Ok, hands up who thought Marvel would make it this far? Right, now put your hand down if you’re drunk and/or lying.

Thought so.

I doubt there are many out there who haven't questioned the validity of what Marvel were doing at least once through the years. Questioning the sanity of launching and maintaining a sprawling, intricately connected, massively expensive cinematic universe with no prior experience as a studio and all their most bankable characters locked up elsewhere. I'm not even sure Marvel themselves truly knew what they were getting themselves into at the time.

Yet here we are, eleven years and twenty-one films on from Tony Stark busting out of that terrorist cave and announcing himself as Iron Man to the world and while it’s been a long, winding road, Marvel Studios are looking in better shape now than they’ve ever been.

Many pretenders to the superhero crown have come and gone but Marvel have stood firm, stayed true to their roots, learnt from their mistakes, and blossomed into one of the most lucrative, creative, and reliably entertaining franchises in the game.

With Thanos and his gauntlet sunning it up on a farm somewhere in the outer reaches of the galaxy and with the Marvel Cinematic Universe endgame now upon us, this feels like the perfect opportunity to take a little breather, dust down those Blu-rays, convince your wife that this is a completely sane thing to do, and take a little trip down memory lane to assess what the MCU has offered up over the past decade and a bit.

So, lock those Infinity Stones away, suit up accordingly, and join me for the ride.

WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS UP AHEAD!

The birth of a universe. The MCU big bang, if you will.

With nothing but a wing and a prayer, Marvel took one of their more obscure, B-list characters and made him a bona fide star.

There have been many key moments in the MCU (of which you’ll hear about shortly), but this is the granddaddy of them all. For a comic book company to go out on their own and become a fully-fledged film studio is pretty ballsy as it is, but to kick things off with a character few outside of the comic community could identify in a police line-up, played by an actor on his last legs, was bordering on suicidal.

The fact that it worked and worked well, launching an entire universe in the process, put down a marker for both themselves and the rest of the film industry to follow.

Sure, it hits many of the beats that would become commonplace in superhero movies for the next decade, but Iron Man got there first and owned it. Watching it back, it’s just such a well-structured and well-executed superhero origin tale that it’s easy to forget how hard the film had to work to produce something that now appears so simple.

As for Robert Downey Jr - he simply is Tony Stark and Tony Stark is Robert Downey Jr. Though there were stories that Tom Cruise was considered for the role, in hindsight, there’s absolutely no way anyone else could've been cast. After years of circling the Hollywood plug hold, this was Downey Jr’s last shot at redemption and boy did he take it.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The surprisingly sweet chemistry between Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow

• The novelty of seeing the Paramount logo at the start (Disney wouldn't buy Marvel for a good year after the release of Iron Man)

• Jeff Bridges in superbly nefarious form as Obadiah Stone, one of the most underrated villains of the entire MCU and the one that started it all

• Paul Bettany’s voice

• John Favreau’s pitch-perfect direction

• The oddity of seeing Terrance Howard as Rhodey

• Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson and remembering how you assumed the character was totally disposable at the time

• That very first post-credits scene and remembering how your little nerd brain went into meltdown the second Sam Jackson utters the words ‘Avenger Initiative’

Score: 9 pithy J.A.R.V.I.S. put-downs out of 10

Like the MCU ginger stepchild, The Incredible Hulk has become that one film in the franchise I’m sure Kevin Feige would rather just keep locked under the stairs. Which, upon reflection, feels a tad unfair.

When all is said and done, there’s nothing inherently wrong with The Incredible Hulk as a film, in fact it’s miles better than the Ang Lee version. It’s a very solid take on the character that cleverly side-steps the tired origin story to throw us straight into the action and into Bruce Banner's volatile rage. It’s more that it just feels so low-key and out of step with everything that’s come since.

Released almost immediately after Iron Man, you can clearly see Marvel continuing to figure things out and throw around ideas that would later solidify into the MCU proper. As it is, there’s something very rudimentary about the whole thing and it fails to pack much of a punch.

As the forgotten star of the MCU, Ed Norton does a steady job as a very subdued and (understandably) zen Banner, although it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’re in a far better place now with Mark Ruffalo behind the big green wheel.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Seeing Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and realising she hasn't been in anything for yonks

• William Hurt as General Ross - pretty much the only actor here we’ll see again

• Tim Roth being creepy Tim Roth. Always a bonus

• The Abomination looking like almost every other blockbuster monster ever

• The final throwdown in Harlem. It’s great and adequately brutal but you can clearly see why Marvel needed to move away from the idea of two hulking CGI creations duking it out in the street. All the smashy, crashy stuff does get pretty old, pretty fast

• Lou Ferrigno, Paul Soles, and the late Bill Bixby popping up in some great little cameos. A lovely nod to past incarnations of The Hulk

• That bar room chat between Tony Stark and General Ross at the end and the moment we all started believing this universe thing was more than just a pipe-dream

Score: 6 gamma-infected fizzy drinks out of 10

Ah yes, Iron Man 2. The moment where the Marvel Cinematic Universe really starts to click into gear…for better or worse.

