Can You Name These 40 Installments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

By: Jacqueline Samaroo
Image: Marvel Studios via youtube

About This Quiz

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU, for short) is so expansive that even die-hard fans probably don't know everything there is to know about the franchise. We've compiled a list of not only the uber-popular films and TV series but also film shorts and web series! Think you can guess 40 of these MCU installments from just a single screenshot?

There have been 20 feature films in the MCU in just ten years, and the media franchise doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down! Not to mention the 10+ television series across four different networks, including ABC and Netflix!

Everything happens in the same continuity, so it's common for characters to cross over not only between films but also into television series and other media. One example is S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson who has made appearances across all different media in the MCU. Everything he's appeared in is included in this quiz, too!

The MCU strikes the perfect balance between highlighting the most popular heroes and promoting lesser-known ones. The directors and writers obviously also know the right balance of seriousness and humor to keep audiences hooked! It wouldn't be a true installment in the Universe without its fair share of witty one-liners, after all!

The MCU is growing rapidly, yet the franchise rarely disappoints! So grab some shawarma and your star-spangled shield and let's get on with the quiz!

James Spader was the first choice for the role of Ultron because of his “hypnotic” voice. Apparently, his performance was so awe-inspiring that the rest of the cast cheered after his first take!

While filming season 2, Chloe Bennet (who plays Daisy Johnson) fractured her elbow during a fight scene. She ended up filming the rest of that season with a broken arm!

Ah, the movie that started it all! Did you know that it was Marvel Studios’ first-ever self-financed film? The script hadn’t even been finished when filming began, and most of the dialogue was ad-libbed!

In the first "Thor" film and "The Avengers," Chris Hemsworth wore a wig (that’s right, it wasn’t his real hair!) In "The Dark World," however, his long locks were mostly his own hair; he grew it out for over a year!

This series marked the first live-action portrayal of Luke Cage. He says his character’s catchphrase from the comics “Sweet Christmas” several times in season one!

The director of "Doctor Strange," Scott Derrickson, is a huge fan of the character. He wanted to be chosen as director for the film so badly that he even spent his own money on the concept video that he pitched to Marvel!

Marvel chose Edward Norton to play Bruce Banner in "The Incredible Hulk," but director Louis Leterrier had originally wanted Mark Ruffalo for the role. Funnily enough, Ruffalo ended up playing Banner in all the following MCU films!

To prepare for the role of Peter Parker, Tom Holland attended the Bronx High School of Science for a few days. Holland says that a classmate found him strange and asked him what was going on – when he explained to her that he was a British actor playing Spiderman, she called him “nuts”!

The Defenders’ founding members in the TV series and comics are completely different! In the Netflix adaptation, the founding members are the familiar Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist. In the comics, however, they are Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and Namor.

Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia) and Winston Duke (M’Baku) are alumni of Yale School of Drama, with Nyong’o having been a year above Duke. The pair went to see "The Avengers together" in 2012 and said they wanted to be in a similar movie someday!

When Paul Rudd was cast as Ant-Man, and he told his son – then nine years old – about it, his son said: “Wow, I can’t wait to see how stupid that’ll be.” We’re not sure if he’s changed his mind about his father's role since then!

Anthony Mackie has always been a huge Marvel fan and dreamed of playing a Marvel character. He wrote many emails to Marvel and was willing to play any character in the films. His enthusiasm and persistence eventually led to Keven Feige offering him the part of Falcon!

This 2013 short was featured on the Blu-ray of "Iron Man 3" and featured Peggy Carter on a solo mission. The short was so well-received that it led to the creation of a TV series centered on the character!

Luke Cage’s was introduced in Marvel comics in 1972. In the 1990’s Quentin Tarantino wanted to make a film centered around him! He, however, decided to make the classic "Pulp Fiction," which was released in 1994.

Did you know that the working title of Runaways was “Rugrats”? It was also rumored to have been intended as a film in Phase Four of the MCU but ended up becoming a series instead.

Did you know that brothers Chris and Liam Hemsworth ended up battling it out for the role of Thor? It was all friendly battle, though; the Australian brothers rooted for each other!

