read each of the scripts for The Defenders and provide insight into individual characters' worlds. In December 2021, Feige confirmed that Cox would reprise the role of Daredevil in Marvel Studios MCU productions, with Cox first reprising
2296-585: A better environment to reveal van Dyne in the Wasp costume for the first time and see "her dynamic with Scott [Lang] in a way it could play out". Anthony Russo stated that adapting the "Civil War" storyline was not always the intended storyline and direction for the film when the brothers initially signed on to return as directors. Markus expanded on this, saying the original concept for a third Captain America film "never got to draft", with Feige at some point telling
2583-693: A big idea they would like to explore or build to in a project, such as Hydra infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), but they leave it up to the filmmakers to interpret and "improv a little bit" to get that point. After these ideas have been developed, the creative team then begins exploring ideas from other future projects to see how to make any larger universe connections. In August 2012, Marvel signed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) director Joss Whedon to an exclusive contract through June 2015 for film and television. With
2870-587: A big, giant visual-effects movie to do a big, giant visual-effects movie for us. You just have to have done something singularly sort of awesome." The studio ensures directors are open to the idea of the shared universe and are willing to include connective material, such as Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston needing to include scenes that set-up The Avengers (2012) in their respective Phase One films Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger (both 2011). Marvel Studios usually has
3157-466: A blood cross-contamination in a car accident. In 2025, Banner travels to Sakaar to bring his son, Skaar , to Earth. Barton returns to live with his family at their Iowa farm. In December 2024, Barton and his children go to New York City before Christmas to see a Broadway musical about Rogers' legacy. While there, he meets Kate Bishop and her golden retriever , Lucky . He takes her in as his protégé and they become Barton's extended family. In 2025,
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#17327730141733444-507: A cameo appearance of Barton, and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), introducing Rogers. Favreau stated that he would not direct the film, but would "definitely have input and a say". Favreau expressed concerns about combining characters such as Iron Man and Thor, noting Iron Man's character was based around technology, while the inclusion of Thor would require the introduction of supernatural elements, which he said would require "a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow
3731-415: A complicated relationship with love interest Mary Jane Watson . Three of Parker's villains, which include Osborn, Octavius, and Marko, are transported to Earth-616 as well. The official script for No Way Home refers to Parker's universe as being dubbed the "Raimi-verse". No Way Home also features characters from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man film series, with many actors reprising their roles from
4018-429: A draft of the script, started the storyboard process, and met with actors. Whedon included a "brother/sister act" from the comic books, later revealed to be Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. His rationale for their inclusion was that "their powers are very visually interesting", with problems; those powers are superspeed, and spells and telekinesis, respectively, though cautioned he was not throwing in more characters for
4305-691: A drone, and sports an all white appearance. Wilson returns to help out in the United States Air Force. In 2024, with Barnes' reassurance, Wilson takes up the mantle of Captain America and gives his Falcon wings and mantle to his Air Force friend, Joaquin Torres . Also in 2024, Banner and Danvers answer Wong's hologram call and meet Shang-Chi . Banner welcomes Shang-Chi onto the team. Later that year, Banner aids his cousin Jennifer Walters after she receives his abilities following
4592-481: A father and Avenger. Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness wrote the material from the memoir that was featured in the film. Various composers have created the film and television scores of the MCU films, television series, One-Shots, Special Presentations, and other related projects of the MCU, primarily released by Marvel Studios's record label Marvel Music . Original songs have also been created specifically for use in
4879-562: A first draft for the film, on which principal photography was expected to begin in April 2015. By October, Robert Downey Jr. had entered final negotiations to reprise his role as Stark in the film. Downey was added for the film to adapt the 2006–07 " Civil War " comic book storyline written by Mark Millar , which pitted Iron Man against Captain America. At the end of the month, it was confirmed that Sebastian Stan would return as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. A few days later, Marvel revealed that
5166-883: A former HYDRA agent at a Christmas ballet. They gather together and arrive at the Avengers Tower for the annual Christmas party but defend it from the Freak, until Darcy Lewis reveals he is Happy Hogan and that Justin Hammer infiltrated the Tower. As they prepare to party, Thor arrives outside late. In an alternate 2012, the Avengers, composed of Carter, Stark, Thor, Romanoff, Barton, and the Wasp, subdue Loki's Chitauri invasion in New York. Captain Carter gets transported to 1602 in
5453-480: A group of heroes working to respond to planetary threats, following the appearance of Carol Danvers and naming it after her U.S. Air Force callsign, "Avenger". Years later, Fury assesses various individuals for it, including Tony Stark and Steve Rogers . Stark's membership is declined after a negative report by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff . The World Security Council wanted Emil Blonsky to join, but rejected it after Stark deters Thaddeus Ross from
5740-512: A life with Peggy, Rogers returns as an old man with a new shield and grants it and the title of Captain America to Wilson. Thor appoints Valkyrie as the new ruler of New Asgard and goes to space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Maximoff goes to Florida and sees that Vision's body is in S.W.O.R.D. custody at their headquarters. She then travels to Westview, New Jersey and in her grief over
6027-554: A meteor to cause an extinction event . The Avengers, joined by James Rhodes and the Maximoffs, defeat Ultron's sentries and evacuate civilians. Pietro sacrifices himself to save Barton, while Stark and Thor destroy Sokovia, and Vision fully terminates Ultron to avert the event. In the aftermath, Stark and Barton retire, Banner disappears, and Thor decides to find the Infinity Stones, while Rhodes, Sam Wilson , Wanda, and
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#17327730141736314-450: A minor tease for fans. Early drafts had featured virtually every major character from previous Spider-Man films, but this was eventually narrowed down to avoid excessive fan service . Almost all of the multiversal villains were redesigned at some level for the film: Osborn and Dillon were given more comics-accurate appearances, while Molina and Dafoe were both digitally de-aged . The plot of Multiverse of Madness revolves entirely around
6601-491: A more comics-accurate costume than his appearance in the ABC series Inhumans (2017), while Lynch was surprised when she learned she would be playing an alternate version of Rambeau, initially believing she would be portraying an ancestor of Rambeau. Feige cast Krasinski in the role because he was a highly popular suggestion for the role from fans, with his appearance replacing a planned cameo appearance by Daniel Craig as Balder
6888-581: A multi-million dollar compensation settlement in April. Disney CEO Bob Iger said in July 2023 that the company would be reducing the amount of Marvel content created moving forward, admitting that Marvel Studios' expansion into Disney+ series and more films had "diluted focus and attention" after several underachieving films at the box office. He clarified their plans in May 2024, saying Disney would now release two, or at most three, Marvel films and two Marvel series
7175-562: A multiversal war between variants of himself before establishing the TVA. He is murdered by Sylvie, allowing universes to diverge from the Sacred Timeline and in turn leading to the recreation of the multiverse. In the episode's final moments, Loki is transported to the TVA's past, where he meets an oblivious Mobius and sees a statue of He Who Remains. This episode sets up the events of Multiverse of Madness , No Way Home , and Quantumania . According to head writer Michael Waldron ,
7462-586: A multiverse indeed existed in the MCU. In the seventh season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2020), the S.H.I.E.L.D. team pursues the Chronicoms across time through "tides". The early episodes of the season appeared to contradict the time-travel rules established by Endgame , though it is later revealed that a new timeline was created as a result of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team altering events in the past, in line with Endgame 's depiction of time-travel. The series finale , " What We're Fighting For ", confirms that
7749-471: A negative light". In October 2014, Norton claimed it was his own decision never to play Hulk again because he "wanted more diversity" with his career, and did not want to be associated with only one character. In the mid-2000s, Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in
8036-400: A new agreement be signed. The company consistently reminded her of this while she continued to promote the film following its September 2022 premiere, ultimately leading to her firing. Alonso's lawyers refuted these claims, saying Disney was aware of, and agreed to, Alonso's work on Argentina, 1985 and Alonso had been "silenced [and] was terminated when she refused to do something she believed
8323-603: A new draft. Once all of the actors were "locked in place the movie stayed on mission". Whedon noted that the characters used do not have the same issue, unlike the X-Men . He felt "these guys just don't belong together" before modeling their interactions based on the film The Dirty Dozen (1967). Whedon also referenced Dr. Strangelove (1964), The Abyss (1989), His Girl Friday (1940), and Black Hawk Down (2001). Whedon would ultimately share final screenplay credit with Penn, though Whedon noted he "fought" for sole credit and
8610-619: A new member. The Avengers confront Loki, who opens a wormhole using the Tesseract and begins an invasion with his Chitauri army, starting a battle. Stark introduces the team to Loki by referring to them as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Eventually, the World Security Council launches a nuclear missile towards Manhattan, but Stark intercepts and flies it through the wormhole, destroying the Chitauri mother ship and stopping
8897-684: A new universe by the Scarlet Witch, and agrees to help her and Sir Nicholas Fury after learning about an impending incursion . Later, a tear opens up, with Carter saving Loki but not Queen Hela , resulting in her being hunted down by Sir Harold "Happy" Hogan and the Royal Yellowjackets under the new King Thor's orders. Carter locates Tony Stark to get his help in retrieving Thor's Scepter. She finds Loki's carriage and meets Rogers Hood, Bucky Barnes, and Scott Lang. After Carter frees Bruce Banner, everyone meets with Stark, who shows them
Multiverse (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - Misplaced Pages Continue
9184-729: A plan to conduct a time traveling operation to retrieve each Stone from the best years and locations. Banner, Rogers, Stark, and Lang travel to New York City in 2012: Banner gets the Time Stone from the Ancient One after revealing Strange's surrendering of it, Rogers finds the Mind Stone in Loki's scepter, while Stark and Lang fail to get the Space Stone , but Stark and Rogers get it by going back to 1970. Thor and Rocket retrieve
9471-495: A previous partnership—which gave the company distribution rights for five future Marvel films. In October 2008, two major prospects occurred for Marvel Studios: Favreau was brought in as an executive producer for the film, and the company signed a long-term lease with Raleigh Studios to produce three additional big-budget films alongside The Avengers at their Manhattan Beach, California complex. The films were Iron Man 2 (2010), introducing Romanoff, Thor introducing Thor and
9758-665: A quantum virus which transformed her into a zombie. This leads to a zombie apocalypse, with many Avengers turned into zombies, including Stark, Strange, Wong , Barton, Happy Hogan , Sam Wilson / Falcon , Sharon Carter / Agent 13 , Rogers, and Maximoff. This reality will be revisited in Marvel Zombies , in which additional characters are revealed to have transformed into zombies, including Emil Blonsky / Abomination , Ava Starr / Ghost , Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel , Okoye , and Ikaris . The episode " What If... Ultron Won? " of
10045-568: A reality where all his fellow X-Men died, while the rest of those characters appear as inhabitants of the Void, with Pyro and Sabretooth working for Cassandra Nova ( Emma Corrin ), while Laura, Elektra, Blade, the Human Torch, and Gambit oppose her as resistance members which previously included Daredevil , Magneto , the Punisher , and Quicksilver . Other characters who work for Cassandra are
10332-532: A reference to an unproduced Gambit film where Tatum was set to star as the character before its cancellation due to Fox's acquisition by Disney. Keen and Stanford confirmed their roles to not be variants of Laura and Pyro respectively but the same ones they portrayed in the X-Men film series, with the backstory provided by Reynolds and director Shawn Levy being that they were pruned by the TVA some years after their last appearances instead of being taken from specific points of certain timelines. Wolverine comes from
10619-456: A ruse devised by Beck and his crew to gain revenge on Stark, their former employer. J. K. Simmons appears in a mid-credits scene as J. Jonah Jameson ; he had previously portrayed the character in Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy , but director Jon Watts clarified that the character was a new incarnation and not "from another dimension or multiverse". Despite this, Feige confirmed that
10906-554: A series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios . The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The franchise also includes several television series , short films, digital series, and literature. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Marvel Studios releases its films in groups called "Phases", with
11193-641: A series of direct-to-video short films that are included as special features in the MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The films included The Consultant (2011), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (2011), Item 47 (2012), Agent Carter (2013), and All Hail the King (2014). Following the One-Shots becoming available on Disney+ in January 2022, Marvel classified
11480-433: A series of photorealistic animated shorts starring Baby Groot for Disney+. In November 2016, Feige explained that the studio would often put together a "lookbook" of influences from the comics and art by Marvel's visual development department, to create a visual template for a project. These are put together at company retreats, which the studio holds approximately every 18 months to plan out future projects and develop
11767-423: A series of in-universe YouTube videos serving as the center of a viral marketing campaign to promote the films and universe. In December 2016, a six-part web series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot , debuted on ABC.com . It follows Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez on a secret mission, shortly before the start of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 's fourth season , with Natalia Cordova-Buckley reprising her role from