While its genuinely gratifying to see the universe come together, the idea of the Avengers Initiative grow, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. connections begin to bear fruit; they’re all undermined by a weak sauce plot and the apparent need to force the whole MCU thing with little care or attention.

Iron Man 2 isn’t a bad film, but neither is it a great one and considering everything that’s happened since, I’m not sure anyone will be will look back on it with any great fondness.

Like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 suffers from Marvel Studios continuing to figure everything out and has a distinct whiff of rush-job about it as the fledgling studio races to cash in on Iron Man's success and the need to build up to The Avengers.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Robert Downey Jr solidifying himself as Tony Stark

• The expansion of Stark’s relationship with his late father. A recurring motif that will pop up again and again throughout the MCU

• The new Rhodey. I feel a bit bad for Terrance Howard being dumped but Don Cheadle just owns the role

• More Samuel L. Jackson

• Coulson becoming the badass we all knew he could be

• Sam Rockwell at peak-Rockwell. No one does desperate creep like Sam Rockwell. I hold out hope that we will see Justin Hammer again one day

• Mickey Rourke being…ok. I guess. Not one of Marvel’s greatest villains, but kind of fun in a parrot-loving, toothpick-chewing, dodgy Russian accent kind of way

• Black Widow’s first appearance, although I’m really not sure about her portrayal at this point. The way she's shot just feels too pervy for comfort

• The mixed action. The F1 suitcase set piece is a cracking bit of action cinema, however the final showdown ends up a bit of a wet fart

Score: 6 Sam Rockwell dance routines out of 10

Now, I’ve talked about brave decisions before and while kicking off your universe with a faded Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man is a big one, taking on something as intrinsically bizarre as Thor ranks right up there at the top.

After the relative grounding of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Marvel certainly look to step up the weirdness with this one...and it works. Care and attention have really been put in by Marvel and director Kenneth Branagh to make the high-fantasy world of Frost Giants and Norse gods both plausible and thoroughly satisfying as a cinematic spectacle.

After the slight misstep with Ed Norton, Marvel are back on form with their casting as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston both knock it out of the park, with the latter quickly becoming the most notable and fully rounded villains of the entire MCU.

Less convincing, however, is the Earth-bound side of the story. The whole fish out of water thing with Thor works well enough, operating as natural source of humour and drama but, apart from Stellan Skarsgård, everyone else falls flat. In particular Natalie Portman, who never really convinces as Jane Foster or looks like she actually wants to be there.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The severe lack of chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman. After Downey Jr and Paltrow, the on-screen relationship between our two leads here is a big let down

• Asgard looking incredible and fully-realised

• The notable increase in CGI from previous efforts, as Marvel become increasingly confident with their visual storytelling

• Those ridiculous blond eyebrows on Chris Hemsworth. Glad they phased those monstrosities out

• The first appearance of an Infinity Stone

• Sir Kenneth Branagh - one of the true unsung heroes of the MCU. In true Sir Ken style, he turns Thor into a massive Shakespearean drama and, against all the odds, it works

• Realising that, without Branagh’s steady hand, Thor could've easily fallen on its face and thrown the entire MCU off course before it even got started

Score: 7 heartily smashed coffee mugs out of 10

So, how do you go about convincing the world that a stars and stripes-wearing, jacked-up boy scout isn’t an absolutely ridiculous character? Well, much like Thor, you strip him back to his essence, be mindful of modern sensibilities, and go from there.

By dispensing with all the flag waving and overzealous patriotism, Marvel Studios have crafted a truly universal hero and a champion for the little guy we can all relate to, regardless of your nationality or background.

The period setting is a riot and feels like a nice break from the very modern outings we’ve seen so far. The World War II backdrop also adds a tangible emotional anchor to the entire thing and there’s a real swashbuckling, Indiana Jones vibe to the action that feels pretty satisfying, especially with Cap in full-on Nazi-punching (sorry…Hydra-punching) mode.

Quite frankly, I’d forgotten how much fun Captain America: The First Avenger is. There’s nothing particularly complicated about the film at all. It’s just a simple, broad, old-fashioned superhero ride from start to finish and ranks second only to Iron Man in my MCU standings thus far.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Marvel nailing the casting again with Chris Evans

• Weedy Steve Rogers still being unintentionally hilarious

• Hydra as the perfect bad guys. Near enough to Nazis to be detestable, yet far enough away to be fun

• Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. Although that makeup must have been a killer to work in

• The best supporting cast so far. Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, and the various members of the Howling Commandos are all superb, but Hayley Atwell steals the show

• Peggy Carter may be one of the best characters in the MCU. Why the hell did they cancel Agent Carter again?

• Alan Silvestri’s sorely underrated score and Cap’s fantastically old school theme

• The Tesseract getting an origin story

• How wonderfully cheesy the whole thing is

• The post-credits scene. Cap…a busted punching bag…Nick Fury…a full-blown freaking Avengers trailer. THE BLOODY AVENGERS!!! They’re doing it! They’re only bloody doing it!

Score: 8 heroic grenade jumps out of 10

The big one.