Mark Ruffalo and Tom Holland are notorious for spoiling Marvel films. Because of this, Ruffalo was given a fake script for "Infinity War" and Holland wasn’t even allowed to read the script at all!

"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot" is a web series created for ABC. It takes place before the 4th season of S.H.I.E.L.D. and centers around Yo-Yo Rodriguez. It was well-received and even won a Webby Award!

While filming season one of the Agent Carter series, Hayley Atwell was scheduled to take a photo for her driver’s license. Her photo shows her in full makeup and outfit as Peggy Carter!

Cate Blanchett took the role of Hela because her children are huge fans of Marvel comics! To prepare for the part, she studied Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art.

Matt Murdock (Daredevil) is one of two characters in the MCU who grew up at St. Agnes’ orphanage. The other is Daisy Johnson (Quake) from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Finalists for the role of Peter Parker (including Tom Holland) had to do screen tests with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Holland said that Downey Jr. took him aside and encouraged him not to be nervous!

This Marvel short consists of a documentary filmmaker interviewing Trevor Slattery, the fake terrorist from Iron Man 3. It was released in 2014 alongside "Thor: The Dark World."

In the comics, Dagger is a privileged student and Cloak is the street-smart one. The TV adaptation, Marvel’s "Cloak & Dagger," reverses the titular characters’ backgrounds!

There were two other Marvel characters present during World War II who were going to make cameos in the film: Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and James Howlett (Wolverine)! Sadly, the cameos never worked out because of issues concerning rights.

Director James Gunn created a script specifically for himself and Vin Diesel called the “Groot Version.” It contained all of Groot’s lines in English so that Diesel would be able to get the inflection in “I am Groot” right every time!

Featured on the Blu-ray release of "Thor," The Consultant takes place after "The Incredible Hulk" and "Iron Man 2." It expands on the post-credit scene of the former!

"Team Thor" is a documentary (or rather mockumentary) revolving around Thor and Bruce Banner. It involves Thor taking a short vacation in Australia during the events of Captain America: Civil War!

Ant-Man and Wasp are founding members of the Avengers, but director Joss Whedon decided to cut them from the film. He did this both because there were already too many characters in the movie, and because he wanted Ant-Man to be introduced into the Universe with his own solo film!

"Iron Man 3" is a quite hefty 2 hours and 11 minutes long, but did you know that the first cut was 3 hours and 15 minutes? The film’s Chinese edit also has many additional scenes.

Did you know that "Inhumans" was originally intended to be a film in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? There’s still reportedly a possibility of an "Inhumans" film happening in the future, though.

This short’s name is anything but short, and was included in the Blu-ray release of "Captain America: The First Avenger!" It’s actually set before the events of "Thor" and centers around S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson.

Vin Diesel recorded the line “I am Groot” more than a thousand times! Diesel didn’t seem to mind much though, as he said that playing “a character who celebrates life in the way Groot does” helped him move forward after the death of his best friend.

Rosario Dawson, who plays nurse Claire Temple, is the only character to appear in four different series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! These are "Iron Fist," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage" and "The Defenders!"

Though both the films and TV series take place in the same continuity, the Stark building is missing in shots of the New York skyline in "The Punisher!" It should be near the Empire State Building.

Did you know that the alien-like creatures seen in the quantum realm are real animals? They’re tardigrades (a.k.a. water bears) and can survive under extreme circumstances, even in outer space!

Item 47 features an ordinary couple Benny and Claire (a reference to the notorious Bonnie and Clyde) who find a Chitauri gun after the NYC attack. It was featured on "The Avengers’" home media release.

WHIH Newsfront is a web series based on the fictional TV network "WHIH World News" that’s often seen in the MCU. It’s essentially a center of viral marketing campaigns but has been rather well-received because it gives a lot of insight into the MCU!

Many characteristics of Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash were suggested by the actor himself. He even bought the gold tooth and pet cockatoo with his own money! However, he admitted that the hardest part of the role was pretending to be tech-literate!

"Team Darryl" is the second sequel to "Team Thor," the well-received mockumentary. He was first seen as Thor’s roommate when the hero vacationed in Australia and in this short he ends up being the rooming with Grandmaster!

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