January 31, 2024 | Jamie Hayes

Epic Facts About The Marvel Cinematic Universe


The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated Hollywood blockbusters for over a decade now. Since 2008's Iron Man burst onto the scene, Marvel's unprecedented, interconnected movie world has broken box-office records and wowed audiences like nothing ever seen in cinema. And even better, unlike so many blockbusters of the same size and scope, Marvel has managed to produce movies that please movie-goers and critics alike. With the iteration of this universe  coming to a close with Avengers: Endgame, let's take a look back at some of the hidden Easter Eggs and behind-the-scenes stories of the MCU.


1. Not Just a Pretty Picture

A mural on the floor containing the Orb at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy depicts the four Cosmic Entities of the Marvel universe: Death, Eternity, Entropy, and Infinity. In the center of the mural are the six Infinity Stones. That's right, they were teased that long ago, but nobody was paying attention.

Advertisement

marvel cinematic universe

Advertisement

2. They’ve Got Stones

The Infinity Stones that power the Infinity Gauntlet can be seen throughout the Marvel films: The Tesseract was the Space Stone, Loki’s Scepter/later the gem in Vision's head was the Mind Stone, the Aether from Thor: The Dark World was the Reality Stone, and the Orb from Guardians of the Galaxy was the Power Stone.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

3. A Codename for the Ages

Studios often attach codenames to projects to keep spoiler hounds from ruining essential details.

Advertisement

Tom Hiddleston told the Guardian newspaper that the codename for the first Avengers film was “Group Hug”. Awww, it looks like all the superheroes were finally feeling the love.

Infinity War facts Getty Images

Advertisement

4. Can Anyone Say Blockbuster?

Leading up to The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America all received feature films to set up the crossover event. Despite this competition, The Avengers was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make one billion dollars. We’re sure Marvel is happy they “assembled”.

Infinity War facts Comic Vine

Advertisement

5. Tons of Money

The first Avengers set the pace, but it should come as no surprise that Infinity War blew it out of the water. The movie earned over $2 billion at box offices worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.

Advertisement

It is also the fastest film to reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office ever. That’s a whole lot of very sad people shuffling out of very crowded theaters after the credits rolled.

Avengers: Infinity War Factstwitter

Advertisement

6. Big Spenders

Incredible box office returns were necessary to make Avengers: Endgame a profit. Endgame has been listed as one of the most expensive films ever made. On top of an estimated budget of $356 million, more than $200 million was spent on the marketing campaign for this film.

Advertisement

Frankly, we’re surprised it needed that big of a marketing campaign after all the hype that was already built up by the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

Spider-Man Movies FactsPixabay

Advertisement

7. Catalog

It's hard to imagine a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie without a Stan Lee cameo. From a bus driver to wedding crasher to intergalactic barber, Lee has made colorful appearances in nearly 60 different Marvel properties, dating back to 1989, when he appeared as a jury member in the TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. Sadly, Lee's passing means audiences won't be delighted by any further cameos—his final appearance is set to be in 2019's Spiderman: Far From Home.

Stan Lee Factskomen film

Advertisement

8. Get Swole

Although he's a pretty big guy, even in everyday life, Chris Hemsworth still needed to gain 20 pounds for Thor. Then, just to make things interesting, he immediately had to slim down for the Formula 1 movie Rush...and then gain it all back for Thor: The Dark WorldHis bulking lifestyle included protein-packed meals every three hours.

Advertisement

His daily intake included 50 grams of cheese a day, four eggs, three protein shakes…you get the idea, guy had to eat.

Chris Hemsworth Factspopsugar

Advertisement

9. For Your Eyes Only

The story for Avengers: Endgame features several of the characters splitting up and going on different journeys through time to find the Infinity Stones. As a result, not everyone needed to read the full script—which also meant that it could be easier to suppress spoilers and leaks of plot points by having fewer eyes on the full script. Of the entire cast, only Robert Downey Jr.

