100 Facts about t he Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel might be ruling the world with their movies

but it's been a long and a winding road to the top. I'm Dave Baker, and today we're going

to list 100 facts you didn't know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel Comics was founded in 1939, 81 years ago. In the 1990s, they went bankrupt due to a speculator

boom and bad business practices. They were forced to sell off the film rights

to many of their iconic superheroes. After a string of blockbuster film adaptations

by other studios, most notably Fox's X-Men and Sony's Spider-Man, Marvel decided to open up their own movie studio

called Marvel Studios. However, since most of the rights to their iconic characters

had been sold off, they started by adapting one of their lesser-known characters

Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. Avi Arad, the former head of Toy Biz

who's responsible for the X-Men animated TV show, made a deal with Paramount to get Iron Man out of turnaround

during the late 1990s. Before the MCU, Iron Man was set up

at Paramount with Steven Spielberg supposedly directing and Tom Cruise potentially starring as Tony Stark

Marvel hired swingers and elf director Jon Favreau to shepherd the project

Favreau put together the key creative team that would make Iron Man successful

and is the main person responsible for casting Robert Downey Jr. Marvel and their financiers were very reluctant to cast Robert Downey Jr

as he had just been released from prison and was a known drug addict

In order to secure him the role, Terrence Howard took a pay cut. The filming of Iron Man was anything but smooth

as major script issues arose which led to large sections of the film being improvised

Certain actors, namely Jeff Bridges, really did not enjoy the process of improvised scenes

which is why Obadiah Stane has never returned to the MCU. During the Iron Man press screenings, the iconic Tony Stark meeting Nick Fury post-credits scene was not included

Samuel L. Jackson was cast as Nick Fury partially due to the fact that he was drawn as Nick Fury

in the Mark Miller and Brian Hitch Ultimates comics. Iron Man was released May 2, 2008, and grossed a purported $585.3 million

It was made for only $140 million. The public immediately embraced the comedic and charming performance of Robert Downey Jr.

rehabilitating his image overnight. Marvel began discussing a Captain America adaptation with Louis Leterrier

the director of The Transporter, Flash of Titans, and Unleashed. This evolved into an Incredible Hulk film

which featured Captain America-esque elements in the background of the story. Captain America did, however, feature more significantly

into the film its original version, with an opening sequence showing scientists actually uncovering

Steve Rogers in the frozen ice. There was also an opening sequence of the film

which featured Bruce Banner attempting to commit suicide by turning into the Hulk before his chosen method of self-harm

could take effect. In 2006, Marvel cast the iconic movie star Edward Norton

in the role of Bruce Banner and as a producer for the project. Edward Norton did a significant rewrite on the script

and was promised by Marvel that he would be kept in the loop creatively

Many elements from Ed Norton's rewrite were taken from the Bruce Jones work on the Incredible Hulk comics

The film was released June 13 2008 to middling box office success and a lukewarm audience reception Due to the success of Iron Man Tony Stark cameo was given away as an attempt to entice audiences to come to the film Edward Norton was not happy with the way

that Marvel had treated him. He left the production saying codedly angry things

about the company. Marvel had no time to waste, though. All the core creatives were brought back

for the production of Iron Man 2. Marvel offered the role of Black Widow to Emily Blunt

However, she could not take it due to scheduling conflicts. Due to his erratic behavior, angry outbursts

and aggressive attitude, Terrence Howard was not invited back for Iron Man 2

The part of Rhodey would be played by Don Cheadle moving forward. They attempted to replicate the improvisational style

that the first film had been created by. However, it proved difficult this time around

This caused a rift between Jon Favreau and the Marvel brass. He was being set up to become the head creative figure

of the blossoming MCU. However, Marvel took this as a sign that they could not count on him

Newly-anointed Marvel mega-producer Kevin Feige put out a press release stating that Marvel Studios

would create a tapestry of interconnected films that would crescendo into a crossover Avengers film

