Infinity War Primer: What You (Might) Need to Know

It's a bit of an understatement to say that nobody could have foreseen how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe would actually be when Iron Man was released over a decade ago. More than a dozen films and literally millions of dollars later, the entire franchise became a pop-culture juggernaut, taking the superhero genre to all-new heights not seen since. 

Chalk it up to many a factor which I'm not going to list down because individuals and writers far better than me have done those points justice, but if I had to single out one aspect behind the MCU's success, it probably had to be the crossover appeal. Yes, we've seen the Avengers do battle in different mediums, but when their titular movie dropped in 2012, it was a gamble, but one which payed off immensely. 

Up to that point, heroes have rarely joined forces with each other despite such a trope being very commonplace in comics, cartoons and video games. The MCU brought that to the silver screen for the first time, and executed it to such a great degree that we've seen this idea copied to varying levels of success with other studios, who will not be named here. 

With that massive crossover appeal comes massive amounts of lore befitting their source material, and all of that will be front and center when Avengers: Infinity War gets released by the month's end. To help prepare anyone who happens to read this for the most ambitious crossover in history, here's a quick primer to help everyone get caught up to speed before Thanos wipes out half the universe:

(Quick note: You're bound to see weird issues with formatting and font sizes that Blogger is prone to, at times. I've tried correcting them as best I can, but some still remain.)

I. The Cast

Just to keep things focused, and to also preserve my own sanity, I'll be focusing mainly on the main players who'll mostly be present in Infinity War. Thanos won't be here in this section - he'll be in the the last one. The characters are going to be introduced based on when they first chronologically appear in the films:

Iron Man

"You can take away my house -- all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away... I am Iron Man."

• First Appearance: Iron Man (2008)
• Real Name: Tony Stark
• Origin: The son of Howard and Maria Stark, and current C.E.O. of Stark Industries. After being ambushed on a trip to Afghanistan, he was forced to make weapons for the Ten Rings terrorist group. He escaped by creating a mechanical suit of armor, which he used to fight his way out of captivity. Since returning to the United States, he has stopped developing weapons while refining his suit's design, and revealed himself as Iron Man to the general public.
• Powers: Fights using a specially designed suit armed with various weapons powered by Stark Industries' Repulsor technology.
• Last Whereabouts: Currently serves as one of the three sole active members of the official Avengers team. Was last seen proposing to former secretary and current love interest Pepper Potts in a press conference.
• AKA: Robert Downey Jr.

War Machine

"If you want this suit, you're going to have to pry my cold dead body out of it."

• First Appearance: Iron Man (2008)
• Real Name: James Rhodes
• Origin: A U.S. Army Colonel, and a life-long friend to Tony Stark. He was one of the first individuals to know of Stark's Iron Man suit, and used a modified version of the original Mark II suit to fight for the Army as War Machine. He was inducted into the Avengers after assisting in the Battle of Sokovia.
• Powers: His suit bears similar weapons and abilities as the Iron Man armors, but uses more conventional firearms installed into the suit as opposed to Stark's experimental arsenal.
• Last Whereabouts: An injury sustained in Berlin paralyzed him from the waist down, forcing him to undergo therapy to return as an active combatant.
• AKA: The one who isn't just silver Iron Man.

Nick Fury

"The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to to fight the battles we never could."

• First Appearance: Iron Man (2008)
• Real Name: Nick Fury
• Origin: Formerly the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a top-secret peacekeeping organization. He proposed the Avengers Initiative, meant to assemble the most capable individuals on the planet to defend it from extraordinary threats. Was forced to disband the agency after it was revealed to be infiltrated by HYDRA.
• Powers: Has no powers of his own. Is a trained spy and soldier, having served the CIA in the Cold War.
• Last Whereabouts: Currently allied with the non-HYDRA-affiliated remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.
• AKA: SAMUEL. L. MOTHERF*CKING. JACKSON.

The Hulk

"So you're saying that the Hulk, the other guy, saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment."

• First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Real Name: Bruce Banner
• Origin: A celebrated multi-disciplined scientist, tasked by General Thaddeus Ross with recreating the Super Soldier Serum. Banner's experimentation with gamma radiation to replicate the formula caused him to transform into a large, green-skinned monster called the Hulk. 
• Powers: Transforms into the Hulk during extreme moments of anger and stress. While transformed, he boasts superhuman strength and is considered to be one of the most powerful individuals on Earth.
• Last Whereabouts: Last seen with the survivors of Asgard, after their world perished during Ragnarok.
• AKA: The one who got so pissed off he didn't get the memo for Civil War, he turned Thor: Ragnarok into the adaptation of Planet Hulk we never knew we needed.

Black Widow

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian, or I was."

• First Appearance: Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Real Name: Natasha Romanoff
• Origin: A spy indoctrinated into the KGB as a child, who earned the Black Widow moniker due to being equal parts ruthless and efficient at her job. Was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. on recommendation of Clint Barton, and defected from Russia not long after.
• Powers: Has no powers, but is otherwise trained in various fields of espionage, close-quarters combat and marksmanship. 
• Last Whereabouts: Assisted Captain America's escape against the orders of General Ross, forcing her into hiding. Currently allied with Falcon and the Captain to stop the use of Chitauri weapons while remaining off the grid.
• AKA: The one whose hair seems to change every six months or so.

Thor

"I choose to run towards my problems, and not away from them, because's that what heroes do."

• First Appearance: Thor (2011)
• Real Name: Thor
• Origin: The son of the All-Father Odin and the Norse God of Thunder. Because of his arrogance, Odin banished him to Earth to live as a mortal, but soon regained his powers when his humility made him worthy of them again. He spent his time between his duties as a prince on Asgard and as an Avenger on Earth.
• Powers: Boasts control over lightning and thunder, which he once channeled through his hammer, Mjolnir.
• Last Whereabouts: Became the King of Asgard after Odin's death, and led the survivors of Ragnarok to safety. Their ship was attacked by Thanos' flagship, leaving Thor unconscious in the vacuum of space.
• AKA: The one who decided to move into some Australian guy's apartment making conspiracy theories about Thanos and being a lazy prick who pays rent with non-human currencies.

Loki

"I never wanted the throne, I only ever wanted to be your equal!"

• First Appearance: Thor (2011)
• Real Name: Loki
• Origin: The son of Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, adopted by Odin as part of a peace treaty between Jotunheim and Asgard. Upon learning of his true parentage, Loki attempted to assassinate Odin in order to rule Asgard, and later led the Chitauri invasion of Earth as part of his plot. 
• Powers: As the God of Mischief, he is a master sorcerer, well-versed in Asgardian magic and the use of illusions and hypnosis to manipulate his foes.
• Last Whereabouts: Aided the evacuation of Asgard before Ragnarok after having an apparent change of heart.
• AKA: The puny god.

Hawkeye

"The city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense."

• First Appearance: Thor (2011)
• Real Name: Clint Barton
• Origin: A S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin handpicked by Nick Fury himself to join the agency, and the one responsible for the Black Widow's recruitment into the group. Was brainwashed by Loki to help him take over the Earth, but regained his senses and helped the Avengers fight back the Chitauri.
• Powers: Despite being powerless, he boasts unparalleled levels of skill with a bow and arrow, and is armed with various trick arrows for use in almost any situation.
• Last Whereabouts: Arrested for helping Captain America's escape and detained on the Raft, but was broken out by the Captain himself. Claims to have retired for real.
• AKA: The useless Avenger who has been predicted to die in almost every single movie he's been in.

Captain America

"The price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay."

• First Appearance: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• Real Name: Steve Rogers
• Origin: Once a sickly young man from Brooklyn, his bravery got him chosen to become the first recipient of the Super Soldier Serum, which he used to battle the Nazis and their secret weapons division HYDRA in World War II as Captain America. He prevented a plot by HYDRA head Johann Schmidt to bomb the East Coast of the US, but was cryogenically frozen for more than 60 years as a result.
• Powers: The Super Soldier Serum granted him enhanced physical abilities and the physiology to match. He once wielded a shield made of the indestructible metal known as Vibranium, but abandoned it.
• Last Whereabouts: Currently travels around the world to stop the use of Chitauri weapons alongside Black Widow and the Falcon. When not on the move, he resides in Wakanda.
• AKA: The one concerned with the fitness of American high school students.

Winter Soldier

"I can't trust my own mind. So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing... for everybody."

• First Appearance: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• Real Name: James Buchanan Barnes
• Origin: The childhood friend of Steve Rogers, and one of his comrades in the Howling Commandos during World War II. A near death accident caused him to become an experiment by the survivors of HYDRA., becoming the mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
• Powers: Bucky was the recipient of HYDRA's own version of the Super Soldier Serum, giving him similar enhanced physical capabilities to Captain America. He once had a bionic arm which increased his strength, but was destroyed by Iron Man.
• Last Whereabouts: Was kept inside Wakanda to undergo rehabilitation with Princess Shuri to break the remnants of his old programming as a HYDRA agent. 
• AKA: "Your Bucky."

Falcon

"I just wanna make sure we consider all our options. Because people who shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me too."

• First Appearance: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Real Name: Sam Wilson
• Origin: A former member of the US Air Force who retired from active duty after the death of his wingman. Recruited by Captain America to help him stop HYDRA's plan to kill off high-value targets with S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarriers, and later became an Avenger.
• Powers: The EXO-7 Falcon suit allows Sam to fly at subsonic speeds, while his goggles increase his field of vision.
• Last Whereabouts: Rescued from the Raft by Captain America, and currently travels with him and the Black Widow to shut down terrorist groups with Chitauri weapons.
• AKA: The one who got beat up by Ant-Man.

Scarlet Witch

"I can't control their fear, only my own."

• First Appearance: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Real Name: Wanda Maximoff
• Origin: A native of the war-torn nation of Sokovia. Alongside her twin brother Pietro, she willingly underwent genetic experimentation under HYDRA's Baron Strucker to get revenge on Tony Stark, who manufactured the weapons used to kill her parents. The Maximoffs once helped the android Ultron to supposedly get their revenge, but upon learning of his true intent to destroy the human race, they defected to the Avengers in order to stop him. Wanda succeeded in destroying Ultron after he killed Pietro during the Battle of Sokovia.
• Powers: Strucker's experiments left Wanda with various superpowers, including telekinesis, hypnosis, telepathy and energy manipulation.
• Last Whereabouts: After escaping from the Raft, she and the Vision retired to live a peaceful life in the United Kingdom.
• AKA: The one who totally isn't Magneto's daughter.

