Marvel Cinematic Universe
Encyclopedia
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a shared
fictional universe
that is the setting of superhero film
s independently
developed by Marvel Studios
, based on characters published in Marvel Comics
. The setting is much like the Marvel Universe
in comic books. The universe was established by crossing over
shared plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Five films set in this shared universe have been released theatrically: Iron Man
and The Incredible Hulk
in 2008, Iron Man 2
in 2010, and Thor
and Captain America: The First Avenger
in 2011. An additional three planned films are in various stages of production : The Avengers is in post-production, and Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are in development.
. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in 2009 initially referred to the shared narrative continuity of these films as the "Marvel Cinema Universe", but later used the term "Marvel Cinematic Universe". Some of the upcoming films will be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
, a division of Marvel Entertainment's parent corporation, The Walt Disney Company
. The funding will come from a seven-year, $525 million revolving credit facility with Merrill Lynch
.
Iron Man
, Marvel Studios' first self-produced film, was released in May 2008. The film ended with a post-credits scene
featuring Samuel L. Jackson
as Nick Fury
. Director Jon Favreau
said that he included the scene because, "We wanted something for the fans" and detailed how the scene was made. "I turned to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige and said, 'You know what would blow their minds? Should we do this?' Kevin was like, 'Let's try.' And then we actually pulled it together. It was just a little scene, just a little tip of the hat for the fans that we were paying attention to what had been established, and a way to sort of tee up The Avengers. We brought [Jackson] in on a secret day of shooting, we had a skeleton crew so that the secret wouldn't get out". Captain America's shield
was also visible in the film. Favreau explained the shield's origin, stating, "An ILM artist put it in there as a joke to us for our cineSync
sessions, when we're approving visual effects. They got a laugh out of it, and I said, 'Leave it in, that's pretty cool — let's see if anybody sees it'".
Robert Downey, Jr. followed up his role as Tony Stark by making a cameo appearance
in Louis Leterrier
's 2008 film, The Incredible Hulk
. Downey, Jr. described it by stating, "We were just cross-pollinating our superheroes. It happens to be a scene where I basically approach his (William Hurt
's) character, General Ross
, and we may be considering going into some sort of limited partnership together. The great thing is he — and I don't want to give too much away — but he's in disrepair at the time I find him. It was really fun seeing him play this really powerful character who's half in the bag". Captain America
appears frozen in ice in an alternate opening of the film included in the DVD release. Leterrier confirmed it stating, "You will see a man! You'll see it. You'll like it".
Fiege said in April 2010 that constructing a "Marvel Film Universe" "is daunting but it's fun. 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 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 able to follow as well. But ... 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".
Iron Man 2
continued to cross reference other Marvel movies by again including Captain America's shield. Favreau explained, "We introduced Captain America's shield briefly in one shot in the last film. So now it really was in his room, so we had figure out how to deal with the reality that the shield was in his workshop". Iron Man 2 also contains several easter eggs
that appear toward the end of the movie, particularly in a scene in the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. In a conversation between Nick Fury and Tony Stark, one of several large television screens in the background shows destruction on a college campus, another displays a crater in a desert, while another shows a world map pinpointing seven ambiguous locations. Favreau revealed, "[The first is] from The Incredible Hulk, which means Iron Man 2 took place before The Incredible Hulk. If you look you see the crater on the other monitor, that's the 'Thor' thing. That's where the hammer was recovered. ... [I]f you look at those maps, each one of those locations corresponds to something in the Marvel Universe. And if you look on each one ... [t]wo of them relate to The First Avenger: Captain America, one of them relates to Thor. The one in Africa relates to [the] Black Panther
".
Clark Gregg
reprised his role as Agent Phil Coulson
in Thor
(2011). He stated, "Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't really in the comic books, and he [had] a very kind of small role in Iron Man. And I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that character and [chose] to put him more into the universe of it."
