We're getting yet another one of those Marvel movies this weekend with Captain America: Civil War, which pits a bunch of superheroes you've seen in other Marvel films against each other for a big showdown.
But what, casual action-movie fans may be asking, is the "Marvel Cinematic Universe"? We present: The answers to all your Marvel Cinematic Universe questions that you were maybe too embarrassed to ask. Once you've read this, you'll be 100% prepped for Civil War and anything else Marvel throws at Hollywood.
So, what's the deal with the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
The MCU, as the fans call it, is a really clunky way of describing the 13 existing movies and four TV shows made by Marvel Studios, starting with Iron Man in 2008.
What makes them different than various other superhero movies and shows is that they are all connected, much like the comics themselves.
And, which superheroes are in the MCU?
The biggest ones are Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Hulk. Marvel gets to pick from a pool of its comic-book heroes (except for certain ones for legal reasons, but more on that below) and those are the four the studio has chosen to focus on in movies so far. But the more movies Marvel makes, the further it digs into the vault of heroes. In addition to the already released Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, there's a Doctor Strange movie coming out later this year (starring Benedict Cumberbatch) and films starring Black Panther, The Wasp, Captain Marvel and more in development.
Definitively not part of the MCU: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and their superfriends. They're all from DC Comics and have their own cinematic universe in development.
Which movies do I need to see before Civil War?
Don't worry, you don't need to see every single Marvel movie to understand the latest. But you should probably watch the first Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, which all have events that are referred to in Civil War. But mostly, you should know that Cap and Iron Man are the two leaders of the Avengers, so when they get in a fight (which they do in this movie), it fractures the team.
OK, but why are they fighting?
It boils down to a difference in ideology. After the Avengers were involved in several high-profile showdowns that caused civilian casualties, the government wants the superhero team to be subject to its authority and limitations. Iron Man agrees, Cap disagrees. Tensions ensue. The rest of the Avengers are forced to pick sides (hence all those #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan hashtags), and some new heroes (namely, Spider-Man and Black Panther) also join in. The end result is pretty good, according to our critic Brian Truitt, who gave the movie 3½ stars out of four.
Oh, yeah, speaking of Spider-Man, why are we getting another one?
The short answer? Legal reasons. Once upon a time, Marvel used to license its characters to other studios instead of making its own movies, which is why the Fantastic Four and the X-Men movies come from 20th Century Fox and aren't connected to Iron Man and friends. Marvel sold Spidey to Sony back in the day, and they made five movies with him (the three Tobey Maguire movies and the two with Andrew Garfield), but last year, the companies announced that they had come to an agreement to share the character, meaning that he could be part of these big Marvel event movies. Civil War is the first movie since the deal, so it's the first one with our new guy Tom Holland as Peter Parker.
How many more Marvel movies are coming?
Um, a lot. Marvel is one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, between its box-office returns and action-figure sales, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The studio has movies planned through 2020. Highlights of the upcoming slate include the universe's first solo film led by a black superhero, Black Panther, in 2018; the first solo film led by a female superhero, 2019's Captain Marvel; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in 2017; and a two-part Avengers extravaganza in 2018 and 2019 (Infinity War 1 and 2).
And, hey, now that you're a MCU expert, you might want to check out our #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan shareables!