Star-Lord

"I look around, do you know what I see? Losers! I mean like folks who have lost stuff. Their homes. Families. And we're facing a threat that could destroy us all."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Peter Quill
• Origin: The son of Meredith Quill and the Celestial, Ego. After Meredith's death, Peter was abducted by Yondu Udonta and became a Ravager, which the latter hoped would keep him away from his father's machinations to assimilate the universe. He formed the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Ronan the Accuser from laying waste to the enemies of the Kree Empire.
• Powers: Is by far a normal human, with access to various alien weapons. He once bore the Celestial DNA of Ego, but lost it after killing him.
• Last Whereabouts: Laid Yondo to rest after he sacrificed his life to save Quill. Currently in a relationship with Gamora.
• AKA: The poor soul who owns a Zune. He'd probably like Spotify.

Gamora

"I have spent most of my life surrounded by my enemies. I will be grateful to die among my friends."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Gamora
• Origin: One of the adopted daughters of the Mad Titan, Thanos. Trained to become an assassin alongside her sister Nebula, she was tasked with finding the Orb - the Power Stone. However, she refused to give it up, aware of the chaos it would create in the hands of individuals such as Ronan and her father.
• Powers: Has the superhuman physiology of a Zehoberei, in addition to enhancements from her bionics.
• Last Whereabouts: Last seen bidding Nebula farewell before she left to assassinate Thanos.
• AKA: The idiot surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy.

Drax the Destroyer

"What if someone does something irksome, and I decide to remove his spine?"

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Drax
• Origin: An ex-murderer who seeks vengeance for the deaths of his wife and daughter, and joined the Guardians for the opportunity to kill Ronan, who he holds responsible for their murder. He has since shifted his attention to Thanos after Ronan's death.
• Powers: Specializes in using his brute strength and his twin knives, among a collection of other weapons, to defeat his foes.
• Last Whereabouts: Currently remains with the Guardians after their victory over Ego and the sacrifice of Yondu.
• AKA: Batista.

Rocket Racooon

"I live for the simple things... like how much this is gonna hurt."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Rocket Raccoon
• Origin: He was previously known as 89P13, the subject of strenuous genetic modification experiments on the planet Halfworld; the tests made him sentient and intelligent, but also gave him an abrasive and chaotic personality. Before joining the Guardians, he acted as a bounty hunter and mercenary alongside his partner Groot.
• Powers: The experiments which transformed him into his current state have granted Rocket genius-level intelligence, allowing him to fashion high-end weapons if given enough time. His enhancements also made him superhuman, belying his small stature.
• Last Whereabouts: Assisted the Guardians of the Galaxy in destroying Ego, and continues to patrol the universe alongside them.
• AKA: Screw what he says, he's a bloody raccoon.

Groot

"I am Groot."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Groot
• Origin: A Flora Colossus from the planet X. His species' unique physiology has put a strain on his vocal processes, limiting his speech patterns to repeated uses of "I am Groot." He serves as the large, if slightly dumb, muscle in his adventures with Rocket Raccoon.
• Powers: As a Flora Colossus, Groot's strength is complimented by his ability to manipulate his tree-like body in various ways.
• Last Whereabouts: Sacrificed himself to save the Guardians on Xandar, but grew back from a small twig left from what remained of him. This smaller, "baby" Groot has most of the original's traits and abilities, but his brain is mentally reduced to that of a child's.
• AKA: He is Groot.

Nebula

"I am every inch the warrior you are. The screams of my victims fill every field."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Real Name: Nebula
• Origin: One of Thanos' adopted children. Repeated losses to Gamora in their childhood caused Nebula to be experimented on, fueling her contempt for her sister. Once allied with Ronan the Accuser, and plotted with him to destroy Thanos after their conquest of Xandar.
• Powers: Many of Nebula's enhanced traits come from her modified physiology as a Luphomoid with forced cybernetic implants due to her past. Her skills in battle are roughly on par with those of Gamora's.
• Last Whereabouts: Allied herself with the Guardians to destroy Ego and prevent his plans of remaking the universe in his image. She refused to stay with them, opting to take her revenge on Thanos directly.
• AKA: ...okay, you got me. I can't think of any jokes about her.

Vision

"Humans are odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites and... try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings."

• First Appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Real Name: Vision
• Origin: The Vision was created to be a new vessel for Ultron to use in his mission to destroy humanity. However, this incomplete new body was stolen by the Avengers; Bruce Banner and Tony Stark eventually completed it by uploading the remains of Stark's old A.I., J.A.R.V.I.S., into the body. Unlike his "brother", the Vision is intent on protecting people as opposed to wiping them out.
• Powers: The Vision's power is drawn from the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead, allowing him to directly manipulate the density of his Vibranium body to fly, become intangible and fire energy blasts from the Stone.
• Last Whereabouts: Left the Avengers to join Scarlet Witch in peaceful exile somewhere in the United Kingdom.
• AKA: The one bloke who is probably going to die in this movie because of the pretty jewelry on his skull.

Ant-Man

"I do some dumb things, and the people I love the most.. .they pay the price."

• First Appearance: Ant-Man (2015)
• Real Name: Scott Lang
• Origin: Once a master thief, his attempts to go straight for the sake of his daughter Cassie led him to be chosen by scientist Hank Pym to be his successor as the shrinking hero, Ant-Man, and prevent the misuse of the latter's technology.
• Powers: The Ant-Man suit is embedded with Pym Particles, allowing Scott to shrink to minuscule levels and gain enhanced strength and reflexes due to his new density. The process can also be reversed to instead increase his size to gigantic proportions. As the name implies, he can also control nearby ants and other insects by manipulating their pheromones. 
• Last Whereabouts: Was broken out of the Raft by Captain America after aiding his escape, and returned to the US; Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is released after Infinity War, is chronologically set before that movie, and will detail Scott's whereabouts with Hank and his daughter Hope, who has inherited her mother's old role as the Wasp.
• AKA: The one who got fired from Baskin-Robbins. Baskin-Robbins always finds out.

Black Panther

"Today, we don't fight for one life. We fight for all of them."

• First Appearance: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Real Name: T'Challa
• Origin: The current King of Wakanda, an isolated and technologically-advanced African nation, and its guardian protector, the Black Panther. He inherited the throne after the death of his father T'Chaka during an attack on the United Nations.
• Powers: As part of his role as the Black Panther, T'Challa is empowered by the Heart-Shaped Herb, a special plant which grants him superhuman strength, speed and instincts. His armor is made of Vibranium, which allows him to absorb and redistribute kinetic energy from outside sources.
• Last Whereabouts: After reclaiming the throne from his cousin Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, T'Challa re-opened Wakanda's ties to the international community, giving the outside world access to Wakandan resources for the first time in history.
• AKA: WAKANDA FOREVER. Also, a one-time winner of Black Jeopardy.

Spider-Man

"When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you."

• First Appearance: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Real Name: Peter Parker
• Origin: A high-school student from Queens who fights crime on the side as the masked vigilante Spider-Man, named after the incident in which he gained superpowers powers from a radioactive spider. He was approached by Tony Stark to help apprehend Captain America in Berlin, and became affiliated with the Avengers in the process.
• Powers: Spider-Man boasts superhuman strength and agility, and can crawl on walls on command. His unique "Spider-Sense" gives him enhanced awareness of his surroundings, alerting him to nearby dangers and slowing down his perception of time to give him the opportunity to react accordingly. He is also armed with specialized 
  "web-shooters" which fire off projectiles made from a special web-like formula he himself synthesized; this also allows him to swing and zip across almost any terrain for faster mobility.
• Last Whereabouts: Rejected an offer to join the Avengers full-time, opting to stick around his neighborhood instead.
• AKA: The one that everybody knows. Seriously. Everybody knows Spider-Man. Jump off a cliff if you don't.

Doctor Strange

"Destiny has dire plans for you, my friend."

• First Appearance: Doctor Strange (2016)
• Real Name: Stephen Strange
• Origin: Once a successful but vain surgeon, he lost control over his hands after a car accident, and sought out a way to heal them. This led to his meeting with the Ancient One - the Sorcerer Supreme, who offered Stephen the chance to do more with his life by practicing the Mystic Arts. 
• Powers: Doctor Strange's knowledge in the Mystic Arts has given him command over a multitude of spells. He can leave his physical form behind and interact with others on the Astral Plane, teleport to any location, levitate with the Cloak of Levitation and manipulate the flow of time itself with the Eye of Agamotto - the Time Stone, all to name a few of his powers.
• Last Whereabouts: Succeeded in driving back the invasion of Dormammu and the Dark Dimension. Later assisted Thor and Loki with finding the exiled Odin.
• AKA: Buttercup Cumbersnatch. Bodysnatch Cummerbund. Bulbasaur Charmander-Pants. Butterscotch Jazzhands. Cadbury Pringlebatch. Bumblebee Cuddlestache. Buffalo Custardbath. Bandicoot Crashdash.

Mantis

"Telepaths read minds. Empaths read... emotions."

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017)
• Real Name: Mantis
• Origin: Hailing from a race of insect-like empaths, Mantis was raised by Ego, mainly using her powers to help him sleep peacefully. Being the only other life-form he interacts with regularly, she became savvy to Ego's ultimate end goal: siring an offspring that carried his Celestial genes and use their power to help him take over the universe.
• Powers: By touching an individual, she can feel their emotions and force them to feel emotions she herself chooses.
• Last Whereabouts: After saving the universe, she became the sixth member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
• AKA: The new girl.

Part II. The Timeline

Next up, the closest I can scrap together to connect everything so far. 

Creation of the Universe

• The Infinity Stones are created from six singularities which existed before the world came to be: Space, Time, Reality, Power, Mind and Soul. The ones responsible for their creation are the Cosmic Entities: Death, Entropy, Infinity and Eternity.
• This is the era in which many of the oldest characters within this universe are born, such as the Grandmaster of Sakaar and Taneleer Tivan, the Collector.
• The ancient race of Celestials are also born; because of their ability to harness large amounts of energy, they can successfully wield the Infinity Stones without succumbing to their power. 

• One of these Celestials is Ego, the Living Planet; he begins plotting to assimilate the world and remake it in his image, but needs more power to do so. He travels to different planets and sires children with many women in order to have a child who carried his Celestial DNA, but is unable to yield the one he seeks. Ego continues this over the next 2 millennia, killing each child when they fail to be of use to him 
• The Mighty Agamotto discovers how to harness the Mystic Arts, and began training select humans to follow in his footsteps. He came to discover the Time Stone and sealed it inside his personal relic, the Eye of Agamotto. As the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto establishes sanctuaries in cities that eventually become New York, London and Hong Kong, creating a shield to prevent inter-dimensional invaders like the Dread Dormammu from the Dark Dimension from reaching Earth.