A few characters who first appeared in Thor appear again in The Avengers directed by Joss Whedon
including Thor
, Loki
, Erik Selvig and Hawkeye
. Thor director Kenneth Branagh
explained, "We had Joss see it pretty early on in post-production. I think that affected both the way he presented Thor in [The] Avengers and also Loki’s involvement in that story as well". Loki was also included in a post-credits scene with Erik Selvig in Thor after his supposed demise. Branagh expounded, "When he [Loki] falls into that wormhole, a rip in the fabric of space at the end of our picture, and then shows up in an unknown location, possibly with the idea of a new and cunning plan, I think it's a interesting way to indicate how he might be involved in another story from another part of the Marvel Universe". Stellan Skarsgard
who played Erik Selvig stated the scene was not included when he first read the screenplay for Thor revealing, "No it was not because I don’t think they had the final story for The Avengers ready at that time. So that developed last fall when they contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be in The Avengers. Then they started sending me pages and stuff". Regarding Hawkeye's appearance, Branagh stated, "Frankly we were always going to have a guy in a basket above the action where Thor breaks in the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp and when they told me maybe it could be Hawkeye and maybe Hawkeye was going to be Jeremy Renner
, 'Are you kidding!', I said. I was jumping up and down. I was thrilled. I get somebody like that to come and do something as cool as that!"
}
| Jon Favreau
| Art Marcum, Hawk Ostby
, John August
, Mark Fergus
and Matt Holloway
| Avi Arad
and Kevin Feige
| Paramount Pictures
|-
| style="text-align:left"| The Incredible Hulk
| style="text-align:left"|
| Louis Leterrier
| Zak Penn
| Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd
and Kevin Feige
| Universal Pictures
|-
| style="text-align:left"| Iron Man 2
| style="text-align:left"|
| Jon Favreau
| Justin Theroux
| Kevin Feige and Susan Downey
| rowspan="3" | Paramount Pictures
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Thor
| style="text-align:left"|
| Kenneth Branagh
| Screenplay: Ashley Edward Miller
, Don Payne and Zack Stentz
Story: Mark Protosevich
and J. Michael Straczynski
| rowspan="2" | Kevin Feige
|-
| style="text-align:left"| Captain America: The First Avenger
| style="text-align:left"|
| Joe Johnston
| Christopher Markus
and Stephen McFeely
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#b8c7d6;" |
| style="text-align:left"| The Avengers
| style="text-align:left"|
| Joss Whedon
| Joss Whedon
| Kevin Feige
| Walt Disney Pictures
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#b8c7d6;" |
|style="text-align:left"| Iron Man 3
| style="text-align:left"|
| Shane Black
| Drew Pearce
| style="background-color:lightgrey;" |
| rowspan="2" | Walt Disney Pictures
|-
|style="text-align:left"| Thor 2
| style="text-align:left"|
| Patty Jenkins
| Don Payne
||Kevin Feige
|-
| colspan="7" | List indicator(s)
|}
short films called "Marvel One-Shots". The first short film entitled Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant is included with the Thor
Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on September 13, 2011. A second short film titled Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer is expected "in the near future". The “Marvel One-Shots” both star Clark Gregg
as Phil Coulson, offering up two self-contained stories about the day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Joe Quesada
outlined his plan to expand the MCU into comic books. He explained, "[F]or the uninitiated, the MCU [comics] are going to be stories set within movie continuity. [They are] not necessarily direct adaptations of the movies, but maybe something that happened off screen and was mentioned in the movie, and we'll tell that story. ... [T]he folks that are involved in the movies on the West Coast will be involved in these stories. It won't be like one of our comic book writers saw the movie and has an idea for a story. No, these stories are originating at the very top. [Marvel Studios chief] Kevin Feige is involved with these and in some cases maybe the writers of the movies would be involved in ... generating these ideas and then either just giving them to some of our writers or maybe some of these guys writing them themselves."
, played by Tim Blake Nelson
in The Incredible Hulk (2008), was introduced to set him up as a villain in a future Hulk film, where he would become the Leader
. Nelson hopes Marvel will ask him to reprise the role. Director Louis Leterrier
and cast-member Tim Roth
are contracted to return for any possible sequel. Marvel Studios
chief Kevin Feige said The Incredible Hulk met Marvel's expectations and that Hulk will return, but after The Avengers.