After all the build-up, I can’t begin to imagine how much pressure Marvel were under to get this one right. If this had tanked in any way, it could’ve sent the entire MCU into a tailspin, and who knows where we’d be right now.

In hindsight, it all looks so effortless, yet it was anything but at the time. With the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders, it's nothing short of a miracle that director Joss Whedon not only managed to pull it all off, but did so in style. To keep that many plates spinning while delivering perhaps the most out-and-out enjoyable film of the entire MCU is, quite frankly, astonishing.

It may not be the deepest MCU outing so far, but it’s certainly the most satisfying.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Realising that, no matter what goes on in the MCU from this point, nothing will beat the feeling as a comic book fan of watching that 360 shot of the team amidst the heat of battle in New York. A genuine, air-punching moment if ever there was one

• The pure, unadulterated joy of seeing your favourite characters interact for the first time. If you can't dig that, you're officially dead inside

• The outrageous and gorgeous action on display, especially during the big showdown in New York

• The continuation of Loki as the premiere villain of the MCU

• The birth of Thanos as the big bad of the MCU

• The first real exploration and explanation of what an Infinity Stone is

• Really fancying a shawarma by the end

• Puny god

Score: 9 references that Cap understands out of 10

So, you’ve pulled off the biggest superhero movie of all time? Fantastic. How do you even attempt to top that? If you’re Marvel Studios, the answer is…you don’t.

Still on a high from the extraordinary success of The Avengers, Marvel initially looked to be playing it safe with a third Iron Man film, yet this totally isn’t the third Iron Man film we were all expecting.

By taking Tony Stark almost completely out of the suit and away from his alter ego, performing a top to bottom deconstruction of his character, all while tackling the subjects of PTSD and military sacrifice; Iron Man 3 is a film absolutely determined to be its own thing and it all holds up surprisingly well on repeat viewing.

As the MCU’s first trilogy completion, Iron Man 3 marks a slight tonal shift in the universe, as it edges towards something a little darker. With a hero we once saw as indestructible becoming just as fallible as the rest of us, this a good marker for when the MCU began to dig a little deeper into what it truly means to be a superhero and the result is something far more satisfying than I first gave it credit for.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The most auteur-driven MCU film to date. From the nourish voice-over to the snowy Christmas setting, this is as much a Shane Black film as Lethal Weapon or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ever were

• That Mandarin twist. Personally, I’ve got absolutely no problem with it, although I know a lot do, which is fine, but I think its an absolute doozy and I clearly remember being genuinely surprised by it at the time

• Ben Kingsley switching it up from terrifying angel of the death to a drunk lovey with consummate ease. Not many out there can do that

• The less successful half of the Mandarin twist. Guy Pierce’s Aldrich Killian being revealed as the true big bad really doesn’t connect the way it should and the character kind of just tails off after that

• That kid playing the classic Shane Black buddy to Tony Stark

• Rhodey and Pepper getting a little more character padding

• The film all-but becoming Tony Stark 3. For all intents and purposes, this is about the man behind the mask, as it delves deep into how that city-saving moment in The Avengers has affected Stark as a human being

• The sheer number of Iron Men getting in on the action at the end. It’s completely bonkers, but in the best possible way

Score: 8 bizarre Croydon mentions out of 10

Argh. Just as you think Marvel are on a roll, they go and do this.

While nowhere near a bad film, Thor: The Dark World is a real let-down after the strength of the previous efforts and feels like a real backwards step from Thor.

Although spending more time on Asgard is certainly welcome, almost everything on Earth falls flat. With all the grating zaniness of the side characters and the chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman at an all-time low, things just don’t click and it ends up dragging down the entire film. And that’s before you get to the utter non-entity of Christopher Ecclestone’s Malakith.

Against all the odds, however, Thor: The Dark World is a genuinely fun film, with some fantastic action and many wonderful character moments between Thor and Loki that manage to pull the movie back from the brink of darkness just as it looks to consume everything.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Malakith - the nadir of MCU villainy. With cliched motivations and a wholly forgettable presence, the Dark Elf finds himself rooted to the bottom of the Marvel bad guy pile

• The impressive final fight and the glee of seeing it all take place 10 minutes walk from your house

• Remembering the cheer that went out at the Picturehouse Greenwich when it was proclaimed that SE10 is the centre of the universe. Which It is, obviously

• How much those terrible Underground directions still bug me as Thor materialises at Charing Cross tube station and asks how to get back to Greenwich

• Still not quite understanding what the Aether does

• The surprisingly touching way Frigga’s death is dealt with. Love me a good Viking funeral

Score: 6 wildly inaccurate tube directions out of 10

Now we’re talking. Captain America: The Winter Soldier not only sees the MCU delve further into the sombre subject matter Iron Man 3 initially explored, but shows just how committed Marvel are to rocking the boat when necessary.

We’ve already seen a wide variety of genres nodded to by the MCU so far but, by and large, the films have all turned out to be in the traditional superhero mould. This feels different, as The Winter Soldier operates primarily as a conspiracy thriller, with subterfuge and treachery lurking around every corner and Cap’s entire worldview turned upside down. This is the first time Marvel have fully embraced the potential of using other genres to their advantage and it feels particularly refreshing.