Multiverse (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - Misplaced Pages Continue
12054-437: A team of fictional superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise , based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury , the team is a United States–based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to
12341-509: A third Captain America film, with Evans as Captain America, Feige as producer, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as screenwriters. Markus and McFeely had been working on the screenplay since late 2013, while the Russo brothers began work in February 2014. In April 2014, Marvel announced a release date of May 6, 2016. In July, Markus and McFeely stated that they were midway through
12628-477: A third scientist. Casting continued into August 2013, with the announcement that James Spader would play the villain of the film, Ultron. That November Marvel confirmed that Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson would play the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, respectively. Taylor-Johnson had been in negotiations since as early as June, while Olsen's potential involvement was first reported in August. By
12915-622: A universe where the X-Men appear to have a prominent role. The Kree villain Dar-Benn opens a portal to an adjacent reality to Earth-616, where Monica Rambeau gets trapped at the end of the film. She awakens inside the X-Mansion , and is greeted by two of its inhabitants, Maria Rambeau, taking the code name of Binary instead, and one of the X-Men, the mutant Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast , who also mentions Professor Charles Xavier by name. McCoy
13202-414: A world composed of Stark Industries combat drones from Far From Home , the dinosaur-inhabited Savage Land from the comics, and a black-and-white New York City stuck in the 1930s after being taken over by Hydra . Visual effects for the 40-second-long sequence were provided by Framestore , which initiated development nearly a year and a half before the film's release. The company refers to the sequence as
13489-477: A year. This was a decrease from up to four films and around four series being released in some recent years. The company was reducing output and focusing on quality across all its divisions, but Iger felt the change was especially needed for Marvel. Feige and D'Esposito said 2023 had been a particularly difficult year and a "rough time" for the studio but they had learned their lesson on trying to make too much content at once. They added that no longer being "on top" of
13776-494: A young Peter Quill under Ego 's influence. With Thor's help, the team successfully defeats Ego and frees Quill from his control, while Pym adopts Quill. As a fully-formed team, Pym, Foster, Lawson, T'Chaka, and Thor agree to continue working together. In an alternate universe on Christmas Eve, Stark and Rogers dress up as Santa Claus and an elf respectively at a shopping mall, while Barton and Banner try to maintain crowds at an Avengers toy action store. Elsewhere, Romanoff intercepts
14063-466: Is alive and getting knocked out by the Scepter. Stark and Thor are approached by Alexander Pierce on the first floor who ask for Loki to be handed over, but Stark suffers a cardiac arrest, causing him to drop the briefcase causing the Tesseract. Thor uses Mjolnir to save him. Banner arrives angrily, unknowingly knocking into Earth-616 Stark on his way out of the building. Soon after, Thor turns around and
14350-656: Is also placed here in The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline . The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z , Vol. 5, published in 2008, originally designated the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Earth-199999 within the continuity of Marvel's comic multiverse , a collection of fictional alternate universes, although, this designation was rarely used officially outside of
14637-474: Is captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an otherworldly organization which monitors the multiverse. The series designates the main reality depicted in the MCU as the Sacred Timeline, with the TVA striving to maintain this flow of time in all universes by "pruning" alternate timelines that have significantly deviated from the Sacred Timeline, using reset charges . Loki, who is labeled
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#173277301417314924-516: Is corrupted by dark magic, one where Janet van Dyne / Wasp triggers a zombie apocalypse , one where Erik "Killmonger" Stevens rescues Stark before causing a war between Wakanda and the U.S., one where Thor was an only child and lives a party lifestyle, and one where Ultron uses the Infinity Stones to exterminate all life in the universe. The Watcher refuses to intervene when the corrupted Strange pleads with him to save his collapsing universe, citing his oath not to do so. After failing to defeat
15211-562: Is destroyed. Rogers then abandons his shield . Meanwhile, T'Challa apprehends Zemo, realizing him to be T'Chaka's killer. Rogers later frees his teammates from the Raft, becoming fugitives. Barton and Lang agree to be under house arrest to be with their families. Although officially reduced to just Stark, Vision, and Rhodes, the Avengers continue operating. Stark offers to hire Parker after he defeats Adrian Toomes . However, Parker declines, choosing to remain as Spider-Man, but promises to assist
15498-863: Is detained, Helmut Zemo activates Barnes' Winter Soldier persona using the Winter Soldier Book , although Barnes later recovers and reveals Zemo's interest in the Winter Soldier Program . To aid them, Wilson and Rogers recruit Lang and Barton, then take Maximoff out of confinement at the Avengers Compound. The divided Avengers meet and fight at the Leipzig/Halle Airport ; Rogers, Wilson, Barton, Maximoff, Barnes and Lang clash with Stark, Rhodes, Romanoff, Vision, T'Challa and new recruit Peter Parker . Rogers and Barnes escape with Romanoff's help, traveling to
15785-472: Is narrated by the Watcher , an almighty being who observes the multiverse without interfering. The alternate realities featured in the season include one where Carter becomes the super-soldier Captain Carter , one where T'Challa becomes Star-Lord , one where the Avengers are assassinated by Hank Pym / Yellowjacket during the events of the tie-in comic Fury's Big Week (2012), one where Stephen Strange
16072-486: Is portrayed by Henry Cavill . One of those variants appears fighting the Hulk. Earth-616, also known as the "Sacred Timeline", is the main universe depicted in the MCU. Despite having been designated as Earth-199999 by Marvel Comics in 2008 in a handbook, Multiverse of Madness establishes the MCU as Earth-616, sharing the name with the primary setting of the comics. Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore previously referred to
16359-554: Is portrayed by Kelsey Grammer , reprising his role from 20th Century Fox 's X-Men films X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Earth-10005 is introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine as Wade Wilson / Deadpool 's home reality and the setting of 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series. As the universe begins to disintegrate following the death of James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in Logan (2017),
16646-592: Is the first mutant (a term related to the X-Men) in the MCU. Namor is also revealed to be a mutant in the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), as he is in the comics. Kelsey Grammer appears as Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast in The Marvels (2023), reprising the role from the X-Men films series, which also introduces the mutant Binary , an alternate version of Maria Rambeau , portrayed by Lashana Lynch . Feige called Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
16933-544: Is the first film in Phase Four , which concluded with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), while Phase Five began with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and will conclude with Thunderbolts* (2025). Phase Six will begin with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) and it will conclude with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Marvel Television expanded
17220-472: Is unable to find Loki. In an alternate 2011, a vengeful Hank Pym eliminates the Avengers' candidates: Stark, Thor, Barton, Banner, and Romanoff. After Pym is defeated, Loki proceeds to invade Earth. Meanwhile, Fury prepares to recreate the team after Rogers is discovered in the Arctic and Danvers responds to his call. Rogers, Danvers, and Fury later battle Loki and his Asgardian army aboard a Helicarrier. During
17507-667: The Team Thor mockumentary shorts as One-Shots. Team Thor is a series of direct-to-video mockumentary short films that were released from 2016 to 2018, consisting of Team Thor , Team Thor: Part 2 , and Team Darryl , all written and directed by Taika Waititi . I Am Groot is a series of photorealistic animated short films for Disney+ starring Baby Groot going on adventures with new and unusual characters. Vin Diesel reprises his role, with five shorts releasing on August 10, 2022. A second season with five additional shorts
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#173277301417317794-580: The Avengers journey to four alternate timelines as part of a " Time Heist ". The escape of an alternate version of Loki from an alternate 2012 New York sets up the first season of the Disney+ series Loki (2021). The multiverse plays a central role in Phase Four of the MCU, most notably in the first season of Loki , the first and second seasons of the Disney+ series What If...? (2021 and 2023),
18081-605: The Blonde Phantom and the Wasp . In October 2008, Daniel Craig was offered the role of Thor, but ultimately turned it down, citing his commitments to the James Bond franchise . In February 2009, a casting call went out looking for actors with certain physical attributes to audition for the role of Thor. That May, Chris Hemsworth was in negotiations to portray the title role after a back-and-forth process in which he
18368-551: The Captain America films, writing the screenplays for both parts. McFeely later recalled that the pair had started negotiating to write the two films without ever actually being asked to do so by Feige or Marvel. Anthony Russo described the two Avengers sequels as the culmination of all the MCU films since Iron Man , bringing an end to some things and beginning others. Marvel called this overall storyline " The Infinity Saga ", comprising Phases One , Two , and Three of
18655-537: The Council of Kangs , overseeing the multiverse outside of space and time, note that Earth-616's Avengers are becoming aware of the multiverse and must be stopped. Other versions of the Avengers are depicted within the context of the MCU multiverse, such as in Avengers: Endgame and the animated series What If...? . In an alternate 2012, Rogers, Stark, Banner, Thor, Barton, and Romanoff assemble in
18942-798: The Deadpool films cast members, Aaron Stanford as Pyro from X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Dafne Keen as Laura from Logan (2017), Jennifer Garner as Elektra from Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005), Chris Evans (who portrayed Captain America in the MCU) as the Human Torch from Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and Tyler Mane as Sabretooth from X-Men (2000), with Wesley Snipes reprising his role as Blade from New Line Cinema 's Blade film trilogy (1998–2004) and Channing Tatum portraying Gambit as
19229-480: The Fantastic Four to Marvel Studios, although Feige explained that despite the acquisition finalizing in 2019, access and integration of these characters and concepts were unavailable "for a very long time" because of corporate acquisition laws. Some of the first elements to be integrated into the MCU following the acquisition were the organization S.W.O.R.D. in the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021) and
19516-462: The Infinity Stones . In July 2014, Feige said there were "some notions" as to where Marvel would want to take a third Avengers film, and the studio was aiming for three years between Age of Ultron in 2015 and a sequel. In October 2014, Marvel announced a two-part sequel to Age of Ultron titled Avengers: Infinity War . Part 1 was scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018, and Part 2
19803-470: The Iron Man films. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (2016) is one of several Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. web series created for ABC.com and produced by Marvel Television that is a supplement to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , with the main cast reprising their roles. The first two seasons of The Daily Bugle (2019–2022) are an in-universe current affairs show serving as a viral marketing campaign for
20090-543: The Juggernaut (Aaron W. Reed), Blob (Mike Waters), Azazel (Eduardo Gago Muñoz), Callisto (Chloe Kibble), Lady Deathstrike (Jade Lye), Psylocke (Ayesha Hussain), Arclight (Jessica Walker), and Toad (Daniel Medina Ramos), all portrayed by stunt performers over their original X-Men film series actors, as well as the Russian (Billy Clements) and Bullseye (Curtis Rowland Small). To decide which characters from
20377-512: The Loki season two finale, and also sees Doctor Strange Supreme capturing various "universe-killers" to atone for his past sins. Strange asks Carter to assist with capturing an escaped variant, who fled to a universe where Hydra used the Tesseract to destroy the world. Carter agrees, in spite of the Watcher 's warning. She encounters Kahhori, who reveals that Strange had actually been capturing both heroes and villains from various universes to feed to
20664-799: The Quantum Realm introduced in the film Ant-Man (2015), the Mandelibus Dimension, the Actiniaria Dimension, the Flowering Incense Dimension, and the Grass Jelly Dimension. Internally referred to as the "Magical Mystery Tour" at Marvel Studios, the scene was originally seven minutes long. In an unrealized scene in the film Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Strange sends Thanos through a series of alternate universes, emulating
20951-690: The Reality Stone from Asgard in 2013, while Rhodes and Nebula retrieve the Power Stone from Morag in 2014. There, 2014-Thanos learns of the Blip and the Avengers' plan to undo it, so he kidnaps 2023-Nebula and replaces her with 2014-Nebula to sabotage the operation. Barton gets the Soul Stone after Romanoff sacrifices herself on Vormir . Reuniting in 2023, the Avengers place the Stones into
21238-557: The Russo brothers and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely . This was to ensure their storytelling aligned for the Infinity Saga's culmination. Marvel Studios began contracting their actors for multiple films, including signing actor Samuel L. Jackson to a then-unprecedented nine-film contract. Feige said the studio had all actors sign contracts for multiple films, with the normal number being for three or more while
21525-530: The Sokovia Accords , United Nations (U.N.) legislation intended to regulate superhumans' activities. The Avengers are divided: Stark, Rhodes, Vision, and Romanoff support it, while Rogers and Wilson object due to fears of authoritarianism . After Bucky Barnes is accused of killing Wakandan King T'Chaka , Rogers and Wilson protect him from an arrest warrant, causing them to clash with Stark, Rhodes, Romanoff, and T'Challa , T'Chaka's son. After Barnes
21812-481: The Spider-Man films. Multiple limited series or one-shot comic books that tie into the MCU films and television series have been published by Marvel Comics. They are intended to tell additional stories about existing characters or to make connections between MCU projects, without necessarily expanding the universe or introducing new concepts or characters. The Wakanda Files: A Technological Exploration of
