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Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, marks the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 18-film journey that began in 2008. Iron Man kicked off this universe with a billionaire playboy who grew a conscience after almost being killed in a terrorist attack. Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark used that experience and his tech knowledge to create an iron suit to defend himself and to fight against those who would use terror and power to subjugate the weak. Since then, the universe of heroes has grown in size from one "iron man" on Earth to an assembly of heroes who are gods, half gods, doctors of the mystic arts, humans with altered body chemistries, super soldiers, spies, a Black Panther, members of alien races, scientific experiments gone right and even a talking tree.

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Image via Marvel Studios

The villains have also grown in size and scope as we've gone from human villains in the business realm to anatagonists from other planets, dimensions, and now, with Thanos, other galaxies. Throughout these 18 films, Thanos has sought to acquire all six Infinity Stones to put into the Infinity Gauntlet and rule this galaxy. This pursuit as been ongoing in the background of nearly every Marvel movie thus far.

With Avengers: Infinity War, this pursuit will finally be the main focus of the movie. There has been a lot to take in over the course of this franchise and you can be forgiven for forgetting a few plot points or tidbits of information that are important in the big picture, so we decided to give you everything you need to know about the MCU before you walk into your local theater to see the 19th MCU film. In the video above, we break down every Avenger's status and path that brought them here and the location of five out of the six Infinity Stones that Thanos will be seeking.

And if after this video you still have more questions, be sure to check out our extensive MCU timeline, which puts all the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in chronological order.

Avengers: Infinity War officially opens on April 27th and also stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Letitia Wright, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karen Gillan and Josh Brolin.

For more on Infinity War, peruse links to our recent content below:

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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Marvel Studios