This is by far the most solemn MCU entry so far and deftly tackles some pertinent real-world issues, all while retaining that patented Marvel sense of fun. It's a tough trick to pull off but the balance here is perfect.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The evolution of Cap as a human and a hero

• Marvel’s ballsy move to turn everything we thought we knew about the MCU on its head. The Winter Soldier should be thrown up as an example any time someone accuses Marvel of constantly playing it safe

• Hydra's covert infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its ramifications for the wider universe. After everything we’ve gone thorough over the past 8 films, this curve-ball feels genuinely unsettling as we find ourselves reassessing everyone and everything we once knew

• Any lingering doubts about Chris Evans as Steve Rogers being put to bed. The man embodies everything the character should be

• Seeing Scarlet Johansson given more to do than flip around in a super-tight cat suit

• Anthony Mackie getting his wings

• Samuel L. Jackson killing it in his best MCU role to date

• The Winter Soldier being so damn cool (you know, in a deadly, brainwashed assassin kind of way)

• Robert Redford as the most criminally overlooked MCU villain since Jeff Bridges

• The most brutal and kinetic fight choreography so far

• Joe and Anthony Russo. Where the hell did they pull this from?! As awesome as Community and Arrested Development are, there’s no way anyone saw them stepping up their directing game from sitcoms to this

Score: 9 whispered Hail Hydras out of 10

And here we go again. Just when you thought Marvel were getting comfortable, they pull a wise-cracking raccoon and a talking tree on us. Marvel changing the game has become so routine at this point it’s starting to get silly.

On paper, there’s no way in hell a space opera about a Z-list team of intergalactic a-holes should work in any form. Sure, we’ve been to Asgard, seen alien invasions in New York and London, and come face-to-purple face with Thanos; but Guardians of the Galaxy's weirdness is on a whole new level entirely. Yet, while absolutely everyone had this pegged as the MCU’s first flop, nothing could be further from the truth.

At the end of the day, Guardians of the Galaxy is just all-out, slightly silly, cosmic fun and, after the increasing seriousness of Phase 2, this feels like a nice little palette cleanser as we’re blasted off into a completely different corner of the universe altogether.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The film’s ultimate success showing just what can be achieved within the Marvel Cinematic Universe if you’re brave

• James Gunn. I’m really not sure Guardians would be what it is without Gunn in the director’s chair. His passion, filmmaking nous, and deep knowledge of the source material shine through in every scene

• The cracking cast and Chris Pratt's big breakthrough. I’m still gutted he had to pause Parks & Rec for this, but I’ll forgive him

• The Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and how it single-handedly reignited everyone’s love of a good soundtrack

• Ronan still coming across very one dimensional, however, Lee Pace does his best with what he’s given

• The intro of another Infinity Stone and a key bit of exposition on what on earth the things are

• Our second intro to Thanos

• I am Groot

Score: 9 unnecessary prosthetic legs out of 10

At the time, I was adamant that Age of Ultron was a better film than The Avengers. I was clearly wrong.

It’s a good, solid action film that ups the ante on many of the things that made The Avengers so great, yet it’s far too confused for its own good. Age of Ultron feels like Marvel returning to the bad habits that dogged Iron Man 2, as they feel obliged to shoehorn in so many universe-building elements that it all feels rather forced and unsatisfying.

Despite this, Joss Whedon just about holds it together to pull off the same trick as before by skilfully juggling all the key players and allowing each of them their time to shine. It may be a mess, but it’s damn fun mess.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Hawkeye. After his shafting in The Avengers, it’s great to see Jeremy Renner be given a little more to do this time around

• Paul Bettany being upgraded from J.A.R.V.I.S. to Vision

• The Maximoff twins being pretty cool additions to the team, although it’s a shame Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver ultimately got upstaged by his X-Men counterpart

• Ultron being far better than I remember. While he lacks menace, I honestly feel he’s one of the better MCU villains and James Spader’s voice work really makes the character pop

• Whatever the hell that Thor hot tub scene was about

• That party scene. That's the kind of irreverent character-building moment Marvel does so well

• The Hulkbuster fight scene and Bruce Banner coming to terms with his true destructive potential

• One of my favourite Stan Lee cameos. Excssshelsior!

• The Mind Stone is here folks. The endgame edges one step closer

Score: 7 shots of 1,000-year-old Asgardian moonshine out of 10

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe ballooning at a rate of knots, it takes a hero like Ant-Man to shrink things down and make it personal once again.

While it’s certainly a strange choice to round off Phase 2, Ant-Man acts as a nice little segue from all the world-ending Avengers shenanigans and sees itself up there with Guardians of the Galaxy as one of the most unreservedly fun instalments in the franchise.

