Marvel Timeline Summary: Here’s an MCU Cheat Sheet for All the Major Events

After more than a decade on our screens, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive universe at this point, and it can be hard to keep track of everything that’s gone down — so allow us to do that for you.

Obviously, if you’re watching Marvel’s latest releases, you’re probably already pretty well-versed in this particular franchise. But maybe you’re coming into one of these new project simply because an actor you love is in it, or someone you love wants to watch a Marvel story with you, and you don’t have much of a knowledge base going into it.

Whether you don’t have time to sit down and marathon six or seven shows and almost 30 movies — or really just don’t have a desire to — or you’re simply here because you’re trying to remember when that one thing happened, we’ve got you. These are the major moments you’ll need to know if you’re coming in cold, or trying to piece together the overarching story.

Here’s a summary of the major events in the MCU, in the order that their movies/shows occurred on the actual MCU timeline.

It goes without saying but, uh, spoiler alert for the entirety of the MCU.

Captain America: The First Avenger

• Steve Rogers becomes Captain America: To become the star-spangled man with a plan, Steve Rogers is injected with a super-serum created by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci)
• The Tesseract — aka the Space Stone — gets introduced: Red Skull and Hydra hunt down the Tesseract and use it to create their weapons. By the end of the movie, it falls into the sea — only to be recovered by Howard Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Bucky Barnes is introduced, and seemingly killed: Before he’s the Winter Soldier, he’s just Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers’ best friend. We first meet him here, always striving to protect Steve, before he becomes a POW. Eventually, he’s freed by Cap, but he falls to his apparent death while on a speeding train thanks to a H.Y.D.R.A. henchman
• Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter fall in love: That girl that Cap goes back for at the end of “Avengers: Endgame”? That’s Peggy Carter. She co-founded S.H.I.E.L.D. and was Steve’s first love. He promised her a dance before he sacrificed himself to crash and destroy a Hydra aircraft.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. is started: In this movie, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter meet as a direct result of the war. In working with Captain America, they realize they need to form a new government agency. As we learn in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” this is where S.H.I.E.L.D. begins. It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (which is first introduced in “Iron Man”)
• Dr. Erskine dies: This may not feel important, since his actual name doesn’t come up very often, but this death is a major piece of the MCU puzzle. He created the super soldier serum that many, many people try to re-create. As a result of those failed attempts, we get people like the Hulk, Bucky, Isaiah Bradley, etc.
• Vibranium is introduced: Throughout the MCU, you’re going to hear a lot about vibranium. This is the movie that starts it all. Vibranium comes from Wakanda, and is the strongest metal on Earth. It’s what Captain America’s shield is made of, and is responsible for a ton of of tech/tools in the universe — and political conflict

Captain Marvel

• The Tesseract comes back to S.H.I.E.L.D.: After being swallowed by Goose the cat, the Tesseract is regurgitated back onto Fury’s desk in the post-credits scene. This is how S.H.I.E.L.D. has it again for the modern day MCU
• Phil Coulson is introduced: Though his first actual movie is “Iron Man,” his first appearance in the actual MCU timeline is in the 1990s-set “Captain Marvel.” He’s eventually high on the S.H.I.E.L.D. totem pole, and appears in every Phase One movie except for “Captain America: The First Avenger”
• The Avengers are conceptualized: Taking inspiration from Carol Danvers’s Air Force call sign, Nick Fury decides to create “The Avenger Initiative” — a project designed to find and unite Earth’s mightiest heroes to protect Earth in Carol’s absence
• Captain Marvel leaves Earth: The reason Earth needs more protectors is because at the end of the film, Carol Danvers herself is off in space. She sets out to help the Skrulls find a new permanent home, then strives to protect other worlds. The only way to get in touch with her is via the pager she modified for Fury, which he uses at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War”
• Skrulls are introduced: “Captain Marvel” marks the first appearance of the shapeshifting aliens known as Skrulls. But here, they aren’t planning any kind of “secret invasion”; they’re just fleeing persecution by the Kree. The Skrulls are led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), who is the Skrull who ends up simming Fury at the end of “Spider-Man: Far From Home”
• Maria Rambeau is introduced: In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” we meet a different Captain Marvel. In that universe, it was Maria Rambeau, who we first meet in “Captain Marvel.” Here, she’s just Carol’s best friend and raising a young Monica Rambeau (who pops up again in “WandaVision”)
• Nick Fury loses his eye: Why exactly does Fury wear an eyepatch? Well, he let Goose — who is actually a Flerken, not a cat — get too close to his face. Goose scratches his eye, and since he’s an alien, Fury loses sight in that eye

Iron Man

• Tony Stark becomes Iron Man: He builds the very first suit ever while being held captive by the Ten Rings organization — they’ll pop up again a few times later — and in doing so, creates the very first arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source. At the end of the movie, Tony openly reveals to the press that he is Iron Man, thus coining what will eventually be his final words
• JARVIS is introduced: Tony Stark invents countless incredible things but arguably his best is the artificial intelligence known as JARVIS. JARVIS effectively runs all of Tony’s tech, and is later a huge factor in the creation of Vision
• Tony Stark stops making weapons: As you go through the movies of the MCU, you’ll hear a lot of digs at Tony Stark and how he made his fortune. That’s because he used to build weapons, having taken over his father Howard’s company, and made a fortune selling them to the government. He immediately changes the direction of his company when he learns that those weapons are being sold to terrorists
• Rhodey is introduced: Tony Stark may be reckless and a bit prickly, but he does have a best friend. That best friend is Colonel James Rhodes, played in this movie by Terrence Howard
• Nick Fury begins to recruit Tony for the Avengers: In the post-credits scene on this film, Tony comes home to find Nick Fury has broken in and is lurking in the shadows. Fury assures him he’s not there for conflict, he just wants to talk about the Avengers Initiative. This is the first move in actually building out the team

The Incredible Hulk

• Bruce Banner/The Hulk joins the MCU: Though we don’t actually see Bruce Banner — originally played by Edward Norton — become the Hulk on screen, this is where he does. Attempting to re-create Erskine’s super soldier serum, Bruce exposes himself to insane amounts of gamma radiation, and becomes the Hulk
• Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is introduced: When we meet him in this movie, Thaddeus Ross is just an army man, hellbent on hunting down Bruce for his experiment gone wrong. He is responsible for injecting Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) and creating The Abomination. Ross will go on to pop up a lot in the MCU, eventually becoming U.S. Secretary of State and helping get the Sokovia Accords passed

Iron Man 2

• Natasha Romanoff is introduced: Before we know her as Natasha Romanoff, Scarlett Johannson is introduced as Natalie Rushman. She’s planted in Stark Industries by Fury to watch over Tony, but later reveals her true identity
• Rhodey becomes War Machine (and gets re-cast): When Rhodey shows up again in the MCU, he’s played by Don Cheadle, and has been ever since. In “Iron Man 2” he ends up with his own suit — which he technically stole from Tony to begin with, but it’s fine — and eventually takes on the moniker of War Machine (later to be renamed Iron Patriot)
• Tony and Pepper Potts get together: After a whole lot of flirting in the first Iron Man movie, Tony and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) finally act on their chemistry and feelings in “Iron Man 2.” Of course, they eventually end up getting married and having a daughter
• Tony gets rejected from Avengers initiative: After Natasha Romanoff’s report from her time inside Stark Industries, Tony himself is rejected from joining the Avengers because of his self-centered and often self-destructive personality. But, he’s retained as “a consultant”
• Thor’s hammer arrives on Earth: In the post-credits sting, we see Coulson arriving at a crater in New Mexico. In that crater? Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. It’s the first explicit introduction of a wider MCU, after Fury teased it in the post-credits scene of “Iron Man”

