About This Quiz
After 22 movies within 11 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU wrapped up its three-phase movie lineup in 2019. But that doesn't mean that our enjoyment of this superhero franchise is over. In fact, it may be far from over if you missed many Easter eggs or nods to film details within their own universe or outside of it.
To review, an Easter egg is a clever detail that the filmmakers planted and hid somewhere within these films. Like what we do with actual Easter eggs, we hunt for them. But more than collecting them, the aim is to have fun while unearthing them. In a way, it's the MCU's way of making trivia-hunting more enjoyable in their universe.Â
For example, are you aware of actors and directors appearing in cameo roles? There's even one who portrayed the first openly out LGBTQ character in the MCU. Did you miss these details? Then this is the reason why all 22 films might be worth watching again. Time to schedule an MCU binge-watching time!
But if you just want to focus on the heart of the MCU films, then watching all four of The Avengers films is enough. You could say that these films served as great intersections within each MCU phase. We have 2012's "Marvel's The Avengers" or "The Avengers" to start with, then 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" phase two film. Wrap it all up with phase three's two offerings: the 2018 film "Avengers: Infinity War" and 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" to complete the picture.
So, are you ready to search for this Avengers trivia? Click on the quiz and hunt!
Aside from sharing MCU screen time, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch both took turns playing another beloved fictional character in movies, TV and literature: Sherlock Holmes. Downey donned the detective suit for Guy Ritchie's films while Cumberbatch did it for BBC's TV series.
Black Widow wears her red hair wavy, shoulder length, straight or short. But her signature red hair becomes blonde in "Avengers: Infinity War" in an effort to go under the radar after her subversive act in "Captain America: Civil War." She let the rebelling Avengers escape in that film.
In the MCU's tradition of not highlighting superhero names, Scarlet Witch goes by her given name: Wanda Maximoff. The closest reference we hear of her hero name was during Iron Man's fight scene with Hulk in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" when Tony said, "That little witch is messing with your mind."
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People who used '90s gadgets saw a familiar one in "Avengers: Infinity War" before Fury disappeared: a pager. "Captain Marvel" elaborated on its relevance to the MCU when it showed how the Avengers contacted her through it. This now-outdated gadget integrated Carol Danvers in "Avengers: Endgame."
Since Tony Stark and Peter Parker had a close relationship in the MCU, we saw them fight side by side in "Avengers: Infinity War" as Spider-Man and Iron Man. But it was the younger hero who suffered from the dreaded Thanos snap and died beside the older hero. Peter said this line before dying.
Tony Stark's pop culture references add humor during stressful moments in the MCU. For instance, when he saw Ebony Maw in "Avengers: Infinity War," he tagged the enemy with a "SpongeBob SquarePants" character name: Squidward. This exchange happened before they started fighting for the time stone.
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Apparently, Iron Man still has the time to notice the Shawarma Palace eatery while fighting off enemies during the Battle of New York. He later asked the others to eat there since he's curious about the shawarma. Their post-credits scene showed the group snacking on this Middle Eastern treat.
The first Avengers film was aiming for a PG-13 rating to accommodate young viewers. But Agent Coulson getting speared by Loki earned the movie an initial R rating. Instead of showing the spearing's frontal shot, they showed a side view shot and added stabbing sound effects to earn the lower rating.
X-Men and Avengers fans can spot two different Quicksilver characterizations in separate movie franchises. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" had Wanda's twin, Pietro Maximoff, who died in the Sokovia battle. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" had Peter Maximoff, the fast-running kid who thinks Magneto is his dad.
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Thor met up with Captain America again on the battlefield in "Avengers: Infinity War" and introduced him to his new friend, saying "Oh, by the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree." His friend replied "I am Groot" so Steve said, "I am Steve Rogers."
Director Joss Whedon had to do a combination of old-school camera tricks and high-tech manipulation to shoot "Avengers: Age of Ultron" while Black Widow was a few months pregnant. They did close-up shots, hid her behind props and replaced stunt doubles' faces with her own during postproduction.
A party trick in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" had our heroes take turns in lifting Mjolnir to see if they are also "worthy." Only Steve Rogers made it move a little, which Thor noticed. In "Avengers: Endgame," this challenge escalated when Captain America fought using his shield and the hammer together.
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Brainwashed Bucky Barnes went back to freeze mode in "Captain America: Civil War" with the help of Steve Rogers and T'Challa. We saw him next at the end of "Black Panther" revitalized and talking with Shuri the scientist. With a new vibranium arm, he rejoined BFF Steve in "Avengers: Infinity War."
Vision is a composite of different factors: the synthetic body originally for Ultron to inhabit, Tony Stark's A.I. assistant J.A.R.V.I.S., and the mind stone that powered his being. We saw how Stark and Banner manufactured him and how Thor's hammer made him come alive in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
All Infinity Stones have distinct colors and origins in the MCU. The orange soul stone will only surface at Vormir when someone sacrifices a soul for it. The space stone, which came from the blue tesseract cube, is also colored blue.
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If you noticed how Pepper walked without any kind of footwear, that's how they "remedied" the two-inch height difference between Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. Since she's taller, they made her go barefoot in scenes where she has to interact with Tony Stark in their office.
With so many characters in "Avengers: Infinity War," it may have been easy to miss Hawkeye. Clint Barton's absence is a direct consequence of his actions in "Captain America: Civil War" where he fought as an "enemy" and landed in jail. He made a deal to sit out the next fight and stayed home.