Edgar Wright
plans to direct a live-action Ant-Man
film. The script has been written by Wright and Joe Cornish
, who plan to include Henry Pym
and Scott Lang as major characters, with Pym as Ant-Man in the 1960s in Tales to Astonish
style, and a flashforward
to Lang as Ant-Man's successor in the 1980s/1990s.
In 2009, Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther
, Cable
, Iron Fist, Nighthawk
, and Vision
.
In April 2010, Marvel Studios began meeting with filmmakers to discuss small-scale, $20-40 million movies based on lesser-known characters. Properties including Dr. Strange
, Ka-Zar
, Luke Cage
, Dazzler
, and Power Pack
are among those being considered for development.
In May 2010, Samuel L. Jackson said that a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie is likely to be released after The Avengers.
In July 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con International, company head Kevin Feige revealed that another Punisher
reboot is in the works. Feige said that the rights to the character have reverted back to Marvel Studios
, and they want to take their own shot at it. He also said that he is aiming for a "Frank Castle" movie rather than a Punisher film.
In September 2010, during a press conference for the Iron Man 2 Blu-ray and DVD release, Kevin Feige confirmed that discussions about the possibility of a Black Widow solo film have taken place. "We've already started discussions with Scarlett [Johansson
] about the idea of a solo movie and have begun putting together concepts," said Feige. "But The Avengers comes first."
In January 2011, Marvel Studios hired documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey to write a script for a Black Panther film with Marvel's Kevin Feige producing. Also in January, Iron Man 2 actor Don Cheadle
, confirmed that a War Machine
spin-off film was in development. A trade report in March 2011 said Marvel Entertainment
is developing an Inhumans
film and described it as "in the vein of 'X-Men' about aliens who were put on Earth as a sleeper cell to eventually call back their race to take over the planet."
Feige said in April 2011 that Marvel Studios planned to do sequels for its Thor and Captain America movies, and said he hoped that Black Widow, Hawkeye and S.H.I.E.L.D. films could follow, adding, "[W]e've got a lot of other characters we're prepping and getting ready for film debuts: the world of martial arts, these great cosmic space fantasies, Dr. Strange
, and the magic side of the Marvel Universe."
In September 2011, actor Chris Evans outlined he was contracted for six movies, which he believed would be split between a Captain America trilogy and an Avengers trilogy. He also predicted the next Captain America would probably be out in 2014. Marvel Studios also announced that on May 16 and June 27, 2014, there would be releases of yet-to-be-announced films in the collection.
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
that is the setting of superhero film
Superhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...
s independently
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
developed by Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
, based on characters published in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The setting is much like the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
in comic books. The universe was established by crossing over
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
shared plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Five films set in this shared universe have been released theatrically: Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
and The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
in 2008, Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
in 2010, and Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
and Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
in 2011. An additional three planned films are in various stages of production : The Avengers is in post-production, and Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are in development.
Development
In 2005, Variety reported that Marvel Studios would start producing its own films and distribute them through Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in 2009 initially referred to the shared narrative continuity of these films as the "Marvel Cinema Universe", but later used the term "Marvel Cinematic Universe". Some of the upcoming films will be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, a division of Marvel Entertainment's parent corporation, The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. The funding will come from a seven-year, $525 million revolving credit facility with Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
.
Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, Marvel Studios' first self-produced film, was released in May 2008. The film ended with a post-credits scene
Post-credits scene
A post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
featuring Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
. Director Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
said that he included the scene because, "We wanted something for the fans" and detailed how the scene was made. "I turned to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige and said, 'You know what would blow their minds? Should we do this?' Kevin was like, 'Let's try.' And then we actually pulled it together. It was just a little scene, just a little tip of the hat for the fans that we were paying attention to what had been established, and a way to sort of tee up The Avengers. We brought [Jackson] in on a secret day of shooting, we had a skeleton crew so that the secret wouldn't get out". Captain America's shield
Captain America's shield
Captain America's shield is a fictional item, the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by the Marvel Comics superhero Captain America; he is seldom seen without it. Over the years, Captain America has had the use of several different shields of varying composition and design...
was also visible in the film. Favreau explained the shield's origin, stating, "An ILM artist put it in there as a joke to us for our cineSync
CineSync
cineSync is a tool for visual communication and was developed to address the issue of remote reviews and approvals, allowing directors, producers, supervisors and visual media professionals to perform live run-throughs of work being carried out in another country, another city, or even the building...
sessions, when we're approving visual effects. They got a laugh out of it, and I said, 'Leave it in, that's pretty cool — let's see if anybody sees it'".
