Marvel Cinematic Universe facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel Cinematic Universe intertitle from Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014)
Creator	Marvel Studios
Original work	Iron Man (2008)
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Print publications
Books	Marvel Cinematic Universe books
Novels	Marvel Cinematic Universe literary material
Comics	Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in comics
Films and television
Films	Marvel Cinematic Universe films
Short films	Marvel One-Shots
Television specials	Marvel Studios Special Presentations
Theatrical presentations
Musicals	Rogers: The Musical
Audio
Original music	Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Miscellaneous
Theme park attractions	Avengers Campus
Starring	Marvel Cinematic Universe cast members
In-universe elements	Characters Features Species Teams and organizations Timeline Multiverse
Official website
Movies on Marvel.com TV shows on Marvel.com

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a huge American media franchise. It is a shared universe built around superhero films. These films are made by Marvel Studios. The characters in these movies come from American comic books by Marvel Comics.

The MCU also includes many TV shows, short films, and digital series. This shared universe works like the original Marvel Universe in comic books. It connects stories, places, actors, and characters across different projects.

Marvel Studios releases its films in groups called "Phases." The first three phases are known as "The Infinity Saga." The next three phases are called "The Multiverse Saga." The first MCU film was Iron Man (2008). It started Phase One. This phase ended with the big team-up film The Avengers in 2012.

Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 (2013) and finished with Ant-Man (2015). Phase Three started with Captain America: Civil War (2016) and ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Black Widow (2021) was the first film in Phase Four. This phase ended with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Phase Five began with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). It will end with Thunderbolts* (2025). Phase Six will start with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). It will finish with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).

Marvel Television also made TV shows for the universe. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started on ABC in 2013. Later, shows came to streaming television on Netflix and Hulu. Some were also on cable television on Freeform. They also made the digital series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (2016).

Marvel Studios began making its own TV series for Disney+. WandaVision in 2021 was the first of these. It kicked off Phase Four. This phase also brought special TV presentations, like Werewolf by Night (2022). The MCU also has comic books and short films called Marvel One-Shots. These were released from 2011 to 2014.

The MCU has been very successful. It is one of the most successful media franchises ever. Critics have also given it good reviews. After the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame, Marvel started making a lot more content. Some projects did not do as well as expected. So, Marvel decided to make less content starting in 2024. The MCU has inspired other studios to create their own shared universes. It has also led to theme park rides, art shows, and video games.

Meet the MCU Characters
How the MCU Changed Movies
- Other Shared Universes
Images for kids
See also

Meet the MCU Characters

Further information: Characters, Film cast members (The Infinity Saga), television series cast (Marvel Studios and Marvel Television), Special Presentation cast members, One-Shot cast members, WHIH Newsfront cast members, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot cast members, and The Daily Bugle cast members

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least three MCU films/series and received main billing credit in at least two franchises.

A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the media, or that the character's presence has not yet been confirmed.

A ^P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
A ^V indicates a voice-only role.

Recurring cast members and characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character	Feature films	Television series and specials	Short films	Digital series	Animation
Ayo	Florence Kasumba
Bruce Banner Hulk	Edward Norton Lou Ferrigno Mark Ruffalo	Mark Ruffalo			Mark Ruffalo
Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier / White Wolf	Sebastian Stan				Sebastian Stan
Clint Barton Hawkeye / Ronin	Jeremy Renner				Jeremy Renner
Laura Barton	Linda Cardellini
Yelena Belova	Florence Pugh				Florence Pugh
Kate Bishop	Hailee Steinfeld				Hailee Steinfeld
Emil Blonsky Abomination	Tim Roth
Luke Cage		Mike Colter
Peggy Carter	Hayley Atwell				Hayley Atwell
Sharon Carter Agent 13 / Power Broker	Emily VanCamp				Emily VanCamp
Frank Castle Punisher		Jon Bernthal
Phil Coulson	Clark Gregg
Carol Danvers Captain Marvel	Brie Larson				Alexandra Daniels
Drax the Destroyer	Dave Bautista				Fred Tatasciore
Hope van Dyne Wasp	Evangeline Lilly				Evangeline Lilly
Wilson Fisk Kingpin		Vincent D'Onofrio			Vincent D'Onofrio
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Nick Fury	Samuel L. Jackson				Samuel L. Jackson
Gamora	Zoë Saldaña				Cynthia McWilliams
Groot	Vin Diesel				Fred Tatasciore
Justin Hammer	Sam Rockwell		Sam Rockwell		Sam Rockwell
Agatha Harkness		Kathryn Hahn			Kathryn Hahn
Heimdall	Idris Elba				Idris Elba
Maria Hill	Cobie Smulders				Cobie Smulders
Happy Hogan	Jon Favreau				Jon Favreau
Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel	Iman Vellani				Iman Vellani
Misty Knight		Simone Missick
Korath	Djimon Hounsou				Djimon Hounsou
Scott Lang Ant-Man	Paul Rudd			Paul Rudd
Darcy Lewis	Kat Dennings				Kat Dennings
Loki	Tom Hiddleston				Tom Hiddleston
Mantis	Pom Klementieff
Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch	Elizabeth Olsen				Elizabeth Olsen
Matt Murdock Daredevil	Charlie Cox				Charlie Cox
Nebula	Karen Gillan				Karen Gillan
Foggy Nelson		Elden Henson
Okoye	Danai Gurira				Danai Gurira Kenna Ramsey
Karen Page		Deborah Ann Woll
May Parker	Marisa Tomei				Kari Wahlgren
Peter Parker Spider-Man	Tom Holland			Tom Holland	Hudson Thames
Pepper Potts	Gwyneth Paltrow				Beth Hoyt
Hank Pym	Michael Douglas				Michael Douglas
Peter Quill Star-Lord	Chris Pratt				Brian T. Delaney
Monica Rambeau	Akira Akbar Teyonah Parris	Teyonah Parris			Teyonah Parris
Ramonda	Angela Bassett				Angela Bassett
Danny Rand Iron Fist		Finn Jones
James Rhodes War Machine / Iron Patriot	Terrence Howard Don Cheadle	Don Cheadle			Don Cheadle
Rocket	Bradley Cooper
Steve Rogers Captain America	Chris Evans				Josh Keaton
Natasha Romanoff Black Widow	Scarlett Johansson				Lake Bell
Everett K. Ross	Martin Freeman
Thaddeus Ross Red Hulk	William Hurt Harrison Ford				Mike McGill
Erik Selvig	Stellan Skarsgård
Alexei Shostakov Red Guardian	David Harbour				David Harbour
Shuri Black Panther	Letitia Wright				Ozioma Akagha
Trevor Slattery	Ben Kingsley
Howard Stark	Gerard Sanders John Slattery Dominic Cooper	Dominic Cooper			Dominic Cooper John Slattery
Tony Stark Iron Man	Robert Downey Jr.				Mick Wingert
Dr. Stephen Strange	Benedict Cumberbatch				Benedict Cumberbatch Robin Atkin Downes
Talos	Ben Mendelsohn
T'Challa Black Panther	Chadwick Boseman				Chadwick Boseman
Claire Temple		Rosario Dawson
Thor	Chris Hemsworth		Chris Hemsworth		Chris Hemsworth
Ultron	James Spader Ross Marquand	James Spader			Ross Marquand
Valkyrie	Tessa Thompson				Tessa Thompson
Vision J.A.R.V.I.S.	Paul Bettany				Paul Bettany
John Walker Captain America / U.S. Agent	Wyatt Russell				Wyatt Russell
Riri Williams Ironheart	Dominique Thorne				Dominique Thorne
Sam Wilson Falcon / Captain America	Anthony Mackie				Anthony Mackie
Colleen Wing		Jessica Henwick
Wong	Benedict Wong				Benedict Wong David Chen
Jimmy Woo	Randall Park				Randall Park

