The 7 scenes that marked the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In 2008, Marvel Studio decided to go it alone. After collaborating with Columbia Pictures (Sony) and 20th Century Fox, the company specializing in comic book publishing sees in its characters an opportunity to invest in cinemas with a sprawling license. Sprawling? Not really at the beginning, since the success of Iron Man carried by Robert Downey Jr must validate the public’s attraction to these superheroic productions. At the time, the genre was not really in the odor of sanctity. Only Christopher Nolan with his Dark Knight managed to get everyone to agree. Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito are convinced that they have a card to play, on the side of pure generous entertainment products. The darkness of Gotham is very little for them, it is alongside the irreverent Tony Stark in the luminous Los Angeles that the journey begins.

It won’t take very long for the protagonist to forge his legend that he establishes himself as the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He will quickly be joined by other legendary figures on glossy paper, from Black Widow to Captain America via Hawkeye and Thor. At the dawn of a new year, which will be marked by the arrival of the Fantastic Four and the return of Daredevil with Born Againa look back at the scenes that made the MCU in its golden age.

“Truly…I am Iron Man” — Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man took everyone by surprise. Under the aegis of Jon Favreau, the character became an icon in the making for generations of spectators. Taking up the classic patterns of “origin stories”, the first opus dedicated to Tony Stark seduced by its risk-taking. In addition to choosing an actor who has become persona non grata in Hollywood, Marvel took the risk of denying a prerequisite for productions of the genre. While the stories of Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent evolve mainly around their anonymity, Iron Man will evolve from the end of his first film in full view. The sequence is confusing as hell. It offered a glimpse of a future where the mask and its wearer become one, where vigilantes are as famous in their street clothes as in their flamboyant armor.

The case of Tony Stark is still a bit special, the billionaire being the son of an illustrious businessman and already well in the spotlight when the story begins. This will not prevent the saga devoted to the character from constantly deepening the risk represented by evolving in full light, this is particularly true regarding the third film. “Truly…I am Iron Man” is undoubtedly one of the most memorable sentences in the MCU, it is no coincidence that it will return to the forefront years later.

“Mr. Stark, you are now part of a larger universe.” — Iron Man (2008)

Lovers of Marvel films know that the start of the credits does not mark the end of hostilities. Of the Iron Manthe firm has a little surprise in store for those who are willing to stay a few more minutes in the dark. These post-credits scenes have become legion and most often serve to reveal information about what the future holds for the characters. Within a sprawling license, these glimpses also made it possible to hang up the wagons.

In Iron ManNick Fury made a first appearance (in the guise of Samuel L. Jackson) to suggest that an Avengers film was in preparation. It should also be noted that the Marvel France teams had not yet completely decided on the name of the team in France, and that it is the term “the avengers” which is said by Fury.

“I dance to distract you” — Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

He surprised in more than one way, Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t take long to become one of the best films in the MCU. In a license that most often plays the solemnity card, the first adventure of the Milano crew is a real breath of fresh air. A comedy that also knows how to be dramatic, James Gunn’s film has also proven that it is possible to free oneself from the prerequisites of a superheroic film to reinvent the genre.

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The dance scene encapsulates the exuberance of the director as much as the singularity of the characters within the Marvel catalog. The Guardians will establish themselves as the spectators’ favorite family. We can also note, as rarely before, that the success of the film will not stop with its cinema release alone and that it will spawn a real phenomenon on musical platforms. The famous “Awesome Mixtapes” will be eagerly awaited by fans.

“Avengers: Gathering” – Endgame (2019)

11 years, several failed attempts and immense frustration among fans. In 2019, Endgame takes over the dark rooms with great fanfare. Infinity War left spectators without a large part of their favorite superheroes, the Avengers’ time travel offers a glimpse of a brighter future. This will be the case thanks to the snap of Bruce Banner’s fingers. After the portals appear, even though the crowd is already cheering, Chris Evans will utter an emblematic phrase from the comics, which readers have been waiting for since the first Avengers.

