It's Tough To Match All Of These MCU Scenes To Their Movies, But A Real Hero Can Try
- by Dylan Dembrow
- – on
- in Movies and TV
With the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp just earlier this month, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally turned out their 20th film, which was released just over a decade after the franchise first began.
While this latest installment continues to impress critics and audiences alike, it comes out during one of the best years for the already massively successful franchise. In 2018 alone, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War have both set a number of records worldwide, solidified the MCU as the most profitable film franchise ever made — not to mention the most ambitious.
But as the scope of the universe continues to grow, so does the responsibility for the audience. This means that viewers no longer have just a couple of movies to catch up on if they’re new to the franchise, nor could they simply jump in anytime they want and expect to glean everything that a longtime fame could. Instead, these films demand a great amount of devotion and attention from their viewers.
So let’s take a look back at every instalment of the MCU to date, from the movie that started it all to this year's latest additions. It's time to find out how hard it is to match these screenshots with the correct Marvel movie!
Pepper Potts faces off against an iron giant.
It’s easy to look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe today and see it as a perfectly planned out masterpiece. But in reality, the franchise was largely a fluke. When it first debuted, Iron Man was hardly a character that was well known to the mainstream public, and Robert Downey Jr. has been considered a bit of a washed up actor for a number of years. Not to mention that the franchise’s second outing, The Incredible Hulk, was made only a few years after the 2003 movie starring Eric Bana had left a bad taste in many viewers’ mouths.
A tornado lands in the desert.
While that last image may have been a bit of a gimme, even the most loyal MCU fans will really have to think back to remember what movie this shot came from. The small, desert town should certainly be a hint. But the real clue comes with the tornado on the horizon. While plenty of heroes in the MCU have unfathomable powers, not very many of them can say they have the ability to manipulate the weather. Especially since Storm is still a character owned by 20th Century Fox.
Steve and Sam go for a run.
Captain America’s powers may have come to him courtesy of an experiment, but he’s certainly no slouch when it comes to hitting the gym either. In this scene, Steve Rogers is going on a run around the nation’s capital when he meets up with Sam Wilson, played here by Anthony Mackie. Of course, Sam would later go on to be established as Falcon, another MCU hero who has continued to play a part in the franchise until this day. But this was the first film that he ever appeared in.
Korath presents the Orb.
This intimidating foe is known as Korath the Pursuer, who is a member of the Kree race. He eventually meets his demise courtesy of Drax the Destroyer, but the character is actually set to make another appearance in the upcoming Captain Marvel — which will be set in the 1990s. The character is portrayed by Djimon Hounsou, who has starred in a number of other hit films, including Blood Diamond and Gladiator. Here, he is shown holding the Orb which contains the Power Stone.
Emil undergoes an experimental procedure.
If fans have one major complaint about the MCU, it’s often that the villains are done after their debut movie — which results in them never becoming as intriguing as the series’ heroes. However, they’ve begun to remedy that issue in recent years, keeping such villains — like Vulture and Thanos — around for multiple films. They even brought Red Skull back in a capacity in Infinity War. However, this villain also never met his demise but has still been MIA for a long while.
Loki wields the Chitauri Scepter.
Of course, the one villain who has had a strong presence throughout the majority of the MCU has been Loki — Thor’s adopted brother who made his debut into the MCU back in 2011. While Loki has continued to grow on audiences throughout that time — which is largely thanks to Tom Hiddleston’s charismatic performance — Loki has continued to straddle the line between good and evil. This eventually cost him his life in Infinity War, where he faces the wrath of Thanos.
Chris O’Dowd’s date doesn’t go according to plan.
There have been a ton of talented actors that it’s easy to forget ever appeared in the MCU. Chris O’Dowd is certainly one of them, as this character popped up in only a few scenes in a single installment of the franchise. Though the actor has done his fair share of dramatic work, O’Dowd is probably best known for his comedic performances, which include his appearances in Bridesmaids, St. Vincent, and This is 40. This scene is also no exceptions, which highlights O’Dowd’s comedic chops during a date gone wrong.
Whiplash makes his debut.
Much like Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke was an actor who had fallen on rough times for a number of years before enjoying a comeback in the 2000s. This largely began in 2005 when he portrayed the comic book character of Marv in Sin City. Then in 2008, he stole the show as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Not long after, he joined the MCU, playing the character of Ivan Vanko, better known as Whiplash.
Hawkeye takes cover.