Robert Downey, Jr. followed up his role as Tony Stark by making a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier is a French film director whose notable films include the first two Transporter movies, Unleashed , The Incredible Hulk , and Clash of the Titans .-Life and career:...
's 2008 film, The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. Downey, Jr. described it by stating, "We were just cross-pollinating our superheroes. It happens to be a scene where I basically approach his (William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
's) character, General Ross
Thunderbolt Ross
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...
, and we may be considering going into some sort of limited partnership together. The great thing is he — and I don't want to give too much away — but he's in disrepair at the time I find him. It was really fun seeing him play this really powerful character who's half in the bag". Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
appears frozen in ice in an alternate opening of the film included in the DVD release. Leterrier confirmed it stating, "You will see a man! You'll see it. You'll like it".
Fiege said in April 2010 that constructing a "Marvel Film Universe" "is daunting but it's fun. 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 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 able to follow as well. But ... 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".
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
continued to cross reference other Marvel movies by again including Captain America's shield. Favreau explained, "We introduced Captain America's shield briefly in one shot in the last film. So now it really was in his room, so we had figure out how to deal with the reality that the shield was in his workshop". Iron Man 2 also contains several easter eggs
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
that appear toward the end of the movie, particularly in a scene in the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. In a conversation between Nick Fury and Tony Stark, one of several large television screens in the background shows destruction on a college campus, another displays a crater in a desert, while another shows a world map pinpointing seven ambiguous locations. Favreau revealed, "[The first is] from The Incredible Hulk, which means Iron Man 2 took place before The Incredible Hulk. If you look you see the crater on the other monitor, that's the 'Thor' thing. That's where the hammer was recovered. ... [I]f you look at those maps, each one of those locations corresponds to something in the Marvel Universe. And if you look on each one ... [t]wo of them relate to The First Avenger: Captain America, one of them relates to Thor. The one in Africa relates to [the] Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
".
Clark Gregg
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
reprised his role as Agent Phil Coulson
Phil Coulson
Phil Coulson is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which crosses over several Marvel Studios superhero films. Coulson first appeared as a member of the fictional agency S.H.I.E.L.D. in Jon Favreau's 2008 film Iron Man, where he was portrayed by American actor Clark Gregg...
in Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
(2011). He stated, "Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't really in the comic books, and he [had] a very kind of small role in Iron Man. And I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that character and [chose] to put him more into the universe of it."
A few characters who first appeared in Thor appear again in The Avengers directed by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
including Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Loki
Loki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
, Erik Selvig and Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
. Thor director Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
explained, "We had Joss see it pretty early on in post-production. I think that affected both the way he presented Thor in [The] Avengers and also Loki’s involvement in that story as well". Loki was also included in a post-credits scene with Erik Selvig in Thor after his supposed demise. Branagh expounded, "When he [Loki] falls into that wormhole, a rip in the fabric of space at the end of our picture, and then shows up in an unknown location, possibly with the idea of a new and cunning plan, I think it's a interesting way to indicate how he might be involved in another story from another part of the Marvel Universe". Stellan Skarsgard
Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
who played Erik Selvig stated the scene was not included when he first read the screenplay for Thor revealing, "No it was not because I don’t think they had the final story for The Avengers ready at that time. So that developed last fall when they contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be in The Avengers. Then they started sending me pages and stuff". Regarding Hawkeye's appearance, Branagh stated, "Frankly we were always going to have a guy in a basket above the action where Thor breaks in the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp and when they told me maybe it could be Hawkeye and maybe Hawkeye was going to be Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Lee Renner is a two-time Academy-Award-nominated American actor and musician. Renner appeared in films throughout the 2000s, mostly in supporting roles. He came to prominence in films such as Dahmer , S.W.A.T. , Neo Ned , 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker...