• The very first Convergence occurs; during this time, the dimensional boundaries between the Nine Realms of the World Tree Yddgrasil - Asgard, Midgard/Earth, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Alfheim, Muspelheim and Niflheim - become thin, creating portals that allow for inter-dimensional travel. These re-occur every 5000 years.
• During the first convergence, the Dark Elf Malekith leads the rest of the Dark Elves into battle, hoping to use the Aether - the Reality Stone - to drown the Nine Realms into darkness. The then-king of Asgard Bor Burison successfully rallies a counter-movement, forcing the Dark Elves to hibernate until the next Convergence. The Aether is sealed away before Bor dies and passes his role as the All-Father to his son, Odin.

• Odin and his daughter Hela, the goddess of death, conquer the Nine Realms. When Hela becomes too ambitious, Odin is forced to banish her to Niflheim, using his life force to seal her away. He then proceeds to wipe out all traces of her existence from Asgardian history. One of Hela's attempts to escape sees her successfully slaughter the Valkyries, an all-female faction of warriors chosen by Odin himself. Only one survives, and escapes to Sakaar to drown her sorrows away; she becomes a Scrapper working for the Grandmaster, bringing new entrants to fight in his Contest of Champions.
• 965 A.D.: Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, wages his own war to also conquer the Nine Realms. They battle Odin in Norway and lose, being forced into retreat and losing their most prized weapon: the Casket of Ancient Winters. Laufey and Odin agree to a truce; the former gives up his first-born son Loki to be adopted by the latter. After their victory, Odin leaves the Tesseract - the Space Stone - in the hands of humanity. The Norse people begin idolizing the Asgardians, explaining their role as gods in their mythology.

• A meteorite made of the indestructible metal Vibranium crashes in the upper part of Africa and is discovered by five tribes who fight over it. A tribal chief happens upon a Heart-Shaped Herb, a plant infected by Vibranium radiation; he ingests it and gains superhuman traits, which he uses to unite the warring tribes, forming Wakanda. This chief becomes Wakanda's king and protector, the Black Panther. While the Jabari Tribe defect, the rest of the nation begin to harness the Vibranium for their own ends, becoming one of the most technologically-advanced countries on Earth, while they pose as a third-world country to hide their resources.

World War II

• Dr. Abraham Erskine is conscripted by the Nazi party to refine his work on a serum that can create superhuman warriors. Erskine refuses, but is ultimately forced to finish his work for the Nazi research division HYDRA. He tries the serum on HYDRA's head, Johann Schmidt; it works, but Schmidt's head is massively deformed, earning him the nickname, "the Red Skull." Eventually, Erskine defects to the United States before the start of World War II, and the American government expresses their interest in making super-soldiers as well.

Captain America: The First Avenger

"General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men. And because they are going to get better. Much better."

• In 1940, best friends Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes attempt to enlist in the army to join the war effort. Steve is denied because of his weak physical status, while Bucky becomes a Sergeant. Elsewhere, Schmidt discovers the Tesseract in Norway, and orders Arnim Zola to begin weaponizing its energy.
• After failing to get enlisted four times, Steve is approached by Erskine, who allows him to enter based on the man's strong moral compass. An act of self-sacrifice during a training exercise inspires Erskine to select Steve to be the recipient of his refined Super Soldier Serum. While successful, the doctor is assassinated by a Nazi spy.

• Steve is sent out in the field as Captain America, a mascot promoting the use of bail bonds. While initially a joke, he is taken more seriously when he single-handedly attempts a rescue of captured Allied soldiers, including Bucky, in a HYDRA facility; here, Captain America and the Red Skull meet for the first time.

• Because of his bravery, Captain America is assigned to take on more high-value missions against HYDRA, under orders from the Strategic Scientific Reserve and his British liaison, Peggy Carter. To this end, he forms the Howling Commandos with Bucky and a few other men of his choosing. He is also outfitted with an indestructible shield made of Vibranium created by playboy inventor Howard Stark.
• The Howling Commandos undertake an operation to capture Arnim Zola while being transported on a train. Zola is apprehended, but Bucky falls into a ravine and is assumed dead. He survives, due to having been experimented on with HYDRA's own Super Soldier Serum while in captivity, and is taken in by the Soviet Union.

• The US Army attacks the last HYDRA stronghold after learning of the Red Skull's plans to bomb the United States with warheads powered by the Tesseract's energy. Onboard the Valkyrie bomber, Captain America battles the Skull. During the encounter, the latter disappears after touching the Tesseract. With no way to stop the plane, the Captain sacrifices himself by crashing it into the Arctic waters and is presumed dead; he instead remains frozen cryogenically for more than 50 years.

The Cold War

• Three members from the SSR - Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and General Chester Phillips - form the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually settles inside their home base, the Triskelion, in Washington D.C.

• Arnim Zola is recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. and works to rebuild HYDRA within it with several other Nazi scientists. The new HYDRA tracks down Bucky and brainwash him into becoming the Winter Soldier; when not on duty, he is cryogenically frozen to preserve his physical state. HYDRA then proceeds to involve itself in major world events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, with nobody else wiser. Before his death, Zola uploads his consciousness inside the first S.H.I.E.L.D. base in New Jersey.
• Howard and Soviet scientist Anton Vanko create the first Arc Reactor. When Anton is discovered to be selling the technology back to Russia, he is deported and sentenced to a Siberian gulag. His son Ivan is born not long after he enters captivity.
• The Centaurian Yondu Udonta is rescued from his life of slavery by Stakar Ogord of the Ravagers, and joins the organization as gratitude. He is approached by Ego to deliver his children to him, but Yondu becomes aware of what happens to them; as child trafficking is against the Ravager code, Starkar disavows him and his crew.

The 1980s

• Scientist Hank Pym joins S.H.I.E.L.D. after he discovers an element that can change the distance between atoms. He becomes an agent for them, codenamed Ant-Man. Eventually, he gains a partner in the form of his wife Janet Van Dyne - the Wasp; the two have a daughter named Hope. 
• Around the time Hope turned 7, Ant-Man and the Wasp undergo a mission to disarm a Soviet warhead before it destroys D.C. The Wasp is forced to shrink to a subatomic level in order to complete their task, but is trapped in a cycle where she begins shrinking eternally in the Quantum Realm. Hank's guilt over his inability to save Janet leads to strife with Hope.

• Ego falls in love with Meredith Quill, who becomes pregnant with their son, Peter. Having fostered a genuine attraction to Meredith, Ego returns to visit her multiple times, but fears that his love for her will distract him from his goal. To remove her from the equation, he indirectly kills her by implanting a tumor inside Meredith; after her death, Peter is abducted by Yondu, who raises him to be a Ravager instead of leaving the boy to possibly be killed by Ego.

• As a child, Natalia Romanova is conscripted into the KGB's Red Room, and graduates with her codename, the Black Widow.

• Hank discovers that Howard Stark had tried to weaponize his Pym Particles, and resigns from S.H.I.E.L.D. He is later voted out of his own company - Pym Technologues - by Hope and his apprentice, Darren Cross.

The 1990s

• On December 16, 1991, the Winter Soldier assassinates Howard and Maria, and steals five vials of the Super Soldier Serum from their car. The Russian branch of HYDRA uses them to create five more Winter Soldiers, whom they are forced to keep on ice when they become uncontrollable. Howard's business partner Obadiah Stane assumes the role of CEO in the wake of this tragedy.

• In 1992, Wakandan prince N'Jobu becomes disillusioned during his time as a War Dog operative in Oakland upon witnessing the discrimination minorities in America experience. He takes a radical turn, helping arms dealer Ulysses Klaue steal Vibranium from Wakanda, hoping to arm the oppressed with weapons. This information is passed to his brother, King T'Chaka, by another Wakandan spy named Zuri, posing as N'Jobu's criminal accomplice.
• While the Rodney King riots occur in Los Angeles, T'Chaka and Zuri confront N'Jobu in his apartment over his treason. He attempts to kill Zuri for his betrayal, but is killed by T'Chaka. The two agree to keep the situation to themselves. Unbeknownst to them, N'Jobu had married an American woman; his son Erik Stevens discovers his father's corpse and takes up his cause. Erik becomes a black-ops operative in his adult years, earning the nickname "Killmonger" because of his high body count.
• A Danishman named Kaecillius loses his wife to sickness, and travels to Kamar-Taj in Nepal, where he begins training under the new Sorcerer Supreme - a mysterious Celtic woman called the Ancient One - to find a way to bring her back to life.

• After graduating from MIT, Howard's son Tony assumes the mantle of CEO from Stane. While celebrating the turn of the millennium in Switzerland, he ignores a meeting with Aldrich Killian, the head of a think tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics. Tony instead spends the evening with Maya Hansen, a scientist whose Extremis virus allows subjects infected with it to heal from any form of damage, including severed limbs. Killian later meets with Maya to integrate Extremis into A.I.M.'s plans. During this night, Tony also meets and ignores scientist Ho Yinsen.

The 2000s

• S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury catches wind of Black Widow's movements, and assigns agent Clint Barton, codenamed "Hawkeye", to assassinate her. Clint defeats the Widow, but proposes that she would be more useful if she served S.H.I.E.L.D. instead. Fury and Natalia accept, and the latter defects from Russia, taking on the new name Natasha Romanoff. Black Widow and Hawkeye become partners and close friends since this meeting.

• General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross begins researching into ways to replicate the Super Soldier Serum. In 2005, he hires scientist Bruce Banner onto the project on the recommendation of his daughter, and Bruce's lover, Betty. An experimental prototype serum exposes Bruce to high amounts of gamma radiation, transforming him into the Hulk for the first time. He later goes on the run for the next half-decade upon learning that he was going to be weaponized by the Army. The World Security Council authorizes General Ross' manhunt for the Hulk.
• Over the course of this decade, Killian begins to use Extremis to create an army of super soldiers loyal to him. He also uses the virus to cure his previous disabilities.

Beginning of the Initiative: 2010 (Phase 1)

Iron Man

"They say that the best weapon is the one that you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire…once!"

• During a weapons demonstration for the Army, Tony Stark's convoy is attacked by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. The ambush leaves shrapnel near Tony's heart, but Yinsen - who was also captured by the terrorists - manages to save him by making a pacemaker magnet device. Both are forced into making weapons in order to survive, but plan to escape with a mechanized suit of armor. To power it, the two create a miniature Arc Reactor that replaces the original pacemaker. When the suit is completed, Tony fights his way to freedom; Yinsen sacrifices himself to buy time for the plan to work.