One of the many questions that audiences were left with after Avengers: Infinity War is where was Hawkeye the entire time? Even though it’s mentioned that the character has taken some time away to be with his family, surely he would have seen the destruction that Thanos’s Black Order was causing around the world, making him spring into action. The studio has since confirmed that Hawkeye was one of the few to be spared when Thanos annihilated half the population, so we’ll have to see what he can do once the next Avengers movie roles around.
Spider-Man snags Cap’s shield.
For the longest time, it seemed like Spider-Man would never make it into the MCU. This is because even though the character first made his appearance in Marvel Comics, he’s since become a property of 20th Century Fox — along with a number of character who have a strong connection to Spider-Man. Thankfully, Disney and Fox hashed out a deal to bring Peter Parker into the fold, which gave a double meaning to the title of his first solo movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Kaecilius gives new meaning to the smokey eye.
Plenty of comic villains have only one goal in mind: to bring about the destruction of life as we known it for no reason other than that it brings them pleasure to watch others suffer. However, this MCU villain actually has a motive that is more than a little understandable, which revolves around him wanting to be reunited with his deceased wife and son. Of course, grief rarely brings out the best in people, and Kaecilius goes about dealing with his loss by making enemies with some of Earth’s most formidable opponents in this Marvel movie.
A scrawny Steve Rogers.
Anyone who’s kept up with the MCU in the slightest should be able to pick out what movie this is from without a problem. This is largely due to the fact that we all know what actor Chris Evans looks like, and he’s in no way as scrawny as the character pictured here. That being said, this physically weak character is largely what makes Steve Rogers so interested as a hero in the earlier stages of the MCU. Because even without the superpowers, this character has always had the heart and the courage that has made him a beacon of hope.
Spider-man vs. Shocker.
Despite this character seeming like he could have been made into a primary villain in an upcoming film, Jackson Brice actually meets his demise in the first installment of the MCU that he appeared in. The character is played by the talented Logan Marshall-Green, who viewers may also recognize from the movies Prometheus and Devil. Though his appearance in the MCU may have been short-lived, he did help set up a possible villain, known as the Shocker, who is often an enemy of Spider-Man.
The Mandarin is not who he seems.
For many fans, the MCU has wasted a number of talented actors in short-lived roles of the franchise’s villains. This includes Christopher Eccleston as Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, as well as Ben Kingsley, who was cast to play the Mandarin in this installment to the series. However, the character was eventually revealed to not be the villainous Mandarin at all, but rather a British actor with addiction problems who was hired to play the terrorist in various TV broadcast.
Loki in chains.
Because of his meddlesome ways, Loki has spent a good amount of his time in the MCU either imprisoned in one form or another. The character has been portrayed by Tom Hiddleston since the original Thor, which was released back in 2011. Unfortunately, Loki met his demise in Avengers: Infinity War, and while plenty of characters are expected to make returns, the fate of Loki seems very much up in the air. After all, Hiddleston hasn’t announced that he will return in any future MCU installments. At least not publicly.
Hope van Dyne spies something peculiar.
Before landing the role of Hope van Dyne, Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly was probably best known for portraying Kate Austen in the hit ABC series lost from 2004 to 2010. She also landed a role in the Lord of the Rings franchise when she appeared as the elf Tauriel in two of the Hobbit films. But Lilly has certainly achieved a new level of fame with her part in the MCU, and she’s currently slated to reprise her role as the Wasp in the upcoming Avengers movie.
Drax and Mantis share a much-needed laugh.
Who would’ve thought that one of the funniest characters in the MCU would be portrayed by former professional wrestler David Bautista? But that’s exactly what happened when he was cast to play Drax the Destroyer, a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy who can’t help but take everything literally. In fact, the character is so funny that some have even complained that he really hasn’t proven the “Destroyer” part of his name. In this scene, Mantis draws off of Drax’s pure emotion to great comedic effect.
Thor submits to the power of Mjolnir.
While Avengers: Infinity War eclipsed audience expectation in nearly every imaginable way, the film still fell victim to the most common pitfall of these Avengers team-up movie, which often abandons the character arcs from previous movies. For instance, in Thor: Ragnarok the God of Thunder loses his eye — symbolizing that he’s finally ready to take up his father’s mantle — and he also learns to harness his powers without Mjolnir. But this is swiftly undone in Infinity War when he gets a prosthetic eye and heads off to forge a new weapon.