Thor

• Thor is introduced: Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder makes his grand introduction in this film, which puts him on an arc to prove his worth by stranding him on Earth and stripping him of his powers
• Loki is introduced: Loki is the God of Mischief and Thor’s brother. He becomes a pretty steady villain, and then anti-hero, through the MCU. Tom Hiddleston first brings the character to life in this movie
• Heimdall is introduced: Heimdall is the gatekeeper of Asgard, and can see literally everything. It’s why his eyes are so beautiful. He’s a huge ally of Thor’s, and plays a massive part in protecting him and Asgard throughout the MCU. He’s played by Idris Elba!
• The Rules of Mjolnir: When you see Thor use his hammer, you’ll notice that not even the Hulk can pick it up. That’s because no one can pick up the hammer unless he or she is truly worthy. This mandate is bestowed onto Mjolnir in this movie by Odin, Thor’s father
• Clint Barton is introduced: “Thor” also marks the first appearance of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), also known as Hawkeye. He’s dispatched by S.H.I.E.L.D. to watch over the situation in New Mexico in a clunky cameo
• Jane Foster is introduced: Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, is Thor’s true love. She later becomes Mighty Thor, but first pops up as a scientist here
• Erik Selvig is introduced: You’ll see Erik Selvig a lot in the MCU. He’s played by Stellan Skarsgard, and he’s a scientist who works with Jane Foster. He later is a major player in the studies around the Tesseract
• Darcy Lewis is introduced: At first look, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is just a comic relief character. But in a fun twist, she shows up again in “WandaVision” to help figure out what’s going on in Westview
• Loki discovers the Tesseract: In the post-credits scene of “Thor,” we learn that Loki has been keeping a close eye on Erik Selvig. It’s unclear whether he fully possessed the scientist, or was just controlling him with his spear, but it’s Loki who compels Selvig to examine the Tesseract, so he could get access to it himself
• Loki’s First Death: One thing that’s important to know about Loki is that he dies — a lot. His first “death” comes at the end of this movie, when he refuses to let Thor pull him back up when the bifrost is destroyed. Loki survives, but no one knows until he returns in “The Avengers”

Marvel’s The Avengers

• Maria Hill is introduced: “The Avengers” marks the first appearance of Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill, righthand woman to Nick Fury
• The Mind Stone enters the MCU: We don’t know it’s the Mind Stone at the time, considering it’s hidden in Loki’s scepter, but we get a hint of it when Loki is able to take over the minds of Clint Barton and Erik Selvig
• Thanos is introduced: The big purple guy in space in the post-credits scene? That’s Thanos. He first enters the MCU in “The Avengers,” and he ends up being the major villain of the Infinity Saga. His plan begins with giving Loki his sceptor
• Mark Ruffalo enters the MCU: Bruce Banner/The Hulk return in “The Avengers,” but this time, he’s played by Mark Ruffalo instead of Ed Norton. Ruffalo will go on to play the character for the entirety of the MCU
• The Battle of New York: If you’re confused or can’t remember what the “Battle of New York” is, it’s the final act of the first “Avengers.” Using the Chitauri army, Loki attempts to take over Earth, and this is where the Avengers truly come together and save everyone for the first time

Thor: The Dark World

• The Reality Stone comes into play: The red infinity stone is known as the “aether” in “Thor: The Dark World,” but later is referred to as the reality stone. This is the first time we see it in the Infinity Saga
• Thor’s mother dies: When the Dark Elves attack Asgard, Frigga is killed while protecting Jane Foster. This is why Thor is so emotional seeing her in an alternate timeline in “Avengers: Endgame.”
• Loki “dies” again: Thor and Loki devise a plan to destroy the aether while seemingly returning it to Malekith, but in the process, Loki himself is killed. Or at least, he seems to be. In the post-credits scene, we see him take on the form of an Asgardian soldier, returning home unnoticed
• Thor comes back to Earth: In the credits sting of the film, we see that Thor has returned to Earth for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. This kicks off the time they have together that we see montaged in “Thor: Love and Thunder”

Iron Man 3

• Tony develops PTSD: After going through the portal opened by Loki in “The Avengers,” Tony develops severe PTSD from what he sees. This is a huge piece of the “Iron Man 3” story, and comes back a bit in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
• Trevor Slattery enters the MCU: If you’re trying to figure out who the crazy guy in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is, that’s Trevor Slattery. He first appears here in “Iron Man 3,” pretending to be the terrorist known as The Mandarin

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

• Bucky Barnes returns as The Winter Soldier: Turns out, after appearing to fall to his death in the first “Captain America,” Bucky actually survives. He was found by HYDRA and turned into The Winter Soldier, a brainwashed assassin
• Sam Wilson is introduced: “The Winter Soldier” marks the first appearance of Sam Wilson, revealed later in the movie to be The Falcon. He and Steve meet while running around the Washington Monument
• Peggy Carter returns: After being unfrozen, Steve Rogers is convinced that no one from his old life is still around, but that’s not true! In this movie, we learn Peggy Carter is still alive, and he regularly visits her
• Sharon Carter is introduced: Of course, since Peggy Carter went on living her life, she had a family. And it turns out, she has a great-niece named Sharon Carter, also known as Agent 13. Sharon and Steve share a brief, and ultimately very weird flirtation in “The Winter Soldier,” before we learn of her familial ties
• S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed as HYDRA and dissolved: Technically, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t revealed as HYDRA, but rather as infiltrated by HYDRA. Thanks to Arnim Zola (the scientist we first met in “The First Avenger”), HYDRA was able to slowly spread through S.H.I.E.L.D. and amass huge influence. When Cap discovers this, he and his team out S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets to the world and bring it all down, good and bad
• Nick Fury “dies”: As part of their attempt to fully take over S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA attempts to assassinate Nick Fury. They appear to be successful, until it’s revealed later in the film that Fury only faked his death to get off their radar
• The Maximoffs are introduced: In the post-credits scene, we learn that HYDRA has been conducting human experiments with Loki’s scepter. The only two survivors so far are “the twins,” who are seen in their cells, just discovering their new abilities. Those twins are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, later known as The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Guardians of the Galaxy

