Marvel Cinematic Universe: Definitive Guide To Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And Foreshadowing
Iron Man 2
5. Hulks Campus Battle On The News
When Tony's waiting for Nick Fury in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base at the end of the film, a news report from Culver University, detailing the clash between Hulk and the military from The Incredible Hulk, can be seen on the screen. This not only reaffirms that S.H.I.E.L.D. are keeping close tabs on Bruce Banner, but reveal that, despite being made first, The Incredible Hulk is happening during (and after) Iron Man 2.
4. S.H.I.E.L.D. Is Also Monitoring Thor's Hammer
Also on the screens, albeit a little more obscure, is what appears to be an aerial shot of the crater Mjolnir makes in the New Mexico desert in Thor, a very subtle seed sown ahead of this movie's post-credits scene. So it's not only The Incredible Hulk, but also Thor that's happening concurrently with Iron Man 2. And who said the timeline was simple?
3. Stark's Rejected Avengers Membership
The big development in the overarching Avengers story from Iron Man 2 is that S.H.I.E.L.D. don't deem Tony Stark suitable to join the Avengers Initiative, setting the fractured scene for the team-up (we wouldn't see Iron Man until that movie), but also providing a little in-joke on the series' development. You see, it was only around this point in the MCU's development that a clear plan for the rest of what became Phase 1 was decided, meaning the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flip-flopping mirrors the producer's.
2. The MCU Map
Possibly the biggest early Easter egg in the MCU, the map in the background of Fury and Stark's confrontation shows all the major supers S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently tracking. You can make out Wakanda (home of Black Panther, first seen in Avengers: Age Of Ultron) in Africa, Atlantis (home of Namor) in the middle of the Atlantic, New York (home of Stark Tower and where Captain America was defrosted), Malibu (Tony Stark's mansion), New Mexico (the location of Thor's hammer), Norway (where the Tesseract was found) and a spot near the Arctic (where Steve Rogers was found). The most interesting is Wakanda, which wouldn't appear until five years after this sly background nod.
1. Thors Hammer
Iron Man 2's post-credit scene picks up with Agent Coulson on his secret mission to New Mexico, where he finds Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, in the desert. The scene is seen again, from a different angle, in Thor itself.