Advertisement

got to read the full script for the film.

The Playboy Mansion FactsGetty Images

Advertisement
Factinate

Sign up to our newsletter.

History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.

Thank you!
Error, please try again.

10. Unexpected Product Placement

Towards the end of The Avengers, Iron Man asks Captain America if he would like to try shawarma. The end credits reveal a scene where the group of Avengers is sitting at a table enjoying the dish. As a result of this mention, shawarma sales went through the roof in Los Angeles.

Advertisement

One shawarma restaurant even saw an 80% boost in revenue!

Infinity War facts Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Advertisement

11. Made for You

Most fans would agree that Samuel L. Jackson is completely perfect in the role of Nick Fury—maybe because the character was actually based on him! While the original Nick Fury was white and fought in WWII, the version of Fury created for the Marvel Ultimate comic universe was actually modeled after Jackson. Years later, artist Mark Millar would apologize for “completely exploiting” Jackson’s image and likeness for the character. Jackson responded, “No, man! Thanks for the nine-picture deal”!

Samuel L. Jackson factsFlickr

Advertisement

12. Feel the Hype!

Avengers:

Advertisement

Endgame 

is the very first film to make over $1 billion within its opening weekend! As of this article’s publication, the film is set to surpass Avatar as either the first or second highest grossing films of all time, depending on whether you adjust for inflation or not.

Avengers:<div class= Advertisement

Endgame Facts" width="1200" height="675">Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

13. Waspy

Some fans were upset that an important character from the comics was left out of the first Avengers. The Wasp was an integral member of the original team—she even came up with their name. In fact, both the Wasp and Ant-Man were pivotal in the creation of Avengers, so many fans were upset that they were left out of the films.

Advertisement

Eventually, both of the characters would get their chance on screen, but while Ant-Man has since teamed up with Cap and the gang, the Wasp still hasn't made an appearance in any of the Avengers movies.

Avengers Facts

Advertisement

14. Iron Who? What Man?

The MCU began in 2008 with the smash hit Iron Man, which single-handedly turned Robert Downey Jr. from something of a has-been to one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Advertisement

Despite the movie's eventual success, it was actually a struggle to even get it made in the first place. Around 30 writers were offered the chance to write Iron Man and they all passed. One of the reasons so many screenwriters turned down the chance was because they considered Iron Man too obscure of a character, worrying that audiences wouldn't show up.

Advertisement

Oh, how times have changed.

MCU FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

15. We Need Backup

Screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus began working on the screenplay for both Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War during the production of Captain America: Civil War. At one point, things got so hectic that Thor: Ragnarok screenwriter Eric Pearson was brought in to help the two primary screenwriters out with the monumental two-parter.

Kindness Backfired factsPixabay

Advertisement

16. I Am Not a Robot

It's hard to picture a world where Iron Man isn't popular, but before the 2008 movie, that was the case. In fact, while building awareness about the character in the lead-up to the film's release, Marvel ran focus groups in order to teach audiences that the character was actually a man in a metal suit, not just a robot.

Advertisement

MCU FactsShutterstock

Advertisement

17. Dated

Iron Man’s suit has changed with the times, but the original suit was often shown being plugged into wall sockets for regular charging. That sounds less like a futuristic army gadget, and more like a cellphone. Behold: all the technological advancement of the iPhone 3!

Avengers Facts

Advertisement

18. Wakanda was Foretold Long Ago

The high-tech African nation of Wakanda was notably mentioned in Avengers: Age of Ultron, getting fans excited for a potential Black Panther years before it was actually released. However, eagle-eyed fans would have noticed that this was not Wakanda's first appearance in the MCU—it was actually seen as a hotspot on Nick Fury’s map in Iron Man 2—a whopping eight years before Black Panther hit theatres.

