Prior to the release of Iron Man, Marvel Studios had undergone some changes with studio head Avi Arad stepping down as both Studio Chair and CEO, leading to the appointment of Kevin Feige as President of Production at Marvel Studios in 2007, just as Iron Man began filming. Had anyone guessed that a movie based on a very obscure (to mainstream audiences) superhero, being played by Robert Downey Jr., who just years earlier had a very public fall from grace due to alcohol and drug abuse, would succeed and launch the most financially successful film franchise of all time they would be called crazy. And yet, that is exactly what happened. Jon Favreau came in and delivered one of the most surprising movies to ever be released, launching the Marvel brand to new heights.

Downey Jr.’s casting has become widely regarded as one of the best film castings of all time, as well as one of the major reasons as to why Iron Man works so well. For many, Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, with their lives echoing each other. Characters like Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Jarvis (Paul Bettany), and James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) all still exist in the MCU, with Rhodes now being played by Don Cheadle. While the film’s plot does center around the dated War on Terror, dating it to the 2000’s, it still manages to hold up 11 years later.

This film also introduces what has become a mainstay in not just MCU films, but also many blockbusters since; the post-credits scene. For non-comic book fans, this most likely left many people wondering why Samuel L. Jackson showed up and who he was, but for any hardcore fans who heard the name “Nick Fury” they knew something big was happening. This was not just some throwaway line in the movie used as an Easter egg, rather a tease of what was to come, planting the seeds for the future of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Samuel L. Jackson in Iron Man (2008)

It really is amazing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually got off the ground when looking at the string of movies they released in the follow-up to the amazing success that was Iron Man. One month after Iron Man’s release, the second entry into the MCU was released with The Incredible Hulk. To put it simply, this was not Iron Man. The film lacked the strong script and direction that its predecessor had, as well as not knowing how to handle the character of the Hulk.

Still From The Incredible Hulk (2008)

To those who have not seen this film, Bruce Banner is not played by Mark Ruffalo, rather it was Edward Norton portraying the gamma-infected Doctor. Out of the entire lot of the MCU, this is the one that still feels incredibly disconnected with the only trace of it in today’s landscape being General Ross (William Hurt). As mentioned before, this is an entirely forgettable affair, however the performances from Norton, Hurt, and Tim Roth as The Abomination (still alive in this universe, so let’s pray we get some more Tim Roth in the MCU!!!) all help save it from being the worst film in the MCU.

Poster For Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 was released in 2010, with 2009 being the one year that saw no Marvel movies released, as the first direct sequel in the MCU. While many will point to this as the worst film out of the currently released 21 outings, and while it is not inherently good, it does offer quite a few solid additions to the world of the MCU. Firstly, the role of James Rhodes/Rhodey was recast, replacing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, a very positive move in terms of chemistry, with Cheadle and Downey Jr. feeling like a much more natural pairing together. Samuel L. Jackson makes his return from the post-credit stinger as Nick Fury, bringing Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) with him, in the process continuing to build the future Avengers roster.

Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2 (2010)

The last thing to mention in this movie is the villains. The less said about the character Whiplash, the better. Mickey Rourke was certainly doing something in this movie. Had they decided to completely erase the Whiplash story arc and make Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) the sole antagonist, with a focus on the rivalry between he and Tony, Iron Man 2 would have been an incredibly more versatile and interesting Marvel movie. Seriously, Rockwell gave one of the most fun performances in the MCU’s 11 year history and has now blown up since his turn as the fraudulent arms dealer. The Marvel Cinematic Universe does not deserve Justin Hammer, it needs Justin Hammer (as long as they do not recast)!

Chris Hemsworth in Thor (2011)

For the last two entries prior to the first team-up film, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, I’m just going to put them together. Both of these films follow pretty standard origin story formulas, leading to them both being lower tier MCU movies. The performances from respective stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor (I love Hemsworth in the role, but the bleached beard/eyebrows/hair look DOES NOT look good and it never did on Thor, ever) and Chris Evans as Captain America are both solid enough, but the films surrounding them simply do not hold up against the best of the MCU’s offerings. With that being said, Thor does introduce Tom Hiddleston’s beautifully wicked portrayal of Loki, as well as memorable turns from Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig. In Cap’s first solo outing, the roots are planted for future stories with the introduction of the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell), a young Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), and the Tesseract, a cosmic cube that would go on to become an integral part of the overarching story within the MCU.