22099-637: The Tesseract from 2012 New York, an alternate version of Loki escapes with the Tesseract. Alternate versions of Thanos, Gamora , and Nebula teleport from 2014 to the Avengers Compound in the present-day, leading to a battle between the Avengers and Thanos . Afterward, Steve Rogers / Captain America returns the Infinity Stones and Mjölnir to their original timelines, choosing to stay behind with an alternate version of Peggy Carter in 1949 and grow old with her. The directors and screenwriter of
22386-482: The Time Variance Authority (TVA) take in Deadpool and show him the history of the MCU, shown via archive recordings of past MCU films. Additionally, Laura / X-23 , portrayed by Dafne Keen who reprises her role from Logan , is revealed both in-film and by Keen herself to be the same version, having aged several years past the events of Logan before being pruned by the TVA into the Void and eventually become part of
22673-458: The Void , a barren dimension at the end of time where individuals and objects are sent to after being pruned by the TVA. These include the elderly Classic Loki , the adolescent Kid Loki , the hammer-wielding Boastful Loki , and the reptilian Alligator Loki . In the season finale , " For All Time. Always. ", Loki and Sylvie meet He Who Remains , a mysterious figure from the 31st century who ended
22960-462: The Writers Guild of America to ensure that it could create films based on its comic book counterparts, including Captain America, Ant-Man and the Avengers. After the successful release of Iron Man in May, which introduced Tony Stark / Iron Man, the company set a July 2011 release date for The Avengers . In September 2008, Marvel Studios reached an agreement with Paramount—an extension of
23247-598: The X-Men which were respectively licensed to Sony, New Line, and Fox, Marvel owned the rights to the Avengers team. Feige, a self-described "fanboy", envisioned combining these characters in a shared universe similar to the one created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in the 1960s. "It's never been done before and that's kind of the spirit everybody's taking it in. The other filmmakers aren't used to getting actors from other movies that other filmmakers have cast, certain plot lines that are connected or certain locations that are connected, but I think... everyone
23534-552: The crossover film The Avengers (2012). Phase Two comprises Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Ant-Man (2015). Captain America: Civil War (2016) is the first film of Phase Three , and is followed by Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of
23821-624: The highest-grossing media franchises of all time, and it has received generally positive reviews from critics. The studio attributed several Multiverse Saga projects performing below expectations to the increase in the amount of content being produced after the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame , and began decreasing its content output from 2024. The MCU has inspired other film and television studios to attempt similar shared universes and has also inspired several themed attractions, an art exhibit, television specials, literary material, multiple tie-in video games, and commercials. By 2005, Marvel Entertainment
24108-586: The untitled fourth Spider-Man film (2026), and will conclude with Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). The planned film Blade is also intended to be part of the phase but does not have a release date. Marvel Television produced multiple television series set in the MCU across broadcast, streaming, and cable. Its ABC series included Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), Agent Carter (2015–2016), and Inhumans (2017); its Netflix series included Daredevil (2015–2018), Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Luke Cage (2016–2018), Iron Fist (2017–2018),
24395-465: The " Council of Kangs ", banish him to the Quantum Realm out of fear, and Kang plots his revenge. In the Quantum Realm, he enlists the help of Janet to rebuild the power core of his spaceship, which allows him to travel the multiverse, but Janet rebels upon learning of his past. Using Pym Particles , Janet enlarges the core, rendering it unusable. Decades later, Kang has established an "empire" in
24682-1065: The "America Portal Ride", with head animator Alexis Wajsbrot seeking to "echo the craziness" of Doctor Strange 's Magical Mystery Tour. Other references in the sequence include homages to the work of M. C. Escher , Salvador Dalí , and Pablo Picasso . The duo is subsequently captured by the Illuminati , a secret society of superhumans, in Earth-838. The group includes Karl Mordo , Captain Carter, Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt , Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel , Reed Richards , and Professor Charles Xavier , who are portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor , Hayley Atwell , Anson Mount , Lashana Lynch , John Krasinski , and Patrick Stewart , respectively. Ejiofor, Atwell, Lynch, and Mount all reprise their roles from prior MCU media, while Stewart reprises his role from 20th Century Fox 's X-Men film series. However, they all play alternate versions of their characters separate from their original roles. Mount dons
24969-593: The "Webb-verse". Earth-838 is first introduced in Multiverse of Madness . It is most notably the home to the Illuminati, a secret society founded by an alternate version of Strange . After causing an "incursion" of another reality as a byproduct of using the Darkhold to defeat Thanos, Strange is executed by Boltagon on Titan , and he is succeeded by Mordo as one of the members of the Illuminati. The Illuminati
25256-506: The "essence" of "Civil War" was used, such as "the concept of registration" and the notion that heroes need to be either supervised being applicable. Anthony Russo further went on to comment that superhero registration could become a political issue, wanting to avoid that and instead "figure out very personal reasons why everyone's relationship to this idea of registration is going to become complicated", particularly by focusing on Steve and Bucky's. Executives at Marvel Entertainment balked at
25543-611: The "most desperate of narrative cheats". Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times felt that the use of time travel sacrificed consistency for nostalgia-arousing fan service . Following reports that No Way Home would involve the multiverse, Adam B. Vary of Variety felt that the multiverse could allow Tom Holland , who portrays Parker in the MCU, to appear in the SSU. Graeme McMillian of The Hollywood Reporter speculated whether
25830-473: The 20th Century Fox era of Marvel films would return, Levy and the filmmakers contacted the dozens of actors displayed at the film's Fox tribute reel during the credits, including ones that ultimately didn't return like Ben Affleck as Daredevil or Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, while prioritizing the movie to be emotional and poignant over "going crazy" with the Multiverse and taking the audience's "eye off
26117-504: The Avengers and Beyond is "a collection of papers, articles, blueprints, and notes amassed throughout history by Wakanda's War Dogs" at the request of Shuri . It is organized by areas of study and covers the technological advancements throughout the MCU. The book, which exists within the universe, was written by Troy Benjamin and published by Epic Ink and Quarto Publishing Group. The Wakanda Files has content printed with UV ink that can be viewed with Kimoyo bead–shaped UV lights included with
26404-561: The Avengers existed on Earth-838 where Peggy Carter / Captain Carter became the first member. In an alternate 2018, the Avengers and Thanos are killed during the Battle of Wakanda when Glenn Talbot / Graviton , attempting to draw up enough gravitonium to help the Avengers defeat Thanos, accidentally causes the planet to explode. In several alternate universes, the Avengers were killed by Kang, who successfully conquered their respective universes. Many characters have been affiliated with
26691-414: The Avengers if needed. In 2018, Wade Wilson / Deadpool travels from his universe, Earth-10005 , to Earth-616 / the " Sacred Timeline " hoping to join the Avengers and give his life added meaning. He is interviewed by Happy Hogan , who rejects him, and returns to his own universe. In 2018, the Avengers come into conflict with Thanos and his children , who seek the six Infinity Stones to erase half of
26978-574: The Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Samuel L. Jackson makes his debut in a cameo appearance as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., in a post-credits scene in Iron Man . Jackson's face was previously used as the model for the Ultimate Marvel imprint version of Nick Fury . Jackson confirmed that he had been in discussions to reprise the role of Fury from Iron Man ' s post-credits scene in
27265-564: The Avengers, but Fury manages to contact Danvers. Barton's family also blipped during his house arrest, causing him to become vengeful vigilante Ronin and murder criminals. Lang gets trapped in the Quantum Realm while harvesting energy, as Hank Pym , Hope , and Janet van Dyne get blipped prior to extracting him. Three weeks later, the Avengers reunite after Stark and Nebula are rescued by Danvers. The Avengers find Thanos' location, where Rogers, Romanoff, Banner, Thor, Danvers, Rhodes, Rocket, and Nebula ambush him. Thanos reveals he destroyed
27552-444: The Battle of New York. After subduing Loki at Stark Tower, Thor puts a device over Loki's mouth after he mocks Rogers. Romanoff and Barton give the Scepter to Brock Rumlow and other agents. Stark and Thor take Loki on the elevator to the first floor, telling Banner he has to take the stairs as he would not fit. Rogers meets his Earth-616 counterpart and mistakes him for being Loki, inciting a duel, which ends with him hearing that Barnes
27839-563: The Brave . Stewart uses a yellow wheelchair akin to the one seen in X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) and utters a line from X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Waldron, who wrote this film's script, was unable to include Namor as part of the Illuminati because Marvel Studios had other plans for him; the character would later appear in the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Obadiah Stane / Iron Monger
28126-684: The Conqueror , Spider-Man , Doctor Strange , Deadpool , and Wolverine . The main reality depicted in the MCU is designated Earth-616 beginning with the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), despite its original designation as Earth-199999 by Marvel Comics and outside media. The multiverse has received a mixed response from critics, with praise for its visuals and nostalgic appeal but criticism of its excessive reliance on fan service . The incorporation of characters from non-MCU Marvel films has also generated speculation and discussion among viewers and commentators. The multiverse
28413-583: The Fantastic Four and X-Men would enter the MCU through the multiverse, while Hoai-Tran Bui of /Film questioned whether the addition of multiversal characters would overshadow Holland's performance in No Way Home . Following the film's release, Benjamin Lee of The Guardian applauded Watts for bringing back numerous Spider-Man villains, while John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter believed that
28700-547: The Forge, a contraption he created to resurrect his own universe, which he indirectly destroyed trying to avert Christine Palmer 's death. As Strange attempts to kill Kahhori, Carter frees the imprisoned variants in the Sanctum, allowing her and Kahhori to escape from Strange. They run into Black Panther Killmonger , but Kahhori teleports him out of his Infinity Armor, allowing Carter to use it. Carter and Kahhori confront Strange at
28987-571: The Forge, where the latter begins feeding the variants to it. Carter is assisted by the variants who lend their weapons to her aid, while Strange is slowly taken over by his demonic self. Eventually, Carter manages to separate Strange from his demonic counterpart. As the Forge begins to collapse, Strange sacrifices both him and his demonic self to the Forge. The Watcher teleports Kahhori back to her universe and takes Carter to his dimension, where he reveals that Strange's universe had been restored, though Strange himself would never be born into it. Carter asks
29274-671: The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) are also included in the phase. Phase Five includes Secret Invasion (2023), the second season of Loki (2023), the second season of What If...? (2023), Echo (2024), Agatha All Along (2024), the third season of What If...? (2024), the first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025), the first season of Daredevil: Born Again (2025), and Ironheart (2025). Phase Six will include Eyes of Wakanda (2025), Marvel Zombies (2025), Wonder Man (2025), and Vision Quest (2026). Marvel One-Shots are
29561-524: The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). The second three phases are collectively known as "The Multiverse Saga", and include television series on Disney+ . Phase Four includes Black Widow (2021), Shang-Chi and
29848-517: The Hulk before Barton stops her, while Stark stops Hulk's rampage with his Hulkbuster armor . After reconvening at Barton's farmhouse, Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff retrieve a new vibranium body created by Ultron. Stark and Banner use it to create Vision , a sentient and benevolent being powered from the Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S. program, Mjolnir , and the Mind Stone . Ultron tries to use Sokovia as
30135-603: The Hulk's body. Lang escapes the Quantum Realm and visits Rogers and Romanoff at the Compound, proposing to use the Quantum Realm for time travel to undo the Blip. They visit Stark and Banner to discuss it, but Stark rejects it while Banner's tests with Pym's Quantum Tunnel fail. Stark eventually helps them, providing Pym Particles for time traveling. Banner and Rocket travel to New Asgard , Norway to recruit Thor, while Romanoff recruits Barton in Tokyo. They all reconvene and form
30422-633: The Hydra Siberian Facility to stop Zemo from reactivating the Winter Soldier Program. Their teammates are imprisoned in the Raft and Rhodes' legs are paralyzed after accidentally being struck by Vision's blast. Stark joins Rogers and Barnes after realizing Barnes' innocence, but fights them after Zemo reveals Barnes' assassination of Stark's parents . In the fight, Rogers disables Stark's armor and Barnes' cybernetic arm
30709-417: The Infinity Saga and depicted their disbandment. The four Avengers films are currently the third highest-grossing superhero franchise and the sixth highest-grossing film franchise of all time, grossing more than US$ 7.7 billion. The Avengers have received praise as a group from critics including their dynamic together, with Endgame received praise from critics as a conclusion for that iteration of
30996-575: The Infinity Stones-wielding Ultron, the Watcher breaks his oath and recruits six multiversal heroes to the Guardians of the Multiverse in an effort to save the multiverse. Head writer A. C. Bradley was uncertain of how Loki and Multiverse of Madness would depict the multiverse, as production on What If..? began well before those two projects did, thus deciding to leave most of the MCU's multiversal "rules-building" to
31283-820: The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Phase Five begins with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), The Marvels (2023), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and Captain America: Brave New World (2025), and will conclude with Thunderbolts* (2025). Phase Six begins with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), followed by Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and
31570-525: The Loom, revive the dying timeline strands, and reform them into a tree-like structure, seating himself at its center in the Citadel ruins to manage the tree in perpetuity. The second season of What If...? continued to chronicle the activities of the Watcher, exploring new alternate realities in the multiverse. Some of the storyline elements from the first season with Captain Carter, Doctor Strange Supreme, and