Erik visits a museum.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t the first superhero endeavor for actor Michael B. Jordon. In fact, it wasn’t even the first Marvel property that he had starred in, as Jordan previously portrayed Johnny Storm in 2015’s Fantastic Four. That being said, that iteration of the characters is considered one of the worst to date, and the MCU finally gave Jordan a superhero character worthy of the actor’s talents. Some have even said that his villain, Killmonger, was far more interesting that this film’s hero.
Tony Stark isn't looking so healthy
Tony Stark has found himself in some very compromising situation since he first took up the role of Iron Man. In fact, Stark was inspired to build his very first Iron Man suit as a result of being turned into a prisoner during a trip to the Middle East. Because this character largely revolves on his technology, he’s definitely one of the most vulnerable of the superheroes in the MCU, which makes it no mistake that he’s the one championing the government’s control of superheroes, lest he find himself in another situation like this some point down the line.
The Hulkbuster armor makes its debut.
While we’re on the topic of Tony Stark, let’s talk about one of the character’s most impressive creations to date: his Hulkbuster armor. While this suit would come in handy in any number of situation, it was primarily made to subdue the Hulk should Bruce Banner ever lose control of his ugly side. However, in Infinity War, the suit actually has the exact opposite effect, as it is used by Banner when he is physically unable of calling out the Hulk. We bet Stark never saw that coming.
Malekith awakes from a deep slumber.
Although he was one of the first big villains featured in the franchise, and played by the talented Christopher Eccleston from Doctor Who fame nonetheless, the villain is one of the most forgettable of the MCU to date. Stating who Malekith faced off against would be giving too much away, but one might remember that this character had a strong connection to the Reality Stone, also known as the Aether. However, the powers demonstrated by the Reality Stone in this movie have changed dramatically before the stone reappeared in Infinity War.
Spider-Man spots trouble.
One of the main reasons we know that the characters who met their demise in Infinity War are going to make their return in the next Avengers movie is because characters like Spider-Man have already been given follow up films. In fact, the sequel to Homecoming just recently got an official title, which will be called Spider-Man: Far From Home. The movie has a release date of July 5, 2019 — meaning that it will be the first movie to come out after the next Avengers outing.
Captain America dispatches an elevator of enemies.
Captain America is so fast and so strong, that one might think it would be a good idea to get him in a confined area with a number of adversaries if they’re ever going to have a chance to take him down. Well, this scene certainly proved otherwise, as Steve Rogers easily takes out this swarm of soldiers who have been tasked with subduing the superhero. If only they could have gotten the Captain shield away from him first, maybe then they would have had a better shot.
Stark and Rhodey share a moment.
While the vast majority of actors have continued to reprise their characters throughout the MCU, there have been a few who have had to be recast. Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/ the Hulk is easily the most notable example of this, which has led many to forget that 2008’s The Incredible Hulk is even an installment in the MCU at all. However, Rhodey also had to be recast. Here, the character is portrayed by Terrence Howard, but in later films the part was taken up by Don Cheadle.
The Guardians greet an unlikely visitor.
When the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie hit screens in 2014, it was one of the biggest game changers in the MCU since Avengers. The movie proved that no longer did the characters have to be well known, nor the stories have to be grounded in our reality, to be successful. With a third Guardians of the Galaxy film currently in the works — along with a Captain Marvel movie set to come out next year — it’s clear that the MCU is going to continue to expand their stories into the far reaches of the galaxy for future phases.
The Rosses watch in disbelief.
For a number of years in the MCU, it seemed like this father-daughter duo had been completely forgotten. We’re talking about General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross and his daughter Betty Ross of course, who are portrayed by William Hurt and Liv Tyler, respectfully. But while Betty has continued to be totally forgotten, Thunderbolt Ross did make an unexpected reappearance into the MCU a number of years after this film, where he shows up to warn the Avengers that they may be doing more harm than good.
Ant-Man and the Wasp take flight.
The MCU is high-fantasy in every sense of the phrase, meaning that characters like Thor and the Hulk are so unfathomable in the real-world that it’s no wonder they came out of comic books from decades past. But when it comes to ridiculousness, Ant-Man may have to take the cake on that front. That being said, the Ant-Man movies are amongst the best-reviewed of the franchise, and it’s no wonder that they rely more heavily on humor than most other installments of the series, which somehow makes things that much more plausible.
Something crash lands in the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Upon his debut into the MCU, Doctor Strange immediately became one of the strongest — if not the strongest — hero featured in the entire franchise. But this lead many fans to wonder what the heck he was doing throughout all of Avengers: Infinity War. For instance, why couldn’t he use the Time Stone to make another loop to try and thwart Thanos’ plan? Or why not make a portal and simply cut the gauntlet of the Mad Titan’s hand whenever he wanted to?