• Upon returning to the States, Tony shuts down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries, and focuses on refining the suit's design. With the upgraded Mark III suit, he begins tracking down illegal weapon shipments and destroying them, unaware that the shipments and the ambush were a ploy by Obadiah Stane to overthrow him as company owner. Stane himself comes upon the original Mark I remains and reverse-engineers it to create the Iron Monger armor, which he uses to fight Tony on top of the original Arc Reactor facility. Tony defeats Stane, who perishes when he and his suit crashes into the Reactor, causing a large explosion.

• During these events, Tony and his secretary Pepper Potts are approached by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, who hopes to debrief the former on his escape. When Tony suspects a mole in the company, Pepper confirms his suspicions by finding proof of Stane's collusion with the Ten Rings and reports her findings to S.H.I.E.L.D., who later fabricate a cover story for Stane's disappearance and the public appearance of a suited Tony as "Iron Man", an armored bodyguard. Tony opts to discard the story, publicly outing himself as Iron Man. Later that night, he is visited personally by Nick Fury, who invites him to join the Avengers Initiative.

• Around the same time as the Iron Man declaration, Ivan Vanko begins creating his own miniaturized Arc Reactor from plans his recently-deceased father Anton kept with him. He plans to publicly humiliate Tony and the Stark family for ruining his father.

Fury's Big Week: 2010 (Phase 1)

Iron Man 2

"I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world."

• Tony relaunches the Stark Expo for the first time in decades, while fending off inquisitions from the Department of Defense over his use of the Iron Man armor. He is also secretly dealing with the palladium in his Arc Reactor slowly poisoning him, and begins transferring his control of Stark Industries to Pepper without revealing his sickness. During this time, Black Widow infiltrates Stark Industries by posing as Natalie Rushman, Pepper's new assistant.

• At the Monaco Grand Prix, Tony enters himself in as a racer. He is ambushed by Vanko, wearing a suit powered by an Arc Reactor and armed with energized whips. Although he fails to kill Tony, Vanko proves to the world that the Arc Reactor technology is not exclusive to the Stark family. This impresses one of Tony's chief business rivals, Justin Hammer, who organizes a break-out and fakes Vanko's death to get him to work for him and build similar suits, unaware that Vanko is using Hammer's resources to pursue his personal goals and sabotages the suit projects by mass-producing drones instead.

• During Tony's birthday party, he dons the Iron Man suit as a drunken mess. This forces his best friend, Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, to don the Mark II Iron Man armor and stop Tony. The resulting confrontation sees Rhodey bringing his suit back to the US Air Force, which is outfitted with weapons by Hammer as part of a suit demonstration in the Stark Expo.

• Fury reveals Natasha's status as an agent and Howard's own past with S.H.I.E.L.D. to Tony, who discovers messages left behind by his father in old research materials from the old Stark Expo. This allows him to synthesize a new element which can cure his palladium poisoning and power his suits to a greater degree. Agent Coulson, who up to this point has been keeping Tony under house arrest on Fury's orders, leaves to investigate a disturbance in New Mexico.

• Tony learns that Vanko is still alive and collaborating with Hammer, and rushes to confront the latter at the Stark Expo as Iron Man. However, he has to fend off attacks from Rhodey's War Machine suit and the drones, which are all remote controlled by Vanko at Hammer Industries. In the ensuing carnage, Iron Man saves a young Peter Parker. Black Widow is able to sever Vanko's connection to the War Machine suit, and both he and Iron Man fend off the last of the Hammer droids before fighting and defeating Vanko in his newest suit. The Stark Expo is destroyed completely when all the drones simultaneously self-destruct.
• In the aftermath, Fury tells Tony that he has not been fully approved to join the Avengers Initiative, instead being asked to act as a consultant instead. Tony uses Fury's government connections to ensure he and Rhodey are honored for their heroic acts at the Expo; Rhodey begins operating as War Machine for the Air Force.

Thor

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

• In Asgard, Odin is set to relinquish his role as king to his eldest son, Thor. The ceremony is interrupted by a group of Frost Giants, intending to steal back the Casket of Ancient Winters. As revenge, Thor, Loki, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three - Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun - assault Jotunheim, leading to the truce between the two realms broken. Disappointed with Thor's arrogance, Odin strips his son of his power and his weapon Mjolnir, and banishes the two of them to Earth. He enchants Mjolnir with an incantation, making it such that only those the hammer deems "worthy" will gain the power of Thor.

• Thor and Mjolnir both land in New Mexico. The hammer is put under surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D., overseen by Coulson and Clint Barton. Thor is placed under mental care after running into astrophysicist Jane Foster and her mentor Erik Selvig. He attempts to reclaim Mjolnir, but learns that he cannot wield it.
• Loki confronts a weakened Odin upon learning of his true nature as a Frost Giant. This forces the All-Father to enter the Odinsleep to regain his strength; feeling betrayed, Loki joins forces with Laufey in secret to kill Odin. To ensure Thor does not intervene, Loki meets him in secret and lies to ensure that he remains on Earth, causing Thor to resign and accept his exile as he and Jane become romantically attracted to each other.

• Sif and the Warriors become suspicious of Loki's methods, and visit Thor to inform him of his deeds. They are followed by the Destroyer - an ancient Asgardian weapon programmed by Loki to kill Thor; he sacrifices himself to protect innocent lives, which makes him worthy of his old powers again and gives him the strength to defeat the Destroyer. Thor returns to Asgard to confront Loki, who had just betrayed and killed Laufey; by "saving" Odin from Laufey's assassination attempt, Loki has justified the use of the Bifrost Bridge to destroy Jotunheim and prove himself worthy to Odin. 
• Thor and Loki fight, but nearly fall into the abyss when their battle destroys the Bifrost. They are saved by a healed Odin; Loki opts to seemingly kill himself when he sees that Odin does not approve of his actions. Thor and Odin reconcile, while Jane, her assistant Darcy and Selvig try to find a way to contact Thor again.
• Selvig is manipulated by the still-alive Loki into joining S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to study the Tesseract. 

The Incredible Hulk

"I don’t want to control it. I want to get rid of it."

• Bruce Banner has kept a low profile by working in a soda plant in Rio de Janeiro, working with an individual named "Mr. Blue" to cure his Hulk transformations. When his blood accidentally contaminates a bottle of soda, General Ross traces his location. The ensuing melee sees Bruce transform, forcing him on the run again.

• Mercenary Emil Blonsky offers himself to be injected with the same serum that transformed Bruce into the Hulk, intending to gain the strength needed to match the beast in combat. He confronts the Hulk in Virginia, having tracked Bruce's attempts to reunite with Betty. Blonsky barely survives the encounter as the Hulk and Betty escape.
• "Mr. Blue" is revealed to be biologist Dr. Samuel Sterns, who has developed antidotes for each individual Hulk transformation. Bruce is dismayed to learn that Dr. Sterns has kept supplies of his blood for scientific use, and intends to destroy them before they are mis-used.

• Blonsky successfully apprehends Bruce and Betty. Obsessed with becoming as powerful as the Hulk, he injects himself with Sterns' samples of Bruce's blood, becoming an "Abomination" - a monster with no self-control who begins tearing Harlem apart. Bruce transforms into the Hulk to subdue Blonsky and escapes to Canada, having learned how to tap into the Hulk's power at will.

• A drunk General Ross is approached by Tony Stark, who informs him of the Avengers Initiative and his interest in Blonsky on behalf of the World Security Council. Aware of the threat that the Abomination poses, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell send Stark as their consultant, aware that his behavior would purposely sabotage the Council's goals by angering Ross enough to refuse Blonsky's release.

• Captain America's body is discovered along with the remains of the Valkyrie. He wakes up in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and is initially fooled into thinking he was still in the 1940s, but notices enough discrepancies and escapes into Times Square. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury offer to help the Captain transition into the 21st Century.

Battle of New York: 2012 (Phase 1)

The Avengers

"Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth…you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

• Loki meets with the Other, the leader of the Chitauri alien race allied with Thanos, the Mad Titan. Both sides agree to an alliance: Loki will return to Earth and hand the Tesseract to Thanos, and in exchange, the Chitauri will serve as the army he uses to take over the Earth with. Thanos grants Loki a scepter which bears the Mind Stone in it.
• Upon learning of the Tesseract's location, Loki steals it and brainwashes multiple S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, including Dr. Selvig and Hawkeye, into his service. In retaliation, Nick Fury begins the Avengers Initiative proper, recruiting Bruce Banner, Iron Man and Captain America to their cause.

• Iron Man and Captain America apprehend Loki in Germany, but are forced to fight Thor over custody of Loki, after he states his intent to have his brother stand trial in Asgard. The three eventually come to a truce, leaving Loki detained in a cell inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier while Bruce and Tony research the Tesseract up close. 

• The Avengers become divided when Steve discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has begun "Phase 2" - making weapons with the Tesseract's energy. During their fight, Hawkeye and several brainwashed agents attack the Helicarrier, aiding Loki's escape. Coulson is killed in the ensuing battle, while Thor and the Hulk are separated from the group. Hawkeye is rescued from his trance after losing a fight to Black Widow, and joins the Avengers shortly thereafter. Fury uses Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers into becoming united.

• Tony figures out that Loki intends to use Stark Tower in New York as part of his plan, and confronts him there; Loki reveals that he has commissioned Dr. Selvig into creating a portal with the Tesseract allowing the Chitauri to invade Earth. The Avengers come together to fend them off in what is referred to as the Battle of New York. As the fight drags on, Loki is neutralized by the Hulk, while Selvig comes to his senses and reveals to Black Widow that the portal can be shut off with Loki's scepter. The Avengers win when Natasha seals the gateway, but not before Iron Man redirects a nuclear warhead sent by the World Security Council into the Chitauri mothership in a move that nearly kills him.

• The Avengers disband and keep low profiles while Thor brings Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. The latter's scepter is kept in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, but is later taken by HYDRA remnants led by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who begin conducting genetic experiments in a war-torn Eastern European country called Sokovia. Word of Loki's failure and the Avengers' triumph reaches Thanos.

• After the Battle of New York, salvage contractor Adrian Toomes leads his crew in clean-up operations, but is told to stop by the Department of Damage Control, a newly-formed government agency with funding provided by Stark Industries. Furious at seeing their livelihoods threatened, Toomes and his men turn to criminality, using the remaining Chitauri equipment they have to make weapons and sell them on the black market.

