The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a unique phenomenon in the world of cinema. For more than twenty-five films, the creators have managed both to tell separate stories about each of the characters, and to link them into a global storyline. Naturally, in this format of narration, there are local films that are not very successful or are not so important for the overall picture. This article also presents the best and must-see tapes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Iron Man (2008)
- KinoPoisk: 7.9.
- IMDb: 7,9.
Films and TV series about heroes from Marvel comics have been released with enviable regularity since the 70s. However, their quality ranged from good to terrible, and unlike comics, each tape was independent and told about the adventures of one hero. It wasn’t until 2006 that Marvel Studios conceived an ambitious project to combine multiple characters in one large crossover. As a result, “Iron Man” was released in 2008, which laid the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and made Hollywood dream of mega-franchises. Nick Fury appeared in the episode and told Tony Stark about the Avengers initiative. In The Incredible Hulk, released the same year, Stark himself appeared in the episode, thus uniting the films into one universe.
Genius, billionaire and playboy Tony Stark almost falls victim to a rocket of his own production and is captured by Afghan terrorists. Using all his skills, he creates a reactor implant that saves his heart from the debris, as well as high-tech steel armor that helps him escape. This story makes Stark take a different look at the world and what his company does. Moreover, there is a traitor lurking on the board of directors of the company who is preparing a large-scale conspiracy. Stark will have to become Iron Man in order to solve urgent problems in a radical way.
The Avengers (2012)
- KinoPoisk: 7.9.
- IMDb: 8,0.
The Avengers was the first big crossover in the MCU to bring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk from their own solo films on one screen. The deafening success of the tape finally strengthened the faith of Marvel Studios in their strength and rightness in the chosen direction – creating a single fictional world for all films, which allows you to use any characters in any project. The audience, on the other hand, became hostages of the film studio, because in order to fully understand many of the events of the subsequent major crossovers (“The First Avenger: Confrontation”, “Avengers: Infinity War”), it is necessary to watch all the other tapes. Also, “The Avengers” revealed the potential of Loki, one of the best villains in the MCU.
Loki decides that humanity itself is asking to be controlled by someone. Therefore, he organizes a full-scale invasion of Earth with the help of the Chitauri army. Head of the international organization SHIELD T. Nick Fury gathers the main characters of the planet to repel the attack. Thus, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow are on the same team. However, before fighting the main enemy, they first have to sort out each other and rally.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- KinoPoisk: 7.8.
- IMDb: 8,0.
The bosses of Marvel Studios took a big risk, entrusting the work on one of their films to James Gunn, previously known for strange projects like “Slug” and “Super”. As a result, the writer and director produced one of the funniest, most musical and epic films in the MCU. Moreover, Gunn made one of the most popular teams out of a not-so-famous comic book team. It was after Guardians of the Galaxy that Marvel began to think more carefully and introduce cosmic elements and stories into the cinematic universe. In addition, with each subsequent film, the desire of viewers to see the unification of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy grew exponentially.
Space treasure hunter Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, steals a mysterious artifact belonging to the powerful and ruthless villain Ronan the Accuser. Now he is being hunted by Gamora, daughter of the mad titan Thanos. And the talking raccoon Rocket and the humanoid tree Groot want to get their hands on the artifact. Also, Quill will have to survive a meeting with Drax the Destroyer. But when they all understand the power of the artifact, and what Ronan plans to do with it, they unwittingly become allies in the cause of saving the galaxy. Quill will have to unite motley singles into a close-knit team of heroes.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- KinoPoisk: 7.4.
- IMDb: 7,8.
Captain America: Civil War was the first shining example that one world for all heroes is a cool decision. Indeed, despite the fact that the film is, in fact, a solo album of Captain America, other heroes directly participate and look organically in it, for example, Iron Man, who is a kind of antagonist of the tape. It was with this film that Marvel Studios began to increasingly introduce additional characters into all projects. This tactic was well received by the audience. As a result, from the fourth phase of Marvel, which finally started in 2021 with the films “Black Widow” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, this will become common practice (Doctor Strange will appear in the movie about Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch – about Strange etc).