• The Guardians come together: The Guardians of the Galaxy don’t start as a team. They’re just a group of criminals (or in Gamora’s case, more like a mercenary) who are after the same thing. So they break out of prison together and end up becoming a team
• Infinity Stones are explained: Though the entire first three phases are known as the Infinity Saga, it’s not until “Guardians of the Galaxy” that it’s explained what an infinity stone actually is. So if you need a definition, you’ll find it in this movie, thanks to The Collector
• Nebula is introduced: Nebula is Gamora’s adopted sister, both belonging to Thanos. She’s a ruthless assassin with severe family issues
• Thanos returns: After the Battle of New York, Thanos opts to partner with Ronan the Accuser to acquire the power stone. This is where we learn a little more about his plans, and Josh Brolin steps into the role
• Power stone is introduced: The purple infinity stone is also known as the power stone! This is the first time we see it in the MCU, and in the end, it ends up in the hands of the Nova Corps on Xandar
• Reality Stone goes to The Collector: After managing to reign in the reality stone in “The Dark World,” Thor sends his friends to deliver it to The Collector because, as they say, it’s not wise to keep two infinity stones so close together
• Groot is killed: In an effort to save his friends from dying in a fiery crash, Groot expands himself into what is basically a cage, shielding them from their fall. Unfortunately, that means he himself is destroyed in the crash. But, as we see in the final moments of the film, Rocket was able to replant a piece of Groot, and his offspring grows anew

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

• Peter Quill learns he’s a Celestial: Star-Lord is half human, but the other half of him is a literal god. He has the power of creation, and that’s why he was able to hold onto an Infinity Stone barehanded for so long
• Mantis joins the MCU: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” marks the first appearance of Pom Klementieff’s Mantis. She’s introduced as Ego’s (Kurt Russell) “assistant” of sorts — she uses her powers to help him sleep
• Gamora and Peter get together: After a whole lot of romantic tension between the pair in the first movie, Vol. 2 is when Peter and Gamora finally admit their mutual feelings for each other
• Groot returns as Baby Groot: As we saw in the post-credits of the first movie, Groot did indeed grow back anew, although as James Gunn has explained this is Groot’s offspring, not the Groot we knew from “Guardians 1.” At this point, he’s just an adorable little baby (though he shows up in the end as a teenager)
• Nebula goes good: In this sequel, Nebula finally admits that she never wanted to be at odds with Gamora, she just wanted a sister. It’s at this point that Nebula starts to ingratiate herself with the Guardians, despite leaving them in the end
• Adam Warlock is teased: In one of the post-credits scenes, we return to the High Priestess, angry over what the Guardians have done to her people. She reveals that, as retaliation, she’s creating a new being — a perfect specimen. His name is Adam. We’ll meet him as Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

Avengers: Age of Ultron

• The Mind Stone is revealed: How exactly did Loki control everyone in “Avengers”? Well, the mind stone (yellow infinity stone) is housed in his scepter. It’s broken out of its shell by Ultron, who tells Wanda and Pietro about its true capabilities
• Ultron is introduced: In an effort to put “a suit of armor around the world,” Tony and Bruce attempt to build an AI with an actual body. But, when he’s “born,” he’s overwhelmed by the state of the world and wants to destroy mankind immediately. This is Ultron. And he has some lasting effects in the MCU
• Thanos’ plan is set into motion: At the end of this movie, Thor points out that the mind stone is the third infinity stone to surface in the span of a few years, and that it can’t be a coincidence. And he’s right. This is the moment where Thanos’ true plan is really set into motion
• The Infinity Gauntlet comes in: In the post credits scene, we see Thanos’ gauntlet for the first time as he ominously says “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” This is the gauntlet he’ll go on to use to wipe out half of all life on Earth in “Avengers: Infinity War.”
• Clint’s family is revealed: When the Avengers need a place to lie low for awhile, Clint Barton takes them to a safe house. As it turns out, the safe house is actually his house, where he lives with his wife and two (soon to be three) kids. The Avengers are shocked to learn of Clint’s real life
• Wanda becomes an Avenger: Though Wanda and her brother start on Ultron’s side, they eventually figure out that he wants to destroy mankind. So, in the final battle in Sokovia, Wanda opts to help the team and in the final moments appears at the Avengers compound, signaling she’s chosen her new family
• Vision is introduced: One of those true capabilities of the mind stone is providing, well, a mind. Ultron intends to use the mind stone to power himself in the android created by Helen Cho, but the Avengers manage to steal it from him. Thanks to a power boost from Thor, the mind stone is still put to use in the body, but Vision is created instead
• Pietro dies: There’s a moment in “WandaVision” where Wanda reveals to her “neighbor” — Monica Rambeau — that she was a twin. That twin was Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and, as Rambeau points out, he was killed by Ultron. It happens in the second “Avengers” film, when he saves the life of Clint Barton and a child
• Bruce ends up on Sakaar: After destroying the last of Ultron’s bodies, Bruce Banner remains in Hulk form and flies off in the quinjet. In “Thor: Ragnarok” we find out that that flight took him to Sakaar, where he’d become a prize fighter

Ant-Man

• Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man: After “stealing” the suit from Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) — which Pym really just let him take — Scott Lang becomes the new Ant-Man
• Pym Particles are introduced: Pym Particles are the key to Ant-Man’s ability to shrink and grow. But we find out later that they’re also key to making time travel work (they become essential in “Avengers: Endgame”)
• Cassie Lang is introduced: At the end of the day, Scott Lang really just wants to be a good dad. He’s got a young daughter, named Cassie, who loves him dearly
• Hope Van Dyne gets the Wasp suit: It takes years and years of convincing, but in “Ant-Man,” Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) convinces her father to let her take on her mother’s suit and mantle of “The Wasp”
• Civil War set-up: In “Ant-Man,” Scott Lang attempts to steal equipment from what turns out to be an Avengers compound. There, he meets Sam Wilson. In the post-credits scene of the movie, we find Sam back with Captain America, having just detained Bucky Barnes. When Cap admits they’re going to need help, Sam says “I know a guy.” That guy turns out to be Ant-Man, and this scene directly sets up “Captain America: Civil War”

Captain America: Civil War

• Peggy Carter dies: Sadly, Peggy Carter passes away in her sleep in this movie. It’s at her funeral that we learn of Sharon Carter’s relationship to her
• T’Challa becomes the Black Panther: When T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) father is assassinated, he becomes Wakanda’s next king. As such, he takes on the mantle of the Black Panther, and earns superhuman abilities thanks to a plant native to Wakanda
• Zemo is introduced: Helmut Zemo is a key character in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” but he’s first introduced in “Captain America: Civil War.” By impersonating Bucky Barnes and assassinating T’Challa’s father, Zemo achieves his mission in dividing the Avengers
• Vision and Wanda fall in love: Hoping to keep Wanda and the public safe, Tony mandates that she stay in the Avengers compound. There, Vision talks and hangs out with her, and their love story is born
• Spider-Man joins the MCU: Tom Holland made his first appearance in the MCU when Iron Man recruited Peter Parker to help stop Captain America and his team
• The Sokovia Accords are passed: In this movie, the Sokovia Accords are passed, making it so that the government retains control of the Avengers, and must approve of any missions they want to go on. The Avengers are split on their opinions of this legislation, leading to a massive internal conflict
• Tony Stark learns Bucky killed his parents: At the end of “Civil War,” Tony learns that while he was the Winter Soldier, Bucky was tasked to kill the Starks. He did so by causing their car accident, then finishing them off by hand.
• Steve and Tony have a falling out: Because they’re best friends, Steve defends Bucky after his connection to the Stark family is revealed. Obviously, Tony doesn’t appreciate that so much, and the friendship between Iron Man and Captain America effectively disintegrates. This is where Tony takes the shield back from Steve.
• Rhodey gets paralyzed: When Vision attempts to stop Sam Wilson from catching Rhodey in the air, his shot from the mind stone misses and hits Rhodey directly. As a result, Rhodey falls to the ground and ends up partially paralyzed
• There’s more than one Winter Soldier: In this movie, Bucky Barnes reveals that he was not the only Winter Soldier created in Siberia. HYDRA actually had multiple vials of the serum, and created more like him
• Bucky goes to Wakanda: Realizing that he can still be controlled by the trigger words used by HYDRA, Bucky opts to once again go under ice and be flown to Wakanda until he knows he won’t be a threat to anyone