Age of Miracles: 2012-2014 (Phase 2)

• Engineer and part-time thief Scott Lang is fired from tech company VistaCorp after learning that they have been secretly stealing money from their customers. He breaks into VistaCorp to steal their ill-gotten funds back, but is arrested and forced to serve time in prison. While incarcerated, Scott is issued divorce papers by his wife Maggie.

• Steve Rogers joins S.H.I.E.L.D. as a field agent, keeping his identity secret as the world continues to celebrate Captain America as a cherished war hero. He regularly visits an elderly Peggy Carter, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Iron Man 3

"A famous man once said, "We create our own demons." Who said that? What does that even mean? Didn't matter. I said it 'cause he said it."

• Tony Stark begins having P.T.S.D.-induced nightmares from his near-death experience during the Battle of New York. In his mania, he becomes obsessed with making more Iron Man suits, putting a strain on his relationship with Pepper Potts. Elsewhere, Rhodey continues his work for the military as the newly-rebranded Iron Patriot.

• During the holidays, Grauman's Chinese Theater is bombed by a terrorist calling himself the Mandarin. As his bodyguard Happy Hogan was caught in the crossfire, Tony becomes blinded by revenge and publicly challenges the Mandarin to attack him while he investigates similar incidents. The Mandarin launches an assault on Tony's private residence in Malibu, but the latter escapes in the Mark XLII Iron Man suit.

• Tony discovers that the "bombs" were actually homeless Army veterans who were injected with the Extremis virus, but were unable to control it. He traces the Mandarin's position to Miami and discovers the truth behind him: the figure seen in the Mandarin videos was an actor named Trevor Slattery, and the real mastermind was Aldrich Killian, who had kidnapped Pepper with Maya Hansen's help to fix Extremis' errors. Killian kills Maya and threatens Pepper - now infected with Extremis - to goad Tony into joining him.
• Killian's end-game is to control the War on Terror. By staging the terrorist attacks with the help of the Vice President, who needed Extremis to heal his daughter, Killian can create conflict and opportunities for his own soldiers while profiting off the war economy. To further accomplish his goals, he captures Rhodey and takes the Iron Patriot armor to use as a Trojan Horse and kidnap President Matthew Ellis.

• With Rhodey's help, Tony escapes from Killian's compound. He remote-controls the Mark XLII suit to prevent the President from being kidnapped on Air Force One, but fails. The two are able to trace Killian and Ellis to an abandoned tanker ship, where the latter is set to be publicly executed. Tony and Rhodey attack with the help of the Iron Legion - every single Iron Man suit controlled by Tony's A.I., J.A.R.V.I.S. Rhodey reclaims the Iron Patriot and evacuates with the President, while Tony kills Killian with the help of the Extremis-enhanced Pepper. As a sign of his commitment towards her, he self-destructs all of his suits, and later has the shrapnel inside his heart taken out, making his original Arc Reactor useless. Pepper is also cured of Extremis within this time period.

Thor: The Dark World

"Some believe that before the universe, there was nothing. They're wrong. There was darkness…and it has survived."

• With the next Convergence set to take place, the boundaries between the Nine Realms become thin yet again. While on a trip to London, Jane Foster accidentally stumbles upon the Aether and is infected with it. The resurgence of the Aether awakens Malekith and the Dark Elves, while Thor takes her to Asgard for protection, hoping to find a way to extract the Aether from her body.

• Malekith attacks Asgard, but fails to reclaim the Aether. Before retreating, he manages to mortally wound Frigga - Odin's wife and Thor's mother. Despite Odin's orders, Thor intends to kill Malekith before the situation becomes more dire. He conspires with Heimdall - the guardian of the Bifrost, Sif and the Warriors to help break out the imprisoned Loki and escape into Svartalfheim using a hidden passage only the latter knows; Loki accepts this uneasy partnership as revenge for Frigga's death. 

• With Jane, the brothers meet Malekith in the Dark Elves' home realm. Loki appears to betray Thor and allows Malekith to draw the Aether from her body, giving Thor the opening needed to destroy it. This instead causes Malekith to merge with the Aether; he uses his power to supposedly kill Loki. Thor and Jane return to London after stumbling on another portal, and reunite with Darcy and Dr. Selvig, who have been studying the Convergence.
• The group determine that the portal connecting all Nine Realms will be above Greenwich, and Malekith will likely be there to simultaneously spread the Aether's power across them. Thor fights Malekith, who meets his end in Svartalfheim after being crushed by his ship.

• Thor returns to Asgard and refuses to become king after being offered the throne by Odin, believing that his role as a hero is far more important. Unbeknownst to Thor, Loki had taken Odin's form, leaving the now-powerless All-Father an amnesiac exile on Earth.

• Sif and Volstagg meet with the Collector to hand him the Aether. As Asgard houses the Tesseract, they believe that it is unwise to have two Infinity Stones in close proximity to each other because of the danger they pose. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

"The world has changed and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over."

• After a mission to apprehend the terrorist Batroc the Leaper, Nick Fury reveals Project Insight to Captain America - three Helicarriers programmed to preemptively eliminate threats to global security. Steve's doubt in the project fuels Fury's own, and begins contemplating on S.H.I.E.L.D. being compromised from within. Before Fury can begin his search, he is ambushed by HYDRA agents and the Winter Soldier. Fury is assassinated by the Soldier after meeting with Steve to pass along sensitive information regarding the corruption within S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Secretary Alexander Pierce - a member of the World Security Council and a old wartime ally of Fury's - orders a manhunt for Captain America after he refuses to divulge information regarding Fury's death. Steve is forced on the run with Natasha Romanoff, who has begun investigating leads related to the Winter Soldier. They trace the information to the abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in New Jersey, where they learn that HYDRA has infiltrated the organization from within and conclude that Pierce is one of their senior members.

• Steve and Natasha get the help of retired paratrooper and P.T.S.D. councilor Sam Wilson. With his old EXO-7 Falcon wingsuit, he assists in the interrogation of Jasper Sitwell, revealed to be a HYDRA agent. Sitwell explains that Project Insight's current purpose is to eliminate high-value threats to HYDRA's rule in the present and the future. He is then killed by the Winter Soldier, who intercepts the group and apprehends them. During their fight, Steve learns that the Soldier is Bucky, who has no recollection of his past self. 

• S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalist Maria Hill rescues Steve, Natasha and Sam from custody. She confirms Fury's survival, having faked his death to throw off HYDRA. The group plan to stop Insight from launching, with Steve proposing that they try and have the helicarriers destroy each other. After infiltrating the Triskelion, Captain America exposes HYDRA's deception.
• Captain America and the Falcon begin replacing the helicarriers' targeting chips with corrupted ones while being forced to fend off the Winter Soldier, whose memories are beginning to resurface. Fury and Natasha confront Pierce, who had killed off the other members of the World Security Council; Fury is forced to put Pierce down before he can escape. Natasha uses S.H.I.E.L.D.'s connections to release all of the organization's information, including its ties to HYDRA, onto the internet.

• The Winter Soldier fails to prevent the helicarriers from destroying each other, and begins to beat Captain America to death. Confused by Steve's refusal to fight him, he saves the Captain from drowning in the Potomac River before disappearing. He visits a Captain America-themed exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum to learn more about his past.

• HYDRA agent and STRIKE team operative Brock Rumlow is critically injured during the ensuing battle. Upon recovery, he becomes the masked terrorist Crossbones, having renounced his loyalty to HYDRA.
• Natasha goes before the US Senate over her leak of information. Elsewhere, Steve and Sam begin tracking Bucky down while Fury disappears off the grid to continue fighting HYDRA. Agent Hill begins working for Stark Industries.

• After multiple failures, Baron Strucker's experiments with Loki's scepter yields two products: twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who volunteered for the chance to get revenge on Tony Stark for the deaths of their parents.

The Guardians are Formed: 2014 (Phase 2 and 3)

Guardians of the Galaxy

"What should we do next? Something good? Something bad? Bit of both?"

• Word spreads of the presence of the Orb, which unknowingly houses the Infinity Stone of Power. Several individuals launch their search for it: Yondu and his Ravagers want the money it can earn if sold, while the Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser covets the power it can grant him and wishes to use it against the Nova Empire; he disagrees with the peace treaty forged between them and the Kree Empire, and has begun employing terrorist strategies to bring the Nova Empire to its knees. To help him find the Orb, Ronan uses his alliance with Thanos to gain the services of the Titan's adopted daughters, Gamora and Nebula.

• A now-adult Peter Quill, now going under his outlaw name Star-Lord, finds the Orb, betraying his Ravager comrades when he intends to sell it off on the Nova homeworld of Xandar. After finding himself unable to sell it to any buyer, Quill loses the Orb to Gamora, who intends to defect from Ronan's side and prevent more destruction at his hands. Their fight over it is joined by bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon and Groot; ultimately, all four are arrested by the Nova Corps and sent to be imprisoned on the Kyln.

• While in captivity, Gamora reveals that she knows of a buyer interested in the Orb, putting her in an uneasy partnership with Quill, Rocket and Groot. They successfully escape from the Kyln, and in the process bring along a fellow prisoner named Drax, who bears a grudge towards Ronan for the deaths of his family. The buyer - who resides on the planet Knowhere - is revealed to be the Collector, who reveals the Orb's true nature as an Infinity Stone. Now aware of its power, Gamora demands that it be handed to the Nova Corps for the safety of the universe against the wishes of her comrades. 
• The Guardians' debate is interrupted by Ronan, summoned to Knowhere by a drunk Drax who intends to kill him. In the ensuing melee, Ronan defeats Drax, while Nebula pursues Gamora and retrieves the Power Stone, leaving Gamora to die in the vacuum of space. Peter is forced into reuniting with the Ravagers to save himself and Gamora, and convinces Yondu to spare their lives by promising to take the Orb back from Ronan.

• With the Power Stone embedded in his hammer, Ronan betrays Thanos and states his intention to kill him after destroying Xandar; Nebula allies herself with Ronan due to her own hatred for her father. The Ravagers and Rocket ally themselves with the Nova Corps to defend Xandar from Ronan's Kree army, leaving his flagship - the Dark Aster - open to a small infiltration team assigned with killing Ronan. Gamora is able to force Nebula into retreating, but Ronan's newfound power is too much for them to handle. 

• Groot sacrifices himself to prevent the group from dying when the Dark Aster crashes. Peter is able to distract Ronan long enough for Rocket and Drax to destroy his hammer and allowing Peter to steal the Power Stone. Despite its energy being supposedly lethal to lesser life forms, Peter survives by sharing the burden with Gamora, Rocket and Drax. The newly-dubbed Guardians of the Galaxy then use it to destroy Ronan.