MCU FactsBlack Panther, Marvel Studios

Advertisement

19. Brainstorming to the Max

Reportedly, 60 pages of ideas were crafted during the writing process of Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War.

Real Life Experiences Didn’t Live Up to Disney Movies factsFlickr, Eman Rahman

Advertisement

20. Third Time’s the Charm

Worried about the effects of fame on his private life, Chris Evans declined the role of Captain America three times before finally agreeing. Apparently, getting Evans to agree to a role is the same as summoning Beetlejuice.

Advertisement

Captain America FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

21. Like a Rock

In the first Captain America, Hayley Atwell improvised the touch on Chris Evans’ chest when he emerged from the pod as the iconic superhero. The surprise on her face was genuine, as she was quite taken with Evans’ physique. Weren't we all?

Captain America FactsCaptain America: The First Avenger, Marvel Studios

Advertisement

22. Royale with Cheese

Nick Fury’s tombstone in Winter Soldier features the quote “The path of the righteous man…” from Ezekiel 25:17, the same Bible passage that Samuel L.

Advertisement

Jackson’s character Jules Winnfield famously spouts several times in Pulp Fiction.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts Side note: how come they didn't give Nick Fury sideburns? When you've got facial hair like this available to you, you've gotta use it.

Advertisement

23. Move Over, Wolverine

With Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. has appeared as Tony Star/Ironman 10 times onscreen. This beats Hugh Jackman’s record for the most appearances as a superhero character, but while Jackman needed 17 years to set his record, Downey Jr. only did it in 11.

Advertisement

The Avengers factsIron Man (2008), Paramount Pictures

Advertisement

24. Colorful Resume

Joe and Anthony Russo were selected to direct Winter Soldier on the basis of two episodes of the NBC sitcom Community: “A Fistful of Paintballs” and “For a Few Paintballs More”. Not a bad jump—from a 30-minute TV comedy to four of the biggest blockbusters in history.

Captain America FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

25. And Hulk Will Always Love You

Before there was the MCU and CGI, there was The Incredible Hulk TV show and Lou Ferrigno. Though the modern hulk is created with the help of computers, the iconic bodybuilder has still managed to make his mark on the MCU.

Advertisement

In addition to his cameo in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, he also voiced the Hulk in the first two Avengers movies—though since Thor: Ragnarok, the character's voice has simply been a digitally altered Mark Ruffalo.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

26. Travel Essentials

When Tony Stark looks through his father Howard’s suitcase in Iron Man 2, you can see a Captain America comic book...as well as a map of the Arctic Circle, where Captain America’s plane went down.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

27. And Still No Solo Film??

Avengers:

Advertisement

Endgame

is the seventh film in which Scarlet Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow. Although if you count her cameo in Captain Marvel, it’s technically the eighth.

The Avengers factsThe Avengers (2012), Paramount Pictures

Advertisement

28. Tool Time!

In Iron Man 2, when Nick Fury tells Tony Stark that they have bigger problems to worry about in the Southwest, he’s referring to the recent discovery of Thor’s hammer.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

29. It Didn’t Work That Time Either

In Age of Ultron, while Tony Stark is planning to put the Ultron program into motion, he uses a famous quote that says the ultimate goal of the program is to create “peace in our time”. This same line was used by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain after negotiations with Adolf H in the late 1930s.

Advertisement

Much like Stark’s Ultron program, this failed.

Infinity War facts CG Record

Advertisement

30. We’ll Cross that Puente When We Get To It

The New Mexico town where the first Thor movie was set is named Puente Antiguo, which means “ancient bridge” in Spanish. This is very likely a reference to the Bifrost, Thor’s connection to Asgard. Chalk up another point for attention to detail in the MCU.

Advertisement

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

31. Oh, What’s in a Name?

It’s been a subject of debate as to whether “Endgame” was always meant to be that film’s title or whether it was a last-minute decision. What makes this more confusing is that Marvel Studios and the film’s directors have both said different things about the situation. Marvel has maintained that “Endgame” was always the choice for the title, while the directors have said that the original title was Infinity Gauntlet. Frankly, regardless of which version is true, we’re happy with the result.