Plagued with all kinds of production issues, Ant-Man looked for all the world like a bomb but, while it’s far from perfect, its heist angle, charming humour, lovable characters, and unique visuals feel like a breath of fresh air at a time when repetition was beginning to creep into the franchise.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The old director. While we’ll never know what an Edgar Wright-directed Ant-Man looks like, I still feel there’s enough of his flavour still in the film to keep things interesting

• The new director. The job Peyton Reed did in turning a would-be flop into an incredibly entertaining film is not to be understated

• The refreshingly small-scale plot (quite literally at times), although it does end up feeling a bit lightweight at times

• Paul Rudd’s unsung heroics. His casting as Ant-Man/Scott Lang is one of those casting choices that feels so far out of left field that it makes perfect sense

• Michael Douglas’s surprising comedy chops

• Evangeline Lilly’s unsurprising ass-kicking chops. Can’t wait to finally see her headline in Ant-Man and the Wasp

• Any scene with Michael Peña in it

• Those eye-popping shrinking visuals

• The trippyness of the Quantum Realm

• The final showdown in Cassie’s bedroom. It’s up there with the most entertaining fight sequences in the MCU

• Thomas the Tank Engine never looking more terrifying

• Baskin Robbins always finding out

Score: 7 Quantum Realm freak-outs out of 10

Some will argue that Civil War is less Captain America 3 and more Avengers 2.5 but, while I respect their opinion, they’re quite clearly wrong.

True, we have more characters involved here than either of the two full-fat Avengers movies, yet this is fundamentally Cap’s story and the culmination of an arc many films in the making.

If anything, this is both the final entry in the Steve Rogers trilogy and the next chapter in the Avengers story, as the Russo brothers effortlessly juggle multiple story lines and characters, all while keeping their focus squarely on the man behind the shield.

Hands down my favourite MCU entry, Captain America: Civil War has absolutely everything. It’s got a genuinely chin-scratching dilemma at its heart, a deeply personal conflict between two founding Avengers to hang the drama on, introduces us to shiny new heroes like Black Panther and Spider-Man, delivers some of the best fight choreography in the MCU, and offers up one of the most subversive villains out there.

That’s a hell of a lot to stuff into any film, yet the Russos do it in style, and this, more than anything else, gives me great hope that, in their safe hands, Endgame is going to crush it.

Additional shout-outs to…

• T’Challa and Peter Parker being so seamlessly introduced that you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d been in the MCU for years

• Black Panther coming damn close to stealing the show from under Cap’s nose

• Smart-casual Vision

• Remembering being staunchly Team Cap at first but finding myself becoming more Team Tony with every subsequent viewing

• Daniel Brühl as Zemo. While many found him underwhelming, I still have him down as one of the best MCU villains. And he’s one of the few MCU antagonists to truly succeed in his mission

• The Leipzig/Halle Airport fight. The Russos described it as the cinematic equivalent of a comic book splash page and they weren’t lying. It has everything a superhero nerd could ever hope for

• Margaret "Peggy" Carter R.I.P.

• Giant-Man. Freaking Giant-Man!

• A team divided. With Thanos on his way, things really don’t look good for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Tony had better hope Cap topped up that old-ass flip phone before he posted it to him at the end. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to need to make a call very soon

Score: 10 hand-picked Bucky plums out of 10

In years gone by, the idea of making a film about a surgeon-turned-dimension-hopping-sorcerer would’ve got you laughed out of town, but since we’ve already been to Asgard and travelled into deep space with a talking tree…sod it. Bring it on.

While staunchly conservative in its narrative structure, visually and thematically Doctor Strange is anything but, as it heads face-first down the rabbit hole to produce some of the most mind-bending and wildly innovative visuals of any Hollywood blockbuster, superhero or otherwise.

Landing somewhere between Inception and an all-night acid bender, it’s sometimes difficult to wrap your head around what exactly is going on, yet, as your brain gradually adjusts to the dimension-shifting action, the film's freakiness blossoms into something pretty exhilarating.

Don’t do drugs kids, just buy Doctor Strange on Blu-ray.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Benedict Cumberbatch becoming another home-run for Marvel Studios’ casting department, although that accent takes a while to click

• Tilda Swinton circumventing the Ancient One casting controversy. While the furore isn’t without merit, there’s something so otherworldly about Swinton that it just works

• Still not being able to get my head around some of the CGI. I’ve genuinely never seen a film on this scale push things this far visually, yet Marvel are clearly at the point where they can take this kind of risk and make it work for them

• The disappointment of having Mads Mikkelson play such a so-so villain

• Strange and the Ancient One in their astral form on the hospital balcony. One of the most poignant scenes of the entire MCU

• Benedict Wong as Wong. Errol from 15 Storeys High becoming a key player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How cool is that?

• Marvel clearly playing the long game with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo. He has real potential to be up there with Loki by the end of it all

• The timey-wimey final show down with Dormammu. It feels even more impressive upon repeat viewing

• Director, Scott Derrickson’s horror influences coming through loud and clear. Hopefully he gets a chance to delve deeper into this with future films

• That cheeky reference to the Eye of Agamotto being an Infinity Stone. That’s one more stone down and another step closer to Thanos

Score: 8 immaculately groomed goatees out of 10

While Guardians of the Galaxy had the element of surprise going for it, Vol. 2 had absolutely nowhere to hide. Luckily, hiding isn’t something James Gunn and Marvel Studios are in the mood for at this juncture.

