MUST-WATCH MARVEL MOVIES BEFORE MARVEL STUDIOS’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME
MARVEL STUDIOS’ AVENGERS:ENDGAME IS ESSENTIALLY THE FINAL INSTALLATION OF A 22-DEEP FILM SERIES THAT INITIATED WITH 2008’S IRON MAN. NOT EVERY MOVIE IN THAT RUN IS IMPORTANT IN UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC STAKES AND CHARACTER ARCS THAT WILL BE CONCLUDING ON APRIL 24. WE LIST 10 INTEGRAL MARVEL STUDIOS’ MOVIES YOU SHOULD BINGE-WATCH BEFORE THE ENDGAME.
IRON MAN (2008)
To appreciate the end of something, it’s good to have a familiarity with the beginning. In the first film, Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. present a character who is made vulnerable by his own weapons of mass destruction and then dedicates his life to protecting the world. Food for thought: The relationship between Tony and Pepper Potts is just as important as the Iron Man character and his relationship with Steve Rogers, as evidenced by all the Endgame trailer voice-over we’ve heard thus far.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)
The original Marvel superhero, chronologically, is a story that catapults skinny Steve Rogers into World War II as Captain America thanks to a super-soldier serum administered to him by the U.S. Government (and Tony Stark’s father). Steve also meets and falls in love with Peggy Carter, one of the founding agents of SHIELD. The First Avenger also features the first and infamous Infinity Stone, the Space Stone. Here they just call it “The Tesseract.”
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS (2012)
Don’t worry if you didn’t catch Thor and The Incredible Hulk because The Avengers will catch you up on all the basics before the team congregates to battle the Tesseractwielding Loki. The film also explores the relationship between Black Widow and Hawkeye. The finale’s “Battle of New York” is the highlight that the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe revolves around. We witness the characters realising their potential as a group and at the end, we see a very ugly but exciting glimpse at Thanos.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)
Captain America’s transition from a SHIELD soldier to a vigilante combating HYDRA, which slowly took over the organization throughout the 20th century, is a version of Iron Man 2 that actually works. Captain America’s sequel sees the Winter Soldier reviving Bucky and ramps up the urgency. Food for thought: Cap pledging allegiance to his friend over the government will eventually tear The Avengers apart and the friendship between Steve and Natasha becomes a cornerstone for both of them.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)
Marvel Cinematic Universe jumps off of Earth for the first time to introduce the Guardians of the Galaxy. We meet Gamora and Nebula, the daughters of Thanos and get to see the big guy himself. The Orb is the sought after object here, containing the Power Stone. We get a good first look of the six Infinity stones and its history by The Collector. Food for thought: The Power Stone is kept for safekeeping on Xandar, which is destroyed off-screen before Thanos attacks the Asgardians.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)
This movie is vital in understanding Endgame. Tony Stark’s obsession with protecting everyone goes too far when he creates an Earth-protecting artificial intelligence that turns out to be an evil robot and here, Steve Rogers starts to distrust Tony’s intentions. Created by the power of the Mind Stone in Loki’s scepter, the Scarlet Witch and her brother passes it to Ultron, who creates Vision. To defeat Ultron, the Avengers have to destroy an entire city.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)
Captain America: Civil War is the explosion of the Avengers team’s inner strife. Both Tony and Steve’s previously established worries and concerns come to surface due to Bucky and people’s growing unease with a group of superheroes destroying cities because of problems they created in the first place. Then, we get introductions to Black Panther and Spider-Man. Food for thought: At the end of this movie, Cap and Iron Man fight, Cap drops his shield, and we haven’t seen Steve and Tony, nor Steve and his shield, in the same place since.
THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)
All Thor movies run with similar themes, in which Thor is depowered or attacked and, in re-gaining that power, he learns some hidden truth about the history of his people or his responsibilities as a god. Thor’s hammer gets smashed, while Doctor Strange appears briefly, Loki gets his hands back on the Tesseract, and Asgard is destroyed only for the refugees to run into Thanos at the end and not forgetting, Hulk was finally found.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018)
Ant-Man and its sequel are both equally fun, but this is the essential one to understanding Endgame. Food for thought: Scott gets trapped in the Quantum Realm where the “time vortices” mentioned by Janet Van Dyne in the midcredits scene may or may not be the key to undoing the devastating events of Endgame, but the van with Hank Pym’s Quantum Portal will certainly play a part.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)
Avengers: Endgame was originally announced as just “Infinity War Part 2.” So we advise you to watch the first part before Endgame. Food for thought: Infinity War and Endgame were written and shot simultaneously, so cliffhangers were done on purpose; where was Hawkeye? Why does Tony have to be alive for “the Endgame?” Does baby Gamora meeting Thanos in the orange world means that she can be saved? What’s Captain Marvel going to do?
LISTING OF MBO CINEMAS IN THE KLANG VALLEY
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SUBANG PARADE, SUBANG JAYA MBO Subang Parade Lot 30, 32 & 33a, First Floor, Subang Parade, No. 5, Jalan SS 16/1, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-5611 8379 |
HARBOUR PLACE, KLANG MBO Harbour Place, Lot 7.01, 7th Floor, Harbour Place Shopping Centre, Lots 6683 Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, 41200 Klang, Selangor. Tel: 03-7664 2808 |
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SPACE U8, BUKIT JELUTONG Mbo Space U8 2a-1-3, Space U8, No 6, Persiaran Pasak Bumi, Taman Bukit Jelutong, Seksyen U8, 40150 Selangor. Tel: 03-7664 2808 |
CITTA MALL
MBO Citta Mall, Lot R03, 3rd Floor, Citta Mall, No.1, Jalan Pju 1A/48, Pju 1A, Ara Damansara, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7734 7976 |
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SETAPAK CENTRAL Lot S29-A, Setapak Central Mall, Jalan Taman Ibu Kota, Taman Danau Setapak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-4131 6567 |
BREM MALL MBO Brem Mall, L6-11, Jalan Kepong, Kepong, 52000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6259 5071 |
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KEPONG VILLAGE MALL MBO Kepong Village Mall, Lot L1- MA1, Tesco Kepong, 3, Jalan 7A / 62A, Bandar Manjalara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6276 2208
ATRIA SHOPPING GALLERY Jalan SS 22/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Tel: 03-7664 2808 Special Hall Availibilitty: -Big Screen Hall -KECIL Hall -Samsung Onyx Hall |
THE STARLING 5-501, Tingkat Lima, Pusat Perniagaan Starling @Uptown, No.6, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7664 2808 Special Hall Availibility: -Big Screen Hall -KECIL Hall -MX4D -Premier Hall |
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