Black Widow

• Yelena Belova enters the MCU: In “Black Widow,” we learn that Natasha Romanoff has a little sister. Her name is Yelena and she’s played by Florence Pugh.
• Red Guardian joins the MCU: Granted, none of Natasha’s “family” is biological, but they feel pretty real. And with that, we have her “father” Alexei. He’s played by David Harbour and, in his glory days, he was known as Red Guardian. Thanks to the super soldier serum, he was essentially the Russian version of Captain America
• Taskmaster enters the MCU: Though Natasha believes she killed Dreykov’s daughter in the process of killing him, it turns out, that is not correct. The girl survived, and was turned into a weapon by her father, known as Taskmaster. Thanks to her suit, she can mimic the fighting style of anyone she encounters
• Natasha Romanoff destroys the Red Room: The Red Room is the place where Natasha was trained to become a Black Widow. But, as we learn in this movie, they do that by abducting young women. So Natasha destroys the operation once and for all
• Val pops up: Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) appears to be set to become a major player in Phase Four of the MCU and beyond. Though we don’t know who she is at the time, her first appearance is in the post-credits scene, in which she gives Yelena an assignment — Clint Barton

Spider-Man: Homecoming

• Department of Damage Control: Considering how much damage tends to follow the Avengers, Tony Stark rolls out his own organization to clean up behind them, and ideally ensure alien debris doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. These people are known as the Department of Damage Control. They become a problem later
• Miles Morales is teased: We’ve yet to get a live action Miles Morales in the MCU, but we have gotten a live action Aaron Davis. Played by Donald Glover, Aaron is Miles’ uncle, and he alludes to wanting to keep his nephew’s neighborhood safer. So there is a Miles Morales in the MCU somewhere
• MJ enters the MCU: MJ is typically short for Mary Jane Watson. But in the MCU, MJ is actually Michelle Jones-Watson, played by Zendaya
• Spider-Man turns down the Avengers: At the end of this movie, Spider-Man is offered an official spot in the Avengers, but turns it down so he can continue being a friendly neighborhood hero
• Tony and Pepper get engaged: When Peter Parker turns down the Avengers’ offer, Tony needs to think up a quick new story to give to the press. That story ends up being his official engagement to Pepper Potts

Black Panther

• Killmonger enters the MCU: The person that Shuri sees when she enters the ancestral plane is Erik “Killmonger” Stevens. He’s a mercenary who tried to take over Wakanda — and then the rest of the world — in the first Black Panther film, played by Michael B. Jordan. He also happens to be T’Challa and Shuri’s cousin, who was kept hidden because his father went against T’Challa’s father’s wishes to keep Wakanda secret
• Everett Ross is introduced: Everett Ross starts to appear a lot more in Phase Four of the MCU. He’s a CIA agent played by Martin Freeman, first introduced in this movie. He quickly becomes a Wakandan ally
• Vibranium origins: We learn in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” that Vibranium comes from Wakanda. But it’s not until “Black Panther” that we realize just how much they have. It’s their biggest resource, and they make sure it stays hidden.
• Wakanda is revealed to the public: Wakanda ensured its survival for centuries by remaining hidden. But, realizing the country has the resources and means to help a lot of people, T’Challa decides to reveal Wakanda to the world
• Killmonger destroys the heart-shaped herb: In an effort to ensure that he’s the final Black Panther, Killmonger burns Wakanda’s entire crop of the heart-shaped herb. That’s why Shuri is trying to re-create it artificially in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Doctor Strange

• Strange gets his magic: Stephen Strange was not born a wizard. He gets in a horrible car accident, and loses his ability to perform surgeries. In an effort to heal himself, he goes to Kamar-Taj and there, he’s given a sling-ring to open portals and taught to harness magic
• Mordo is introduced: Karl Mordo is a sorcerer who becomes disillusioned by magic, and an enemy to Doctor Strange by the end of this film. He returns in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor
• Wong is introduced: Before he’s Sorcerer Supreme, Wong is just a normal sorcerer at Kamar-Taj. He befriends Doctor Strange, and is played by Benedict Wong.
• Sorcerer Supreme dies: If you’re wondering why Tilda Swinton is popping up in “Avengers: Endgame” that’s because she was Sorcerer Supreme prior to Doctor Strange. She’s killed in this movie though
• Time Stone is introduced: One of the Sorcerer Supreme’s biggest tasks is to guard the time stone. “Doctor Strange” marks the first appearance

Thor: Ragnarok

• Valkyrie enters the MCU: We first meet her on Sakaar, as a scrapper who’s befriended the Hulk. She’s played by Tessa Thompson, and is determined to forget her past as a Valkyrie
• Odin dies: In the great big grand scheme, the death of Odin isn’t huge. But it is important, because it unleashes Hela, and temporarily makes Thor the King of Asgard, even though he doesn’t want to be
• Asgard is destroyed: In order to finally defeat Hela (who it turns out is Thor’s older sister), Thor allows Asgard to be destroyed (because his sister literally drew power from it). This is why New Asgard ends up on Earth
• Thor meets Doctor Strange: In the grand scheme of things, this interaction also isn’t huge. But it is the first time Thor and Doctor Strange meet, prior to Infinity War
• Mjolnir is destroyed: When Hela (Cate Blanchett) shows up clearly ready to wreak havoc, Thor immediately goes on the offensive. He doesn’t know her strength though — she catches Mjolnir one-handedly and proceeds to shatter it. So if you’re watching a movie where Thor is wielding an axe instead of hammer, that’s why
• Bruce Banner resurfaces: After flying off in a quinjet to God knows where at the end of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” we find out exactly where in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Bruce, still in Hulk form, ends up on the planet Sakaar, and has professionally fighting as the Hulk there ever since
• Korg is introduced: Who is the narrator in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” you ask? That’s Korg! He’s a rock creature first introduced as another prisoner on Sakaar in “Thor: Ragnarok” and he’s played by writer/director Taika Waititi
• Thanos shows up to kick off Infinity War: When Loki heads beneath the city to enact ragnarok, he pauses in the Asgardian vault when he sees the Tesseract. The God of Mischief, not being totally reformed, takes it, and inadvertently draws Thanos to their ship in the final minutes of the film

