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Marvel is relentless when it comes to producing emotionally gripping superhero blockbusters. Avengers: Endgame was so heart-wrenching, it became the second highest-grossing film of all time ($2.8 billion). This record-breaker along with numerous other MCU movies make for some good hero nostalgia.
Stan Lee, along with other Marvel comic book geniuses like Jack Kirby, were the masterminds behind these epic superhero stories and brought them to life on screen with incredible cinematography. MCU movies not only include intricate storytelling abundant with pathos appeal, but these films also comprise groundbreaking and memorable “firsts” like Black Panther, Captain Marvel and the more recent Shang-Chi.
The First War Between Superheroes
Marvel goes avant-garde with superheroes fighting each other for the first time in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Captain America (Chris Evans) is the anti-government superhero up against Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), the pro-government regulation superhero. Iron Man fights alongside Black Panther, Vision, Black Widow, War Machine and Spider-Man. While Captain America retaliates with the help of Bucky, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Ant-Man.
It’s exciting, yet also off-putting to see this hero crossover escalate into a civil war. “Captain, you seem a little defensive.” Iron Man says as he walks hesitantly toward Captain America, who replies, “It’s been a long day.” Civil War is worth revisiting to see superheroes pit against one other, for the sarcastic one-liners, and to catch sight of the breakout appearances by Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther and Tom Holland as Spider-Man, knowing their future with MCU is certain.
The First Black Superhero and First Oscar win
The Black Panther superhero debuted in 1966 when Lee and Kirby created the character for the “Fantastic Four” comic book. Fifty-two years later Boseman pridefully vows “Wakanda Forever!” in Black Panther (2018). The movie earned Marvel its first Academy Award and three Oscars overall.
Boseman’s legacy will forever live on as the first Black superhero on film. He demonstrated pride as the eloquent and powerful T’Challa. Aside from the beautiful mountainous Wakanda and strong South African Xhosa accents, Boseman’s groundbreaking role had an impact on Black youthful audiences who, for the first time, saw a lead superhero with whom they could identify.
First MCU Superheroine Solo Film
Captain Marvel (2019) was the first-ever MCU superheroine with a lone movie, just two years after DC’s Wonder Woman with Gal Gadot. Academy Award winner Brie Larson brought Carol Danvers to life as the U.S. Air Force captain-turned-superhuman who defeats enemy Black Adam.
The coolest part about Captain Marvel is that she is the strongest Avenger. It’s worth noting her various superpowers, such as the absorbing of kinetic energy. This is an obvious correlation to female empowerment despite juggling so many hardships, including sexual assault and PTSD. Larson remains calm and stays true to the original 1967 Lee character. Captain Marvel’s success is proof for more female superhero leads to come.
The First MCU God: Thor and First Bromance
Chris Hemsworth was first cast as the hammer-slamming superhero in 2011. In Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor has convoluted trust issues with Loki and Hela, the evil god and goddess who stir up trouble in Asgard. A gladiatorial competition forces Thor to fight the ruling champion unbeknownst to him.
After seeing The Hulk in the ring, Thor happily realizes, “We know each other. He’s a friend from work!” The movie’s sarcastic bantering between Thor and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) becomes a lighthearted “Aren’t you adorable” bromance. And the movie is a metaphor for comic relief after the disturbing superhero Civil War battle the previous year.
Guarding the First Random Intergalactic Outlaws
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is a hilarious movie about a band of intergalactic outlaws. The story is based on the 1969 Marvel comic book created by Steve Englehart. Chris Pratt debuts as Peter Quill, the air-head Star-Lord superhero who plays nostalgic 80s music with his misfit camaraderie.
The funniest laugh out loud moment is when Star-Lord challenges the evil Ronan with a random “Dance-off Bro.” The tree-like Groot voiced by Vin Diesel endearingly says “We are Groot.” And Rocket Racoon voiced by Bradley Cooper adds, "That’s for when things get really hardcore. Or if you wanna blow up moons." The weird, yet intentional scripted dialogue make Guardians an influential film of the 21st century.