Avengers: Endgame FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

32. The Hammer is Mightier than the Pen

Michael Straczynski, a writer of the Thor comic books, makes a cameo in the first Thor as one of the men who attempt to pull Thor’s hammer out of the ground. That gives you a sense of just how important Mjolnir really is.

Advertisement

I mean this guy wrote the books, and even he’s not worthy. Who else could possibly stand a chance?

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

33. The Shirt Off His Back

The shirt that Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) hands to Thor in the first Thor film belonged to an ex-boyfriend of hers named Donald Blake M.D. In the original comic books, Dr.

Advertisement

Donald Blake was Thor’s human alter-ego.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

34. A Little Bird Told Me

When Thor abducts Loki in The Avengers, two ravens fly by during their argument. These ravens are thought to be Huginn and Muninn, who serve as agents of Odin in Norse Mythology and in the Thor comic books. Quoth the Raven(s), "you guys are really terrible siblings".

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

35. Quite the Pay Jump!

Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, who respectively play Thor and Captain America, each made $15 million for Endgame, just as they had for Avengers: Infinity War. How far they’ve come: Evans made just $300,000 for his work on Captain America: The First Avenger.

Celebrity Encounters FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

36. Both the Ravens

Those same ravens can be seen perched on either side of Odin’s throne in Thor, and in its sequel, The Dark World.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

37. Can You Smell What the Korg is Cooking?

The gentle-giant Korg was one of the standouts in Thor: Ragnarok, but that wasn't technically the first time the character appeared in the MCU. At the beginning of Thor: The Dark World, the hero battles a big rock monster that was based on Korg, who first appeared in the same comic book in which Thor made his debut, Journey into Mystery #83. But, since this version was never named in the movie, they were able to re-introduce Korg as everyone's favorite kiwi-voiced alien years later in Ragnarok.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

38. How'd It Get There?

In one of the credits scenes from Age of Ultron, audiences got a peek at Thanos, who brandished the Infinity Gauntlet and vowed to seek out the Infinity Stones himself. Many astute fans were left puzzled by this for a very good reason:

Advertisement

the Gauntlet had been shown in Odin's Vault in the first Thor, so how the heck did Thanos get it? This inconsistency was cleared up in Thor: Ragnarok when Hela revealed that Odin's Gauntlet was a fake. What's more, really clever fans would have noticed that Thanos' Gauntlet is left-handed, while Odin's was right-handed.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

39. Something’s Missing!

Fans of Captain Marvel might remember the mid-credits scene which people believed to be a scene from the film Avengers: Endgame. However, that scene does not appear at all in the final version of Avengers: Endgame.

Brie Larson FactsCaptain Marvel, Marvel Studios

Advertisement

40. Does That Count as Freudian?

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer plays Janet Van Dyne, the mother of Hope, who serves as Scott Lang’s quasi-love interest. This might be a bit awkward, given that Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd (who plays Lang) were previously lovers in the movie I Could Never Be Your Woman. That must have made for some awkward jokes around the film set!

Advertisement

Ant-Man factsScoopnest

Advertisement

41. Jack of All Trades

Rare among Marvel movies, lead actor Paul Rudd was given a writing credit on both films in the Ant-Man series. As of 2018, the only other lead actor who has gotten that honor was Ryan Reynolds for Deadpool 2, which came out the same year as Ant-Man and the Wasp (but Deadpool isn't in the MCU, so were not counting him here).