31857-410: The MCU films for the following 10 years. That July, Feige announced some of the films and series for Phase Five and Phase Six at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing that the second three Phases were collectively known as " The Multiverse Saga ". After the "creative experience" of ending Phase Three and "The Infinity Saga" with Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame , and the expansion in
32144-594: The MCU going forward. Victor Timely, a variant of Kang, appears in the second season of Loki . He is recruited by Loki and members of the TVA to help stabilize the Temporal Loom, a device that refines raw time into physical timeline strands. After several futile attempts to stop the Loom from overloading, Loki uses his burgeoning time-slipping ability to return to the Citadel at the End of Time, where He Who Remains resided in season 1. When Loki confronts He Who Remains in
32431-767: The MCU's Phase Six , concluding the Multiverse Saga. Following the formation of Marvel Studios as an independent film studio by Avi Arad , the head of Marvel's film division, producer Kevin Feige envisioned creating a shared cinematic universe to introduce the Avengers, similar to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comic books in the 1960s. Once Feige became studio chief in 2007 and formed his creative team, his strategy involved creating individual films for each major character in Phase One , beginning with Iron Man (2008) and concluding with The Avengers (2012). Casting for
32718-531: The MCU's primary reality as Earth-199999. 20th Century Fox 's X-Men film series is designated as Earth-10005 in Deadpool & Wolverine . That film features several actors reprising their roles from the X-Men film series along with characters from Fox's films Daredevil and its spin-off Elektra , Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and New Line Cinema 's Blade film trilogy . Phases Four, Five, and Six comprise " The Multiverse Saga ". With
33005-421: The MCU, specifically those which featured Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield 's separate portrayal of the titular character. No Way Home features characters from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series, with many actors reprising their roles from the trilogy. The version of Parker from this universe, dubbed " Peter-Two ", uses organic webbing instead of web shooters like his alternate counterparts, and maintains
33292-428: The MCU, which constitute " The Multiverse Saga ". The MCU's multiverse centers on a universe called the "Sacred Timeline". Alternative universes are generally "pruned" by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), until Sylvie kills TVA's leader, " He Who Remains ", allowing new universes to form. Many alternate versions of existing MCU characters have been introduced via the multiverse, most notably those of Loki , Kang
33579-419: The MCU. Each short was designed to be a self-contained story that provided more backstory for characters or events introduced in the films. In March 2015, Marvel's Vice President of Animation Development and Production, Cort Lane , said animated tie-ins to the MCU were "in the works". That July, Marvel Studios partnered with Google to produce the faux news program WHIH Newsfront with Christine Everhart ,
33866-455: The MCU. In April 2016, Jon Favreau said he would executive produce the films after doing the same for the previous Avengers films and also directing the first two Iron Man films. Gunn also served as executive producer on the films, working with the Russos, Marvel, and Feige to ensure the Guardians of the Galaxy characters were "well taken care of" in the films. In March 2018, Disney moved
34153-438: The MCU. Early on in the film, dreams are revealed to be visions of one's alternate counterparts in the multiverse. Maximoff and Strange later engage in "dreamwalking", a "mentally [and] physically exhausting spell" in which one possesses one's multiversal counterpart using the Darkhold . Additionally, "incursions" are established as universe-ending events which occur when one leaves a large footprint in an alternate reality, causing
34440-776: The Magical Mystery Tour. The film most notably explores the Astral Dimension , the Dark Dimension , and the Mirror Dimension . Astrophysicist Adam Frank was consulted on the depiction of the multiverse in Doctor Strange , offering guidance on how to portray the dimensions in a scientific manner. Frank stated that he did not believe the multiverse exists in real life, but viewed it as a "great idea to use for fiction". He added that
34727-406: The Mind Stone to find a cure, while Banner stays behind to keep Maximoff at bay, allowing Parker, T'Challa, and Lang to escape to Wakanda where an infected Thanos awaits with the other Infinity Stones. In an alternate 2015, Ultron successfully implants himself into Vision's body and exterminates the Avengers, except for Barton and Romanoff. Years later, Ultron begins a campaign of destruction across
35014-510: The Mind Stone, but Maximoff refuses and the team travel to Wakanda, where Shuri begins an operation to safely remove the Stone. The Wakandan army, their allies, and Barnes aid the Avengers to repel an invasion by Thanos' children. Thor arrives on the battlefield alongside Rocket and Groot through the Bifrost after forging his new Stormbreaker axe on Nidavellir . Shuri is ambushed, stopping
35301-414: The Multiverse Saga after Thanos in the Infinity Saga, because Kang was a different villain in part because he has multiple variants from different timelines within the multiverse. The studio did not initially plan to build the next saga around Kang, and made that decision after seeing actor Jonathan Majors 's performance in the first season of the Disney+ series Loki (2021), as well as dailies from
35588-409: The Multiverse Saga's new antagonist Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom (after previously portraying the superhero Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU from 2008 to 2019) for both Doomsday and Secret Wars . In December 2017, Disney agreed to acquire assets from 21st Century Fox . The transaction officially closed on March 19, 2019. This saw the return of the film rights for Deadpool , the X-Men, and
35875-530: The Multiverse Saga, other outside timelines had the potential to "crash or converge" with the Sacred Timeline. In Doctor Strange , the term " multiverse " is used by the Masters of the Mystic Arts to describe the multitude of dimensions within the MCU . The character Ancient One brings Dr. Stephen Strange on a journey across the multiverse, passing by different universes and pocket realities, including
36162-462: The Multiverse, and Ultron is defeated. The animators used an artistic effect called the Kirby Krackle in these two episodes to demonstrate the multiversal power of Ultron and the Watcher, which Bradley was adamant on including due to it never having been used before in the MCU. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) serves as a crossover and linkage to previous Spider-Man live-action films with
36449-558: The Netflix series by Marvel Television. Loki and What If...? are excluded from the diagram because they occur outside of the main timeline. Werewolf by Night is also excluded given the special explicitly does not indicate where it takes place in the MCU. Disney+'s timeline order places the first seasons of Loki and What If...? between Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision , their second seasons after The Marvels , and Werewolf by Night after Thor: Love and Thunder ; Werewolf by Night
36736-559: The Orb containing the Power Stone , but Nebula is captured by the 2014 Thanos. Later, 2014 Thanos and his warship, the Sanctuary II , are teleported to the Avengers Compound in 2023, leading to a major battle between Thanos' forces and the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy , Masters of the Mystic Arts, Wakandans, Asgardians, and Ravagers . An alternate version of Gamora from 2014 betrays Thanos and joins 2023 Nebula, later disappearing from
37023-590: The Phases in addition to their feature films. Each series is released on Disney+. Phase Four includes the series WandaVision (2021), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), the first season of Loki (2021), the first season of the animated series What If...? (2021), Hawkeye (2021), Moon Knight (2022), Ms. Marvel (2022), and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). The television specials Werewolf by Night (2022) and The Guardians of
37310-550: The Quantum Realm, terrorizing its inhabitants. He coerces Lang to retrieve the core and restore it to its original size, but Janet intervenes and a battle ensues. Lang and his allies eventually defeat Kang by destroying the core, which distorts and then engulfs him. The film's mid-credits scene introduces three variants of Kang: Immortus , Rama-Tut , and Centurion , who convene the Council upon learning of Kang's apparent death and plan their multiversal uprising against Earth-616. In
37597-488: The Resistance group. The Magical Mystery Tour sequence in Doctor Strange was praised by critics, with Umberto Gonzales of TheWrap calling it a "trippy psychedelic thrill ride" and Britt Hayes of ScreenCrush describing it as "astounding, elaborate stuff". On the time travel-centric plot of Endgame , Peter Travers of Rolling Stone found it clichéd but distinctive, while Peter Debruge of Variety called it
37884-406: The Russos, who were going to leave the film if the changes were mandated on them. This prompted Walt Disney Studios head Alan F. Horn to back the Russos with making the film as originally intended and lead to Marvel Studios to be placed from Marvel Entertainment into Walt Disney Studios in 2015. Thanos, a villain who covets the Infinity Stones, was introduced to the MCU in a brief appearance at
38171-446: The Stones, prompting Thor to decapitate him. By 2023, Romanoff becomes the leader of the Avengers, officially recruiting Danvers, Rocket, and Nebula to the team. The Avengers collaborate with Okoye to mitigate the Blip's damage. Rogers becomes a grief counselor, Stark lives with his wife Pepper Potts and daughter Morgan , Thor becomes an overweight alcoholic afflicted with depression , while Banner integrates his intelligence within
38458-568: The Tesseract. In Loki , this reality is "reset" by the TVA and the alternate Loki is arrested. During the Avengers' Time Heist in Endgame , Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow , Clint Barton / Hawkeye , James Rhodes / War Machine , and Nebula time-travel to an alternate Morag in 2014. Romanoff and Barton depart on the Benatar to Vormir to acquire the Soul Stone , in which Romanoff sacrifices herself. Meanwhile, Rhodes and Nebula successfully acquire
38745-752: The Vision join the team. The Avengers relocate their primary headquarters to the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Months after the Battle of Sokovia, the Avengers' new facility becomes targeted in a heist, with a skirmish between Wilson and Scott Lang . In 2016, Rogers, Romanoff, Maximoff, and Wilson defend a research lab in Lagos from Brock Rumlow . They successfully stop Rumlow and his crew of mercenaries, but Maximoff's usage of telekinesis to try to save civilians kills Wakandan diplomats. Thus, United States Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross presents
39032-619: The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $ 4 billion. Disney said future Marvel Studios films would be distributed by its own studio once the prior deal with Paramount expired. The films of Phase Three were announced at a special press event in October 2014. By September 2015, Marvel Studios was integrated into Walt Disney Studios . Feige was reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn instead of Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac Perlmutter , and
39319-500: The Watcher are continued in this season. The sixth episode introduces an original MCU character named Kahhori , a young Mohawk woman in an alternate timeline who seeks to discover her new-found powers after the Tesseract crash-lands in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in pre-colonial America where European colonization has not occurred. The season's final episode includes the multiverse tree established in
39606-414: The Watcher to show her the multiverse before taking her home. The film Deadpool & Wolverine features the character Wade Wilson / Deadpool from the X-Men films Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) produced by Fox, with Ryan Reynolds reprising the role. Most of the film takes place on Earth-10005 and the Void, while the TVA and Alioth from Loki also appear. Writer Rhett Reese described
39893-699: The Watchers was something that I thought was fun for the MCU." Feige added that Lee "clearly exists, you know, above and apart from the reality of all the films. So the notion that he could be sitting there on a cosmic pit stop during the jump gate sequence in Guardians ...really says, so wait a minute, he's this same character who's popped up in all these films?" Following Lee's death, Marvel Studios chose not to create any new Lee cameos in future projects. NY1 news anchor Pat Kiernan has also appeared in multiple MCU films and television series as himself. Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe) The Avengers are
40180-659: The Worlds of Marvel restaurant in the Disney Wish cruise ship in July 2022. The Avengers' story in the MCU takes place in the Earth-616 universe. The fictional biography below includes events that happened to the team from more than one Earth-616 timeline, as well as events that occurred in alternate universes. In 1995, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury creates the Avengers Initiative , envisioning it as
40467-480: The above". Whedon added that Ultron's origin would differ from the comics, with Hank Pym not being involved in Ultron's creation. Whedon disclosed that Edgar Wright was using the character first in his film Ant-Man (2015), then in development. He also thought that Ultron needed to be conceived through the Avengers and since they already had Tony Stark and Bruce Banner on the team; it would not make sense to bring in
40754-436: The addition of Jeremy Renner . In March 2010, it was reported that Chris Evans was cast as Steve Rogers / Captain America. Ryan Phillippe and John Krasinski were also considered for the role. In April 2010, Sebastian Stan , who had been mentioned in media accounts as a possibility for the title role, was cast as Barnes. Mark Ruffalo was cast as Bruce Banner / Hulk by July 2010 to replace Edward Norton , who played
41041-568: The balls" that count most, noting some of the characters depicted in the film were since its earliest drafts whereas others "evolved" over months into pre-production . Several Deadpool variants from the Void also appear, such as Nicepool (also portrayed by Reynolds), Dogpool (portrayed by dog actor Peggy ), Ladypool (voiced by Blake Lively ), Headpool (voiced by Nathan Fillion ), Cowboypool ( Matthew McConaughey ), among others. Seven other versions of Wolverine briefly appear, with six also portrayed by Jackman while one, dubbed "The Cavillrine",
41328-499: The battlefield. She returned in the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Two alternate universes so far in What If...? have served as significant plot points to the story or are planned to be expanded upon in future projects. In a reality first explored in "What If... Zombies?!", Pym rescues Janet from the Quantum Realm as he did in the film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), only to discover that Janet has been infected with
41615-549: The beginning of Phase Four. That phase also saw the studio expand to television specials, known as Marvel Studios Special Presentations , starting with Werewolf by Night (2022). The MCU includes various tie-in comics published by Marvel Comics, a series of direct-to-video short films called Marvel One-Shots from 2011 to 2014, and viral marketing campaigns for some films featuring the faux news programs WHIH Newsfront (2015–16) and The Daily Bugle (2019–2022). The franchise has been commercially successful, becoming one of