Ant-Man and the Wasp

• Scott and Hope team up: After Hope trains Scott to become Ant-Man in the first movie, the sequel sees the two officially become a duo in action — Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Jimmy Woo is introduced: Before he’s helping figure things out in Westview on “WandaVision,” Jimmy Woo is in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” keeping an eye on Scott. He’s played by Randall Park
• Ghost is introduced: The main antagonist of this movie is Ghost. After her father built a quantum realm that malfunctioned, the quantum energy alters her cells, allowing her to phase through objects, thus being known as Ghost. In the end, Janet Van Dyne saves her from dying because of this energy, and Ghost is set to return in “Thunderbolts”
• Michelle Pfeiffer enters the MCU: The original Wasp was Hope Van Dyne’s mother, Janet. In “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” she returns from the Quantum Realm, and Michelle Pfeiffer makes her debut in the MCU
• Scott enters quantum realm: Ant-Man is one of the few heroes who manages to avoid Thanos’ snap — because he was in the Quantum Realm at the time it happened. Unfortunately, he gets stuck there, because both Hope and her father — who were supposed to bring Scott back safely — were snapped

Avengers: Infinity War

• Heimdall dies: One of the many casualties of “Infinity War” is Idris Elba’s Heimdall. He’s killed by Thanos, after he uses the last of his magic to help Hulk escape when Thanos obtains the space stone
• Loki dies (for real): After many, many fake deaths, Loki meets his actual demise at the hands (literally — Loki is suffocated) of Thanos, after the Mad Titan and his children board Asgard’s ship and decimate even more of their population
• Gamora dies: In order to obtain the soul stone, the seeker must sacrifice the person they love most. In Thanos’ case, that’s his daughter Gamora. So, he pushes her to her death to obtain the Infinity Stone
• Vision dies: In order to get the Mind Stone, Thanos has to physically rip it out of Vision’s head — which he does. As a result, Vision dies right in front of Wanda
• The Snap: After obtaining all the Infinity Stones, Thanos snaps half of the Earth’s population out of existence. This is the climax of the Infinity Saga, and its repercussions shape the future of the MCU
• Thor gets Stormbreaker: Because Hela destroyed Mjolnir in “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor needs a new weapon in “Infinity War.” That new weapon is his axe, Stormbreaker, with a handle made from Groot’s arm
• Bucky returns, non-brainwashed: Thanks to his time in Wakanda, Bucky manages to escape the brainwashing done to him by HYDRA. He returns as an ally, able to maintain control over his mind
• Avengers meet Guardians: Up to this point, the Avengers have never crossed paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy. That changes, when Thanos becomes their common enemy. They meet while pursuing him, and one of the most hilarious scenes in the MCU ensues.
• Infinity Stones are destroyed: After snapping half the earth’s population out of existence, Thanos uses the stones to destroy the stones, so no one can undo his work. Though we don’t find out this fact until the next movie, it happens shortly after the events of Infinity War. This is why the Avengers go on their “Time Heist”

Avengers: Endgame

• Captain Marvel returns: In the final moments of “Infinity War,” Nick Fury uses a modified pager to call someone. In “Captain Marvel,” we learn that that pager was given to him by Carol Danvers. In the opening minutes of “Endgame,” she arrives in the Avengers compound to answer the call
• Steve gets his shield back: Knowing that the Avengers need everyone on hand, Tony returns Steve’s shield to him to help prepare for Thanos
• Clint is Ronin: After losing his whole family to the snap, Clint Barton goes rogue and becomes a merciless vigilante known as Ronin. This is a key piece of the plot in “Hawkeye”
• Five years pass: If you’re confused when you hear someone mention “The Blip,” it’s the term coined for the five years that pass between Thanos’ snap and when the Avengers unsnap everyone
• Tony and Pepper have a daughter: In the five years post-snap, Tony and Pepper managed to find happiness and have a child. Her name is Morgan Stark, and she loves cheeseburgers as much as her dad does.
• Natasha Romanoff dies: When Clint and Natasha arrive on Vormir, they realize one of them must die to obtain the Soul Stone. Natasha decides it should be her, and leaps to her death. It works, but Clint and the rest of the MCU is emotionally devastated
• Tony Stark dies: In the final battle, Tony manages to get the Infinity Stones off Thanos and into his own Nano Gauntlet. He snaps his fingers to bring back everyone snapped out of existence by Thanos — plus gets rid of Thanos himself and his followers — but unfortunately, Tony knows the energy of the stones will kill him too. He dies a hero.
• Thanos is killed: In fact, Thanos is killed twice in this movie. The first comes at the start, when Thor decapitates the Mad Titan in anger after he informs the Avengers that the stones are gone. The second comes thanks to Tony Stark, who snaps Thanos and his followers out of existence thanks to recovering the Infinity Stones from other timelines

• Pepper Potts gets her suit: It’s unclear if Pepper Potts will ever suit up in a future MCU project, but in the battle against Thanos, she does get her own Iron Man armor.
• Cap goes back to Peggy: At the end of the film, Steve volunteers to be the one to go back in time and return the stones to their original timeline. But, he doesn’t return. Instead, he stays behind to have a life with Peggy, and shows up as an old man at the end of the film, having lived out his life in hiding
• Sam Wilson is given the shield: Since Cap went back and lived a full life with Peggy, he returns at the end of “Endgame” as an old man, with no use for his Captain America title or shield anymore. So he hands it off to Sam Wilson to be his successor. This sets up “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
• Team goes to the past to get the infinity stones: In order to restore the population to its previous size, the Avengers need the Infinity Stones. So, they go on what they call a “time heist,” and travel back in time to obtain the stones from a time and place before they were destroyed. It’s the first instance of true time travel in the MCU
• Loki gets sent to the TVA: Because of the time heist going wrong, Loki of 2012 gets his hands on the Tesseract and disappears. Because he tries to deviate from his pre-determined timeline, he ends up at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and kicks off the events of Disney+’s “Loki” series
• Gamora comes back, sort of: Just like the team can grab infinity stones from different timelines, they can also meet versions of themselves or their colleagues from other timelines. So, even though Gamora dies in “Infinity War,” a past version of her returns for the final battle against Thanos
• Valkyrie becomes King: Realizing that his entire family is gone, Thor decides that he does not want to be King of Asgard. So, as his final act, he appoints Valkyrie as king, saying that Asgardians need a leader
• Thor joins the Guardians: After appointing Valkyrie king, Thor joins the Guardians for adventures through space, and that’s where we pick up with him in “Thor: Love and Thunder”
• New Asgard is formed: Because Asgard was destroyed by Ragnarok, the people rebuild on Earth. Their little town is called New Asgard, and it homes what’s left of the people

Loki

• Kang the conqueror is teased: The big bad of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is set to be Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. He’s an evil variant of He Who Remains, who we first meet in “Loki.” Once He Who Remains is Killed, presumably, Kang takes over the multiverse
• Multiverse splits open: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” may have been the first MCU movie to open up the multiverse, but it actually first occurred on “Loki.” It happens when Sylvie kills He Who Remains, who was keeping things intact and keeping his variants at bay
• Sylvie is introduced: Sylvie is a variant of Loki from another timeline. She’s played by Sophia Di Martino, and she’s hellbent on destroying whoever is in charge of her timeline
• TVA is introduced: The TVA stands for the Time Variance Authority. It’s an organization tasked with keeping all the different possible timelines on track and uninterrupted

What If…?