As Jane Foster, Natalie Portman could have had more roles in the MCU aside from the two "Thor" films. When "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins walked away from directing "Thor: The Dark World," this prompted Portman to leave MCU. But she still did new voice recording work for "Avengers: Endgame."
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Just like Marty McFly, who tried to wing his way through time traveling in "Back to the Future," our Avengers heroes also had their awkward moments when they traveled back in time. Scott Lang and Tony Stark even mentioned the movie title in the film.
One of the "Avengers: Endgame" directors, Joe Russo, had a cameo in the support group session with Steve. He was the one talking about losing a male partner in the snap and feeling brave to date again. This small effort marked the first time an openly out LGBTQ person appeared in the whole MCU.
Edward Norton played "The Incredible Hulk" in MCU's second film but he didn't assemble with the gang in "The Avengers" movie. Due to conflicts with the producers, Mark Ruffalo replaced him and took on the role until the 22nd MCU film "Avengers: Endgame."
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Director Joss Whedon wanted to capture James Spader's dramatic range for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" so they equipped him with motion capture devices. He was acting out Ultron's facial expressions, movements and voice on the set. But we only see the robotic villain in the final product, not the actor.
The snarky Rocket alerted us to the fact that Captain Marvel had extra time to get a haircut in "Avengers: Endgame" during their teleconferencing session with Black Widow. This new hairdo marked how significant time had already passed after The Snap happened. It's also how she looks like in the comics.
Movie buffs familiar with "The Big Lebowski" can recall a slob-like character in that film called The Dude whose laid-back attitude is similar to post-decimation Thor. Jeff Bridges played The Dude. In "Iron Man," he played Stark's business mentor who turned into Iron Monger and fought our hero.
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Black Sabbath released a song in 1970 called "Iron Man," so that obviously influenced Tony Stark's character since we first met him in the stand-alone "Iron Man" film. In "The Avengers," you can see him wearing a black shirt featuring the band.
Did you spot an Ant-Man prototype helmet in "Avengers: Endgame" when Steve and Tony traveled to the '70s to get more Pym Particles? It's a nod to the comics origin of our heroes since Ant-Man creator Hank Pym was part of the original Avengers, a detail the MCU heavily revised.
Cult movie icon Harry Dean Stanton delivered a funny line that also contained an "insider joke" of sorts for movie trivia hunters. When Hulk crash-landed on earth, Stanton's security guard cameo found him and asked: "Are you an alien?" This was a nod to the "Alien" movie where he appeared.
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Thanos had the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand when he made that dreaded snap and decimated half of the population in "Avengers: Infinity War." But the remaining Avengers made another gauntlet in "Avengers: Endgame" which Hulk wore on his right hand.
Before flying off with Hawkeye in the first Avengers movie, Tony Stark said: "Better clench up, Legolas." This "LOTR" reference is only one of the many pop culture references he said within the MCU. But many "LOTR" actors did appear in the MCU like Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis.
Fans who sat through the "Avengers: Endgame" credits hoping to see a post-credits scene didn't get this last wish. The first 21 MCU films all had these scenes which served as teasers and tie-ups to the next movies. Since this was the last in the MCU lineup, for now, they didn't create one this time.
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A Philippine landmark was prominent in "Avengers: Infinity War" and served as Thanos' hiding place: the Banaue Rice Terraces. The 2,000-year-old structure made by the Ifugao indigenous tribe still remains agriculturally functional. It's also a popular destination for tourists who love to hike.
Thor was present in all of the four Avengers films and his brother Loki was in most of them. This mischievous brother sometimes helped them out and often caused major trouble. In "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Loki was absent but his name still came up in conversations.
When Thor boarded Star-Lord's ship in "Avengers: Endgame," he cracked a joke saying "the Asgardians of the Galaxy" are back together again. Outside the MCU films, though, this "shipping" of two distinct hero groups became a reality in 2018 when Marvel Comics released it as a new title.
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Doctor Strange may have said "We're in the endgame now" in "Avengers: Infinity War" but he wasn't the first one to say it. Tony Stark said it first in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" like this: "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day but that up there, that's the endgame."
Wanda and Vision secretly became a couple and existed under the radar in "Avengers: Infinity War." They stayed in Scotland where Vision took on a human form so he can walk around the streets of Edinburgh. This is where we see Vision actor Paul Bettany's "normal" face.
Right before "Avengers: Endgame" premiered in 2019, Robert Redford had already announced his retirement from acting in 2018. But he was still present in a critical scene of that film: Tony Stark's funeral. Other major characters who appeared in MCU also did cameos in that scene.
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Baby boomers who enjoyed watching "The Incredible Hulk" during the late '70s and early '80s can easily name Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk in that series. But in the Avengers movies, they'll have to listen closely to feel his presence again. The MCU used Lou's voice to enhance Mark Ruffalo's Hulk voice.
It seems like The Avengers have brand loyalty for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Black Widow rode the LiveWire electric kind in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" while Captain America rode the Street 750 type in "Captain America: Winter Soldier." Even Cap's 1940s bike was a Harley called the WLA Liberator.
Army Reserve soldiers serving as military police showed authentic fighting tactics and formations in the critical Battle of New York scene in "The Avengers." These real-life heroes belonged to the 391st Military Police Battalion from Fort Meade, Maryland.
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Whedon instructed his visual effects team to create a jet pack for Iron Man in the first Avengers movie. This upgrade eliminates his "Tinker Bell" pose when he had his hands outstretched on his sides for flying power. Placing the jets on his back and not on his palms solved this director's dilemma.