Avengers: Infinity War - How ALL 18 MCU Movies So Far Tie In

8. Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Mentions Of Infinity Stones?

Age Of Ultron saw the reveal that the Mind Stone was actually inside Loki's sceptre, giving it its powers, which - on reflection - made Thanos look a little careless, since he'd given it away in The Avengers. It also revealed more of the Mind Stone's powers in the Twins, including psychic manipulation and genetic "improvement" seemingly.

In Vision, the Mind Stone's powers were manifested and the character essentially became the most powerful heroic being in the MCU. He also became a walking target for Thanos.

Additionally, the post-credits scene saw the return of Thanos, who vowed to "do it himself" - suggesting that he was sick of relying on minions to do his dirty work and would be coming for the Stones himself. Even more importantly, this sequence saw the reveal of the Infinity Gauntlet itself, which was locked in Thanos' vault.

Thor's vision also confirmed the first hints to an Avenger of Thanos' plans and he left to try and find the Stones. One of which was literally on his own planet.

Relevant Story Details

This was where Tony Stark's PTSD and anxiety about protecting the world turned into something more dangerous. Thanks to Scarlet Witch's manipulation of his mind, he saw a vision of his friends dead and Earth being conquered once more and realised the weakness of the heroes alone. He realised their fallibility and how illogical leaning only on them was.

That ultimately led to the creation of Ultron, which should have been his first hint to change his course, but Age Of Ultron proved once more than Tony is steadfast and stubborn. And that - plus his fears of not being good enough a hero - will come back in a big way in his Infinity War arc.

We also saw the gestation of the romance between Scarlet Witch and Vision that will play a big role in the opening act of Infinity War too.