There was an idea, to bring together a group of remarkable people..
Ten Years
Here we are, it all comes down to this. Avengers: Infinity War, the final showdown and culmination of ten years of build-up for the franchise since Iron Man (2008).
Yet, little did Marvel Studios could predict the success this universe would bring when they first started out with a superhero who wasn’t mainstream. As we countdown to the biggest crossover movie in history, let’s quickly revisit the journey, or phases, of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
This list will not consider the comic book plotlines, as for most parts the movies have taken a lot of liberty from the source material.
Starting with Phase 1, also called as Avengers Assembled, where MCU found its stronghold and established its base as the biggest superhero franchise. This phase had the origins of the superheroes like Iron Man (1 & 2), Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger which all culminates in The Avengers.
Let’s walk down the memory lane and revisit Phase 1 of MCU.
Obvious Warning: Spoilers
Iron Man (2008)
Tony Stark. The man who started it all.
It’s no secret that Iron Man saved Marvel. Marvel, who created their own studio after bankruptcy and selling their greatest characters to other studios for quick cash, investing its own money for a never-seen-in-action-before superhero with a then-troubled actor to build up the Avengers movie was a huge gamble. And they knew it. Had this movie flopped or underperformed, all the big plans for the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have gone down the drain and Marvel would have been back to square one.
But the gamble paid off. Marvel not only succeeded with Iron Man, it never looked back. It also saved and elevated the career of Robert Downey Jr, who was well past his prime in his career.
Iron Man was released in 2008, directed by Jon Favreau (who also plays Happy Hogan). Ten years down, the story is still good as it was when we first watched it many years ago. It bravely ditched the mould of goody-two-shoes superheroes who prefer to keep a secret identity (reasons which were too boring to believe). The movie really was a breath of fresh air.
There is no doubt that RDJ was born to play Tony Stark. He brought to life the character who is easily likeable, adding his charm, confidence, wit and the turmoil of his own past life to it. Gwyneth Paltrow (not a big fan) was great as Pepper Potts and her banter with Tony was worth a watch. Jeff Bridges is good as the antagonist Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. The chemistry between Terrance Howard and RDJ wasn’t as efficient as the latter’s with Don Cheadle (who replaced Terrance as Col. Jim Rhodes henceforth). You just can’t help but compare both their dynamics.
Iron Man isn’t without flaws (the 3rd half of the movie was painfully slow) but nonetheless, it’s a great movie to revisit. I particularly enjoy the movie even after all these years. This movie is the stepping stone to one of the greatest cinematic universes built ever and helping Marvel to raise as one of the biggest production studios in recent times.
Post-Credit scene: After Tony’s announcement, Nick Fury meets him to discuss the Avengers initiative.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Between Iron Man and the Hulk, the latter is arguably well-known character. Oh boy, how screwed Marvel would have been had they decided to start MCU with The Incredible Hulk. The movie is disliked by almost all the fans. It is skippable because it does not really have a strong connection with rest of Marvel’s storyline. You don’t see the characters repeating with the exception of William Hurt as General Ross (also in Civil War).
I would personally prefer Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner to Edward’s. Comparing Norton’s performance with that of Ruffalo, it was lacklustre. There wasn’t much of a performance. It didn’t help that the overall movie was mediocre. After Avengers, it might be safe to say that the Hulk is in the right hands.
The face-off between the Abomination (Super-soldier failed experiment) and the Hulk is overridden by excessive CGI which makes it overwhelming. William Hurt was also good as General Ross (also in Civil War).
Overall, The Incredible Hulk is not that incredible. But give it a watch if you’re interested in Hulk’s origin. As for me, I didn’t like it then, I don’t like it now.
Post-Credit scene: Tony Stark walks into a bar and discusses with Ross about the Avengers initiative.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Tony Stark. The only good thing about this movie.
This movie was an outright mess. Marvel was then building up to the Avengers movie while simultaneously trying to make it a standalone film. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out quite as expected. There were multiple plotlines crammed into one movie which in my opinion could have been separated. There’s Stark Expo, S.H.I.E.L.D introduction, the palladium poisoning, military intervention, Tony’s daddy issues, and the antagonists Vanko and Hammer. The results were half-baked characters (including our villain, Vanko), too much coincidence in the plot, a rushed and awkward movie. The movie takes a lot of time to start due to a lack of central conflict as the plot goes literally nowhere.
The few action scenes with Vanko and the War Machine were good, although the central conflict lacked being compelling and was easily the most forgettable villains in MCU. We got insight into the Father-Son relationship. The highlights were the invention of the new element and our beloved Agent Phil Coulson.
The MVP of the movie is still RDJ/Tony Stark/Iron Man. Iron Man 2 may be cluttered but it is still watchable. At least for a revisit.
Post-Credit scene: Agent Phil Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. find Mjölnir (Thor’s Hammer), paving way for the next movie Thor.