The First Face of Spider-Man
Tobey Maguire was the first Peter Parker in the Spider-Man films. Spider-Man (2002) is worth rewatching because of the budding sweet love triangle between Peter, his best friend Harry (James Franco) and MJ, played by Kirsten Dunst, whose ear-piercing scream is second to none.
But even more worth rewatching is the struggling metamorphosis of the most terrifying Marvel evil genius. Harry’s suspicious father Norman is played out brilliantly by Willem Dafoe, who alters himself into the cackling Green Goblin. This is a good refresher in seeing just how frightening the Green Goblin becomes surfing around NYC on his air rocket glider…and later reappear in No Way Home.
First movie in Phase Two of the MCU: Iron Man 3
Robert Downey, Jr. confidently plays Tony Stark, the mechanical engineer prodigy who helps save the world. Some say the fact that Iron Man 3 (2013) was Downey’s final solo Iron Man movie is why it was such a financial success, earning $1.2 billion worldwide. Iron Man 3 is considered the first movie in Phase Two of the MCU, even though Downey’s role is not being revived.
It’s both fascinating and sad to see the miserable Stark battle his own demons. He first seems to go stark mad when facing terrorists hired by Killian (Guy Pearce) who seeks revenge for being bullied by an intoxicated Tony Stark years ago. The most memorable quote is in the opening with Stark admitting: “We create our own demons.” Here, Stark confesses that he’s responsible for creating a lot of his life’s drama, setting the stage for upcoming struggles in Phase Two of the MCU.
The Epic Avengers: Endgame: #1 in MCU
Endgame (2019) is the highest-grossing Marvel film of all time because it includes a platform of resurrected superheroes who finally defeat Thanos (voice by Josh Brolin). This epic battle appropriately takes place in New York at the demolished ruins of the Avenger compound.
Grab the tissue box, again. This heart-wrenching finale will go down in history as the most emotionally exhausting, yet enthralling of them all. The three-hour battle epic ends a decade of MCU storylines where Iron Man sadly and necessarily sacrifices himself to kill off the biggest villain of MCU: Thanos. Coming full circle from his life’s demons, Stark’s memorable last words are “I’m sorry.”
Another First: Past Villains and Spider-men Reappear
2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most anticipated movie since the COVID-19 quarantine. It also ends in heartbreak but directs the young superhero (Holland) to a brighter future. Past villains strangely reappear, including Doctor Octopus, Lizard and Electro. Green Goblin (Dafoe) is revived as the archenemy, while Doctor Strange tilts the fate of all.
Nostalgic tributes of previous generations’ Spider-Men (Maguire and Andrew Garfield) give it a similar Endgame ‘power in numbers’ vibe. No Way Home, like Endgame, encompasses epic New York battle scenes with several emotional sad endings, making it a top-grossing film of all time. The story’s final scene shows Parker alone and forgotten, which is a beautiful allegory to perseverance for pandemic survivors and isolationists.
First Asian American MCU Superhero
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) is the first Asian American superhero lead in Marvel history, breaking barriers, just like Black Panther did with the first Black superhero lead. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is a Chinese American Kung-Fu master who struggles with the painful facts of his warlord father. Awkwafina plays his unassuming best friend Katy.
Like Black Panther, Shang-Chi inspires many young children underrepresented on screen in a superhero capacity. The Asian character started in Marvel comic books, but Dave Callaham rewrote the script to effectively address racial stereotypes and struggles that young Asian Americans face today. Shang-Chi says “I thought I could change my name. Start a new life. But, I could never escape his shadow.” This struggle between Shang-Chi and his father is symbolic of the Asian American identity struggle between the pride of their ancestral roots and the American lifestyle. The charming and hilarious Awkwafina keeps it real by saying, “You sound like my mom. You look like her too. Is that from Talbots?”