Avengers: Infinity War - How ALL 18 MCU Movies So Far Tie In
It's been going on for a decade now...
In case you missed the major message of the Avengers: Infinity War, the arrival of Thanos and the climax of Phase 3 of the MCU is meant to be the culmination of everything that has come before it over the past ten years. Along with its sequel, it is an end to the first book of the MCU and the dawn of an exciting new era. And it's been coming for a long time.
And while it might be simple to suggest that Thanos' story has been limited to the handful of movies that have shown him or an Infinity Stone explicitly, there's much more to it than that. After all, Infinity War is about a lot more than precious, powerful gems: it's the end of several major characters' arcs with pay-offs far broader than just a big purple alien putting on a glove and clicking.
If you look hard enough, the blueprint for every major story element of Infinity War has been mapped out as far back as Iron Man in 2008 and every single film since has in some way brought us to where we are now. That might not be as tangible as Thanos' appearances in The Avengers and Guardians Of The Galaxy, but every movie has contributed in both story and character development. Or at least, that's what Kevin Feige - with his grand plan - would like us all to believe.
Just how true is it that Infinity War relates to the entire first decade of the MCU? That it ties in to every release so far...? Let's do a little digging, starting with the charming billionaire playboy who kicked it all off...