41902-599: The book. It was released on October 20, 2020. Look Out for the Little Guy , the fictional memoir written by Scott Lang as seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania , was released by Hyperion Avenue on September 5, 2023. It was created alongside Marvel Studios and the Quantumania filmmakers, and was written by Rob Kutner , featuring "over 20 short pieces exploring different aspects of Scott's experiences" as
42189-594: The box office allowed them to be underdogs again, as they had been when starting work on Phase One, and they would be "coming back strong" with the hope of surprising audiences and exceeding expectations. Feige expected the studio to begin releasing two films and three series per year after 2025, when they were planning to release three films and six series that had been in development for a long time and were ready to be released. In 2024, Marvel Studios introduced their "Marvel Animation" and "Marvel Television" banners for their animated and live-action series, respectively. This
42476-435: The character in the comics had previously "broke[n] open the Marvel comic book universe into the Marvel multiverse". At the time, producer and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated that there were no plans to explore parallel universes similar to the ones featured in the comics, with the film instead exploring various "alien dimensions". The MCU multiverse is revisited in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which
42763-409: The character was not yet cast, saying, "We didn't want to introduce her fully formed flying in a costume before you knew who she was or how she came to be". Whedon shot visual effects plates for Captain Marvel to fly into Avengers Headquarters at the end of the film; those shots were instead repurposed for Wanda Maximoff. Feige also revealed that an early draft had Hulk's Quinjet detected near Saturn at
43050-426: The character. In March, it was reported that Penn had completed the first draft of the script, and that Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and Avengers comic-book writer Brian Michael Bendis had received copies. In July, Joss Whedon signed on to direct and replace Penn as the film's writer. On his desire to take on the film, he explained that the core of the movie was about "finding yourself from community" and
43337-421: The characters that we've established, and everyone's established in the MCU are serviced and sound correct. Because there's a difference between the characters in "Civil War", which was written in 2006, 2007. The MCU doesn't exist [when it was written]. There isn't a Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans who has helped create the character[s] so we need to make sure that that template gets adjusted". Joe Russo added that
43624-407: The committee. Feige initially referred to the shared narrative continuity of the films as the "Marvel Cinema Universe", but later used the term "Marvel Cinematic Universe". Since the franchise expanded to other media, some have used this phrase to only refer to the feature films. The MCU films are released in groups called "Phases", beginning with Phase One and Phase Two . In December 2009,
43911-551: The company who help to elevate each other's projects where possible. In November 2017, Feige said Avengers: Endgame (2019) would provide a definitive conclusion to the films thus far and begin a new period for the franchise. He later said Phase Three would conclude " The Infinity Saga ". Disney was reportedly developing a Marvel-based television series for their new streaming service Disney+ by November 2017. In July 2018, Feige said discussions had begun with Disney regarding any potential involvement Marvel Studios could have with
44198-421: The concept of time travel had already been explored in Endgame , he sought to place greater emphasis on Kang's connections to the multiverse and "evolve" the MCU's multiversal storytelling. He also described the Quantum Realm as a "connected limbo outside of space and time", likening it to the "basement" of the multiverse. Director Peyton Reed stated that Kang's arrival to the MCU would have major implications for
44485-401: The connection between both universes to destabilize and resulting in the destruction of one or both of the universes. The film's focus on the multiverse was revealed at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), with the announcement of the film's title and release date. Explaining the subtitle Multiverse of Madness , co-producer Richie Palmer stated that the film would explore the definitions of
44772-488: The creative committee began having only "nominal" input on the films. They continued to consult on Marvel Television productions, which remained under Perlmutter's control. All key film decisions moving forward were to be made by Feige, D'Esposito, and executive vice president Victoria Alonso . The studio went on to establish the Marvel Studios Parliament , a "brain trust" of long-time executives at
45059-507: The creator or co-creator of many of the characters adapted in the MCU, made cameo appearances in all of the feature films and television series except Inhumans . In Iron Fist , it is revealed his on-set photograph cameo in the Marvel Netflix series is as NYPD Captain Irving Forbush . His cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sees Lee appearing as an informant to the Watchers , discussing previous adventures that include Lee's cameos in other MCU films; he specifically mentions his time as
45346-1044: The crews behind Loki and Multiverse of Madness . No Way Home connects the MCU to Sony Pictures ' other Spider-Man films , with multiple characters from alternate realities accidentally transported to the main timeline due to a miscast spell performed by Strange intended to erase the world's knowledge of Parker's identity as Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire , Alfred Molina , Willem Dafoe , and Thomas Haden Church reprise their roles as Peter Parker / Spider-Man , Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus , Norman Osborn / Green Goblin , and Flint Marko / Sandman , respectively, from Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy; Andrew Garfield , Jamie Foxx , and Rhys Ifans reprise their roles as Peter Parker / Spider-Man , Max Dillon / Electro , and Curt Connors / Lizard , respectively, from Marc Webb 's The Amazing Spider-Man films ; while Tom Hardy reprises his roles as Eddie Brock and Venom from Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Many of these actors arrived on sets wearing cloaks to avoid leaks of their involvement. In
45633-507: The crossover miniseries The Defenders (2017), and The Punisher (2017–2019); its young adult series included Runaways (2017–2019) streaming on Hulu and Cloak & Dagger (2018–2019) airing on Freeform ; and the Hulu series Helstrom (2020) was originally intended to be the start of a planned "Adventure into Fear" franchise, but was ultimately "not tied to the MCU", according to showrunner Paul Zbyszewski . Beginning with Phase Four, television series were included as part of
45920-711: The crossover miniseries The Defenders . In April 2016, Netflix ordered The Punisher , a spin-off of Daredevil . By February 2019, Netflix had canceled all of its Marvel series. In April 2016, the Disney-owned cable network Freeform announced Cloak & Dagger . In May 2017, Marvel announced that Runaways had received a series order from Hulu . In May 2019, Marvel announced that Helstrom had been greenlit for Hulu. In October 2019, further corporate restructuring saw Feige named Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, with Marvel Television becoming part of Marvel Studios and executives of Marvel Television reporting to Feige. In December 2019, Marvel Television
46207-411: The deal, Whedon contributed creatively to all of the Phase Two films and also developed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , the first television series set in the MCU. In April 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) writer and director James Gunn revealed that he would be working with Marvel to help plan future stories for the Guardians of the Galaxy characters and
46494-413: The destruction of Earth on the same day in the fifth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (during the main events of Infinity War ), a gravitonium-infused Glenn Talbot , intending to assist the Avengers in their battle against Thanos' army, attempts to draw more gravitonium from the core of the Earth to increase his power, inadvertently destroying the Earth and fulfilling the prophecy he intended to avert. In
46781-445: The destruction of Strange's Macchina di Kadavus begins to tear the fabric of reality, forcing Strange to erase the world's memories of Parker before sending the multiversal characters back to their own universes. Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers began exploring the idea of the multiverse and potentially revisiting characters from past Spider-Man films early on during the writing process, initially planning for this to be
47068-400: The device he created to help. They all disguise themselves to enter Thor's courtroom and a fight occurs. Carter takes the Scepter and uses the Time Stone inside Stark's device, exposing a time-displaced Rogers, who inadvertently created the temporal anomaly during a battle with Thanos. She is forced to say goodbye to him and sends him back to his universe, averting the incursion. A version of
47355-402: The differences between the characters, explaining that "They're very disparate characters. The joy of the Avengers is they really don't belong in the same room. It's not like the X-Men, who are all tortured by the same thing and have similar costumes". Feige revealed that Captain Marvel, who headlined her own MCU film in 2019 , appeared in an early draft of the screenplay, but was removed since
47642-492: The duology. The version of Parker from this universe, dubbed " Peter-Three ", reels from the death of girlfriend Gwen Stacy in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), holding himself responsible for his failure to save her, even becoming violent and rageful as a result in the years following her death. Two of Parker's villains, which include Connors and Dillon, are transported to Earth-616 as well. The official script for No Way Home refers to Parker's universe as being dubbed
47929-424: The early 1960s. Ideas for a film based on the Avengers began in 2003, with Avi Arad , the CEO of Marvel Studios, first announcing plans to develop the film in April 2005. This followed Marvel Enterprises declaring independence by allying with Merrill Lynch to produce a slate of films that would be distributed by Paramount Pictures . Marvel discussed their plans in a brief presentation to Wall Street analysts;
48216-405: The end of The Avengers . Many fans subsequently expected Thanos to be the antagonist of Age of Ultron . However, Joss Whedon explained that the character would not be the primary antagonist until a later film due to his power, opting to save him for "the big finale". Thanos appears at the end of Age of Ultron in another brief appearance, shown with the Infinity Gauntlet, a glove designed to hold
48503-496: The end of the film, but it was decided to keep it Earth-based and leave his fate ambiguous to dispel rumors that a film based on the " Planet Hulk " storyline was in development, which Marvel Studios had no plans to adapt at the time. Marvel later adapted elements of "Planet Hulk" in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), where Hulk retroactively landed in Sakaar after the events of Age of Ultron . In March 2014, Anthony and Joe Russo confirmed that they had signed on to return as directors for
48790-423: The end of the year, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Cobie Smulders were confirmed to be reprising their roles from the first film, and Don Cheadle, who portrayed James Rhodes in the Iron Man films, was joining. In the early months of 2014, Paul Bettany , who voiced J.A.R.V.I.S. in previous MCU films, was cast as the Vision. Whedon noted
49077-404: The event a film had to debut on Disney+ instead of in theaters. TheWrap reported that the new contracts would likely only apply to films about to enter production. It was unclear if any adjustments would be made to contracts for films already completed but not yet released. For Marvel Television, Loeb said he and his executives were involved in all aspects of production: "whether it's being in
49364-413: The events of the season had been taking place in a branched timeline, with Leo Fitz leading the team back to the series' main timeline through the Quantum Realm. The concept of the multiverse is explored in depth for the first time in the first season of Loki , which kicks off a multiverse-centric story arc in the MCU. The version of Loki who had escaped from 2012 New York during the events of Endgame
49651-466: The fictional country Madripoor in the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Additionally, Patrick Stewart appeared as Professor Charles Xavier in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), portraying a different version of the character that he previously played in Fox's X-Men film series , while Kamala Khan was revealed to have a genetic mutation in Ms. Marvel , with star Iman Vellani confirming that she
49938-583: The fight, Strange is captured and taken to their spaceship, while Banner warns Rogers of Thanos' intention to acquire Vision's Mind Stone. Stark and Parker pursue Strange and board the spaceship, where Stark officially anoints Parker as an Avenger. They go to Titan to confront Thanos, allying with the Guardians of the Galaxy along the way. The two teams temporarily restrain Thanos in an ensuing battle to take his Infinity Gauntlet off, now with four Stones. However, Peter Quill hits Thanos after learning he killed Gamora , freeing and allowing Thanos to incapacitate
50225-431: The fight, the Watcher brings in a variant of Romanoff, and she incapacitates Loki with his scepter. In an alternate 2018, a quantum virus is released turning people into zombies. Some of the Avengers respond to an outbreak in San Francisco and are infected as well. Banner and Parker survive, and with other allies, find Vision and Maximoff, with Vision taking care of an infected Maximoff. Vision sacrifices himself to provide
50512-424: The film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Phase Four, Phase Five , and Phase Six of the MCU will comprise " The Multiverse Saga ". The showrunners of Loki collaborated with the crews behind the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021), What If...? , and the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), as all three projects are connected to
50799-421: The film and used the same board so that the team was "working off the same visual ideas". At first, Penn tried to reduce Thor's role in the script because he had doubts about the character's ability to succeed on film, but changed his mind once Hemsworth was cast. The film had always intended to use Loki as its villain, but Penn noted that early discussion had considered using Red Skull . In January 2010, Feige
51086-578: The film as a fish out of water story for Deadpool, as he is a lunatic who will be dropped into the "very sane world" of the MCU. Feige has described that Wilson will discover the Sacred Timeline in the film and find it fascinating, but he will realize that Paradox 's plans may not be what they seem and he will learn that his offer isn't as simple and there are "universe sized" stakes on the way. The film also includes several characters from 20th Century Fox's Marvel films, including Hugh Jackman reprising his role as an alternate version of Wolverine , alongside
51373-422: The film disagree on whether this was done in an alternate reality through time travel, or in the past in the main timeline. In the film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Quentin Beck / Mysterio claims to Peter Parker / Spider-Man that he and the Elementals are from an alternate reality in the multiverse named Earth-833 , calling the main universe depicted in the MCU Earth-616. This is later revealed to be