Paul Bettany was the first actor to play two main roles. He voiced J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark's artificial intelligence. He also played Vision. J. K. Simmons was the first actor to play a character from outside the MCU. He played J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home. He had played this role in the Spider-Man movies from 2002 to 2007.

Before he passed away in 2018, Stan Lee made many cameo appearances. He created or co-created many Marvel characters. He appeared in almost all the MCU films and TV shows. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Lee appeared as an informant to the Watchers. He talked about his past cameos in other MCU films. This made fans wonder if he was playing the same character every time. Marvel Studios decided not to create new Stan Lee cameos after his death.

How the MCU Changed Movies

After The Avengers came out in 2012, shared universes became popular. Before this, the idea of connecting many movies was rare in Hollywood. Marvel Studios showed that this approach could be very successful. Other film studios started to copy this model. They wanted to create their own connected movie worlds.

Some people wondered if too many superhero movies would make audiences tired. But the MCU has kept its quality. Each film works well on its own. It also cleverly hints at its place in the larger story. This is why the MCU has been so successful for over a decade.

Other Shared Universes

Other studios tried to build their own shared universes.

DC Comics and Warner Bros.

DC Comics also has many famous superheroes like Batman and Superman. Warner Bros. Pictures wanted to create a shared universe for them. They released Man of Steel in 2013. This was meant to start their new universe. DC also had TV shows like Arrow and The Flash. These were in a separate universe from the movies.

Some critics felt that DC's first team-up movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), struggled. They said it focused too much on setting up future movies. It did not focus enough on telling a good story on its own. Later, DC decided to focus more on individual films. They wanted each movie to stand on its own. They also started making films completely separate from their main universe. An example is the Joker movie.

20th Century Fox and Marvel Characters

20th Century Fox also owned rights to Marvel characters like the Fantastic Four and X-Men. In 2012, they planned to create their own shared universe. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) was their first step. However, the Fantastic Four reboot film (2015) was not in the same universe as the X-Men films. The creators felt it would be too complicated.

Critics noted that Fox's efforts to build a larger world were not as strong as Marvel's. The X-Men film series was seen as inconsistent. In 2019, Disney bought 21st Century Fox. This meant the rights to Deadpool, X-Men, and Fantastic Four characters returned to Marvel Studios.

Sony Pictures and Spider-Man

Sony Pictures owned the rights to Spider-Man. They tried to expand their Amazing Spider-Man film series. They planned spin-off movies for characters like Venom and the Sinister Six. This was an attempt to copy Marvel's success.

However, Sony decided not to introduce individual characters first. Instead, they made Spider-Man's enemies the stars of future films. In 2015, Sony and Marvel Studios made a deal. Spider-Man would join the MCU. Marvel Studios would help make the new Spider-Man films. Sony would still own and distribute them. This meant the Amazing Spider-Man 2 sequels were canceled.

Sony then started a new shared universe called the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). This universe was separate from the MCU. It included films like Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). This movie hinted at Venom joining the MCU. This was confirmed in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). That film also brought back older versions of Spider-Man. These were played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Critics said Sony's early attempts to copy the MCU failed. They felt The Amazing Spider-Man 2 focused too much on setting up future movies. It did not tell a strong story on its own.

Images for kids

Kevin Feige helped conceive a shared media universe of Marvel properties.
Jeph Loeb led Marvel Television and served as executive producer of every television series on ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform
Joss Whedon was a significant contributor to the MCU's Phase Two: he offered creative insight to all of the films; launched the first MCU television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; and wrote and directed the crossover film Avengers: Age of Ultron.