Chris Hemsworth was cast as a part of Thor after being recommended for the role by Joss Whedon

Kenneth Branagh, the acclaimed Shakespearean actor and director, was brought in to oversee and direct the project

Film fans on Reddit, 4chan, and other social media platforms ran negative campaigns against the film

claiming that it would fail because making an American film about Norse gods was anti-Christian

Upon his release on May 2, 2011, Thor made $449.3 million. Marvel began searching for their Captain America around this time

auditioning the likes of John Krasinski, Sebastian Stan, Channing Tatum, and Chris Evans

Marvel offered the role to Chris Evans. He turned it down, though, not wanting to sign a 10-picture deal

Marvel offered him the role again, this time for seven pictures. And Robert Downey Jr. personally called Chris Evans to convince him to take it

Marvel hired the Rocketeer director Joe Johnston to direct Captain America the First Avenger

There's a cameo in the film of the original Carl Burgos-designed Human Torch

which can be seen at the Stark Expo in 1943. Captain America the First Avenger was released July 19, 2011, and grossed $370 million

The post-credit scene for the film, with Steve Rogers waking up in a modern day

set up the biggest crossover in superhero films up to that point, the Avengers

Despite early conversations, Marvel opted not to give the Avengers to Jon Favreau due to the underperformance of Iron Man 2

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Astonishing X-Men scribe Joss Whedon was hired to helm the Avengers

A previous draft of the film was written by X2 writer Zach Penn, which Whedon was not interested in making

Joss Whedon was not interested in Loki as the villain initially, but was informed that it was non-negotiable

Loki had to be the villain of the film. With Edward Norton not being pleased with Marvel

they opted to recast Bruce Banner with Mark Ruffalo, who delivers one of the most iconic lines in the film

I'm always angry. Avengers was a critical and commercial success, gaining rave reviews and grossing over $1.5 billion on its May 4, 2012 release

After the massive success of the film, Marvel signed Whedon to an overall creative consulting deal where he would write and direct Avengers 2 and consult on every Marvel project for the next three years The first project to really benefit from this arrangement was Agents of S which Whedon would co with his brother Jed and his wife

Marissa Tenteron. The series would follow Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson in his further adventures

working for S.H.I.E.L.D. Famed Rush Hour and Monster Squad scribe, Shane Black, was hired to direct

Iron Man 3. The film took a highly controversial approach to the Iron Man longtime foe, the

Mandarin by changing him from a fearsome enemy with mystical rings to an actor named Trevor

played by Ben Kingsley. Released May 3rd, 2013, the film was a soaring success, pulling in $1.25

billion. With Kenneth Branagh opting not to return for the Thor sequel, Game of Thrones

Helmer Alan Taylor was selected to direct Thor The Dark World. Doctor Who actor Christopher

Eccleston was cast as the film's main villain. However, he didn't realize that he would have to

wear prosthetic makeup every day. He was claustrophobic, and this was extremely difficult for

him. Released November 8, 2013, Thor The Dark World made $644 million, but was met with lukewarm

critical reception. Kevin Feige hired seasoned comedy directors Joe and Anthony Russo to tackle

the next installment of the Captain America journey. Kevin Feige was convinced that the

brothers could direct action after seeing the paintball episode of Community. The Russo brothers

opted to take a different approach to the film, wanting to make a spy thriller disguised as an

action superhero film. Captain America Winter Soldier was released April 14, 2014

to rave reviews and over $714 million at the box office. Many critics pointed to it as the best film in the entire MCU

Work on Guardians of the Galaxy had begun in the Marvel Writers Screenwriting Fellowship program

Nicole Perlman's Guardians of the Galaxy was so acclaimed that Marvel opted to produce it

selecting James Gunn as the director. The film was a massive success. This was a big turning point in the MCU

as many people thought that the Marvel film would fail. and when it succeeded, it served as a testament

to Kevin Feige's producorial talent and infallibility of the Marvel method. Avengers Age of Ultron saw the return of Joss Whedon

to the director's chair. The film was deemed a failure, however, as it was not critically received well