Ant-Man factsWhat

Advertisement

42. Once Bitten

In The Avengers, after Bruce Banner falls from the sky, the security guard (played by Harry Dean Stanton) nervously asks him if he’s an alien. Given the circumstances, it's a fair question—but it makes even more sense when you know the full context: Harry Dean Stanton played one of the crew members that was slain by the titular creature in Alien. It seems like directors in the MCU can't pass up any opportunity to sneak in an Easter Egg.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

43. Where’s Quicksilver?

For all the people who reprised their Marvel characters for Endgame, one person who did not return was Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was widely assumed that he would be in the film, but he is nowhere to be seen in the final version of the film.

Advertisement

Was he left on the cutting room floor.

The Avengers factsAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Marvel Studios

Advertisement

44. Nobody’s Perfect

In the comics, it's well known that Tony Stark is an alcoholic, and his battle with addiction was brought to light in the iconic 1978 Demon In A Bottle storyline. The fact that a superhero was forced to battle with such a human problem was revolutionary at the time.

Advertisement

This was actually loosely adapted for the MCU in Iron Man 2, when Stark gets inebriated at his birthday party and fights his friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

Iron Man Factspic2

Advertisement

45. Take Away the Suit and What Are You?

Stan Lee based Iron Man, or more accurately, Tony Stark, on the real-life millionaire philanthropist Howard Hughes, which must be where Stark got that iconic description for himself in The Avengers.

Iron Man Factsovermental

Advertisement

46. Just a Fan

Tony Stark can be seen wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt in The Avengers. It's a solid a reference to the band's hit song “Iron Man” which has nothing to do with the Marvel character...but is a pretty awesome song.

Advertisement

It played over the credits in the original Iron Man movie, right after Tony declared, "I am Iron Man".

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

47. Live Long and Prosper

One of the main inspirations for the story of Avengers: Endgame was the finale for the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. We won’t go too deeply into the similarities in case someone who didn’t read the spoiler warning somehow managed to get this far!

Star Trek factsStar Trek: The Next Generation, Paramount Television

Advertisement

48. No Pain, No Gain

Chris Evans injured his bicep while filming the iconic Captain America: Civil War shot of him essentially doing a bicep curl with a helicopter. Evans described it as a “very unnatural position to use to stop something but we used it because I have to flex my bicep”. He also described the scene as “bicep [adult material]”. Sounds about right.

Advertisement

Captain America FactsFlickr

Advertisement

49. Take that, Spidey

Black Panther originally had a much smaller role in Civil War, but when it seemed like they wouldn’t be getting the rights to Spider-Man, the writers expanded his role significantly. By the time they found out that they did, in fact, have the rights to Spider-Man, Black Panther was already an integral part of the story, so they left him in and gave Spider-Man a smaller part.

Advertisement

Captain America FactsFlickr

Advertisement

50. Good as Gold

The massive cast of Avengers: Endgame boasts 19 Oscar-nominated or Oscar-winning actors. The full list includes Michael Douglas, Angela Bassett, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Taika Watiti, William Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, Brie Larson, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Natalie Portman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo, and Marisa Tomei.

Advertisement

Avengers: Endgame FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

51. Change for the Better

Marvel decided it was best to change the name of a key character from the Black Panther comic who is featured in the 2018 film. The character of M’Baku is actually named Man-Ape in the comic, and is often covered in fur and wears an ape mask. I think it’s pretty clear why Marvel thought some viewers might have an issue with that.

Black Panther facts Movie Web

Advertisement

52. A Lil Superhero Trash Talk

The day before filming a fight scene in Civil War, Sebastian Stan sent Robert Downey Jr. a video of himself doing bicep curls in front of the decapitated head of an Iron Man suit with the attached message, “Looking forward to our scene tomorrow Robert”.

Captain America FactsPixabay

Advertisement

53. Farewell, Pepper

Gwyneth Paltrow has stated that her part in Endgame will be her final appearance in a Marvel film.

Coldplay FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

54. Going Up

When the Helicarriers were revealed for the first time in Winter Soldier, Nick Fury tells Captain America that Stark tech was used to upgrade the propulsion systems. This is a nod back to Avengers, when Iron Man had a bit of an adventure restarting the propeller-based engines of a Helicarrier from an earlier generation. The new Helicarriers use more advanced repulsor technology, similar to what the Iron Man suit uses.