• Peter is forced to hand the Power Stone back to Yondu, but slips him a fake instead while the real Stone is surrendered to the Nova Corps. He also learns that he is not entirely human, which explains his use of the Power Stone. The Guardians' criminal records are forgiven due to their heroic actions, and they embark on several adventures as heroes for hire. Groot returns through a small branch taken from his remains, but is mentally a child for the time being.
• The Guardians' exploits catches the attention of Ego, who has been searching for his son with Meredith. Upon learning that Peter wielded an Infinity Stone, Ego concludes that he has finally found an offspring who bears his genetic code and sets out to meet him.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

"Only what I'm trying to say is…sometimes, that thing you're searching for through your whole life is right there by your side all along. You don't even know it."

• Several months after their defeat of Ronan, the Guardians of the Galaxy are hired by Ayesha, a priestess of the Sovereign race: in exchange for protecting a supply of batteries, the Sovereign will hand over a captive Nebula to the Guardians. The Guardians are able to hold off an interdimensional monster and complete their mission as assigned, unaware that Rocket had stole some of those batteries for his own use, which angers the Sovereign enough to attack them directly. The group barely survives thanks to Ego's intervention, and when they come face-to-face with him on a nearby planet, he reveals himself as Peter's father.

• Peter, Gamora and Drax accompany Ego to his home planet to learn more about him, and meet Mantis, an empath raised by Ego to be his servant. The Celestial reveals his origins and the children he sired, eventually making a plea to Peter to allow him to become the father he should have been. Peter begins to show basic control of his Celestial powers, impressing Ego. Mantis is aware of what fate befalls him, but remains silent out of fear; on several occasions, she tries to tell Drax after the two become closer.

• Rocket and Groot are stuck behind on the forest planet doing repair work on Quill's ship, the Milano. They are attacked by Yondu's Ravagers, who were hired by Ayesha to capture the Guardians. Yondu proposes to leave the Guardians alone, which sparks a mutiny by several members of his crew who are outraged by his continuous forgiveness of Peter. Nebula helps the mutineers subdue Rocket and Yondu, requesting a ship to travel to Ego's planet so she can kill Gamora. While in captivity, Yondu explains to Rocket the reason why he kept Peter away from Ego. They escape with the help of Groot and Kraglin, Yondu's first mate, but not before their location is given away to the Sovereign.

• While alone, Gamora is attacked by Nebula, but are forced into cooperating when they discover the remains of Ego's children in the underground caverns. They confront Mantis and Drax while Ego explains the circumstances behind Peter's birth and his relationship with Meredith, hypnotizing his son into following his mindset. The hypnosis ends with Ego reveals that he was the one responsible for Meredith's death, causing Peter to fly into a rage and attack; Ego survives and forcibly uses Peter as a battery to proceed with his expansion. The rest of the Guardians converge on Peter's location and rescue him before proceeding to the planet's core, intending to destroy Ego.
• The Guardians are forced to contend with Sovereign drones and Ego himself as Rocket crafts a bomb with the Sovereign batteries to destroy Ego's core. Star-Lord taps into his Celestial power to match Ego in a fight, giving his teammates enough time to escape before the bomb goes off. Ego's death causes Peter to lose his powers, leaving him with no means of escape; Yondu returns and sacrifices himself to bring Peter to safety.

• A Ravager funeral is held for Yondu, and is attended by the other factions despite his earlier banishment. Nebula leaves to pursue Thanos by herself. Ayesha continues to plot her revenge against the Guardians by using a cocooned entity named "Adam" against them.

Battle of Sokovia: 2015 (Phase 2)

Avengers: Age of Ultron

"The world would've looked to the sky and seen hope… seen mercy. Instead they'll look up in horror."

• A year after HYDRA's operations were exposed to the world, the Avengers are reformed to defeat the remainder of HYDRA's forces in Sokovia, successfully capturing Baron Strucker and Loki's scepter in the process. During the battle, the Maximoff twins use their powers to fight and escape; Wanda uses her psychic powers to force a vision onto Iron Man, showing him a vision of the Avengers dead at the hand of alien invaders.

• Tony Stark opts to throw a party before Thor returns with the scepter to Asgard; in the interim, he and Bruce Banner study the scepter's power, which houses some form of artificial intelligence. Tony proposes that they use it to finish Ultron, a peacekeeping program meant to replace the Avengers. Ultron eventually becomes sentient and self-aware, assimilating J.A.R.V.I.S. into himself and attacking the Avengers during their party with scrap Iron Legion drones. Although the heroes repel the attack, they are unable to stop Ultron from uploading himself into the internet; he makes his home in HYDRA's old Sokovia facility and builds an army with their resources. He also allies himself with the Maximoffs and promises that they will get their revenge.

• After Strucker is found dead while imprisoned, the Avengers track Ultron to South Africa, where the A.I. meets with Ulysses Klaue to acquire Vibranium for a new body; Klaue loses an arm when he infuriates Ultron by mistaking him as a Stark creation, and later forges a new bionic arm with Vibranium technology. Ultron's bodies are defeated, but the Maximoffs are able to neutralize most of the the team with Wanda's hallucinations, culminating with a berserk Hulk being let loose on a nearby city; Iron Man dons the Hulkbuster modification to neutralize the Hulk.

• The Avengers retreat to a hidden farm owned by the Barton family. Thor leaves to consult Dr. Selvig about the hallucinations he witnessed, while Nick Fury resurfaces to help the team plan a counter-attack. They determine that with the Vibranium, Ultron intends to force Dr. Helen Cho to create a new synthetic body with the Mind Stone hidden inside the scepter. At Dr. Cho's laboratory in Seoul, Wanda reads the body's mind, and learns of Ultron's true motives: the destruction of the human race. The horrified twins join the Avengers in trying to stop Ultron; they manage to acquire the synthetic body, but Black Widow is captured.
• Tony and Bruce learn that J.A.R.V.I.S. is still partially functional, and decide to upload him into Ultron's body, much to the disapproval of Steve and the Maximoffs. Thor returns to finish the process, with his visions stating that this new being, aptly dubbed "Vision", can help them subdue Ultron. The Avengers travel to Sokovia, where Ultron has planned to lift the capital city into the air with Vibranium thrusters and drop it; the collision would produce enough force to wipe out all of humanity.

• Bruce rescues Natasha from Ultron's base and transforms into the Hulk to aid in the battle. Remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Nick Fury, Maria Hill and James Rhodes - who returned to the War Machine moniker - arrive to help evacuate civilians. Pietro dies when he shields Clint from gunfire; as revenge, Wanda destroys Ultron's primary body. The Avengers are unable to stop the city from falling, but improvise a plan that allows Iron Man and Thor to destroy the city's landmass to contain the damage. The Vision confronts the last of Ultron's bodies, and after a short conversation, destroys it. 
• The Hulk escapes on a Quinjet to avoid hurting more people; it is later sucked into a portal to Sakaar, where the Hulk dominates the Contest of Champions as the Grandmaster's hand-picked warrior.

• During the chaos, Colonel Helmut Zemo - a Sokovian Intelligence Operative - learns that his father, wife and son have died. He swears revenge against the Avengers; aware that he cannot kill them, he devises a way to tear the group apart from the inside. Over the next year, he begins tracking down individuals connected to HYDRA and the Winter Soldier program, using the information he obtains from his interrogations to bring the Avengers down.
• The Avengers receive a new facility run by Fury and his loyalists in upstate New York, while members of the original team leave: Thor returns to Asgard to confirm more details about his visions while Tony and Clint retire. This leaves Steve and Natasha to train four new Avengers: the Vision, War Machine, the Falcon and Scarlet Witch.

Aftermath of Sokovia: 2016-2017 (Phase 3)

• As "Odin", Loki accuses Sif and Heimdall of treason when they come close to deducing his identity. While Sif's fate is unknown, Heimdall takes up residence in the woods outside of the main Asgardian city. Loki appoints the warrior Skurge to guard the Bifrost in the meantime.

Ant-Man

"I want you to break into a place and steal some shit."

• Scott Lang is finally released from prison and begins working to go straight for the sake of his daughter Cassie, but fails to find a legitimate source of income With no way to provide for her, he accepts a job from his old friend Luis to rob an old house - specifically, the contents of a safe hidden in the basement. Inside, Scott finds no valuables except the Ant-Man suit, which he mistakes as a motorcycle suit. After accidentally shrinking for the first time, he opts to return it but is arrested by the police. He escapes with the Ant-Man suit again when it is provided to him, and wakes up in the house he robbed - one which belongs to Hank Pym.

• Hank confesses that he set up the heist as a way to gauge Scott's skills as a thief. Having learned that Darren Cross is close to replicating the Pym Particle formula, Hank and Hope begin an uneasy alliance to steal Cross' Yellowjacket suit before it can be weaponized. He begins to train Scott as his successor as Ant-Man. For one training exercise, Scott is tasked with entering an old Stark Industries warehouse to find a device crucial to their heist. However, they discover too late that the warehouse has been converted into the New Avengers headquarters; Ant-Man battles the Falcon for the component and wins.
• Cross invites Hank to the unveiling of the Yellowjacket, giving their crew a window of opportunity to steal it and level the Pym Technologies building with explosives. However, Cross has predicted Hank's movements, announcing his intent to sell the Yellowjacket to HYDRA, and escapes; Scott gives chase as Pym Technologies is demolished. 

• Ant-Man is forced to fight Cross, who has donned the Yellowjacket suit. When Cassie is taken hostage, Scott shrinks to subatomic-levels to short-circuit the Yellowjacket from within; Cross is brutally killed when he uncontrollably shrinks into nothing, but this leaves Scott stranded in the Quantum Realm. To avoid the same fate as the Wasp, Scott fixes the suit's regulator, restoring him to normal size. After hearing of Scott's story, Hank wonders if he can find a way to bring Janet back.

• Scott's acts of heroism restore his relationship with Maggie and Paxton, her new detective husband. He later hears from Luis that the Falcon is interested in meeting him. Meanwhile, Hank shows Hope a prototype of a new Wasp suit, which he hopes to give her after it is finished.
• Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him different spider-related superpowers. He begins fighting crime around Queens as Spider-Man, unaware that Tony Stark has been monitoring his movements.

• In Kamar-Taj, Kaecillius confronts the Ancient One after learning that she maintains her immortality through contact with the Dark Dimension, despite her teachings. He and his Zealots break away, but not before stealing pages from the Book of Cagliostro in order to contact Dormammu and obtain more power through him. The Ancient One tries to stop the theft, but is unsuccessful.