, 'Are you kidding!', I said. I was jumping up and down. I was thrilled. I get somebody like that to come and do something as cool as that!"
Films
| Film | Release date | Director | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Released films |
|||||
| Iron Man Iron Man (film) Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron... |
|||||
| Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
| Art Marcum, Hawk Ostby
Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby are American screenwriters, known for their work on Children of Men and Iron Man. Their other work includes First Snow, which was also directed by Fergus, and rewrites on Cowboys & Aliens.-External links:...
, John August
John August
John August is an American screenwriter and film director. He also writes and maintains the popular screenwriting blog , and develops screenwriter-targeted software....
, Mark Fergus
Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby are American screenwriters, known for their work on Children of Men and Iron Man. Their other work includes First Snow, which was also directed by Fergus, and rewrites on Cowboys & Aliens.-External links:...
and Matt Holloway
| Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
and Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige is a film producer. He joined Marvel Studios in 2000, has been involved in all of their theatrical productions, and was named President of Production in 2007...
| Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
|-
| style="text-align:left"| The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
| style="text-align:left"|
| Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier is a French film director whose notable films include the first two Transporter movies, Unleashed , The Incredible Hulk , and Clash of the Titans .-Life and career:...
| Zak Penn
Zak Penn
Zak Penn is an American screenwriter and director. Penn wrote and directed Incident at Loch Ness, The Grand, and co-wrote the script for X-Men: The Last Stand. With Michael Karnow, Penn is the co-creator of Alphas.-Early life:...
| Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd is an American film producer and screenwriter.-Early life:Hurd was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lolita and Frank E. Hurd, an investor. She grew up in Palm Springs, California and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A...
and Kevin Feige
| Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
|-
| style="text-align:left"| Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
| style="text-align:left"|
| Jon Favreau
| Justin Theroux
| Kevin Feige and Susan Downey
Susan Downey
Susan Nicole Downey is an American film producer. Until February 2009 she was Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures, Joel Silver's production company, but has since stepped down to work more closely with her husband, actor Robert...
| rowspan="3" | Paramount Pictures
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
| style="text-align:left"|
| Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
| Screenplay: Ashley Edward Miller
Ashley Edward Miller
Ashley Edward Miller is an American Screenwriter and Producer best known for his work on the TV shows Andromeda, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Fringe. As well as for his work on the films Thor and X-Men: First Class...
, Don Payne and Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz is an American Screenwriter and Producer. He often collaborates with Screenwriter/Producer Ashley Edward Miller.-Filmography:Writer* Andromeda * The Twilight Zone...
Story: Mark Protosevich
Mark Protosevich
Mark Protosevich is an American screenwriter currently under contract with Warner Bros.Protosevich was born in Chicago, Illinois.-Filmography:*The Cell *Poseidon*I Am Legend*Thor...
and J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
| rowspan="2" | Kevin Feige
|-
| style="text-align:left"| Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
| style="text-align:left"|
| Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, the period drama October Sky, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.- Life and...
| Christopher Markus
Christopher Markus
Christopher Markus is an American screenwriter who frequently collaborates with Stephen McFeely.-Filmography:*The Life and Death of Peter Sellers *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe *You Kill Me...
and Stephen McFeely
Stephen McFeely
Stephen McFeely is an American screenwriter who frequently collaborates with Christopher Markus.-Filmography:*The Life and Death of Peter Sellers *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe *You Kill Me...