Dialling all the shenanigans, comedy, and colour up to 11; not all of Vol. 2’s jokes land, yet it comes at you so fast it’s hard not to just give in to the sheer fun of it all.

Dig a little deeper beneath all that shit jokes and zany banter, however, and you’ll find a surprisingly affecting story of familial relations at the film’s core. Whether it’s Quill’s relationship with both his biological and adopted fathers, Drax’s tragic family backstory, Gamora and Nebula’s sibling rivalry and heavy-duty daddy issues, or the collective parental responsibilities of the entire gang towards Baby Groot; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s family issues cut deep to offer a far more rounded emotional experience than its predecessor.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 2. The soundtrack has grown on me. It’s not as good as Vol. 1 but it works well within the sequel’s more emotive tone

• That Ravager funeral for Yondu coupled with Cat Stevens singing Father and Son. Gets me every time

• Sly Stallone and all the other cheeky Ravager cameos

• Baby Groot. Whether he was devised purely to sell toys or not, he’s so damn cute I couldn’t care less

• Ego and the increasingly intriguing Marvel rogue’s gallery. That’s an entire living planet they can now tick of their villain list

• Kurt Russel and his smooth yet creepy cult leader vibe. Also, that bombshell about his involvement in Quill’s mum’s death is devastating

• The unbounded potential of MCU’s cosmic world going forward. Phase 4 promises to be weirder than we’d ever imagined and its beautiful

• Nebula on the war path at the end. Karen Gillen’s character is definitely going to have a big part to play in taking down Thanos come Endgame time…and not necessarily with a positive outcome for her

• Hands down the best Stan Lee cameo of the lot. Stan the Man is up there watching over us all. Love it

• I’m Mary Poppins y’all!

• I am Groot

Score: 8 Zardu Hasselfraus out of 10

Did we really need a second Spider-Man reboot in the space of fifteen years? On the face of it, probably not, yet with the hero now back home and under the creative control of Marvel Studios, it just feels right.

Homecoming is far and away the most street-level MCU films to date and, while it doesn’t get down to the nitty gritty of New York crime fighting quite like Daredevil and the Netflix corner of the universe (RIP), it does an excellent job of delivering a ground-eye view of life as a superhero that we’ve yet to see on the movie side of the universe.

As Marvel take Spidey back to high school, we’re treated to a fun, light-hearted take on the character, as Tom Holland simultaneously exudes the nerdish awkwardness of Peter Parker and the cheeky charm of his heroic alter-ego in a way that neither Toby Maguire nor Andrew Garfield (as great as they were) could.

After Sony’s crash and burn with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, something drastic needed to happen to avoid the character slipping into obscurity altogether and throwing him into the thriving world of the MCU at this moment in time feels like just the ticket to extend Spidey’s shelf life for many years to come.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The Marvel Studios casting department - a true unsung hero of the MCU. They’ve done it again with Tom Holland

• The coming-of-age John Hughes feel

• Peter’s being kept in school and not rushed out the door ASAP like previous films

• Jennifer Connelly’s voice and the A.I. suit. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but it really adds an edge to the action and comedic potential

• Marisa Tomei

• Michael Keaton clearly not being done with the superhero genre just yet

• Keaton’s Vulture being everything you want in a classic Spider-Man villain - menacing, animal-based, sympathetic

• Tony Stark’s utilisation as Peter’s mentor and paternal figure. Feels far more natural than the marketing made it out to be and the father-son dynamic should be very interesting going forward

• The links to the wider MCU being kept surprisingly sparse, which gives Spider-Man much needed time and space to be his own hero

• Street-level superheroism. After all the civil wars, infinity stones, living planets, and alternate dimensions; it’s just nice to take things down a notch and spend a little time on the ground with a hero and a story we can all relate to in some way

• That cheeky Miles Morales hint. Make it happen Marvel

Score: 9 inadvertent Tony Stark hugs out of 10

Poor Thor.

I think it’s fair to say his first two films are probably not in the top of many peoples’ MCU lists and while the God of Thunder was a founding member of the Avengers, he’s always felt like a periphery figure, even in his own movies. Yet, just when you thought Thor had run out of thunder, Ragnarok happens and he's a hero reborn.

Feeling more akin to the Guardians films, Ragnarok is completely unlike any other instalment in the trilogy and, under the guidance of the irrepressible Taika Waititi, singlehandedly springboards Thor back into the big time.

While the outlandish, neon-splashed visuals and left field sense of humour make it an absolute riot, the familial struggles between Thor, Loki, Hela, and Odin inject an emotional resonance that keeps the film true to its roots, while allowing Thor the platform to reinvent himself in whatever form the future MCU takes.

Additional shout-outs to…

• That scene by the Norwegian fjords between a father and his two sons

• The wonderfully weird Doctor Strange cameo and how it makes me wonder what a Waititi-directed Doctor Strange film would look like. Probably far too much for my puny brain to comprehend

• The disappointment of knowing we’ll never see a full-blown Hulk film again but the joy that they managed to incorporate the Planet Hulk storyline so seamlessly

• The advancement of Bruce Banner/Hulk’s story and the character’s potential going into Endgame

• The Warriors 3 and their royal shafting. A little more time and effort put into their demise wouldn’t have been that hard, would it?