• Captain Carter is introduced: In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the Illuminati contains a version of Peggy Carter where she got the serum instead of Steve, and became “Captain Carter.” But this concept is first introduced in “What If..?” on Disney+

WandaVision

• Wanda has kids: In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” all Wanda wants to do is get her kids back. Those kids are Billy and Tommy, who she first “has” in “WandaVision.”
• Vision is back: Though Vision was killed by Thanos in “Infinity War,” he does return for “WandaVision.” How? Well, this Vision is more of a manifestation of Wanda’s magic and imagination. He cannot and did not survive outside of Westview.
• S.W.O.R.D. is introduced: In the MCU, there’s more than just S.H.I.E.L.D. In “WandaVision,” we learn that there’s another organization known as the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division, or S.W.O.R.D. They were founded by Maria Rambeau (who we met in “Captain Marvel”) and are dedicated to protecting Earth from extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional threats.
• Darcy returns: Remember Jane Foster’s assistant from the first two Thor movies? She’s back! Darcy Lewis gets called in to help figure out what’s going on in Westview
• Jimmy Woo returns: Jimmy Woo makes his triumphant return in “WandaVision,” armed with some sleight of hand, thanks to Scott Lang
• White Vision is created: After the real Vision was destroyed, his body ended up in the hands of the government. In an attempt to reconstitute the AI, they use his body to build another Vision — this time as a weapon. He’s all white, and very menacing, but disappears at the end of “WandaVision.”
• Agatha Harkness enters the MCU: Wanda isn’t the only witch who’s ever existed. In this series, we meet Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness. She craves power, and desperately wants Wanda’s power in particular.
• Wanda gets the Darkhold: Agatha may be strong, but she’s not strong enough to defeat Wanda on her own. As a result, she gets trapped in Westview, and Wanda takes the Darkhold — a magical, but evil ancient text that corrupts all its users
• Monica Rambeau returns and gets powers: We met Monica Rambeau as a youngling in “Captain Marvel” but here, she’s all grown up. And, thanks to passing through Wanda’s magic barriers of Westview, Monica gets her own powers
• Pietro returns (sort of): In an effort to manipulate Wanda, Agatha brings back Pietro — kind of. It’s not Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Pietro from “Age of Ultron,” but rather, Evan Peters’ version of Quicksilver, seemingly connecting the X-Men movies to the MCU. But in the end, he’s not even that version. He’s just a guy named Ralph Bohner

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• Ten Rings return: The Ten Rings are a pretty deep Marvel cut but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen them. They first appear in “Iron Man,” as the group Obediah hired to kidnap Tony Stark. Obviously, this operation is much bigger and much more coordinated
• Trevor Slattery returns: After falsely claiming to lead the Ten Rings in “Iron Man 3,” Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery returns in “Shang-Chi.” This time, he’s a prisoner of the actual Ten Rings
• Carol and Bruce show up again: In the final moments of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” we see him and Katy (Awkwafina) get summoned by Wong. As the three of them examine the rings, the camera pans to show Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers in the room as well, via hologram. This is the first time we’ve seen them post-Endgame, and they give the warning that the energy coming from the rings is nothing they’ve ever encountered before

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

• Sam becomes Captain America: Despite Steve giving him the shield at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” Sam doesn’t actually become the next Captain America right away. He feels out of place taking on the mantle, and the U.S. government wants someone different, but he finally embraces it at the end of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
• John Walker is introduced: Before Sam becomes Cap, John Walker is chosen by the government to take up Steve Rogers’ role. But Walker is egotistical and, as Erskine warned in the first “Captain America,” the serum only amplified Walker’s worst qualities. After murdering someone in cold blood, he’s stripped of his title
• The Bradleys are introduced: Isaiah and Elijah Bradley may seem like passing characters, but they’re actually very important. Isaiah reveals that he was one of many who were experimented on with attempted re-creations of the super soldier serum, but it succeeded with him. He was the first Black Captain America, he just never received credit. Meanwhile, Elijah Bradley becomes the hero known as Patriot in the comics, so it’s likely he’ll return again soon enough
• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: Though “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is Val’s second appearance in the MCU, it’s the first where she vaguely explains who she is. She doesn’t give concrete details, but does recruit John Walker for a future mission. At this point, that future mission is presumably putting together the Thunderbolts

Spider-Man: Far From Home

• Peter and MJ get together: It’s pretty much destiny for Peter Parker and MJ to be in love, and the MCU is no different. They finally confess their feelings for each other in “Far From Home”
• Mysterio is introduced, and killed: Mysterio is simply a disgruntled former employee of Tony Stark, but he leaves a massive impact thanks to his illusion technology. He’s played by Jake Gyllenhaal
• Skrulls return: After first appearing in “Captain Marvel,” the Skrulls return in “Far From Home.” That’s because, apparently, Nick Fury has been hanging out in space for awhile, and they’ve been simming him while he’s gone to keep up appearances. At this point, it remains unclear why
• Peter is outed as Spider-Man: MJ figures out Peter’s secret alter ego on her own. But Mysterio is the one who outs him to the world. As his final act, he filmed a video making Spider-Man look like the villain, and revealed that he’s actually Peter Parker

Eternals

• Black Knight is introduced: “Eternals” sets up quite a few future heroes in the MCU, and that includes the Black Knight. He’s teased at the very end of the film, as Kit Harington’s character figures out his true family lore
• Eternals didn’t get involved for a reason: The biggest question going into “Eternals” was: if the Eternals are cosmic beings with immense power that have literally been around forever, then why didn’t they intervene when Thanos came around? Well, apparently they were just… instructed not to. Their mission is to watch over humanity, but never to intervene
• Harry Styles is introduced: In the post-credits scene of this film, Harry Styles makes his MCU debut as Eros, who we’ll later find out is brother to Thanos

Spider-Man: No Way Home

• Multiverse comes to the movies: Like we said above, “Loki” was actually the first MCU project to split open the multiverse. But, thanks to a spell from Doctor Strange — unintentionally tampered with by Peter Parker — the multiverse splits open in the movies, as Spider-Man villains from every universe flood in
• The world forgets who Peter Parker is: In the end, Peter realizes that to save the world from the multiverse, he needs to wipe any memory of who Peter Parker is from everyone’s mind — everyone. That includes his loved ones. In the end, Spider-Man is still a hero, but no one knows who Peter Parker is
• Aunt May dies: We’ve seen the death of Uncle Ben countless times, but that doesn’t mean we were any more prepared to see the death of Aunt May at the hands of Green Goblin. At least she got the “great responsibility” line
• Venom enters the MCU (possibly): In one of the post-credits scenes of this movie, we find Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock at a bar, learning all about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and the events of the MCU. Thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell, he’s returned to his own dimension before he can actually venture outside, but a piece of his black alien goo gets left behind. Presumably, this means a new Venom host is coming to the MCU
• Daredevil returns to MCU: After first appearing in the Netflix “Daredevil” series, Charlie Cox returned in the role in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” He steps in to advise Peter Parker after his identity is outed