Advertisement

Captain America FactsFlickr

Advertisement

55. You Can Make Friends with Salad

In Winter Soldier, when Robert Redford opens his refrigerator, viewers can see a bottle of Newman’s Own salad dressing, which is a tribute to Redford’s good friend Paul Newman, with whom he co-starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Captain America FactsCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios

Advertisement

56. The H Stands for Horton’s

In Winter Soldier, Black Widow mentions the Canadian agency called Department H. This is the organization that created the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, the Great White North's answer to the Avengers.

Advertisement

Captain America FactsFlickr

Advertisement

57. Small Screen

The movies may take up a lot of airspace when it comes to the MCU, but the shared universe is also all over the silver screen, with over a dozen different TV shows and even more in production. In the case of the show Runaways, it was originally intended to be a film and even had a completed script written by Drew Pearce—who co-wrote Iron Man 3—but it was shelved after the success of the first Avengers. A few years later, it found new life as a television series, and premiered on Hulu in 2017 to positive reviews.

Advertisement

marvel factsmoviemeter

Advertisement

58. Blonde Widow

After years of being a redhead, Black Widow went blonde in Infinity War. Having appeared with a different hairstyle in each of her appearances, the choice to go platinum was an homage to Yelena Belova, the second character who uses the moniker of Black Widow in Marvel Comics.

Advertisement

Avengers: Infinity War Factswallpapersite

Advertisement

59. Big Bad Oil

In all three Iron Man films, signs, buildings, and trucks can be seen bearing the logo for Roxxon Energy, which in the Marvel comics is the oil company responsible for the murder of Tony Stark’s parents. They've got a pretty cool logo though! So they have that going for them.

Advertisement

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

60. When the Moon Hits Your Eye

The owner of the pizza shop in 2008's The Incredible Hulk is played by Paul Soles, the voice of Bruce Banner from the 1960s Hulk cartoon. Crazy how far a guy can fall. One day you're a massive green behemoth, conquering the world's most dangerous supervillains...and the next you're selling cheap pizza in a dingy shop.

Advertisement

Sorry, former-Bruce.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

61. Those Trinkets Can be Dangerous

When Red Skull finds the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger, he mentions that “the Fuhrer is too busy digging for trinkets in the desert”. This was in reference to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark where Nazis dug up a trinket that (Spoilers)! ends up kind-of... you know.

Advertisement

..melting their faces off. That "trinket" was the Ark of the Covenant. Well played, MCU producers. Add another one to the "Very Small Details" scoreboard.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

62. Mama’s Boy

When Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) journey to find the Soul Stone in Endgame, they come across the stone’s guardian, who greets Barton as “Clint, son of Edith”. This is a poignant reference to Barton’s origin story in the comics. Barton was very close to his mother, Edith, while despising his father, Harold.

Advertisement

Harold’s alcoholism eventually led to him losing his life in a car accident, along with Edith.

Captain America Facts

Advertisement

63. Don't Mess With Mjolnir

All fans know the mighty Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer, which has been described as "one of the most formidable weapons known to man or god," but most people don't realize just how powerful it really is. In the comics, the hammer is actually capable of creating force fields so powerful that they can destroy an entire galaxy.

Advertisement

And that’s not all. Mjolnir is so strong that it can travel through whole planets to return to Thor. Too bad Hela smashed it in Ragnarok.

Thor FactsGizmodo

Advertisement

64. Great Scott!

Given that Endgame is all about time travel, there is the inevitable scene where several time travel movies get named by the characters. One of these is Back to the Future, but a subtler reference is also given to that movie in another scene. When Thor leaves New Asgard to join the Avengers again, he is wearing the same kind of sunglasses worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II.