When Tony Stark decided to create AI to protect the planet from any threats, he did not suspect that he would consider the Avengers themselves the main threat. As a result, in the battle with Ultron, an entire country was wiped off the face of the Earth, which forced the UN to create a document limiting the actions of superheroes. Stark, Colonel Rhodes and Vision agreed to such measures, but Captain America, Falcon and Scarlet Witch were against the infringement of rights and freedoms. These disagreements lead to a split of the superhero team at the most inopportune moment when Helmut Zemo is about to awaken an army of super soldiers.
“Tor: Ragnarek” (2017)
- KinoPoisk: 7.6.
- IMDb: 7,9.
The Thor film series was considered the weakest of the classic three (the others being Iron Man and Captain America). However, with the success of films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios began to increasingly trust the vision of talented filmmakers. The studio ended up hiring Taika Waititi, who flashed with Real Ghouls, to take the thunder god story in a completely different direction. From a dark fantasy about the Scandinavian gods “Thor” has turned into a fantastic adventure comedy with action elements. And it’s still the best stylistic transition in the history of the MCU. And Thor himself was entrenched in the audience’s list of favorite characters.
Thor, returning to Asgard after the battle with Ultron, discovers on the throne his brother – Loki, who previously played out his death, and then pretended to be Odin. The absence of the main protector of Asgard led to the approach of a terrible event – Ragnarok, which should be the end of the world of the gods. Thor decides to fight the fire demon Surtur before he gets to Asgard. On this journey, he will need any help: from an unstable brother to a companion from the Avengers – the Hulk. In addition, Hela, Thor’s lost sister, is announced in Asgard, and she is not very happy to meet.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- KinoPoisk: 7.9.
- IMDb: 8,4.
Even at the end of the first “Avengers”, viewers were episodically shown one of the main villains from Marvel comics – the mad titan Thanos, obsessed with the idea of collecting the Infinity Stones in order to wipe half of its population from the face of the Universe overnight. In fact, all the previous events, shown over twenty films, led to a confrontation with this supervillain. Infinity War has finally brought the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and other MCU heroes together on one screen. Moreover, Thanos turned out to be a really worthy opponent, with prescribed motivation and original character, and stood on a par (if not higher) with Loki in the list of successful Marvel villains. It was the poorly designed opponents of the heroes that often became the weak link of the studio’s films.
In the battle to save the universe from overpopulation and resource depletion, the powerful titan Thanos is tired of hoping for others and takes matters into his own hands. He strikes at the Nova Corps and takes the Power Stone. Then he destroys the remnants of the Asgardians, becoming the owner of the Stone of Space. If he collects the remaining four Infinity Stones, two of which are on Earth (at Vision and Doctor Strange), he can wipe half of its inhabitants from the face of the Universe with a snap of his fingers. The Avengers will have to cast aside their differences, team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and other powerful heroes in order to somehow resist the power of Thanos. The fate of the world has never been so uncertain.
“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
- KinoPoisk: 7.7.
- IMDb: 8,4.
An epic conclusion to the MCU’s first global story spanning over twenty films. “War of Infinity” and “Finale” are the most important and largest tapes of the studio at the moment and will remain so for a long time. After all, the fourth phase of the MCU will first deal with the consequences of Thanos’s actions, and then slowly lead viewers to a new global threat, which may become Kang the Conqueror. Moreover, viewers will not see new films in the Avengers series until at least the fifth phase, which means that the film Avengers: Endgame will remain the largest crossover in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for another five years.
After the events of Infinity War, the remaining Avengers intend to take revenge from Thanos. After the largest and most tragic battle in history, they cannot make another mistake. Captain Marvel arrives to the aid of superheroes, and not herself, but with other heroes. Thanks to information from the daughter of a mad titan, Rocket discovers a surge of energy on one of the planets, comparable in strength to the click of Thanos’ glove. The Avengers are going to their final fight.
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