Iron Man (2008)
Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark builds himself a suit of armor after he is taken captive by a terrorist organization. Free from his captors, he decides to upgrade and don his armor in order to hunt down weapons that were sold under the table, becoming a superhero known as "Iron Man".
In April 2006, Marvel hired Jon Favreau to direct Iron Man,[1] with the writing teams of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby writing competing scripts.[1] Favreau consolidated both into one script, which was then polished by John August.[2] Robert Downey Jr. was cast to star as Tony Stark / Iron Man in September 2006. Principal photography began on March 12, 2007, with the first few weeks spent on Stark's captivity in Afghanistan, which was filmed in Inyo County, California. Production also occurred on the former Hughes Airport soundstages in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, with additional filming at Edwards Air Force Base and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Iron Man premiered at the Greater Union theater in George Street, Sydney, on April 14, 2008. It was released internationally on April 30, and in the United States on May 2.
The film ends with a post-credits scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, who approaches Stark regarding the "Avenger Initiative". Favreau said he included the scene as "a little tip of the hat for the fans... a way to sort of tee up The Avengers". Jackson was only on set for a day, with a skeleton crew used to prevent the news of his cameo appearance from being leaked. Captain America's shield is also visible in the background of a scene; it was added by an Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) artist as a joke, and Favreau decided to leave it in the film.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
After being exposed to gamma radiation that causes him to transform into the monstrous Hulk, scientist Bruce Banner goes on the run and isolates himself from his love, Betty Ross. Hunted by the U.S. military, Banner seeks to cure himself and prevent his condition from being weaponized.
After gaining the film rights to Hulk from Universal, except for the distribution rights, Marvel chose not to move forward with a sequel to director Ang Lee's 2003 film Hulk. Instead, Marvel hired Louis Leterrier to direct a reboot titled The Incredible Hulk. Leterrier initially turned down the job out of respect for Lee, but later reconsidered and signed on.[3] The script was written by Zak Penn, who drafted a treatment for the 2003 film. In April 2006, Edward Norton entered negotiations to portray Bruce Banner and rewrite Penn's script, although Penn received sole credit for the screenplay.[4] Production began on July 9, 2007, and filming primarily took place in Toronto, with additional filming in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. The Incredible Hulk premiered at the Gibson Amphitheatre on June 8, 2008, and was released theatrically on June 13.
The film takes place simultaneously with the events of Iron Man 2 and Thor, the former of which is set six months after the events of Iron Man.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
After the events of Iron Man, during which Tony Stark publicly reveals himself to be the superhero Iron Man, the U.S. government demands Stark hand over his technology. Rival industrialist Justin Hammer and Russian scientist Ivan Vanko conspire to use Stark's own technology against him.
Development on a sequel to Iron Man began in May 2008 after the success of the first film. Favreau returned as director,[5] and Justin Theroux was hired to write the screenplay based on a story by Favreau and Downey.[6] In October 2008, Downey signed a new four-picture deal—retroactively including the first film—to reprise his role. Don Cheadle was hired to replace Terrence Howard as Stark's friend James Rhodes. Jackson signed on to reprise his role as Nick Fury from the first film's post-credits scene in up to nine films, and Scarlett Johansson was cast as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in a multi-film commitment. Principal photography began on April 6, 2009, at the Pasadena Masonic Temple in Pasadena, California. The majority of filming took place at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, California. Other locations included Edwards Air Force Base, Monaco, and the Sepulveda Dam. Iron Man 2 premiered at the El Capitan Theatre
Thor (2011)
Thor, crown prince of Asgard, is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers after he reignites a dormant war. As his brother, Loki, plots to take the throne, Thor must prove himself worthy and reclaim his hammer Mjolnir.
Mark Protosevich was hired to develop a script for Thor in April 2006, after the rights were acquired from Sony Pictures.[1] In August 2007, Marvel hired Matthew Vaughn to direct the film, but he exited the project in May 2008. In September, Kenneth Branagh entered into negotiations to replace Vaughn.[7] Chris Hemsworth was in negotiations to portray the title character in May 2009, and Tom Hiddleston was set to play his brother, Loki. Both actors were contracted for several films. Marvel hired the writing team of Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz to write a new script for the film, which was then rewritten by Don Payne.[8] Production began on January 11, 2010, in Los Angeles, California, before moving to Galisteo, New Mexico
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
In 1943, Steve Rogers is deemed physically unfit to enlist in the U.S. Army and fight the German Reich in World War II. Recruited for a secret military operation, he is physically transformed into a super-soldier dubbed "Captain America" and must battle the Red Skull, head of a Nazi science division known as Hydra.
In April 2006, Marvel hired David Self to write the script for a Captain America film.[1] Joe Johnston signed on to direct in November 2008,[9] and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely were hired to rewrite the script.[10] In March 2010, Chris Evans was cast as Captain America and Hugo Weaving was cast as the Red Skull. Additional castings included Sebastian Stan as Rogers's friend Bucky Barnes and Hayley Atwell as Rogers's love interest Peggy Carter. Production began on June 28, 2010, in the United Kingdom, with locations in London, Caerwent
The Avengers (2012)
S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury gathers the superheroes Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to stop Thor's brother Loki from subjugating the Earth.
The Incredible Hulk writer Zak Penn was hired to write The Avengers in June 2007. Joss Whedon closed a deal in April 2010 to direct the film and rework Penn's script.[11] Marvel announced that Edward Norton would not be reprising the role of Bruce Banner / Hulk, and Mark Ruffalo was cast in his place in July. Downey, Evans, Hemsworth, Johansson, Renner, Hiddleston, and Jackson reprised their respective roles from previous films. Principal photography began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August, and New York City in September. The Avengers premiered on April 11, 2012, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was released in the U.S. on May 4.
Gwyneth Paltrow, who portrayed Pepper Potts in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, was included in the film at Downey's insistence. Prior to this, Whedon did not intend to include supporting characters from the heroes' individual films, saying, "You need to separate the characters from their support systems in order to create the isolation you need for a team." Gregg also returns as Phil Coulson, along with Maximiliano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell from Thor. The supervillain Thanos is introduced in a mid-credits scene, portrayed by Damion Poitier.