Chris Evans will immortalize the end of the first Marvel decade with a “Avengers Assemble” that few spectators will forget. In certain cinemas, explosions of joy and screams will be heard, proof if any were needed that a step has just been reached. This is the Marvel trademark, creating these iconic moments and preparing for them for years. Deadpool & Wolverine will also be entirely built around these references and emotional roller coasters for the public, the recipe always works.

“I love you Sersi” — The Eternals (2021)

The big thing missing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly sexuality. If Iron Man had immortalized a post-coital awakening, the characters’ love life will then be limited to chaste kisses exchanged on the fly. In 2021, director Chloé Zhao is dedicated to new heroes on the small and big screen. With The Eternalsit promises more human issues. Family and romance are at the epicenter of the narrative process. For the first time in the history of the MCU, two characters will be filmed making love. Pedro Almodovar, Steven Soderbergh and even Paul Verhoeven, many filmmakers regret that superhero films under the aegis of Disney do not immortalize these essential elements of human relationships. Zhao will do it with all modesty, to support the desire for humanity of his heroes from elsewhere.

This moment marks a turning point for the franchise, which will nevertheless not open the floodgates to more scenes of the genre. We can still note that sexuality will be mentioned more frontally in She-Hulkchronicle of the life of a thirty-something in search of meaning. We can still imagine that the coming years will be an opportunity for the Maison des Idées to gain maturity. This is especially true with the upcoming release of Daredevil : Born Again on Disney+. The series is widely promoted as a direct continuation of the Netflix series. The latter focused particularly on the private and romantic life of the lawyer and vigilante, we can imagine that it will be the same for this sequel.

“I am Spider-Man… in my world” — Spider-Man : No Way Home (2021)

In 2021, Marvel and Spider-Man worshipers are holding their breath. Rumors have been rife for several months about a return of the previous interpreters of Peter Parker. The multiverse must become a central element of the next phases of the MCU, allowing the license to explore new horizons. Spectators are already dreaming of an increase in cameos from heroes who have until now evolved far from the main license. If the actors tried hard to deny the rumors, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Mcguire joined Tom Holland in the third part of his adventures. They were not the only ones, since their antagonists were also on the trip. We can also note the appearance of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, but he is already evolving in the reality of the MCU’s Spider-Man. Three spiders for three times the fun, the idea was very appealing. But the concept raises many questions about what the future holds for the House of Ideas.

Because the multiverse is not one of those ideas that is easy to juggle with… It is even particularly risky. In addition to the possibility of creating a storyline imbroglio that will leave casual spectators behind, Marvel could (should) largely taint its journey so far. The announcements from San Diego Comic Con last July confirmed that nothing was impossible anymore. Robert Downey Jr will return in the shoes of Doctor Doom, enough to put his former associates in difficulty. If Iron Man is indeed dead, it must be admitted that this return leaves a bittersweet feeling after such a memorable farewell.

“I called us all” — Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

This is the first real accident for Marvel, one that could have repercussions for several more years. While Kang The Conqueror announced himself as the “new Thanos”, Kevin Feige’s teams made the surprising choice of introducing him through a crossover adventure with Ant-Man. The character of Paul Rudd – rather secondary on the scale of a license which until recently evolved around five figureheads – finds himself propelled to the rank of sole bulwark against the imminent arrival of a super-powerful antagonist. He will be defeated, but the post-credits scene hinted that this was only the beginning. Thousands of Kang variants appear and prepare a response to save the multiverse. Except that the ousting of Jonathan Majors, a few months later, would put an end to this project.

Even though Kevin Feige had announced films Avengers : Kang Dynasty et Secret Warshe took the microphone last July to formalize the start of construction of Doomsday et Secret Wars. The two films will be directed by the Russo brothers, they succeed Destin David Cretton who left the project to devote himself to the series Wonder Man. The post-credits scene of Quantum encapsulates all the problems that the MCU will have to overcome over the next few years, proves that the license is no longer always a smooth business.

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