Thor factsFlickr

Advertisement

65. That Neglected Bromance

While it’s hard to find anyone who would say that the writing in Avengers: Endgame was below par, the writers themselves didn’t walk away without misgivings about their own talent. Looking back on the film, Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have expressed their remorse for not giving Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes more scenes together.

Advertisement

Given how closely they’ve been tied together across the Marvel films, we can’t blame them for wanting more of Barnes and Rogers’ friendship!

Captain America FactsShutterstock

Advertisement

66. Brains and Brawn

Everyone knows Black Panther has superhuman strength and reflexes, but his brain might actually be his greatest power. He has a PhD in physics from Oxford University and he's considered to be one of the eight smartest people in the entire Marvel universe.

Advertisement

Also, you know, he can punch really, really good.

Black Panther FactsMarvel

Advertisement

67. Take That, Captain Marvel!

Released in 2018,  Ant-Man and the Wasp is the very first MCU movie to have a female superhero in the title. And it only took them 20 films to do it!

Ant-Man factsSyfy

Advertisement

68. X Marks the Spot

Brock Rumlow, the SHIELD/HYDRA operative played by Frank Grillo in Winter Soldier, survives the helicarrier crash and is seen being resuscitated at the end of the movie. Two straps were noticeably crossed across his chest in this scene, which many fans took as a reference to the character's name in the comics, Crossbones.

Advertisement

Sure enough, Rumlow reappeared in Civil War, this time in a far more Crossbones-like costume.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

69. Improvising Along

Tony Stark and his daughter, Morgan, share a line in Endgame which has become hailed as one of the most memorable by the fans. Interestingly, “I love you 3,000” wasn’t in the original screenplay. Robert Downey Jr.

Advertisement

allegedly says that to his own children, and he couldn’t resist bringing it into the film.

The Avengers factsFlickr, Gage Skidmore

Advertisement

70. Brain and Brawn Combined

Endgame marks the first time that Bruce Banner has completely merged his powers as the Incredible Hulk with his own personality and brain. This references the plot point in Avengers: Infinity War where Hulk refused to be summoned by Banner during the fight. While initial fan speculation was that the Hulk was afraid to fight after losing to Thanos, the truth was that Hulk was sick of being used as a pawn by Banner whenever he needed to beat someone up.

Advertisement

This is also a reference to the “Professor Hulk” identity, which Banner adopts in a comics storyline.

The Avengers factsMax Pixel

Advertisement

71. Worth the Wait

Endgame marks the first time that the full phrase “Avengers Assemble” has been said in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it was teased at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the full phrase was saved for this movie.

Avengers: Endgame FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

72. To-Do List

In Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers keeps a list of cultural events/items that he needs to brush up on to acquaint himself with the 21st century. For audiences, this list changed depending on the country where the film was shown, so in Mexico, Rogers had written things like Shakira and Neri Vela (the first Mexican astronaut), while in England he had the Beatles and the 1966 World Cup final.

Advertisement

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

73. When Heroes Prove Themselves

As you can tell by this list, Avengers: Endgame serves as a true finale to many of the film’s characters, with call-backs made to nearly all the previous films. One of the most powerful examples of these call-backs refers to the original argument between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in the first Avengers film.

Rogers dismisses Stark as not being the guy to make a self-sacrifice, while Stark declares that everything special about Rogers “came out of a bottle”. In this film, they both prove the other wrong:

Advertisement

Rogers’ personal character and morals are such that he can wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, while Stark makes the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos.

Marvel Cinematic Universe FactsAvengers: Age of Ultron Marvel Studios

Advertisement

74. Fear Itself

Although he was one of the founding members of The Avengers, Hulk actually left the group shortly after their first battle (against Loki) in the comics, because he realized that his teammates were afraid of him.

Advertisement

He stayed away for fifty years before finally returning.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Facts

Advertisement

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 41, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164


More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.