The Marvel Era

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, and a post-credits scene with Nick Fury hints that every Marvel movie will connect. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) begins.

For about $4 billion.

The heroes team up for the first time and prove the shared-universe idea works.

The first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture. It wins three Oscars and becomes a cultural moment.

The finale of the first big saga becomes, for a while, the highest-grossing film ever, until Avatar takes the crown back after a 2021 re-release. Martin Scorsese compares Marvel movies to theme parks the same year.

Disney+ shows, multiverses and a lot of releases. The Marvels (2023) becomes the lowest-grossing MCU film, and "superhero fatigue" becomes a headline.

It becomes the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the MCU, this time as the villain Doctor Doom.