51660-632: The film would be titled Captain America: Civil War , confirming Downey's appearance and announcing that Chadwick Boseman would appear in the film as T'Challa / Black Panther ahead of his own solo film . In November, Daniel Brühl joined the cast as Helmut Zemo, while Anthony Mackie was confirmed to return as Sam Wilson / Falcon. Following the November 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures' computers , emails between Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal and president Doug Belgrad were released stating that Marvel wanted to include Spider-Man , whose film rights are licensed to Sony, but talks between
51947-426: The film's antagonist instead of a multiverse-related villain such as Kang because he did not want the film to be "overstuffed", and decided to introduce the Illuminati so the film could "find the madness in the multiverse". As Multiverse of Madness was originally intended to be released before No Way Home , Waldron worked with McKenna and Sommers to adjust the plot of the film accordingly after Multiverse of Madness
52234-414: The film's depiction did not need to be scientifically accurate as long as it "[drew] from the way scientists think about reality and think about space and dimensions". The bulk of the fifth season of the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2017–2018) is set in an alternate future, around the time of Infinity War , where Earth has been destroyed. The protagonist team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents return to
52521-434: The film's post-credits scene, Loki and Mobius encounter yet another variant of Kang, Victor Timely , in 1893. This scene sets up the second season of Loki . Two of Hope's sons from an alternate universe were originally intended to appear, but were cut. According to Jonathan Majors , who portrays Kang, the character is a "Nexus Being" who can affect the stability of the multiverse. Screenwriter Jeff Loveness said that since
52808-424: The film's screenwriters sometimes as well. Marvel Comics worked with Brad Winderbaum , Jeremy Latcham , and Will Corona Pilgrim at Marvel Studios to decide which concepts would be carried over from the Marvel Comics Universe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what to show in the tie-in comics, and what to leave for the films. Marvel later clarified which of the tie-in comics are considered canonical MCU stories, with
53095-459: The film's sequel, but that contract disputes were making a deal difficult. Jackson stated, "There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don't know. Maybe I won't be Nick Fury". In February 2009, Jackson and Marvel came to terms, and he was signed to play the character in up to nine films. Director Jon Favreau planned to cast a newcomer in the title role in Iron Man (2008), as "those movies don't require an expensive star; Iron Man's
53382-413: The film, Parker refuses to send Octavius, Osborn, Marko, Dillon, and Connors to their deadly fates in their original realities, trapping Strange in the Mirror Dimension. After all but Octavius go rogue, Parker is joined by his alternate counterparts, dubbed "Peter-Two" (Maguire) and "Peter-Three" (Garfield), in developing cures for the multiversal villains. During a battle in front of the Statue of Liberty ,
53669-486: The film, and created the tagline "Avengers: Some Assembly Required", a humorous play on the "Avengers Assemble" slogan from the comic books. Marvel quickly began working to hire Whedon to write and direct, only mandating that Loki be the antagonist, a battle featuring the Avengers and villains take place, and the film to be completed prior to its May 2012 release. The script would go through "a lot of insane iterations of what might be" according to Whedon. Whedon explained there
53956-447: The filming of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). After Majors was found guilty of assault and harassment amidst legal issues in December 2023, he was fired by Disney and Marvel Studios. At that time, Marvel was internally referring to The Kang Dynasty as Avengers 5 . Alonso was fired from her role at Marvel Studios in March 2023 for serving as a producer on the Amazon Studios film Argentina, 1985 (2022), in breach of
54243-435: The films Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home , with the videos released on YouTube and TikTok . It is based on the fictional sensationalist news outlet of the same name that appears in the MCU—itself based on the fictional newspaper agency of the same name appearing in several Marvel Comics publications. J. K. Simmons and Angourie Rice reprise their roles as J. Jonah Jameson and Betty Brant from
54530-427: The films, however, it was noted all of these outside projects were part of the larger Marvel canon. In early 2024, Marvel Studios formally integrated Marvel Television's group of Netflix series into their Disney+ timeline. As of the Phase Five television series Secret Invasion and the film The Marvels , the "present day" in the MCU is 2026. The following covers and discusses MCU media released by Marvel Studios and
54817-412: The first animated series from Marvel Studios, and by July 2021 the studio was creating an "animation branch and mini studio", known as Marvel Studios Animation , to focus on more animated content beyond What If...? . Alonso said Marvel had around 31 projects in various stages of development by September 2021. In April 2022, Feige said he and Marvel Studios were on a creative retreat to plan and discuss
55104-482: The first annual " AvengerCon " is held at Camp Lehigh to honor the Avengers. Lang becomes a celebrity while spending time with his family, starts the Big Me Little Me podcast, and writes his bestselling memoir Look Out for the Little Guy . In 2026, Lang, his daughter Cassie , Hope, Pym, and Janet are transported into the Quantum Realm where they encounter Kang the Conqueror , who forces Lang to help him escape. They successfully defeat Kang and return home. However,
55391-428: The first film's United States release to April 27, 2018, so it would be released on the same weekend in the U.S. as in several international markets. That December, the release of the second film was changed to April 26, 2019. In July 2016, Marvel announced that Part 1 would simply be known as Avengers: Infinity War and Part 2 would be called the Untitled Avengers film until a title was chosen. By December 2018,
55678-445: The first film, and her interactions with Earth-616's Strange helped resolve the love story between him and Earth-616's Palmer. Early versions of the film had featured another alternate version of Palmer as well as Earth-838 versions of Nicodemus West and Hope van Dyne / Wasp , but these were cut. Tom Hiddleston was reported to return as Loki, but was absent from the final film. The film introduces several multiverse-related concepts to
55965-409: The first season of What If...? is centered on an alternate universe where Ultron transfers his consciousness into the Vision 's body, acquires the Infinity Stones from Thanos, and wipes out all life in the universe. This leads into the first-season finale, " What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath? ", in which the Watcher assembles six multiversal characters from the previous episodes to the Guardians of
56252-475: The first three phases collectively known as "The Infinity Saga" and the following three phases as "The Multiverse Saga". The first MCU film, Iron Man (2008), began Phase One which culminated in the 2012 crossover film The Avengers . Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 (2013) and concluded with Ant-Man (2015), while Phase Three began with Captain America: Civil War (2016) and concluded with Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Black Widow (2021)
56539-416: The franchise was subsequently designated Earth-199999 by Marvel Comics in the hardcover version of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z , Vol. 5 (2008). The characters Loki , Gwenpool , and Doctor Strange from the comics have been shown to be aware of the MCU's existence. The multiverse is introduced to the MCU in the film Doctor Strange (2016), with director Scott Derrickson noting that
56826-512: The franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga . The Avengers from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga , including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). A new incarnation of the Avengers are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of
57113-424: The franchise, while Brian Tyler and Michael Giacchino have both scored fanfares for the Marvel Studios production logo . The fictional timeline of the MCU includes the feature films, television series, television specials, short films, and the I Am Groot shorts from Marvel Studios and Marvel Television's Netflix series. While the early films of Phase One and Phase Two of the franchise followed each other in
57400-399: The group, exacerbated by the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction . Barton attacks the Helicarrier , causing Banner to transform into the Hulk and cause damage. After Loki kills S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson , the team unites to avenge him, with Romanoff freeing Barton from the scepter's control. Rogers then recruits Barton to the team as
57687-464: The group. With Thanos preparing to kill Stark, Strange surrenders the Time Stone to save his life. Meanwhile, Maximoff and Vision, now in a relationship and hiding out in Edinburgh , are ambushed by two more of Thanos' children, resulting in Vision getting wounded. Rogers, Romanoff, and Wilson arrive and help. Returning to the Avengers Compound, they meet Rhodes and Banner to discuss Thanos. Vision proposes to be destroyed to prevent Thanos from acquiring
57974-407: The idea of Captain America and Iron Man coming to blows at the end of the film and wanted the Avengers to unite to fight Zemo and the super-soldiers at the Hydra base in Siberia instead. The Russos were not happy with this idea, with Joe Russo saying, "There's nothing interesting about that film. We're not here to make that movie. We're not interested in telling another superhero story". Feige supported
58261-433: The idea, hiring Bruce Banner instead. In 2012, the Asgardian Loki teleports to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility on Earth, where he steals the Tesseract and brainwashes Clint Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig using his scepter . Subsequently, Fury recruits Stark and Banner to locate the Tesseract. Rogers, Romanoff, and Stark apprehend Loki, but are disrupted by Thor's arrival. This leads to confrontations between
58548-476: The invasion. Romanoff closes the portal with the scepter and the team apprehends Loki, who is taken back to Asgard. Three years after the Battle of New York, Hydra uses Loki's scepter following their infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers locate it in Sokovia , where they recover it and encounter twin superhuman Hydra test subjects, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff . Barton is wounded and Rogers captures Hydra leader Wolfgang von Strucker while Stark retrieves
58835-409: The main MCU universe as Earth-616 in November 2021, and Feige also began using the term internally prior to the release of Multiverse of Madness . In addition to Beck's use of the term in Far From Home , a reference to the "616 universe" can be seen on Erik Selvig 's blackboard in The Dark World . After learning of Thanos' army's assault on Earth in search of the Mind Stone, and a prophecy heralding
59122-504: The main events of the season, Phil Coulson and his agents are transported to this future from 2017, learning that their future selves, on failing to prevent the destruction of Earth, instead saved a small portion of humanity inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Lighthouse base, now in orbit around Earth's remains as a makeshift space station. After returning to their own time, in 2018, six months after they left their original universe, Daisy Johnson blasts Talbot into space before he can accidentally destroy
59409-433: The main universe of the MCU as well. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , the main universe of MCU events was designated as Earth-616 (a designation first referenced in Spider-Man: Far From Home ), sharing the name of the main Marvel Comics universe , while another universe was designated as Earth-838 . Sony's animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse references the events of No Way Home , citing
59696-473: The moments before Sylvie had killed him, He Who Remains explains that the Loom was in fact a failsafe designed to preserve the Sacred Timeline in the event that the timeline branches grew beyond the control of the TVA. He presents to Loki two choices: either let the Loom run its course of eradicating everything but the Sacred Timeline, or eliminate the Loom and thus let all timelines die. After much consideration, Loki sacrifices himself by using his powers to destroy
59983-431: The month, Disney set a May 1, 2015, release date. At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, Whedon announced the film would be subtitled Age of Ultron . Despite the subtitle, the film is not based on the comic book miniseries Age of Ultron (2013). Feige explained that they simply liked the title but the plot was taken from various Avengers story arcs. At the Hollywood premiere of Iron Man 3 , Whedon said that he had completed
60270-408: The multiversal plot point addressed the "Iron Man-ification of the character" in prior MCU Spider-Man films. Lee and DeFore also noted the level of fan service present in the film, which was echoed by Bilge Ebiri of Vulture and Don Kaye of Den of Geek . Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on
60557-441: The multiverse in some way. Together with WandaVision co-executive producer Mary Livanos and What If...? executive producer Brad Winderbaum , Loki executive producers Kevin Wright and Stephen Broussard developed a "rule book" regarding the MCU's multiverse and alternate timelines. Feige also held a meeting with Marvel Studios executives to discuss the rules of the multiverse and how they would present it to audiences. With
60844-412: The multiverse. The film introduces the character America Chavez , a teenager from the Utopian Parallel who can teleport between universes through star-shaped portals. In the opening of the film, Chavez and an alternate version of Strange from Earth-617 battle a demon in the Gap Junction, a space between universes, before Chavez escapes to Earth-616, the main MCU universe. The attire worn by this Strange
61131-454: The newly made Nano Gauntlet . Then, Banner snaps with the gauntlet on, undoing the Blip. Meanwhile, 2014-Nebula transports 2014-Thanos, his warship , and 2014-Gamora to 2023, destroying the Avengers Compound. 2023-Nebula kills 2014-Nebula after failing to convince her to betray Thanos. Thanos overpowers Stark, Thor, and Rogers and directs his army to obtain the Stones, intent on creating a new "grateful" universe. Strange creates portals, allowing
61418-402: The nine or twelve film deals were rare. The actors' contracts also feature clauses that allow Marvel to use up to three minutes of an actor's performance from one film in another, which Marvel describes as "bridging material". By the start of Phase Four, Marvel Studios was no longer contracting actors for a large number of projects, with deal lengths varying for each actor and project. Feige said
61705-423: The number of projects being produced by the studio in a short amount of time, Marvel Studios decided to move away from having an Avengers crossover film at the end of each Phase and instead decided to have a crossover culmination at the end of "The Multiverse Saga" with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). The studio was excited to explore Kang the Conqueror as an overarching villain of
