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jacket to become a crusader against evil. The
film’s success is largely due to Robert Downey
Jr., and it even manages to make Gwyneth
Paltrow likeable.
Another major player is
Thor
(2010), and you
should make his acquaintance next. Our very
own Chris Hemsworth has the looks, locks
and muscles to play the eponymous, hammer-
wielding warrior from the mythical realm of
Asgard. But he’s upstaged by bad brother Loki
(Tom Hiddleston), who ultimately steals the
film and consequently becomes a villain you’ll
want to see more of (and you will). The fantasy
element distinguishes
Thor
from other Marvel
offerings, and Kenneth Branagh directs like he’s
shooting Shakespeare, giving the film a bonkers
sensibility that somehow works in its favour.
It’s time to get the gang all together to battle
Loki and save New York from an alien invasion,
in
The Avengers
(2012). Joss Whedon deftly
juggles a big cast in a massive movie, which
introduces Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and raises the
benchmark for future MCU installments.
FURTHER VIEWING
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is
constructed in ‘phases’, and now that you’ve
experienced the best from Phase One, proceed
into the post-Avengers world where the stakes
are raised even higher and
the action is even more
spectacular.
This is where you’ll find
the very best films in the
MCU to date, which are
also, curiously, the most
atypical.
Captain America:
TheWinter Soldier
(2014)
is a propulsive Bourne-like
thriller, and
Guardians of
the Galaxy
(2014) a tongue-
in-cheek sci-fi romp featuring
obscure Marvel characters and a soundtrack of
‘70s hits. Both are essential.
Guardians
doesn’t
directly connect to the films and characters
established in Phase
One, so can be
watched anytime (and
the sooner the better),
however
The Winter
Soldier
requires
familiarity with the
MCU for maximum
impact.
If you’ve made it
this far, you’ll have
already filled in the
gaps –
Iron Man 2
(2010),
Iron Man 3
(2013),
Thor: The Dark World
(2013),
Avengers: Age of Ultron
(2015),
Ant-Man
(2015) – and discovered the true extent of this
colossal cinematic universe.
And with Phase Three delivering a further nine
films over the next three years (see right), the
MCU is about to get a whole lot bigger!
1 2
a raccoon and a walking plant a voice. Robert
Downey Jr. probably wouldn’t still have a career
if he hadn’t played Iron Man. The supporting
players are often equally high profile, with
veterans like Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins,
Jeff Bridges, Ben Kingsley, Michael Douglas,
William Hurt and Stellan Skarsgård all getting
their Marvel on, and enjoying themselves
immeasurably in the process.
Two things that remain constant throughout
the MCU are a cameo from 93-year-old Marvel
Comics godfather Stan Lee, and a post-closing
credits scene that will lay the groundwork for
films/characters to come. Certain otherworldly
artifacts are also a key component in the MCU –
after a few films you’ll recognise a Tesseract and
an Infinity Stone when you see one.
Once you’ve sampled just a fraction of the
MCU, you’ll begin to appreciate the grand scale
of the place, and want to explore further. In the
words of S.H.I.E.L.D. (as in Strategic Homeland
Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics
Division) boss Nick Fury, “You’ve become part of
a bigger universe, you just don’t know it yet.
WHERE TO START
Movies in the MCU don’t necessarily have to
be watched in order of release, although you will
get a better appreciation of the universe’s scope
and grand design if you view them in
sequence. Recurring themes, character
arcs, plot threads and payoffs will have
greater impact and you won’t be left
wondering, “What? Who? When did
that happen?”
That said, you should ideally start
with
Captain America:The First
Avenger
(2011). He’s the oldest Marvel
hero and one of the most important,
as Kevin Feige explains: “We could
not have created this notion of an
interlinked Marvel Cinematic Universe
without Captain America – not only
in the history of our comics, but within the
overall notion of enhanced humans.” You’ll also
discover why the righteous Cap (Chris Evans)
is one of the best Marvel characters. who
also gets the best movies, with subsequent
adventures
The Winter Soldier
and
Civil War
both highpoints in the MCU.
Now backtrack to the first official Marvel
Studios production,
Iron Man
(2008), which
introduces the character who will subsequently
shape events to come – Tony Stark, a billionaire
weapons manufacturer who dons a full metal
Stan Lee spotted in
Guardians of the Galaxy
PHASE THREE
CAPTAIN AMERICA:
CIVILWAR (2016)
When is an Avengers movie not an Avengers movie?
When it's a Captain America movie that features most
of the Avengers members (and Spider-Man), who must
choose sides in the clash between the Cap and Iron Man.
DOCTOR STRANGE (2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch is the surgeon inducted into
an arcane world by Tilda Swinton's bald Sorcerer
Supreme. Directed by Scott Derrickson (
Deliver Us
from Evil
), expect this to lean toward the dark side,
with some cool
Inception
-like reality bending.
GUARDIANS OF THE
GALAXY VOL.2 (2017)
Peter Quill/Star Lord searches for his father (who may
be Kurt Russell) in the hotly anticipated follow-up to
one of the greatest Marvel movies – all set to the
music of Awesome Mixtape #2, of course.
THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)
Currently shooting on the Gold Coast, plot details
are yet to be revealed, but we know that Loki is
back, and the Hulk is also onboard for Thor's third
outing, as is Kiwi director Taika Waititi (
Hunt for
the Wilderpeople
).
Look out, too, for:
Spider-Man:
Homecoming
(2017),
Avengers: Infinity
War - Part 1
(2018) and
Part 2
(2019),
Black
Panther
(2018)
and
Captain Marvel
(2018).