• No Jane Foster, Jane Foster’s quirky assistant, or Jane Foster’s quirky assistant’s quirky assistant. Thank god

• Cate Blanchet owning the show as Hela

• Chris Hemsworth finally being the badass God of Thunder we all knew he could be

• Jeff Goldblum because Jeff Goldblum

• Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie being the stand out in a film of stand outs. More from her in the MCU is a must

• Putting 10 Sakaarian Goldblum Units on Korg and Miek (together with Luis from Ant-Man) being the ones to finally take down Thanos

• Loki eyeing up that Tesseract again

• Piss off ghost!

Score: 9 Goldblums out of 10

While it’s disappointing that we’ve had to wait a decade to get to this point, now that we’re finally here, there’s simply no turning back. There have been many pivotal moments along the MCU road but none have been of this magnitude.

As a moment in superhero film history, an overtly African superhero is something to be savoured. Yet, as a piece of social history, an overtly African superhero from a technologically advanced African nation with no colonial past is something to be celebrated.

As the last stop on the road to Infinity War, you’d have been forgiven for expecting Black Panther to be nothing but a light hors d’oeuvre before the Avengers main meal, but with box office records dropping like flies and with $1.3 billion safely in the bank, that’s far from the case.

Both politically and socially resonant, without once losing its sense of adventure director Ryan Coogler offers up a superhero film of impressive depth that does exactly what it comes to do, while offering a whole lot more.

After their expertly handled introduction in Civil War, Black Panther finally sees King T’Challa and Wakanda step out into the spotlight and claim their piece of cinema history, while throwing down the gauntlet to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the process.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The Marvel casting deptartment nail it once again with the casting of Chadwick Boseman. You’re probably sick of me saying this now, but it doesn’t make it any less true

• Wanting very much to visit Wakanda one day. Marvel have pocketed enough cash from this film that they could easily build their very own Wakanda and fly me out there. Please do that Marvel

• Whoever said MCU films are visually uninspired and how foolish they look now

• Ludwig Göransson’s score. Hands-down one of the best in the MCU. The combo of traditional African elements with that classic superhero bombast is just fantastic

• An unabashedly black $200 million budget movie. Just incredible

• The distinct 007 vibe and that casino fight scene

• The shaky CGI in the final fight being the only chink in the film’s armour

• An unparalleled ensemble cast, especially the female contingent

• Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, and Letitia Wright showing the men of the MCU how it’s done

• The Marvel Cinematic Universe finding its new top-dog villain in Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger

• Wakanda potentially coming to the world’s rescue once Thanos comes knocking

Score: 9 Ulysses Klaue Soundcloud mixtapes out of 10

So here we are then. The big one. The beginning of the end(game).

After ten years of build-up, the time has come for the MCU to go big or go home. With eighteen films of carefully orchestrated, box office smashing storytelling however, there’s no way Marvel are in the mood to get their coat just yet. In fact, with Infinity War they’re about ready to crank the volume up to eleven and see this party out to the bitter end.

After a decade of carefully escalated anticipation, this may feel like an unsustainable level of hype for any film to live up to, yet that’s precisely the kind of pressurised environment Marvel Studios have come to thrive in. With Infinity War, Marvel have not only held themselves together under the mounting pressure, they’ve gone and blown the doors off their universe just to prove they can.

It may be prefaced by Avengers, yet Infinity War is Thanos’ story all the way. By switching perspective onto their antagonist and scattering our heroes evenly around him, Joe and Anthony Russo have crafted a superbly weighted and surprisingly affecting superhero ensemble piece on a scale hitherto undreamt of.

Although it may leave newcomers to the franchise cold, for those who’ve spent the past decade becoming emotionally invested in the MCU, Infinity War is absolutely everything they could’ve hoped for. With stratospheric stakes, this is a film that ups the ante on everything that’s come before, while never taking its eye off its emotional core, to perfectly set us up for the endgame.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The incredible work of the Russo bros in balancing so many distinct characters. After Winter Soldier and Civil War, these dudes have put themselves up there with Chis Nolan in the comic book director hall of fame

• The writing of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – two of the MCU’s unsung heroes

• Remembering the eerie silence in the cinema as Thanos’ snap started to take effect

• Josh Brolin’s performance and the seamless CGI of Thanos combining perfectly. Is he the MCU’s finest villain? Quite possibly

• The pure thrill of seeing Cap step out from the shadows to save the day

• Smiling at all the unexpected hero meet-ups

• Sweet rabbit

• Invisible Drax

• The Battle of Wakanda. Brutal and epic in just the right ways

• Thor’s glorious return to Earth with Rocket and Groot in tow

• Thanos vs Doctor Strange - pure magical eye-candy

• Wong getting an invite to the Stark-Potts wedding. That’s still valid, right?