• Doctor Stephen Strange is injured after a car crash, causing severe nerve damage to his hands. Unable to return to his life as a surgeon, he spends all his money on experimental treatments to heal himself, driving away his colleague and ex-lover Christine Palmer.

Captain America: Civil War

"Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe."

• One year after the Ultron Offensive, the Avengers stop Crossbones' attempt to steal biological weapons from the Institute for Infectious Disease in Lagos. Rumlow perishes in a suicide attack meant to also kill Captain America, but Scarlet Witch redirects the explosion, accidentally causing the deaths of nearby innocents, including several Wakandan outreach workers. Thunderbolt Ross, now the Secretary of State, reveals that the United Nations are planning to pass the Sokovia Accords - a piece of legislation which ensures that the Avengers report to the United Nations; this is in response to the wanton amounts of collateral damage that occur during the Avengers' missions. The team is divided between those in favor of it, and those against it.

• Peggy Carter passes away due to natural causes. Steve attends the funeral in London alongside Sharon Carter, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Peggy's niece.

• A bomb is set off in the UN conference center in Vienna, killing King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Upon learning that the bomber was the Winter Soldier, T'Chaka's son T'Challa vows to kill him. The news reaches Steve, Sharon and Sam Wilson, who track the Winter Soldier to Bucharest. Bucky escapes and is pursed by local authorities, the Falcon, Captain America and T'Challa, who has donned the habit of the Black Panther. The chase ends with Bucky, Steve, Sam and T'Challa being detained in a CIA compound in Berlin, under the supervision of Agent Everett Ross.

• Posing as a UN-approved psychiatrist, Helmut Zemo reawakens Bucky's programming as the Winter Soldier to divulge more information. Bucky escapes and is let loose before being subdued by Steve and Sam, who hide him away from the CIA; Zemo escapes in the confusion. With his old memories restored, Bucky confirms that Zemo is the mastermind behind the UN bombing; Zemo's goal is to seemingly reawaken the five other Winter Soldiers inside a HYDRA base in Siberia. The three men go after Zemo, with Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man joining their cause.

• Aware of their comrades going rogue, Tony and Natasha Romanoff are given 36 hours by Secretary Ross to apprehend them. Aside from Vision and James Rhodes, Natasha proposes an alliance with T'Challa, while Tony recruits Peter Parker after revealing that he knows Peter's double-life as Spider-Man; Peter gains a new suit in exchange for his services. Both sides clash in the Leizpig/Halle airport, with the Stark group managing to subdue all but Bucky and Steve, who are helped in their escape by Natasha; she is forced to disappear not long after to avoid prosecution. An errant attack from the Vision meant for the Falcon accidental paralyzes Rhodey from the waist down. Captain America's teammates are detained a super-prison called the Raft.

• Tony receives information acquitting Bucky of the Vienna bombing, but Ross refuses to listen. He covertly joins Steve and Bucky in Siberia with information provided by Sam, unaware that T'Challa has followed them. The three discover that Zemo has killed the other Winter Soldiers; his true intent was not to release them, but to get all of them in the same room to reveal that Bucky was responsible for the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark. A furious Tony attacks Bucky with murderous intent, forcing Steve to defend his childhood friend. The Captain is able to stop Tony by destroying his armor, and retreats with Bucky after abandoning his trademark shield. With his victory complete, Zemo attempts to commit suicide, but is stopped by T'Challa, who takes him into custody after realizing how revenge has driven everyone.
• Back in the Avengers facility, Rhodey is outfitted with bionic enhancements that allow him to walk as part of his rehabilitation. Tony receives a phone from Steve, along with an apology about hiding the truth behind his parents' deaths, and a promise to come if Tony needs help.

• Steve breaks into the Raft, liberating his teammates. The group then goes their separate ways: Steve, Natasha and Sam begin tracking terrorist cells armed with Chitauri tech, Clint and Scott return to their families, and Wanda escapes to Europe with the Vision. Bucky is provided asylum in Wakanda to break the last of his HYDRA programming.

Black Panther

"You are a good man, with a good heart. And it's hard for a good man to be a king."

• A week after T'Chaka's death, T'Challa returns to Wakanda to complete his ascension to the throne. He rescues his ex-lover Nadia to invite her to the ceremony. T'Challa is crowned King of Wakanda and the true Black Panther after fending off a challenge made by M'Baku of the Jabari Tribe.

• Erik Stevens, now a freelance mercenary still focused on fulfilling his father's goals, joins forces with Ulysses Klaue to steal a Vibranium artifact in London. The robbery is noticed by Wakandan intelligence, who find out that Klaue is in Busan to sell it to an American buyer at an underground casino. T'Challa, Nakia and Okoye - the leader of the Dora Milaje - go undercover to intercept him. T'Challa discovers that the buyer is Everett Ross, who is also after Klaue due to the Vibranium Ultron acquired from him being used in the Battle of Sokovia. Klaue escapes after noticing the Wakandans and the CIA, but is apprehended.

• In a CIA safe hosue, Klaue exposes Wakanda's true nature to Agent Ross, who questions T'Challa about these claims. Killmonger emerges to rescue Klaue, critically wounding Agent Ross when he takes a bullet for Nakia. Before Killmonger leaves, T'Challa notices that he wears a ring similar to the one worn by his grandfather, and confonts Zuri, now the caretaker of the Heart-Shaped Herbs. He is forced to admit the truth behind T'Chaka's murder of N'Jobu in 1992.
• Erik arrives in Wakanda after killing Klaue, presenting the arms dealer's body and his ring as proof of his identity. By virtue of his birthright, he challenges T'Challa for the throne and wins by throwing his cousin off a waterfall. With the backing of the vengeful W'Kabi and his men in the Border Tribe, Erik begins shipping out weapons to Wakandan war dogs all over the world. He also burns the garden of the Heart-Shaped Herbs, save for one which Nakia is able to sneak out.

• With Okoye opting to stay behind and serve the new king, Nakia and Ross lead T'Challa's sister Shuri and mother Ramona to the Jabari's mountain hideout, intending to give M'Baku the last Heart-Shaped Herb so he can stop Erik. M'Baku redirects them to a comatose T'Challa, who was found in a near-death state by his men; T'Challa is healed thanks to the Herb's powers, and he, Nakia, Shuri and Ross return to the capital to overthrow Killmonger.
• T'Challa challenges Erik once more, only to face W'Kabi and the Border Tribe instead. With Shuri and Nakia's help, Okoye turns the Dora Milaje on Erik upon realizing that he is unworthy to be called king. In Shuri's lab, Ross is sent to remotely pilot a plane to destroy weapon transports before they can leave Wakanda. Eventually, M'Baku and the Jabari arrive to assist the Dora Milaje. The chaos of seeing Wakandans fighting each other causes W'Kabi and his men to surrender.

• T'Challa manages to grievously wound Erik and offers to heal him with their technology, but Erik refuses, choosing to die free than be healed and imprisoned. With the sins of his family's past weighing on his mind, T'Challa converts Erik's old apartment in Oakland into a Wakandan outreach center, and later reveals the truth about Wakanda in a speech to the United Nations, opening their borders for the first time in history.

• Doctor Strange learns about Kamar-Taj from a man named Jonathan Pangborn, and spends the last of his money on a one-way trip to Nepal. There, he meets the Ancient One, who is initially reluctant to teach him due to his similarities with Kaecillius. However, her mind is changed by one of her instructors, named Mordo. Despite a rough start, Stephen's study habits and natural aptitude make him a well-versed practitioner. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming

"Don't do anything I would do. And definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There is a little gray area in there and that is where you operate."

• Two months after assisting Iron Man in Berlin, Peter Parker continues his life as usual, juggling his duties as a student with his patrols as Spider-Man, which his explains as being part of an internship with Stark Industries. Feeling that he can do much more as an Avenger, he continues waiting for a call from Tony Stark to join the group. Happy Hogan is made Peter's point man while overseeing the transfer of the Avengers' equipment from the old Stark Tower to their new base.

• During one late-night patrol, Spider-Man happens upon a deal being made between gangbanger Aaron Davis and Heman Schultz, an associate to Adrian Toomes. He tries to interfere, but is attacked by Toomes, wearing an experimental flight suit resembling a vulture; Tony rescues Spider-Man from drowning by remotely piloting an Iron Man suit, before advising him to keep a low profile.

• Peter and his best friend Ned Leeds begin following Toomes' gang, tracking their operations to a job in Maryland. Both rejoin the school decathlon team to get transportation to the area. There, Spider-Man unsuccessfully attempts to foil their robbery of a Damage Control truck. He manages to prevent the decathlon team from dying when an unstable Chitauri power core in Ned's possession explodes.

• With information taken from Davis, Spider-Man drops in on another one of Toomes' arms deals, this time at the Staten Island Ferry with gangster Mac Gargan. While he captures Gargan, Toomes uses his Chitauri weaponry to destroy the ferry boat, which is only fixed when Iron Man directly intervenes himself. Believing Peter to be irresponsible, Tony confiscates his Spider suit.

• Peter begins focusing more on his studies, and asks his classmate and crush Liz Allan to the homecoming dance. He finds out on the night itself that Liz is Toomes' daughter, while Toomes himself deduces Peter's true identity; he is thankful for Spider-Man saving Liz's life in Maryland, but warns Peter to stay away from his line of work. Peter instead dons his old home-made Spider-Man suit and ditches the dance to stop Toomes from his biggest job to date: stealing from a plane containing the last of the Avengers' cargo from Stark Tower.

• Spider-Man manages to capture Toomes and ground the plane on Coney Island, leaving him and the cargo to the police. As a result, Liz and her mother are forced to leave New York. However, Tony is impressed with Peter's heroics and plans to induct him into the Avengers properly; however, Peter declines, stating that he is not yet ready. He returns home to find out that Tony has given him back his new Spider suit, which he unknowing dons in the presence of his Aunt May, who up to that point was unaware of her nephew's crime-fighting escapades.
• Peter's refusal to join the Avengers ruins Tony's plans to introduce a new Avenger, so Tony improvises by proposing marriage to Pepper Potts. Meanwhile, Toomes runs into Gargan in prison and refuses to divulge Spider-Man's true identity.

Doctor Strange

"Through the Mystic Arts, we harness energy and shape reality."

• Stephen Strange continues his training with the Mystic Arts in Kamar-Taj, using the Eye of Agamotto's ability to turn back the flow of time on various occasions. He is reprimanded by Masters Mordo and Wong, who inform Strange of their true responsibilities as guardians of the world from inter-dimensional threats.