61992-554: The operation, but the Avengers eventually kill Thanos' children. When Thanos arrives, the Avengers delay him while Maximoff kills Vision to destroy the Mind Stone. Maximoff is successful, but Thanos uses the Time Stone to undo her actions and retrieve the Stone, killing Vision again. With a full Gauntlet, Thanos initiates the Blip . Wilson, Barnes, Maximoff, Strange, Parker, T'Challa, Groot, Quill, Drax, and Mantis are blipped, leaving Stark and Nebula stranded on Titan while Thanos escapes. Fury and Maria Hill are blipped as they try to find
62279-399: The original six members occurred from 2006 to 2010, beginning with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and concluding with Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as the Hulk by 2010. Successive MCU installments introduced new members, with actors from other MCU films reprising their roles. Following the financial and critical success of The Avengers , a sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),
62566-451: The phases of the MCU. However, these lookbooks are not always shown to directors, with Marvel sometimes preferring to let the director offer their own ideas first. When choosing a director for a project, Marvel Studios looks for filmmakers to hire who can guide a film. Some of their choices for directors have been considered "out-of-left-field based on those director's previous work. On this, Feige remarked that "you don't have to have directed
62853-429: The planet. The Avengers visit New York City in an alternate 2012 during the Battle of New York in Endgame . While Bruce Banner / Smart Hulk implores the Ancient One to relinquish the Time Stone , Rogers intercepts a S.T.R.I.K.E. team and acquires Loki's scepter containing the Mind Stone . Stark and Lang attempt to thieve the Tesseract from Stark's alternate counterpart, but the plan goes awry and Loki escapes with
63140-408: The present day at the end of the season. In Endgame , the Avengers travel through the Quantum Realm to 1970 Camp Lehigh , 2012 New York, 2013 Asgard , and 2014 Morag and Vormir , to retrieve the six Infinity Stones displaced through time. The events of The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) are revisited in the film. The film establishes
63427-505: The projects and distribution. Avi Arad , head of Marvel Entertainment's film division known as Marvel Films , was pleased with director Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007) at Sony Pictures and Columbia but was less enthused with some of the other films. Arad decided to form Marvel Studios , Hollywood's first major independent film studio since DreamWorks Pictures was founded in 1994. Kevin Feige , Arad's second-in-command, realized that unlike Spider-Man , Blade , and
63714-465: The radiation kills Stark. After the battle, Fury sends Skrulls to collect blood samples on the battlefield including some of the Avengers, combining it into one concoction known as the Harvest. The Avengers and their allies attend Stark's funeral at Stark's house. Afterwards, they disband. Rogers travels back into the Quantum Realm to return the Stones to their respective universes and travels back in time to be with Peggy Carter . Having lived out
64001-423: The reality that we've created". In March 2009, Marvel announced that the film's release date had been pushed back to May 4, 2012, almost a full year later. In July 2009, Penn talked about the crossover process, desiring to "kind of shuttle between the different movies" while emulating the structure of comic books to ensure the films were connected. He also wanted to use animatics wherever possible to help visualize
64288-547: The reason that all the filmmakers are on board is that their movies need to stand on their own. They need to have a fresh vision, a unique tone, and the fact that they can interconnect if you want to follow those breadcrumbs is a bonus." —Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on constructing a shared film universe To raise capital, the studio secured funding from a seven-year, $ 525 million revolving credit facility with Merrill Lynch . Marvel planned to release individual films for their main characters and then merge them in
64575-473: The release of The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline in October 2023, Feige wrote in its foreword that Marvel Studios only considered, at that time, projects developed by them in their first four phases as part of their " Sacred Timeline ", but acknowledged the history of other Marvel films and television series that would exist in the larger multiverse given they were "canonical to Marvel". Additionally, he noted as Marvel Studios progressed in
64862-533: The release of The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline in October 2023, Feige wrote in its foreword that Marvel Studios only considered, at that time, projects developed by them in their first four phases as part of their " Sacred Timeline ", but acknowledged the history of other Marvel films and television series that would exist in the larger multiverse and said they were "canonical to Marvel". In January 2024, Winderbaum acknowledged that Marvel Studios had previously been "a little bit cagey" about what
65149-429: The rest being merely inspired by the MCU "where we get to show off all the characters from the film in costume and in comic form". In August 2011, Marvel announced a series of direct-to-video short films called Marvel One-Shots . The name was derived from the label used by Marvel Comics for their one-shot comics . Winderbaum said the shorts were "a fun way to experiment with new characters and ideas" and to expand
65436-474: The restored Avengers and their allies to arrive to fight Thanos and his army. Maximoff overpowers Thanos and almost kills him, forcing him to call for his warship to fire missiles onto the ground. Danvers arrives and destroys the warship, but he knocks her out in a confrontation using the Power Stone and seizes the Nano Gauntlet. Stark confronts Thanos and steals the Stones from the Gauntlet with his armor, snapping his fingers to disintegrate Thanos and his army, but
65723-408: The role in The Incredible Hulk . "Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members" stated Feige. In response, Norton's agent Brian Swardstrom decried Feige's statement, calling it "purposefully misleading" and an "inappropriate attempt to paint our client in
66010-526: The role in the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Additionally, Vincent D'Onofrio first reprised his role as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin from Daredevil in the Disney+ series Hawkeye (2021). Marvel Studios releases its films in groups called "Phases". The first three phases are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga". Phase One consists of Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and concludes with
66297-409: The role of Barton. After the announcement of Infinity War and Endgame , many established MCU actors were confirmed to be joining Downey and Brolin, including Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Evans, Johansson, Cheadle, Bettany, Olsen, and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon. Infinity War also sees the Avengers unite with the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Karen Gillan as Nebula and Bradley Cooper as
66584-430: The rules of time travel in the MCU, rejecting the grandfather paradox and the butterfly effect which state that changes to the past will affect the future in the same timeline. Instead, the film stipulates that when the past or future is changed, it diverges from the main timeline into an alternate one, effectively creating a parallel universe. When Tony Stark / Iron Man and Scott Lang / Ant-Man attempt to acquire
66871-464: The sake of doing that. Whedon stated that the twins, who do not approve of the Avengers, allowed him to add more conflict, noting "the Avengers are like a world power, and not everybody's on board with the Avengers coming in and starting fights, even in the name of justice". As Marvel Studios shared the film rights to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch with 20th Century Fox , they had to avoid contradicting elements from Fox's X-Men films , Whedon introduced
67158-432: The scepter, despite being subjected to hallucinations by Wanda's telepathy. Stark and Banner unilaterally decide to use the scepter to create the Ultron Program , a sentient artificial intelligence (AI) peacekeeping force. However, Ultron resolves to eradicate humanity. In Africa, the Avengers fight Ultron, now allied with the Maximoffs. Wanda induces telekinetic hallucinations, triggering Banner's transformation into
67445-444: The second film's title was revealed to be Avengers: Endgame . In June 2013, Robert Downey Jr. signed on to return as Tony Stark / Iron Man for a third Avengers film, and Josh Brolin signed a multi-film deal the following May, to play Thanos. In July 2014, Feige stated that actors from previous MCU films were under contract to return to for a third Avengers film, with Jeremy Renner stating that September he signed on to reprise
67732-420: The series Rick and Morty (2013–present) had prepared him with introducing concepts like the multiverse, he added that Multiverse of Madness ' depiction of the multiverse differed from the aforementioned series in that the alternate realities were not solely played for laughs, instead viewing the multiverse as the emotional centerpiece of the film. Waldron chose to write Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch as
68019-420: The series included several other time periods which were ultimately not visited in the season. Feige has stated that the events of Loki would leave a significant lasting impact on the MCU, with Waldron adding that the series would have "wide-reaching ramifications" across the franchise. The first season of What If...? explores numerous alternate realities that have deviated from the Sacred Timeline. The series
68306-543: The series. In September 2019, Sony created a real version of the fictional The Daily Bugle website as part of a viral marketing campaign to promote the home media release of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Inspired by real-world "conspiracy-pushing" websites such as Alex Jones 's InfoWars , the website features J. K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson in a video where he speaks out against Spider-Man before asking viewers to "like and subscribe". In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced I Am Groot ,
68593-470: The source material. The television series Loki and What If...? were the first to explore the concept of the multiverse within the MCU, as well as the film Spider-Man: No Way Home , which connected the MCU to other Spider-Man film franchises by featuring characters from Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy , Marc Webb 's The Amazing Spider-Man films , and Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The SSU film Venom: Let There Be Carnage briefly featured
68880-424: The star, the superhero is the star. The success of X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002) without being star-driven pieces reassures [executives] that the film does have an upside commercially". However, before the screenplay was prepared, he had approached Sam Rockwell to play the part. Rockwell had interest, but Favreau changed his decision after the screen test of Robert Downey Jr. In September 2006, Downey
69167-418: The streaming service, which he felt was important for the wider company. In September 2018, Marvel Studios was reported to be developing several limited series centered on "second-tier" characters from the MCU films who had not and were unlikely to headline their own films. Each series was expected to be six to eight episodes and would be produced by Marvel Studios rather than Marvel Television, with Feige taking
69454-426: The studio are marketed as " Marvel Studios Special Presentations ". The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), a Special Presentation, was the first project Marvel Studios began planning for Disney+. In July 2019, Feige announced the Phase Four slate at San Diego Comic-Con , consisting of films and, for the first time, television event series on Disney+. The Phase Four slate includes What If...? ,
69741-501: The studio was looking for actors who were excited to join the franchise and appear in multiple projects without being locked into contractual obligations. He also noted that they were starting to include theme park attractions in actors' deals. By December 2020, because of the impact COVID-19 had on theaters and film studios shifting away from theatrical releases, Marvel Studios began exploring updated contracts for actors, writers, directors, and producers to receive adjusted compensation in
70028-461: The studio's intention was to release films for each main character to establish their identities and familiarize audiences with them before a crossover film. Screenwriter Zak Penn , who wrote The Incredible Hulk (2008), which introduced Bruce Banner / Hulk, became attached to the film in 2006 and was hired by Marvel Studios to write The Avengers in June 2007. In the wake of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike , Marvel negotiated with
70315-427: The studios were believed to have been terminated. However, by February 2015, the studios reached a licensing deal for the use of Spider-Man in an MCU film, indicated the character would appear in Civil War . The Russos stated they were lobbying for months to include the character in the film. In January 2015, the Russo brothers confirmed that Johansson would reprise her role in the film. Two months later, Renner
70602-442: The team. Due to their successful introduction, other film studios decided to create own shared superhero universes, notably DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures announcing plans to release a Justice League film . Avengers Campus , a series of attractions at various Disney Parks , opened in June 2021 at Disney California Adventure , while an immersive family dining experience called "Avengers: Quantum Encounter" debuted at
70889-399: The term "multiverse" first used in the What If...? series. The main reality featured in the comics, Earth-616 , was first named in The Daredevils #7 (1983) by Captain Britain creator David Thorpe to differentiate the character from his alternate versions. In 2008, the film Iron Man was released, kickstarting the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise . The setting of
71176-428: The time travel rules established by Endgame are elaborated upon in the series, describing the multiverse as an overlapping cluster of intertwined timelines occurring at the same time. The Sacred Timeline is depicted as a circular shape when viewed from the Citadel at the End of Time , a concept conceived by the series' storyboard artists and thought by director Kate Herron to be a "striking image". Early concepts for
71463-412: The timeline similar to their release order, Phase Three saw many of the films overlapping with each other in the timeline, while also introducing the first prequel property, Captain Marvel . The Phase Three film Avengers: Endgame featured characters traveling into the past and introduced a five-year time jump, with many subsequent releases in Phase Four and Phase Five set after Endgame ' s events in
71750-627: The timeline. The television series Loki and What If...? were the first properties to occur outside of the main timeline and explore alternative timelines and universes. There have been numerous attempts by Marvel Studios and others to codify the events of the MCU, which have been subject to perceived continuity errors , resulting in Marvel Studios releasing an official timeline book in 2023 for their first four phases that were designated as part of their " Sacred Timeline ". This book did not feature projects produced by other companies, such as Marvel Television's series which all had been loosely connected to
72037-420: The togetherness derived from a group that ultimately doesn't belong together. When Whedon received Penn's draft, he told Feige he felt the studio did not "have anything" and they should "pretend this draft never happened". Part of Whedon's issue was the lack of character connections in Penn's draft, which necessitated Whedon to begin "at square one". Whedon went on to write a five-page treatment of his plan for