• Quill…what the hell, man? You were so close

• Okoye, Cap and Rocket’s faces as their friends and kind disappeared in front of them

• “Mr Stark, I don’t feel so good” :’(

• Motherf…

Score: 9 immaculately groomed Cap beards out of 10

With a universe as expansive as the MCU, every hero needs to find their place to survive and in the case of Ant-Man that place seems to be Marvel’s equivalent of a palette cleanser. After the city-destroying shenanigans of Age of Ultron, along comes Ant-Man to literally and figuratively shrink things down to size and now we have the exact same situation with its sequel.

Although set in the years following Civil War, with Scott Lang living under house arrest, Ant-Man and the Wasp was released hot on the heels of the universe-dusting events of Infinity War and plays the perfect role of shrinking the stakes down to a manageable size once again.

While it’s not particularly ground-breaking, the film feels like a delightfully light sorbet after the carb-heavy Infinity War main course. Staying true to Marvel’s core beliefs of heart, humour, and visuals; the film embodies much of what made its predecessor tick while upping the ante just enough.

Built around fun and innovative CGI, a charismatic lead duo, and with director Peyton Reed given a clean run on things; the film manages to turn its small scale to its advantage and while it’s certainly not the most weighty MCU effort around, it more than makes up it with the size of its heart. After all of Marvel’s universe balancing and socio-political commentary, sometimes you just want to see what damage a giant Hello Kitty Pez dispenser can do in a car chase.

And if Marvel don’t use a Luis exposition montage to round up the events of Infinity War at the start of Endgame, they’re missing a trick.

Additional shout-outs to…

• Evangeline Lilly. While Captain Marvel grabbed the headlines for being the first female-fronted MCU film, don’t forget that Wasp got her name in a title first

• Sticking the word quantum in front of everything

• BABA YAGA!

• Ghost. While there’s no real out-and-out villain in the film, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost is undeniably cool

• Truth serum. Or is it?

• Relating to Morrissey’s melancholy ballads

• Online Close-Up Magic University

• Agent Jimmy Woo. What a dude

• Walton Goggins being a bastard in anything

• Our first real trip to the Quantum Realm. Just a shame it’s not a bit longer. Pretty sure it’s not the last we’ve seen from it though

• Meeting Giant-Man again. Always a pleasure

• Cassie Lang being the absolute cutest

• Seriously, those Luis explanations are the true hero of the MCU

• That post-credit scene. Devastating 

Score: 7 ant drum solos out of 10

While Captain Marvel was released smack-bang before Endgame, the film is set firmly in the 90s and certainly wants you to know it. The film looks and feels like nothing we’ve seen before in the universe with a fun and authentic period feel that, while not subtle in the slightest, provides plenty of period humour and a soundtrack that’ll be a nostalgic kick for any child of the decade.

While certainly not the game changer many people wanted it to be, Captain Marvel is a solid entry into the MCU, taken up a notch by a commanding performance by Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a cracking cast, and a strong, pertinent message.

The action doesn’t always click but when it does, it’s pretty rousing stuff with some incredibly inspirational moments to take home for those looking for a hero the likes of which we’ve not seen before on the big screen. It all adds up to an unabashed throwback action flick that may start with a wobble but gradually finds its feet, before soaring with a finale that absolutely smashes its inspirational intentions.

As we enter the final act, things have been bubbling along steadily, yet as it get into full swing, the film becomes something else entirely. As Carol finally throws off the shackles, the result is a rousing and thoroughly inspiring moment that, while not having quite the same gravitas as Wonder Woman’s No Man’s Land sequence, does more than enough to force your fist in the air and become that moment every little girl watching can look to and tell themselves – that’ll be me some day.

What part Carol plays in Endgame is yet to be seen but I’ve got a feeling her role in the future of the MCU is going to be huge.

Additional shout-outs to…

• The 90s. Heavy-handed at times but always on point

• Flerkens - as adorable as they are deadly

• An ageless Sam Jackson

• Little Monica Rambeau. There’s no way she isn’t going to play a part in the MCU somewhere down the line

• How awesome it was to see Carol throw down the chains and go binary. And that’s coming from a 35-year-old dude. Can’t imagine how it would be for a young girl…or any girl for that matter

• Skrulling around with Ben Mendelsohn

• Ronan. Nice to get a little more shade on the villain we first saw in Guardians of the Galaxy. Just wish it was a bit more

• Cap’s suit. Ripped straight from the comics and it’s perfect

• Young Agent Coulson

• Wondering whether the Tesseract was been in Goose’s belly until we see it again in The Avengers. If so, gross

Score: 8 scruffy Nine Inch Nails t-shirts out of 10

Well there we have it. 11 years, 21 films, and a whole lot of fun.

It’s been one hell of a journey and while there's been wobbles along the way, I’m happy to report that there’s not been an out-and-out clunker among them.

Watching them all back-to-back has certainly given me a new-found appreciation for what Marvel Studios have done and their monumental achievement in piecing together a cohesive and thoroughly enjoyable cinematic universe should not be underestimated.

No matter what surprises Avengers: Endgame and the rest of the MCU holds for us going forward, Marvel should be immensely proud of what they’ve achieved in their first decade or so and the part they've played in the redemption of the superhero movie.

And to play us out, here's a little treat from the lovely people at MCUExchange to warm everyone up some more for the endgame...