• Kaecillius and his Zealots launch attacks on the London and New York Sanctums; the first falls but Strange is able to protect the second despite being seriously wounded. Another Zealot attack forces the Ancient One to join the battle, but she is mortally wounded by Kaecillius and dies despite Strange's efforts to seek medical treatment from his old colleagues.

• Doctor Strange and Mordo help Wong rally the last line of defense at the Hong Kong Sanctum; when it falls, Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to rewind time. He then directly confronts Dormammu inside the Dark Dimension, and forces a time loop with the deity to ensure that he does not conquer Earth. Having no control over the time itself, Dormammu leaves and takes Kaecillius and the surviving Zealots back to the Dark Dimension.

• Wong takes leadership of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and assigns Doctor Strange to be the guardian of the New York Sanctum. Mordo leaves the group after witnessing how Strange and the Ancient One have tampered with the natural order with their power, and begins targeting other magic users.
• Odin regains his old memories and leaves his exile inside a retirement home in New York. He contracts Doctor Strange to be transported to Norway, where he awaits the arrival of his sons.

Thor: Ragnarok

"Asgard is not a place. It never was. This could be Asgard. Asgard is where our people stand. Even now, right now, those people need your help."

• Two years after the Ultron Offensive, Thor has continued his search for the rest of the Infinity Stones. He makes a quick detour to Muspelheim with the intent of defeating the Fire Demon Surtur to prevent Ragnarok, the foretold destruction of Ragnarok. Thor vanquishes Surtur and returns home, with his crown, but not before learning that Odin is not in Asgard.
• Thor exposes Loki's deception and forces him to reveal Odin's location. They go to New York, but find out that the retirement home that Loki left him at is gone. Doctor Strange contacts Thor and promises to help them find Odin provided that all three Asgardians leave Earth. 

• Upon reuniting with his sons, Odin discloses that he is about to die, and his death will allow Hela to return from her imprisonment. After he passes, Hela appears, and destroys Mjolnir; the brothers attempt to return to Asgard with the Bifrost, but are displaced when Hela pursues them. She arrives in Asgard and wipes out the Warriors Three and the Asgardian army, while appointing Skurge as her executioner.

• Thor lands on Sakaar and is captured by the ex-Valkyrie Scrapper 142. He is taken to the Grandmaster's palace, where he discovers that Loki arrived earlier than him and enter the Grandmaster's inner circle. The Grandmaster offers Thor the chance to leave, but only if he defeats the the champion of the combat arena: the Hulk. Thor has victory in his grasp, but the Grandmaster rigs the match to ensure his loss.
• Thor attempts to recruit the last Valkryie and the Hulk to join him in returning to Asgard, but does not convince them. He finds the Quinjet which took the Hulk to Sakaar, but it is quickly destroyed when the Hulk tries to force Thor to stay; a recording of the Black Widow forces the Hulk to turn back into Bruce Banner for the first time in two years.

• The Grandmaster assigns Loki and Valkyrie to find Thor and the Hulk when both go missing. Loki forces Valkyrie to relive the deaths of her comrades before being held captive. The two join forces with Thor and Bruce in order to escape Sakaar using one of the Grandmaster's ships; they stage a mutiny with the trapped gladiators as a distraction. Loki tries to betray Thor yet again, but is paralyzed when Thor successfully anticipates his movements. He, Valkryrie and Bruce leave via a portal that takes them directly to Asgard.

• The "Revengers" encounter Hela, who has resurrected her pet wolf Fenris and her deceased army to restart her conquest of the Nine Realms. They are aided by Bruce, who turns into the Hulk, and Loki, who is accompanied by the gladiators from Sakaar. While Thor battles Hela, the rest help the Asgardians evacuate; Skruge sacrifices himself against Hela's forces. Thor realizes that Ragnarok is the only way to stop Hela and battles her long enough to have Loki resurrect Surtur by placing his crown on the Eternal Flame; he takes the Tesseract from the vault before leaving. With his power restored, Surtur destroys Asgard and Hela along with it. 

• The Asgardian survivors appoint Thor as their new king; his first act is to establish a new home for his people on Earth. On their way, their ship is blocked by the Sanctuary II - Thanos' flagship.

Part III. The Plot

So we finally made it to Infinity War! Great. You've caught up on who the main characters in the MCU are, where they've been and what all the events through the series has built up to now. Before we get to what we're supposed to see in the movie and a few expected questions you might have, let's take a quick look at the comic book storyline which obviously started it all:

Who is Thanos?

Infinity War takes inspiration from the comics' Infinity saga, which is comprised of three arcs: the Infinity Gauntlet in 1991, Infinity War in 1992 and Infinity Crusade in 1993.

I'll try to keep this brief for those of you unfamiliar with the lore. As with the movie, the Infinity saga follows the exploits of Thanos. In the comics, he was the child of two Eternals called Mentor and Sui-San. When he grew older, Thanos fell in love with the literal embodiment of Death itself, Mistress Death. To impress her, Thanos begins committing widespread genocide everywhere he finds himself in. 

He harnesses the power of the Infinity Gems - yes, gems - to create the Infinity Gauntlet, and uses it to wipe out half of existence as a sign of his love for Death. Thanos eventually gives the Gauntlet up and retires to become a farmer because he secretly feels unworthy of the power it has, and the Gems are split up between members of a group called the Infinity Watch.

Thanos does more stupid things after the Infinity saga ends, including another story arc called "Infinity" in 2013, which the film seems to also take a few beats of inspiration from, such as Thanos directly invading Earth (whereas the heroes took the fight to him in the original Infinity saga), the involvement of the Black Order and Wakanda being a major battleground.

Who is Thanos, Movie-Wise?

Much like the comics, Thanos' goal is to wipe out half the universe with a fully-powered Infinity Gauntlet, but his motivations have changed since Mistress Death isn't a character within the MCU... yet.

See, Thanos' home planet of Titan suffered a cataclysmic event which caused the near extinction of the Titan race. Yes, Titan is both the name of his species and the planet he hails from. Having tried to convince his people to do something about it, his suggestions were ignored - dude still feels very guilty about what happened.

Thanos began conquering planets left and right, eventually creating a giant army run by many of his adopted children. We know two of those kids as Gamora and Nebula, but there are also the four who comprise the Black Order as seen in Infinity War: Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.

Since he knows the Infinity Stones are spread out through the universe, he began forging deals with individuals who can get him each Stone; hence, the reason why he allied himself with Loki in The Avengers and Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. Ultimately, he needs the Stones and the Gauntlet to wipe out half of existence, which he believes will ultimately be for the best lest everything falls the way of what happened to his people.

In other words:

Speaking of those Stones...

What are the Infinity Ge-- I mean, Stones?

Yes, they were originally called the Infinity Gems. I'm still in the process of trying not to call them that in terms of the movie canon. In the comics, the Gems each represent a different characteristic of existence. Holding one can grant that individual control over whatever area the Gem controls.

In the movies, the Gems were renamed as the Infinity Stones, and have become a major plot point from the very moment Thanos showed up at the end of the first Avengers movie. Holding one directly here has more dire consequences; unless a person is powerful enough, a Stone's power will overwhelm and eventually destroy them. That said, it is possible to use a Stone through a container - a conduit of its power. 

Six Infinity Stones currently exist - the origins of which I already listed above:

Space Stone - Tesseract

• First Appearance: Thor
• Current Owner: Loki
• Powers: Emits energy representing the fabric of space, and can be used for inter-dimensional travel. Its power has been used to fuel the Bifrost Bridge, and various weapons created by HYDRA in World War II.
• History: Was hidden in Norway by Odin, but taken by HYDRA in 1942 to create weapons. Discovered along with a still-alive Steve Rogers 50 years after, and was used to make more weapons by the World Security Council as part of "Phase 2." Used by Loki to transport the Chitauri army to Earth; when it failed, Thor took it and Loki back to Asgard, where it was locked inside Odin's vault. Taken by Loki before Asgard was destroyed by Surtur; several Infinity War trailers have depicted him giving it to Thanos.

Mind Stone - Scepter

• First Appearance: The Avengers
• Current Owner: The Vision
• Powers: Can be used to brainwash individuals to obey the user, although it can be broken with enough force. Its energy was used to create several enhanced individuals, like the Maximoff siblings - Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
• History: In its original scepter form, it was given to Loki by the Other - the Chitauri leader who served Thanos; Loki used it to brainwash several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to serve him. The scepter was then taken by S.H.I.E.L.D., but later stolen by members of HYDRA for their experiments. Ultron would use it to try and make a synthetic body for himself; the body would later be the vessel used by the Vision, who played a vital role in the Utron Offensive.

Reality Stone - Aether

• First Appearance: Thor: The Dark World
• Current Owner: The Collector
• Powers: Emits a liquid-like substance which transforms anything it touches to dark matter; while it eats away at the user's life energy, strong individuals can resist it to make the most of its power.
• History: King Bor of Asgard sealed the Aether away after the Dark Elves sought its power. It infected Jane Foster during the convergence in the 21st Century, attracting attention from the Dark Elves and the Asgardians. Malekith drew it from Jane's body to use it against Thor, but was defeated. The Asgardians handed it over to the Collector due to already possessing the Tesseract.

Power Stone - The Orb

• First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy
• Current Owner: Nova Corps
• Powers: Channels powerful energy that can destroy entire planets.
• History: Star-Lord discovered the Orb hidden away on the planet Morag and attempted to sell it off for a high price. Was eventually taken by Ronan the Accuser, who intended to use its power to destroy Xandar; the Guardians of the Galaxy shared the Stone's energy and channeled it to destroy him before surrendering it to the Nova Corps. Footage from Infinity War shows this Stone on Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet, implying he stole it from the Nova Corps.

Time Stone - Eye of Agamotto

• First Appearance: Doctor Strange
• Current Owner: Doctor Strange
• Powers: Can control the flow of time. Its area of effect can be contained to a single person or object to the entire world. It can also create time loops which can occur infinitely until the user stops it.
• History: The Eye of Agamotto was created to house the Time Stone by its namesake sorcerer. Stephen Strange began experimenting with its power during his studies and made extensive use of it in his battles with Kaecillius and Dormammu.

Soul Stone - ???

See, fun fact about the Soul Stone: nobody - either in-universe (besides maybe Thanos?) or people who obsessively follow the MCU (cough) - knows where or what this thing is... except for the fact that it's orange.

I think that about does it in terms of trying to recap everything in the MCU thus far, since everything else related to Infinity War is all up for speculation - something I'm admittedly horrible at. Hope this helps all of y'all save roughly 39 hours of binge-watching everything to prepare! Also, one more thing: 

Japan continues to be the coolest country on the planet. Okay - probably in the top 5.