Marvel Cinematic Universe: Definitive Guide To Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And Foreshadowing
Iron Man
4. The Iron Man As A Bodyguard Cover Honours A Long-Standing Comic Trait
The S.H.I.E.L.D. approved cover for the whole Man Vs. Monger fight is that Iron Man is Tony Stark's personal bodyguard, which Tony struggles to buy. This isn't just a dig at Agent Coulson, however, but also a light ribbing of the comics - that was the long-standing explanation for his alter ego for a good few decades. It was only in Avengers Disassembled, when under the influence of the Scarlet Witch, that Tony revealed the truth, an event that's homaged with the film's final scene.
3. S.H.I.E.L.D. Gets A Name
At the climax of the film, Agent Coulson reveals that Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division has smartly rebranded itself as S.H.I.E.L.D., cementing what has become a major force in Marvel Cinematic Universe. While at the time it served as a nice little nod to the fans, now it seems a bit . As seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been around since the 1940s. Did they really go around for that long without realising what a cool acronym they had?
2. War Machine In The End Credits
"Next time, baby" wasn't the only time that the Iron Man alluded to War Machine. The end credits are animated to show 3D blueprints of various pieces of Stark tech, including an Iron Man armour with a grappling gun attached. Obviously War Machine would wind up being developed by Justin Hammer (and later the US military), but the implication here seems to be that Tony would kit his friend out.
1. The Avengers Initiative
In the first of what would become a series mainstay, Iron Man has a post-credit scene that reveals that Marvel weren't just interested in stand-alone movies and disconnected franchises. Tony Stark returns home to find J.A.R.V.I.S. shut down and Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., waiting for him. Fury sets up the term "Cinematic Universe" and gets a thousand keyboard clacking with the mention of "the Avengers Initiative", a line that would take four years to pay off.