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#b8c7d6;" |
Upcoming films
|-| style="text-align:left"| The Avengers
| style="text-align:left"|
| Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
| Joss Whedon
| Kevin Feige
| Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#b8c7d6;" |
In development
|-|style="text-align:left"| Iron Man 3
| style="text-align:left"|
| Shane Black
Shane Black
Shane Black is an American actor, screenwriter and film director. He contributed to some of the biggest blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including work on Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout...
| Drew Pearce
Drew Pearce
Drew Pearce is the writer and creator of No Heroics, the well received British TV comedy about off-duty superheroes for ITV2...
| style="background-color:lightgrey;" |
| rowspan="2" | Walt Disney Pictures
|-
|style="text-align:left"| Thor 2
| style="text-align:left"|
| Patty Jenkins
Patty Jenkins
Patricia Lea "Patty" Jenkins is an American film director and writer. She grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and attended the AFI Conservatory. She graduated from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1993. The most famous film she has directed to date is Monster, a docudrama about...
| Don Payne
||Kevin Feige
|-
| colspan="7" | List indicator(s)
- A grey cell indicates information is not available for this film.
|}
Recurring cast and characters
List indicator(s)
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
| Character | Released films | Upcoming films | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man Iron Man (film) Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron... |
The Incredible Hulk The Incredible Hulk (film) The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... |
Iron Man 2 Iron Man 2 Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon... |
Thor Thor (film) Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe... |
Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe... |
The Avengers | Iron Man 3 | Thor 2 | |
| Tony Stark / Iron Man Iron Man Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,... |
Robert Downey, Jr. | Robert Downey, Jr. | ||||||
| Bruce Banner / The Hulk Hulk (comics) The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 .... |
Edward Norton Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor... Lou Ferrigno Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude "Lou" Ferrigno is an American actor, fitness trainer/consultant, and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron... (voice) |
Mark Ruffalo Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Shutter Island, Just Like Heaven, You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best... Lou Ferrigno (voice) |
||||||
| Thor Thor (Marvel Comics) Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby.... |
Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor most notable for portraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away... |
Chris Hemsworth | Chris Hemsworth | |||||
| Steve Rogers / Captain America Captain America Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby... |
Chris Evans Chris Evans (actor) Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans is an American actor. He played Cary Baston on the television series Opposite Sex, and transitioned to a film career, starring in several hits, including Not Another Teen Movie , Fierce People , Fantastic Four, sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and... |
|||||||
| Phil Coulson Phil Coulson Phil Coulson is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which crosses over several Marvel Studios superhero films. Coulson first appeared as a member of the fictional agency S.H.I.E.L.D. in Jon Favreau's 2008 film Iron Man, where he was portrayed by American actor Clark Gregg... |
Clark Gregg Clark Gregg Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010... |
Clark Gregg | Clark Gregg | |||||
| Christine Everhart | Leslie Bibb Leslie Bibb Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy... |
Leslie Bibb | ||||||
| Nick Fury Nick Fury Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the... |
Samuel L. Jackson Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,... |
Samuel L. Jackson | ||||||
| Harold "Happy" Hogan Happy Hogan Harold "Happy" Hogan, is a fictional character who appears in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in books featuring Iron Man.-Fictional character biography:... |
Jon Favreau Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens... |
Jon Favreau | ||||||
| JARVIS Edwin Jarvis Edwin Jarvis is a fictional supporting character in the Marvel Comics titles, The Avengers, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.-Publication history:... |
Paul Bettany Paul Bettany Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code... (voice) |
Paul Bettany (voice) | Paul Bettany (voice) | |||||
| Virginia "Pepper" Potts Pepper Potts Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character, a supporting character and a love interest of Iron Man in the Marvel Comics Universe... |
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma... |
Gwyneth Paltrow | ||||||
| James "Rhodey" Rhodes War Machine War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton... |
Terrence Howard Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television... |
Don Cheadle Don Cheadle Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven... |
Don Cheadle | |||||
| Howard Stark Howard Stark Howard Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:... |
Gerard Sanders | John Slattery John Slattery John M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble.... |
Dominic Cooper Dominic Cooper Dominic Edward Cooper is an English actor. He has worked in TV, film, theatre and radio, in productions including Mamma Mia!, The Duchess, The History Boys, and The Devil's Double.- Early life :... |
|||||
| Natasha Romanoff | Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World... |