Thor (2011)
Did we puny humans really stand chance against the mighty Norse gods? All skeptics were humbled when this movie came out. Even now, Thor is a great movie to watch. This movie favoured the beautiful and out-worldly realm of Asgard to Midgard i.e. Earth. Thor also is the first movie to feature an infinity stone, the Tesseract (Space Stone)
The start of the movie is a scene-stealer. Asgard is beautifully executed and looks as grand as possible without looking unrealistic even for a second. The CGI is at its best, from the surrounding to the costumes, nothing looks amateur.
The origin story of Thor (God of Thunder) and his relationship with his brother Loki (God of Mischief) and father Odin, Thor’s coronation and his banishment by Odin due to his arrogance is shown at a steady pace without rushing or dawdling. Thor is very likeable and unintentionally hilarious, especially when he is stranded on Earth/Midgard like a camel out of a desert. Phil ‘Son of Coul’ is a delight to watch. I loved Sif and the Warriors Three (Really wished we had more of them in Thor: Ragnarok, but that is a story for another day). Jane Foster as a scientist, Erik Selvig and Darcy are a great addition to the movie.
The movie was a perfect balance of mythology and science fiction with humour to not make the plot overtly serious. Although, I would have to be honest that I’m not entirely sold on the romance between Thor and Jane. I may not agree completely with Thor’s redemption, but it is not something that bothers me.
The highlight of this movie is Loki. Oh Loki, you surely live up to the reputation of God of Mischief. He starts off as mild and a caring brother, who then has his own journey to become malevolent, slowly being the central conflict of the movie. He is unpredictable and cunning which made his character very interesting. He is one of the best villains MCU has to offer. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston have great chemistry to pull off the warring brothers’ characters easily and convincingly.
Thor is a great movie to be revisited. It sure isn’t without flaws but who cares?
Post-Credit scene: Erik Selvig is welcomed by Nick Fury at the S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate the Tesseract. Loki uses his Sceptre (Mind Stone), mind controls Selvig into agreeing, who is unaware. This leads up to the Avengers.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth movie in the MCU. Unlike the rest, this movie is set predominantly in the 1940’s, during the World War II. There is our Steve Rogers, during his pre-serum days, lanky but brave. The CGI makes it look very convincing, not only to portray short and weak Steve but also comes close to the backdrop of the 40s. Chris Evans does a fabulous job both as a weak Steve and as now transformed and muscular super soldier, Captain America. He surely shut up the skeptics who doubted his acting abilities based on the debacle of Fantastic Four. Sebastian Stan does a great job as Bucky Barnes, along with Hayley Atwell as our not-a-damsel-in-distress Peggy Carter. Both of them are strong supporting characters in their own right. We also get to see a young Howard Stark, who is also responsible for the Super-Soldier program and Captain America’s Vibranium shield. P.S. This is the first time Vibranium is mentioned.
The best thing about this movie is the central conflict. We have the antagonistic group called the Hydra, which used to be the science division of the Nazis. Red Skull, the leader of the Hydra and the scientist Schmidt use the Tesseract (Space Stone) to create deadly weapons. Their ideas go way beyond even Hitler which makes the Hydra truly terrifying.
The ending of the movie is truly heart-breaking, Steve realising he had been frozen in the ice for 70 years and is now a man out of time. This movie sure has its own flaws, but it’s not that bad a movie as everyone perceives it to be.
Post-Credit scene: Nick Fury talks with Steve Rogers regarding an assignment (Avengers Initiative), along with a teaser for the Avengers.
The Avengers (2012)
I am very guilty of watching this movie every time it shows up on the telly. All the five movies built towards this. It was ambitious and some felt was an impossible task of bringing together so many superhero characters (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow) and give equal importance to them all (Although Marvel is now very comfortable with this premise as we are awaiting the biggest crossover movie in history).
Watching all our favourite superheroes together for the first time is very goose-bump inducing. Their interactions, banters, quarrels and teamwork was and still is highly entertaining to watch. The newest addition to the mix is Mark Ruffalo who replaced Edward Norton as Hulk. The cast had great chemistry and looked like they honoured each other’s space and moved along like a well-oiled machine.
Loki was again brilliant as the villain. He truly is one of the best villains MCU has ever produced. His quest for power doesn’t look forced and Tom Hiddleston does a remarkable job to bring to life a character so shrewd. Two Infinity Stones are featured in this movie: the Tesseract (Space Stone) and the Loki’s Sceptre (Mind Stone)
The storyline is highly predictable one so it doesn’t really come off as a surprise at any times. Still, it does it in a manner that is highly entertaining and makes for a great watch. Avengers marks the end of MCU Phase I (Avengers Assembled).
Mid-Credit scene 1: The Other informs Thanos of Loki’s defeat at the hands of the Avengers and tells him about the potential of humans (challenging them is to court death), to which he smiles. This marks the first appearance of the Mad Titan.
Mid-Credit scene 2: The Avengers eat Shawarma together in silence.
This marks the end of Phase I of MCU. Revisiting all these movies was fun. I’ll be continuing with Phase II and III soon (hopefully before Avengers: Infinity War releases).
Enjoy the road to Infinity War. Share your constructive criticism and feel free to disagree. Trolls and rude commentators will be AVENGED!
All images and characters belong to Marvel Studios and their respective copyright holders
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