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

• Wanda fully becomes Scarlet Witch: After taking the Darkhold at the end of “WandaVision,” we find Wanda fully corrupted by it in “Multiverse of Madness.” Here, she’s fully embraced her powers as the terrifying mythical being, the Scarlet Witch
• Billy and Tommy return: In another universe, Wanda actually did have kids outside of Westview. And so we have the return of Billy and Tommy in “Multiverse of Madness”
• Clea enters MCU: In the post-credits scene, we meet Charlize Theron in a long blonde wig, recruiting Strange to help clean up a mess he made. Her name isn’t said, but it’s Clea — you can learn more about her here.
• Dark Strange: In another timeline, Doctor Strange embraced his dark side, after holding onto the Darkhold. Since it corrupts its readers, he develops a literal third eye — and in the final scene of the movie, it seems Dark Strange has entered the universe we know. It’s a bit unclear though.
• Wong is Sorcerer Supreme: Because Doctor Strange disappeared with Thanos’ snap, Wong was named Sorcerer Supreme. Strange is a touch salty about it, but it is what it is
• Wanda possibly dies: In destroying the Darkhold, Wanda seemingly sacrifices herself in collapsing the Scarlet Witch’s temple.
• America Chavez enters the MCU: As the MCU prepared to fully explore the multiverse, it was time to bring in a hero whose power is literally multiverse hopping. And so we have America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). She can open portals to any dimension.

Hawkeye

• Yelena returns: After being offered Clint Barton as an assignment in the post-credits scene of “Black Widow,” Yelena does indeed come after him in “Hawkeye.”
• Kingpin returns: Vincent D’Onofrio became a fan favorite in Netflix’s “Daredevil” series for his incredible portrayal of Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin of Crime. In “Hawkeye,” he returns and makes his official MCU debut
• Echo is introduced: Yelena isn’t the only one after Clint in “Hawkeye”; Maya Lopez is too, since she believes the Ronin killed her father. She’s high up in Kingpin’s operation, and is played by Alaqua Cox. She’s set to star in her own spinoff series on Disney+ in 2023.
• Linda Cardellini is revealed as Mockingbird: As it turns out, Clint Barton and his wife were colleagues once upon a time. In the final episode of the series, it’s revealed that Laura was once known as “Agent 19” — a.k.a. Mockingbird. You can dig in deeper on that here.

Moon Knight

• Moon Knight/Mr. Knight are introduced: In terms of plot, “Moon Knight” was largely self contained. But, it did introduce a few heroes we’ll likely see more of. That includes Moon Knight and Mr. Knight, Steven’s (Oscar Isaac) two heroic personas
• Scarlet Scarab is introduced: “Moon Knight” also introduced a new female hero in Scarlet Scarab. She’s played by May Calamawy.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

• T’Challa dies: Following the shocking death of Chadwick Boseman in real life in 2020, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was tasked with killing him off in universe. They kept it pretty true to life, having T’Challa succumb to a disease he was quietly battling
• Shuri becomes Black Panther: With T’Challa gone, Wakanda needs a new protector. By the end of “Wakanda Forever,” T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri officially picks up the mantle, complete with a new suit
• Val’s identity is revealed: After two very mysterious appearances up to this point, we finally learn who Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Val is in “Wakanda Forever.” Apparently, she’s the head of the CIA — and Everett Ross’ ex-wife
• Namor is introduced: As it turns out, Vibranium isn’t only found in Wakanda; it’s also found in the sea below it. But that domain is run by Namor, the leader of Talokan. He’s determined to unite Talokan and Wakanda against the rest of the world, and strikes an allyship with Shuri in the hopes of doing just that down the road
• Okoye is stripped from Dora Milaje: After Shuri is taken to Talokan while under the protection of Okoye, Queen Ramonda is angry. Still mourning the loss of her son, she’s terrified of losing her daughter. As a result, she strips Okoye of her position in the Dora Milaje
• Queen Ramonda dies: Sadly, Queen Ramonda is drowned by Namor in his attack on Wakanda. He targets her so as to make sure Shuri is in charge, and can authorize a partnership between Talokan and Wakanda
• Riri Williams enters the MCU: “Ironheart” is set to debut on Disney+ in 2023, but series star Dominique Thorne made her debut as Riri Williams in “Wakanda Forever.” She’s a teen prodigy at MIT, who built a functioning Vibranium detector, and got on the wrong side of Namor as a result
• T’Challa Jr. is revealed: In the mid-credits scene, we learn that T’Challa and Nakia secretly had a son. His name is also T’Challa, and they agreed to raise him away from Wakanda to avoid the pressure of the throne

Echo

• Kingpin returns: We never believed that Kingpin died at the end of “Hawkeye,” and sure enough, he didn’t. He returned with a vengeance in Echo
• Daredevil pops in: Daredevil gets pretty minimal screen time in this, but he does drop in for a pretty solid battle scene. It’s always worth keeping track of where he’s at
• Maya embraces her powers: Maya Lopez is better known as Echo, as she gets her powers from the echoes of Choctaw women before her
• Kingpin for mayor?: In a mid-credits scene at the finale of “Echo,” Kingpin is back on his plane, closely watching a story on the news about the lack of frontrunners for New York mayor. Could that be where he resurfaces in “Daredevil: Born Again?” We’ll see

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

• Sokovia Accords are repealed: It’s a quick line in the courtroom, but it is a big deal when it’s mentioned that the Sokovia Accords — which caused a headache in “Civil War” — have been repealed, meaning superheroes have their agency again
• Emil Blonsky returns: Though “The Incredible Hulk” tends to be forgotten about in Marvel canon — considering the Hulk was played by an entirely different actor in it — it is still part of the MCU, and “She-Hulk” solidified that connection by bringing back Tim Roth’s Abomination. He seems reformed — for now
• Wong returns: Wong is quickly becoming the connective thread of the MCU, as he appeared once more in “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” He appears as a character witness for Blonsky, telling the court that Wong broke him out of jail briefly himself
• She-Hulk is created: After getting in a car accident with her cousin Bruce that results in him bleeding on her while she’s also bleeding, Jennifer Walters herself turns into a Hulk.
• Daredevil returns: “Hawkeye” brought back Netflix’s Kingpin, but “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” brought back Netflix’s Daredevil. Yes, technically “Spider-Man: No Way Home” did it first, and then “Echo” very briefly, but Charlie Cox gets even more time here. He takes on Jen in court, and the two strike up a (hopefully not too) brief romance
• Hulk’s son Skaar: In the final moments of the “She-Hulk” finale, we learn that Bruce fathered a child during his time on Sakaar. His name is Skaar

Ms. Marvel

• Mutants are introduced in the MCU: In the final minutes of the “Ms. Marvel,” Bruno tells Kamala that after looking at her genes again, he discovered that they have something “like a mutation.” With that, a short riff from X-Men ’97 played, and existence mutants was introduced in the MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder

• Mjolnir returns: Because Thor instructed Mjolnir to always protect Jane, the hammer is able to reconstitute when she needs to wield it. And so, Mjolnir becomes Mighty Thor’s weapon
• Thor separates from Guardians: At the start of the film, Thor parts with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who he joined at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” Now, he’s back to being a mostly solo hero while they continue through the galaxy
• Jane Foster dies: In helping Thor defeat Gorr the God Butcher, Jane Foster sacrificed herself. She used Mjolnir one last time — the magical hammer was draining her life force and preventing her from fighting her cancer — and in the end, earned herself a spot in Valhalla.
• Thor has a daughter: With his wish from Eternity, Gorr the God Butcher asks for his daughter to be brought back to life, even though he knows he’s dying. So, Thor takes her in as his own. She calls him “Uncle Thor,” but the obvious imagery is that she’s his adopted daughter (though ironically played by his actual daughter in real life).
• Hercules is introduced: In the post-credits scene of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” we meet Brett Goldstein’s Hercules, son of Zeus. He’s tasked by his father to hunt Thor down and kill him so…that should be fun to look forward to.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

• Peter Quill has a sister: In this delightful special, we learn that Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is in fact a child of Ego (Kurt Russell), thus making her Peter’s half-sister

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

• Kang the Conqueror is revealed: After being teased in season one of “Loki,” we get a proper introduction to Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in “Quantumania.” Kang runs the Quantum Realm, and has a history with Janet Van Dyne
• Kang dies, but his variants are also revealed: In the mid-credits scene, we see a whole lot of Kang variants who are more than ready to pick up where this Kang, who was killed in his final battle with Scott, left off. It seemed to indicate that,going through Phase 5, our heroes would be meeting a whole bunch of Kangs
• Cassie Lang suits up: Yes, Cassie gets her own suit in this. This is important, because not long after this — more on that below — Ms. Marvel suggests Cassie could be a candidate for a new super team

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

• Adam Warlock is introduced: Adam Warlock is a warrior created by the Sovereign, meant to destroy the Guardians after they steal from the High Priestess, who was teased in the post-credits scene of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” He’s played by Will Poulter
• Rocket almost dies: In his first meeting with the Guardians, Adam seriously wounds Rocket, nearly killing him. As the raccoon fights for his life throughout the film, we get his devastating backstory
• Gamora joins the Ravagers: Remember how Gamora died and then sort of came back in “Avengers: Endgame”? Well, that past version of her has joined up with the Ravagers since that big battle. Peter desperately wants to make it work with her but unfortunately, this Gamora just doesn’t love him
• Peter Quill almost dies: It sure looks like “Guardians 3” is about to be the end of Peter Quill, but he’s saved at the very last moment by Adam Warlock
• The Guardians split up: After everything, Peter Quill decides to leave the Guardians to reunite with his grandfather on Earth. Meanwhile, Mantis goes on her own self-discovery journey, Gamora stays with the Ravagers, and Nebula and Drax decide to live on Knowhere to raise the children the team rescued at the end of the movie
• The new Guardians form: In leaving the team, Peter leaves Rocket in charge, and thus, the new Guardians of the Galaxy are formed. Going forward, the team will be Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo (the very good dog), Phyla (one of the rescued kids), Adam Warlock and his pet, Blurp
• “The Legendary Star-Lord”: Don’t worry, just because Peter left the Guardians, it doesn’t mean he won’t be back. In the post-credits tag, we learn that “The Legendary Star-Lord” will return. Yes, that’s still Peter Quill.

Secret Invasion

• Skrulls invade: Though the Skrulls were introduced as a peaceful people, there is a faction of them that is upset with Nick Fury for how long it’s taking to find them a proper new home. So, they hatch a plan to take over Earth, disguising themselves as high-ranking officials — including Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross and Don Cheadle’s Rhodie
• Maria Hill dies: One of the casualties of the Skrull takeover came in the form of Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill and no, we’re still not over it
• Talos dies: Talos is unfortunately also one of the casualties of Gravik’s (Kingsley Ben-Adir’s) war, killed in action helping save the president’s life
• Fury’s wife is a skrull: It’s unclear whether this plot point will play into the universe at large, but it’s a cute moment at the very least, so we wanted to mention it

The Marvels

• Monica Rambeau is using her powers: After getting powers back in “WandaVision,” Monica Rambeau is now putting them to use for S.A.B.E.R. and Nick Fury
• The Marvels get entangled: Thanks to coming into contact with a jump-point forcibly created by a quantum band, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) become entangled. This means that if ever and whenever any two of them use their powers simultaneously, they switch places wherever they are in the universe
• Monica Rambeau enters another universe: In order to repair a massive rip between worlds, Monica must use her powers to stitch it shut. Unfortunately, that means doing so from the other side of the rip. It seems the energy expenditure kills her at first but, in the mid-credits scene, we learn that not only did she survive but she woke up in said alternate universe
• The X-men are introduced (sort of): When Monica wakes up, she’s greeted by who she thinks is her mother, but is actual a hero known as Binary (we think). And by her side? Kelsey Grammer’s Beast from Fox’s “X-Men” films. And so, the merging of the MCU and the 20th Century Fox universe begins
• Kamala Khan hints at the Young Avengers: In the final minutes of the film, Kamala hunts down Kate Bishop and gives her a Nick Fury-esque recruitment speech. She tells Kate she’s putting together a team, noting that Ant-Man also has a daughter. Could it be the start of the Young Avengers? We’re hoping

Deadpool & Wolverine

• Deadpool joins the MCU: Yes, Deadpool is now part of the MCU — kind of. The TVA (you’ll remember them from “Loki”) offered to let him join it properly, on the same Earth and everything, but it would mean the destruction of his universe. So, while Wade Wilson would’ve loved to be “Marvel Jesus,” he couldn’t allow his friends and loved ones to be destroyed
• Logan and Laura are reunited: Again, this is a spot where we have to stipulate: “kind of.” The Wolverine in this universe is not the same Wolverine as in the 20th Century Fox “X-Men” or Logan films. That Logan is well and truly dead (Wade even uses his skeleton to beat the hell out of the TVA). This Logan is from another universe, where he failed his fellow mutants and is pretty universally hated. But he seemingly doesn’t go back to that universe in the end, and we see him and his daughter Laura (this one is from “Logan”) together at the end of the film
• Gambit lives: Channing Tatum tried for years to get a Gambit movie off the ground, but never could. So, Ryan Reynolds brought him into the fold with “Deadpool & Wolverine” (he also brought in Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Wesley Snipes’s Blade). And, in a deleted scene, there’s every possibility that he could jump to the MCU properly.
• Chris Evans returns — briefly: Sure, it’s as Johnny Storm and not Captain America, but it counts! He’s also promptly killed, so maybe don’t expect to see him again any time soon

Agatha All Along

• Wiccan joins the MCU: Though he’s introduced in the series as just “Teen,” thanks to a sigil blocking his identity, we eventually learn that Joe Locke’s character is Billy Maximoff, a.k.a. Wiccan. He just so happens to be the son of the Scarlet Witch
• Lady Death joins the MCU: We also get the introduction of Lady Death who, in the comics, was a love interest of Thanos. In the MCU though, she’s a love interest for Agatha Harkness (and Agatha has her whipped)
• Agatha Harkness dies: Sadly, Agatha sacrifices herself for Billy in the end, embracing a literal kiss of death (even though she swears it wasn’t a self-sacrifice, but just a “calculated risk”). Don’t worry though, Kathryn Hahn isn’t gone forever from the MCU. She’s a ghost now, and teamed up with Billy to go find his brother

Check back here after each Marvel release, as we’ll be updating this cheat sheet with more as it comes!