Marvel’s most obvious product placement.
The MCU has made more money than any other film franchise, grossing over $17 billion worldwide and setting a number of records just this year alone. That being said, they chose to shamelessly feature a product placement for Lexus in this Marvel movie. They also ran a number of ads for this film within Lexus commercials, which largely marked a new kind of marketing strategy for the MCU. But so long as they keep turning out movies with this kind of quality, it doesn’t seem like fans will have any real reason to complain.
Iron Man attends to a wounded War Machine.
Aside from Pepper Potts, James Rhodes (AKA War Machine), has been one of Tony Stark’s closest allies since he first appeared in the MCU. The character has been portrayed by both Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle, with Cheadle already set to reprise his role as the character in the upcoming Avengers movie. While it may look like the character has met his demise in this scene, James does eventually make a recovery until he's able to suit up as War Machine once again.
Black Widow makes her debut.
While the MCU has always featured their fair share of strong female characters as well as characters of color, for the majority of the franchise, these characters have been relegated to playing backup to the movies’ white male heroes. Luckily, it looks like that’s beginning to change with movies like Black Panther and the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. A Black Widow movie has been officially announced as well, though many are still wondering what’s taken this long for Scarlett Johansson to get a movie of her own.
Scott Lang tries to run down a train.
Ant-Man had been a passion project of writer/ director Edgar Wright for a number of years. This is the same director that brought audiences such original films as Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Unfortunately, it may have been this very originality that caused the director to part ways with Marvel Studios, leading to the character of Ant-Man falling into the hands of director Peyton Reed. Though from scenes like this, it’s clear that Reed has done the character’s interesting power set justice on the big screen.
An unconventional henchman.
The longer the MCU continues, and the more success that they continue to enjoy, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re not afraid to tackle the weirdness of the comic. For instance, just imagine if one of the earliest movies in the franchise had chosen to introduce the giant wolf Fenris into the franchise? Audience members may have ended up laughing for all the wrong reasons. But after twenty movies, it’s clear that the MCU has perfectly established their tone and their world-building enough to finally take these risks.
Spider-Man springs into action.
After the failed Amazing Spider-Man franchise which featured Andrew Garfield in the title role, audiences were left wondering if there would ever be another live-action Spider-Man that could live up to the original trilogy. Then the MCU somehow struck a deal with 20th Century and Tom Holland was cast in the role of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Now, most would agree that Holland’s Spider-Man is not only the most entertaining, but also the closest to the hero from the comics.
Star-Lord eyes the Orb.
While the Guardians of the Galaxy may have had almost no connection to the other Marvel movies upon their debut into the franchise, they actually had the most ties to where the franchise was going. For instance, the first Guardians movie was the first film to feature Thanos in any real capacity, and it was also the first film to explore the Infinity Stones in any real depth. And even though Star-Lord may be gone, we have a feeling he’ll be making his return to the MCU in due time.
Johann Schmidt obtains the Tesseract.
When the MCU introduces a new hero into the franchise, the first villain that they often face off against has very similar qualities of the hero — albeit with sinister intentions. For instance, in the first Iron Man movie, Tony Stark faces off against another mortal man in an Iron Man suit who wishes to cause the world destruction rather than try to save it. With this villain picture above, he also seeks the same physical power as this film’s hero, though once again, he wants it to destroy the world rather than protect it.
Peter Quill meets his biological father.
Most superhero origin stories involve one or more of the future hero’s parents meeting their demise, usually when the protagonist is still a young age. However, it’s rare that they get a chance to reunite with their parents upon becoming adults — which is what made the story in this MCU installment so interesting. Here, Kurt Russell suited up to play one of the weirdest characters in the series to date with Ego the Living Planet, who just so happens to be Peter Quill’s biological father.
The Ancient One demonstrates her powers.
Despite England having a population that is over 250 million people less than the United States, a number of British actors have been cast in the MCU to playing iconic characters. For instance, many might not have realized that Tom Holland (Spider-Man) is actually British. The same can be said for these two actors pictured here — with Tilda Swinton and Benedict Cumberbatch. This should make it abundently clear that England and the rest of the U.K. have no shortage of highly talented performers.
Tony Stark takes a load off.
