The Avengers was the first big payoff for all the world-building that Marvel had done over the past several years (and marked the first appearance of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk). The movie is vital to the universe, and its events are referenced consistently throughout the rest of the franchise – even to this day.

It began with 2008's "Iron Man," a film that introduced the world to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark with the hint that he could be part of something greater. Over 30 films later, the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still being told,

Still, though, the lasting appeal of the MCU is that this is a cinematic universe that fits together in a degree that has never even been attempted before. The world-building is p