Scarlett Johansson | ||||||
| Clint Barton Hawkeye (comics) Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye... |
Jeremy Renner Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner is a two-time Academy-Award-nominated American actor and musician. Renner appeared in films throughout the 2000s, mostly in supporting roles. He came to prominence in films such as Dahmer , S.W.A.T. , Neo Ned , 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker... |
Jeremy Renner | ||||||
| Fandral Fandral Fandral the Dashing is a Marvel Comics character and a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers consisting of Fandral, Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the Valiant... |
Joshua Dallas Joshua Dallas Joshua Dallas is an American actor who played Fandral in Thor, a film adaptation based on the Marvel Comics character. He is currently starring in the ABC television series Once Upon a Time.-Early life:... |
Joshua Dallas | ||||||
| Jane Foster Jane Foster (comics) Jane Foster is a Marvel Comics supporting character who for many years was the nurse employed by Dr. Donald Blake, the secret identity of the Norse god superhero Thor.-Publication history:... |
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel... |
Natalie Portman | ||||||
| Heimdall Heimdall (comics) Heimdall is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, loosely based on the god Heimdallr of Norse mythology. He first appeared in a comic in Journey into Mystery #85 and was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby... |
Idris Elba Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ... |
Idris Elba | ||||||
| Loki Loki (comics) Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology... |
Tom Hiddleston Tom Hiddleston Thomas William "Tom" Hiddleston is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Loki in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Thor.-Early life and education:... |
Tom Hiddleston | Tom Hiddleston | |||||
| Erik Selvig | Stellan Skarsgård Stellan Skarsgård Stellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,... |
Stellan Skarsgård | ||||||
Short films
In August 2011, Marvel announced a couple of direct-to-videoDirect-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
short films called "Marvel One-Shots". The first short film entitled Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant is included with the Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on September 13, 2011. A second short film titled Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer is expected "in the near future". The “Marvel One-Shots” both star Clark Gregg
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
as Phil Coulson, offering up two self-contained stories about the day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Comic books
In November 2010, Marvel Comics editor-in-chiefEditor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
outlined his plan to expand the MCU into comic books. He explained, "[F]or the uninitiated, the MCU [comics] are going to be stories set within movie continuity. [They are] not necessarily direct adaptations of the movies, but maybe something that happened off screen and was mentioned in the movie, and we'll tell that story. ... [T]he folks that are involved in the movies on the West Coast will be involved in these stories. It won't be like one of our comic book writers saw the movie and has an idea for a story. No, these stories are originating at the very top. [Marvel Studios chief] Kevin Feige is involved with these and in some cases maybe the writers of the movies would be involved in ... generating these ideas and then either just giving them to some of our writers or maybe some of these guys writing them themselves."
Future plans
Samuel SternsLeader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...
, played by Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson is an American director, writer, singer, and actor.-Early life:Nelson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Kaiser Nelson, who is a noted social activist and philanthropist in Tulsa, and a geologist father...
in The Incredible Hulk (2008), was introduced to set him up as a villain in a future Hulk film, where he would become the Leader
Leader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...
. Nelson hopes Marvel will ask him to reprise the role. Director Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier is a French film director whose notable films include the first two Transporter movies, Unleashed , The Incredible Hulk , and Clash of the Titans .-Life and career:...
and cast-member Tim Roth
Tim Roth
Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
are contracted to return for any possible sequel. Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
chief Kevin Feige said The Incredible Hulk met Marvel's expectations and that Hulk will return, but after The Avengers.
Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...
plans to direct a live-action Ant-Man
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several fictional characters appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Ant-Man was originally the superhero persona of Hank Pym, a brilliant scientist who invented a substance that allowed him to change his size...
film. The script has been written by Wright and Joe Cornish
Joe Cornish (comedian)
Joseph Murray "Joe" Cornish is an English comedian, television and radio presenter, director, writer and actor, who along with his long-time comedy partner, Adam Buxton, form the comedy duo Adam and Joe....
, who plan to include Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
and Scott Lang as major characters, with Pym as Ant-Man in the 1960s in Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics.The primary title bearing that name was published from 1959-1968...
style, and a flashforward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
to Lang as Ant-Man's successor in the 1980s/1990s.