Despite this, it still pulled in $1.4 billion. The long, gestating Ant-Man film saw release on June 29, 2015

The film was originally going to be written and directed by Edgar Wright, but due to creative differences

the film was eventually given to Peyton Reed. Captain America Civil War marked the inclusion of Spider-Man

back into the MCU, with Tom Holland appearing as the beloved wall crawler

The film was written and directed by the dual two-headed monsters of screenwriters

Marcus and McFeely and directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The film was released May 6, 2016

and generated $1.153 billion. It served as Joe and Anthony Russo's calling card

to be given the third and eventually fourth Avengers films. Doctor Strange, Steve Ditko's otherworldly wizard

was the next Marvel film to be produced, netting close to $667 million at the box office

There was some scandal surrounding the film due to the fact that Marvel recast the Ancient One

a potentially offensive Asian stereotype, to be Tilda Swinton a decidedly non person Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was written by just James Gunn who took over solo writing duties Sean Gunn James Gunn brother played both Kraglin and the on motion capture for Rocket Raccoon

The iconic Mary Poppins line in the film was an ad-lib. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was released and everyone got Baby Groot fever

It made roughly $863.8 million at the box office. The cast and crew were feeling it too because there was a tiny practical maquette of Baby Groot on set for reference, and everyone loved it

In the comics, Star-Lord's father was not Ego the Living Planet, but an alien royal named Jason

Marvel and Sony's first collaborative effort was released in the form of Spider-Man Homecoming

It was very well received and generated $880.2 million. The film is loosely based on the Brian Bendis and David LaFuente Ultimate Spider-Man comic books

where Tony Stark serves as Peter Parker's mentor. Taika Waititi was hired to direct the third Thor film, which was titled Thor Ragnarok

The film is visually inventive and features many homages to Thor's co-creator Jack Kirby's artwork

James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, was let go from the project after problematic jokes he posted on Twitter resurfaced from 2010

The cast protests, saying they won't go forward without him. For now, the film is trapped in no man's land

Ryan Coogler's Black Panther was released on February 16, 2018 to widespread acclaim and a box office haul of $1.344 billion

The film is so respected, it gets nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards

April 27, 2018 saw the release of Avengers Infinity War, one of the biggest movies of all time

It pulled in an approximately 2.48 billion and had rave critical reviews

One of the drafts of the film opened with a version of Gamora's childhood flashback

Ultimately, this was abandoned. You may not have noticed it in the film, but Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive are married

The film ends on a cliffhanger, which turned its chief antagonist, Thanos, into a pop culture phenomenon

The next film Marvel released was Ant-Man and the Wasp, which was directed by Peyton Reed and pulled in close to $622 million

Marvel's first big female-led film was Captain Marvel, which pulled in close to $1.28 billion and was met with widely positive reviews

The film is primarily based off the Kelly Sue DeConnick reboot of the character, as opposed to Carol Danvers' original role as Ms. Marvel

Avengers Endgame was the climax of what Marvel had now dubbed the Infinity Saga

a crescendoing tapestry of 20 films that ended in a battle between nearly every single character that had ever appeared in the MCU

The writer of the original Infinity Gauntlet comic book, Jim Starlin, appears in the film as a cameo during the emotional support group scene

The film grossed approximately $2.798 billion and was widely considered the greatest superhero film ever created

A rumor that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four were going to show up in the climax of the film caught some serious traction online

but this didn't end up being in the film. In one sequence cut from the film, in the climactic battle at the end, Doctor Strange donned the Iron Man suit

and Tony Stark put on Doctor Strange's cape and the Eye of Agamotto

Going forward, the Rousseau brothers have no plans to direct any MCU films

but they both said that they'd love to return and do an adaptation of the beloved crossover comic book series, Secret Wars