72324-399: The trauma she endured throughout her life, recently with the loss of Vision and her home, the Avengers Compound, creates a Hex trapping the town in a sitcom called WandaVision and creating twin boys and another Vision. She learns she is the mythical Scarlet Witch and embraces her powers. Vision, who was taken into S.W.O.R.D. custody, is reactivated, through remnants of Maximoff's magic on
72611-408: The true start to Marvel Studios' exploration and use of the Fox characters, and said every project after it would be part of the MCU's "Mutant era". Some of the films between Deadpool & Wolverine and Secret Wars featured additional X-Men characters, with Feige saying the story of Secret Wars would lead into a "new age of mutants" and the X-Men being introduced to the MCU. Marvel Television
72898-424: The two characters into the MCU completely based on his terms for the first time, allowing him to connect their origin stories and avoid the concept of mutants . Whedon enjoyed the storytelling opportunities from introducing a character with telepathic powers, explaining "it meant we could spend a little time inside the Avengers' heads—either their past or their impressions of what's going on, or their fears, or all of
73185-496: The universe after obtaining the Infinity Stones, while Barton and Romanoff fight Ultron's sentries. They attempt to shutdown Ultron and eventually prepare to upload an analog copy of Arnim Zola 's consciousness into Ultron's hivemind, but Barton sacrifices himself in vain as the upload fails when Ultron enters the multiverse. In an alternate 1988, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter form a response team composed of Hank Pym, Bill Foster , T'Chaka, Wendy Lawson , and Bucky Barnes to subdue
73472-411: The universe to network television with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC in 2013 before further expanding to streaming television on Netflix and Hulu and to cable television on Freeform . They also produced the digital series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (2016). Marvel Studios began producing their own television series for streaming on Disney+ , starting with WandaVision in 2021 as
73759-407: The universe's life. Thanos hijacks a spaceship containing Asgardian refugees, killing Loki and subduing Thor. Thanos defeats Hulk, who is transported to Earth by Heimdall to inform Stephen Strange , the keeper of the Time Stone , of Thanos' arrival. Banner, Strange, and Wong , joined by Stark and Parker, confront two of his children in Greenwich Village. With Banner unable to transform to aid in
74046-412: The wider "Marvel Cosmic Universe", although Gunn became the co-CEO of DC Studios in November 2022 and signed a four-year deal to work exclusively on DC Comics -based projects. For Phase Three, there was a large amount of collaboration between the filmmakers of the individual character films and the filmmakers of the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame , which were directed by
74333-428: The word "madness" as well as inner demons, while Feige stated his intention to explore the "mind-bending frightening side" of the multiverse. The cast found it difficult to keep track of the different realities of the multiverse. Waldron also sought to avoid excessive fan service, and had to "move fast" regarding the multiverse due to Multiverse of Madness being a film and not a television series. Feeling that his work on
74620-556: The world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York : originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York . Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man , Steve Rogers / Captain America , Thor Odinson , Bruce Banner / Hulk , Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow , and Clint Barton / Hawkeye , it later expands to include 16 total members. Regarded as an important part of
74907-572: The writers' room, editing, on set, casting—every step of the production goes through the Marvel team to tell the best story that we can". He said the studio was able to work on so many series across different networks and platforms because all they needed was one person working on each series to help "guide the process". Actors appearing in Marvel Television series, such as Charlie Cox (who portrayed Matt Murdock / Daredevil in Daredevil ) and Adrianne Palicki ( Bobbi Morse / Mockingbird in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ), were contractually obliged to appear in
75194-416: The writing team to begin adapting "Civil War" around their original ideas. McFeely also added that, despite the shift in direction for the film, "The central theme, even the way Zemo is operating, are from that [early] iteration". McFeely said that the idea of basing a film on "Civil War" had "been on and off the table for a while" at Marvel Studios, explaining, "it's a challenge to do it and make sure that all
75481-408: Was "very upset about it". Penn felt the two "could have collaborated more, but that was not his choice. He wanted to do it his way, and I respect that". In May 2012, after the successful release of the first Avengers film, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a sequel was in development. Most of the film's cast members were under contract to potentially appear in the sequel; however, Robert Downey Jr.
75768-404: Was a point when it was not certain Johansson would star in the film, so he wrote pages featuring the Wasp, and wanted Zooey Deschanel to play the character. He also was "worried that one British character actor [Hiddleston] was not enough to take on Earth's mightiest heroes, and that we'd feel like we were rooting for the overdog", thus choosing to add Ezekiel Stane , Obadiah Stane 's son, into
76055-415: Was announced in July as Daredevil: Born Again . In 2008, the first comic book to tie-into the MCU was released. Quesada explained that these comics would be set within the continuity of the films, but were not intended to be direct adaptions. Rather, they would explore "something that happened off screen" or flesh out something briefly mentioned. Feige was involved with the creation of the comics, with
76342-436: Was asked if it would be difficult to meld the fantasy of Thor with the high-tech science fiction in Iron Man and The Avengers . He rejected the notion and said the creative team would hew closer to the "Jack Kirby/Stan Lee/ Walt Simonson / J. Michael Straczynski " interpretation of Thor rather than focus on Thor as depicted in Norse mythology, while additionally affirming the Thor film would help familiarize audiences with
76629-439: Was cast in the role. Favreau chose Downey, a fan of the comic, because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part, explaining "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark". Favreau faced opposition from Marvel in casting Downey, but advocated for his casting, saying that "It
76916-405: Was confirmed to be reprising his role. Additionally, Olsen revealed she would also reprise her role in the film. Feige also revealed that Hope van Dyne was in an original draft of the film, after receiving the Wasp costume at the end of Ant-Man , but was cut because "there are so many characters in Civil War that we didn't want to do her a disservice," saying Marvel was "saving" the character for
77203-461: Was considered to appear as a member of the Illuminati. Also appearing in the film is a version of Strange who has been corrupted by the Darkhold and has a third eye . The main MCU reality is designated Earth-616 by an alternate version of Christine Palmer from Earth-838, a scientist working for the Baxter Foundation . According to actress Rachel McAdams , Palmer's role as a "multiversal expert" allowed her to have more action sequences than in
77490-414: Was delayed. Feige described the multiverse as "the next step in the evolution of the MCU", noting that this film would also have significant repercussions on the MCU. Kang appears in Quantumania , serving as the film's primary antagonist. In the film, he is revealed to have instigated the multiversal war mentioned in Loki , subjugating and destroying entire timelines. Kang's variants, known collectively as
77777-410: Was done, along with the previously established Marvel Spotlight banner, to help indicate to audiences that they did not have to watch all of the studio's projects to understand the overall story and could choose which storylines and characters under these banners to follow. At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the fifth Avengers film was retitled Avengers: Doomsday (2026), with Robert Downey Jr. cast as
78064-410: Was first introduced to the Marvel Comics during the 1960s and 1970s. In Strange Tales #103 (1962), the character Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four is teleported to an alternate reality for the first time in Marvel history, with the character sent to the Fifth Dimension. The concept of the multiverse was then fully explored in What If...? #1 (1977) and Marvel Two-in-One #50 (1979), with
78351-433: Was folded into Marvel Studios, with Marvel Studios taking over production of the remaining series and no further series expected to be developed by Marvel Television. In January 2021, Feige said "never say never" to potentially reviving the Netflix series, but noted that Marvel Studios was focused on their new Disney+ series. In May 2022, Marvel Studios was revealed to be developing a new Daredevil series for Disney+, which
78638-566: Was formed in the wake of the Ultron program's success and the Avengers' subsequent retirement. Other notable inhabitants of Earth-838 include Palmer, Maximoff, her children Billy and Tommy , and various Ultron sentries. The Ultron sentries are voiced by Ross Marquand , returning from What If...? in which he replaced James Spader voicing Ultron from the film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). This reality also exists under an authoritarian police state rule, as revealed by screenwriter Michael Waldron . The Marvels (2023) briefly introduces
78925-463: Was launched in June 2010 with Jeph Loeb as head, and had entered into discussions with ABC to create a show set in the MCU by July 2012; the network went on to release Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Agent Carter , and Inhumans . The latter was a co-production with IMAX Corporation . In November 2013, Disney was set to provide Netflix with the live-action series Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke Cage , and Iron Fist , building up to
79212-408: Was modeled after Matt Fraction 's Defenders (2011) comic book series. Chavez and Strange are later seen crashing through 20 different universes, which include a world inhabited by statues resembling the Marvel Comics character Living Tribunal , an animated world with a comic-book style appearance, a destroyed New York City in the aftermath of an alternate Battle of New York during The Avengers ,
79499-564: Was my job as a director to show that it was the best choice creatively. Downey earned $ 500,000 for the role. Marvel entered into early talks with Emily Blunt to play Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, though she was unable to take the role due to a previous commitment to star in Gulliver's Travels (2010). In February 2009, Scarlett Johansson signed on for the role. Her deal included options for multiple films, including potentially The Avengers . Prior to her casting, Johansson had also researched other Marvel characters she could play, including
79786-507: Was not, as his four-picture deal with Marvel expired after Iron Man 3 (2013). By May 2013, Downey had entered negotiations to extend his contract with Marvel Studios and reprise his role as Iron Man in the film. A month later, Downey signed on to return for the then-untitled Avengers sequel, as well as a third Avengers film. At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con , Whedon was unsure about directing. However, in August 2012, Iger announced that Whedon would return to write and direct. Later in
80073-452: Was on board for it and thinks that it's fun. Primarily because we've always remained consistent saying that the movie that we are making comes first. All of the connective tissue, all of that stuff is fun and is going to be very important if you want it to be. If the fans want to look further and find connections, then they're there. There are a few big ones obviously, that hopefully the mainstream audience will [be] able to follow as well. But...
80360-576: Was part of their Sacred Timeline, noting how there had been the corporate divide between what Marvel Studios created and what Marvel Television created. He continued that as time had passed, Marvel Studios began to see "how well integrated the [Marvel Television] stories are" and personally felt confident in saying Marvel Television's Daredevil was part of the Sacred Timeline. This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least three MCU films/series and received main billing credit in at least two franchises. Additionally, Paul Bettany
80647-416: Was planning to produce its own films independently and distribute them through Paramount Pictures . Previously, Marvel had co-produced several superhero films based on Marvel Comics with Columbia Pictures , New Line Cinema , 20th Century Fox , and others. Marvel made relatively little profit from these licensing deals and wanted to get more money out of its films while maintaining artistic control of
80934-460: Was refused early on, then given a second chance to read for the part. Hemsworth's brother, Liam , also auditioned, but was rejected by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige . That month, Tom Hiddleston was cast as Loki, the brother of Thor, and later the main villain of The Avengers . He originally auditioned for the role of Thor. Kevin McKidd was also considered for the role. The casting process for The Avengers continued into much of 2010, with
81221-447: Was released on September 6, 2023. WHIH Newsfront (2015–16) is an in-universe current affairs show that serves as a viral marketing campaign for some of the MCU films, created in partnership with Google for YouTube . The campaign is an extension of the fictional news network WHIH World News, which is seen reporting on major events in many MCU films and television series. Leslie Bibb reprises her role as Christine Everhart from
81508-437: Was reprehensible"; this was reported to be a disagreement with a Disney executive over the censoring of gay pride elements in Quantumania so the film could be released in Kuwait in compliance with the country's restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws . A Disney spokesperson reiterated that Alonso was fired due to "an indisputable breach of contract and a direct violation of company policy" among other factors. Disney and Alonso reached
81795-405: Was scheduled for May 3, 2019. Whedon was "very doubtful" that he would be involved with the two films by January 2015. The Russo brothers reached a deal by April 2015 to direct both parts of Avengers: Infinity War , after previously directing the MCU films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War . A month later, Markus and McFeely had signed on to also return from
82082-434: Was subsequently developed, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen joining as Pietro and Wanda Maximoff , respectively. Then, Captain America: Civil War (2016) was gradually reworked into a film influenced by the " Civil War " comic storyline, depicting the Avengers's division and introducing Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man . Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) concluded
82369-419: Was the first actor to portray two main characters within the universe, voicing Tony Stark's artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. and portraying Vision. J. K. Simmons became the first actor to reprise a non-MCU role in the MCU when he appeared as J. Jonah Jameson (a role he played in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy from 2002 to 2007) in Spider-Man: Far From Home . Prior to his death in 2018, Stan Lee,
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