In 2009, Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
, Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, Iron Fist, Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...
, and Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
.
In April 2010, Marvel Studios began meeting with filmmakers to discuss small-scale, $20-40 million movies based on lesser-known characters. Properties including Dr. Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is the name of two jungle-dwelling comics fictional characters published in the United States. The first appeared in pulp magazines of the 1930s, and was adapted for his second iteration, as a comic book character for Timely Comics, the 1930s and 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics...
, Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
, Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
, and Power Pack
Power Pack
Power Pack is a fictional team of comic book superheroes consisting of four young siblings who appear in books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman and first appeared in their own series in 1984. The series lasted 62 issues...
are among those being considered for development.
In May 2010, Samuel L. Jackson said that a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie is likely to be released after The Avengers.
In July 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con International, company head Kevin Feige revealed that another Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
reboot is in the works. Feige said that the rights to the character have reverted back to Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
, and they want to take their own shot at it. He also said that he is aiming for a "Frank Castle" movie rather than a Punisher film.
In September 2010, during a press conference for the Iron Man 2 Blu-ray and DVD release, Kevin Feige confirmed that discussions about the possibility of a Black Widow solo film have taken place. "We've already started discussions with Scarlett [Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
] about the idea of a solo movie and have begun putting together concepts," said Feige. "But The Avengers comes first."
In January 2011, Marvel Studios hired documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey to write a script for a Black Panther film with Marvel's Kevin Feige producing. Also in January, Iron Man 2 actor Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
, confirmed that a War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
spin-off film was in development. A trade report in March 2011 said Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
is developing an Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
film and described it as "in the vein of 'X-Men' about aliens who were put on Earth as a sleeper cell to eventually call back their race to take over the planet."
Feige said in April 2011 that Marvel Studios planned to do sequels for its Thor and Captain America movies, and said he hoped that Black Widow, Hawkeye and S.H.I.E.L.D. films could follow, adding, "[W]e've got a lot of other characters we're prepping and getting ready for film debuts: the world of martial arts, these great cosmic space fantasies, Dr. Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, and the magic side of the Marvel Universe."
In September 2011, actor Chris Evans outlined he was contracted for six movies, which he believed would be split between a Captain America trilogy and an Avengers trilogy. He also predicted the next Captain America would probably be out in 2014. Marvel Studios also announced that on May 16 and June 27, 2014, there would be releases of yet-to-be-announced films in the collection.
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Revenue | Rank | Budget | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | International | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | ||||
| Iron Man | May 2, 2008 | $318,412,101 | $266,762,121 | $585,174,222 | #27 | #69 | $140,000,000 | |
| The Incredible Hulk | June 13, 2008 | $134,806,913 | $128,620,638 | $263,427,551 | #275 | #310 | $150,000,000 | |
| Iron Man 2 | May 7, 2010 | $312,433,331 | $309,623,643 | $622,056,974 | #31 | #57 | $200,000,000 | |
| Thor | May 6, 2011 | $181,030,624 | $267,482,200 | $448,512,824 | #142 | #118 | $150,000,000 | |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | July 22, 2011 | $176,654,505 | $191,750,151 | $368,404,656 | #153 | #169 | $140,000,000 | |
| Total | $1,123,337,474 | $1,163,255,143 | $2,286,592,617 | $780,000,000 |
Critical reaction
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance... |
Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
Yahoo Movies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Top Critics | |||
| Iron Man | 94% (235 reviews) | 91% (43 reviews) | 79 (38 reviews) | B+ (15 reviews) |
| The Incredible Hulk | 66% (211 reviews) | 54% (39 reviews) | 61 (38 reviews) | B- (14 reviews) |
| Iron Man 2 | 74% (264 reviews) | 67% (39 reviews) | 57 (40 reviews) | B- (12 reviews) |
| Thor | 77% (250 reviews) | 64% (39 reviews) | 58 (39 reviews) | B (10 reviews) |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 78% (211 reviews) | 78% (40 reviews) | 66 (36 reviews) | C+ (9 reviews) |
| Average ratings | 78% | 71% | 64 | N/A |