Maybe the most appealing thing about Tony Stark is no matter what he’s up against, he’s still able to look on the bright side and crack a couple jokes — often at other people’s expenses. That being said, there have been a few instance where he’s really shown himself to be the broken character that he is, and in this installment of the MCU, he struggles to deal with his PTSD that he’s been afflicted with ever since the Battle of New York.
A security guard makes an accurate assessment.
A shot like this could have easily taken place in nearly any movie within the MCU — but inevitably, it only takes place in one. While this character only appears in one scene and has a couple lines, he’s actually portrayed by a rather prolific character actor named Harry Dean Stanton. Stanton has appeared in everything from the original 1979 masterpiece Alien to the 1984 cult classic Repo Man. He even appeared in the revival of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks just last year before passing away at the age of 91.
Helmut Zemo enacts his master plan.
Here, German-Spanish actor Daniel Bruhl portrayed the villainous Helmut Zemo in this MCU movie. He was once a citizen of Sokovia who turned against the Avengers when his family was lost during the destruction of his city. Though he has only appeared in one movie to date, the character is eventually taken into custody by the story’s ending, meaning we may not have seen the last of Helmut Zemo. He is loosely based off the comic character of the same name.
Ghost makes her debut.
Saying too much about this character would simply be giving away the answer, as she has only appeared in one MCU movie to date. But what we can say, is that the character is portrayed by Hannah John-Kamen, a British actress who seems to be on the rise in Hollywood. After providing her voice in the original Dark Souls video game and its sequel, John-Kamen has popped up in a number of hit projects within the last few years, including Game of Thrones and Ready Player One.
A final standoff on the Bifrost Bridge.
Considering the characters and the setting of this screenshot, picking out the movie it belongs to should be very easy — especially considering that the film was one of Marvel’s best-received installment of the last few years. Anyone should easily be able to pick out the characters of the Hulk, Thor, and Loki. But the fourth character — for those who don’t remember — is the fellow Asgardian known as Valkyrie, who was conveniently absent at the start of Avengers: Infinity War, though we expect she'll make her return soon enough.
The Vulture takes flight.
While a number of villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have underwhelmed when it comes to their character development, they almost always have impressive character design. While many of these characters have undergone significant changes from their comic book counterparts — especially this one — the film series has still managed to capture the essence of each character while making their look a lot more practical to fit into the real world. So which MCU installment did the Vulture appear in thus far?
Iron Man dons his nanobot suit.
There have been so many iterations of the Iron Man suit that it’s becoming hard to keep track. Of course, it’s not hard to remember what the Mark I looked like, considering it was far more massive and primitive-looking than the rest of the suits (save for the gargantuan Hulkbuster armor). But for those who have been paying attention, this suit is quite different from the others, as it’s made up of a number of nanobots that can assemble and repair themselves with little difficulty.
Scott tries to crack a safe.
The majority of heroes in the MCU are played by somewhat imposing character, whether that be physically imposing (like Thor or Captain America) or intellectually imposing (like Tony Stark or Bruce Banner). But in recent years, the films have leaned toward heroes who are increasingly more down-to-earth and relatable. Both Peter Parker and Scott Lang look like everyday guys who are far from genius or bodybuilders. Yet they both still contain that special something that eventually makes them hero material.
The Hulk makes a stand.
It seems like the chances of ever getting another standalone Hulk movie are growing increasingly slim. While that may upset plenty of Hulk super fans, at least the character has been getting increased attention in recent films. This came after the character had a prolonged absence following Age of Ultron, when the Hulk took off in a Quinjet after feeling as though he has become too much of a liability to his fellow Avengers. And we're sure the relationship between Bruce and his alter ego will continue to develop in the next Avengers movie.
Tony Stark rolls the dice.
While Tony Stark has continued to be a smart aleck, the character has certainly come a long way since he first debuted in the MCU. In the original Iron Man, Stark is a completely self-serving individual who seems to have little regard for the world and the individuals around him. But he’s now gotten to the point where he’s willing to risk his own well being and sacrifice the relationships with others in the hopes of making the world a safer place, as seen when he leaves behind Pepper to face off against Thanos’s Black Order.
The Avengers launch an assault.
It’s hard for the average moviegoer to fathom the time it much takes to put together a shot like this, and it’s no wonder that we don’t get more of them in the MCU movies. Though this shot looks like it takes place in a snowy forest, chances are that most — if not all of it — was shot in front of a green screen. While characters like Thor, Hawkeye, and Black Widow could be suspended using wires for this shot, the others no doubt required a fair amount of CGI to appear in the same frames.