The Marvel Cinematic Universe is responsible for some of the biggest movies of all time, and the franchise’s highest-grossing hits confirm who Marvel’s most popular superhero really is. The pinnacle of Marvel Studios’ achievements at the box office remains Avengers: Endgame, with its $2.7 billion haul placing it above not only every MCU movie, but every film ever made, besides James Cameron’s Avatar.
Endgame brought together the MCU’s biggest characters in a culminating event for the ages. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and others joined forces to reverse the Snap and bring back everyone Thanos wiped from existence, including Doctor Strange, T’Challa, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord. The movie’s financial success came as little surprise considering practically any person’s favorite MCU hero was in it.
The MCU’s biggest hits have always been tied to its cornerstone characters. That’s why the Avengers heroes, particularly Iron Man and Captain America, are often considered the franchise’s most popular. They have the collective appearances and total box office earnings to back up that belief, but there has been a shift in recent years. Iron Man, Captain America, and others have been pushed aside.
From “I Am Iron Man” to “I Am Inevitable” · Eight Questions How Well Do You Know the MCU? “Whatever it takes.”
🤖Phase OneRDJ & the founders, 2008
🛡The AvengersWhedon’s team, 2012
💎Infinity SagaThanos & the stones
⚡EndgameWhatever it takes, 2019
🌏MultiversePhase 4–6, 2021–
01
Iron Man (2008) is, in retrospect, the most consequential casting decision in modern blockbuster history — but at the time Marvel Studios and parent company Paramount were openly hostile to director Jon Favreau’s push for the lead actor he eventually got. Favreau later said he had to fight “tooth and nail” and the actor had to do a paid screen test, a screen-test deal almost unheard of for an A-lister. What was the executive objection to him?
✓ Correct! Robert Downey Jr. had been arrested multiple times between 1996 and 2001 on drug and weapons charges, served roughly a year in California state prison (1999–2000), and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 after relapsing. By 2007 he’d been clean for several years, but Marvel/Paramount considered him essentially uninsurable for a $140 million tent-pole. Favreau pushed for him over studio favourites Tom Cruise (who’d had Iron Man development at Fox years earlier) and Sam Rockwell (who’d later play Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 as a consolation). RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than Terrence Howard, whose role he then permanently overshadowed.
✗ Wrong. The answer is his arrest history. RDJ had drug-related arrests from 1996–2001, served prison time in 1999–2000, and was fired from Ally McBeal in 2001 — which made him uninsurable in studio terms even though he’d been sober for several years by 2007. Favreau fought for him over Tom Cruise and Sam Rockwell, and RDJ took a reported $500,000 base salary — less than co-star Terrence Howard.
02
The Avengers (2012) — the film that proved the shared-universe model could work, grossed $1.52 billion, and ended Phase One with Loki, Thanos’s mid-credits reveal, and the “swarm shot” of the team rotating in Manhattan — was written and directed by a TV showrunner best known at the time for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Name him.
✓ Correct! Joss Whedon. Marvel hired him in mid-2010 partly on the basis of his uncredited script rewrites and his comfort writing ensemble team dynamics from Buffy/Angel/Firefly. He directed The Avengers (2012) and the follow-up Age of Ultron (2015), then exited the MCU and Marvel handed the next two Avengers films to the Russo brothers. The three other directors named all really did make Phase One films: Favreau directed Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Branagh directed Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) — which is why this question separates Phase One trivia from Avengers-specific trivia.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Joss Whedon — hired largely on the strength of Buffy, Firefly, and uncredited Hollywood script work. The three wrong options are deliberately all real Phase One MCU directors: Favreau did Iron Man 1 & 2, Branagh did Thor (2011), and Joe Johnston did The First Avenger (2011). Whedon directed Avengers (2012) and Age of Ultron (2015) before exiting the MCU.
03
Marvel co-architect Stan Lee (1922–2018) appeared in every theatrical MCU film from Iron Man (2008) onward, even shooting cameos in advance to outlast him. He died on November 12, 2018. In which film does his final filmed MCU cameo appear — as the long-haired young driver of a 1970 car bearing the bumper sticker “NUFF SAID”?
✓ Correct! Avengers: Endgame (April 2019). Lee appears digitally de-aged behind the wheel of a 1970 Chevy at the New Jersey army base where Tony Stark and Steve Rogers travel back to retrieve the Tesseract; he shouts “hey man, make love, not war!” The cameo was filmed before Lee’s death and confirmed by the Russos as his final filmed MCU appearance, although the next-released film, Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019), became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all. Captain Marvel (March 2019) has him reading the script for Mallrats on the L.A. train and was the first posthumously-released cameo, but Endgame was the last one he actually shot.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Avengers: Endgame — the de-aged hippie-era driver in the 1970 New Jersey time-heist scene. Captain Marvel (March 2019) was the first cameo to release posthumously, but Endgame (April 2019) was the last one Lee actually filmed. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019) became the first MCU film with no Stan Lee cameo at all.
04
Across Phase One through Three, each Infinity Stone is hidden inside a distinctive container before being claimed for Thanos’s Gauntlet. The blue Space Stone is housed inside a glowing cube that originates with the Asgardians, is recovered by Howard Stark from the wreckage of the Red Skull’s plane, is taken to Asgard by Loki in 2012, and is finally retrieved by Hulk on Sakaar before falling to Thanos. What is that container called?
✓ Correct! The Tesseract — the blue cube that houses the Space Stone — first appears in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), powers the portal Loki opens over Manhattan in The Avengers (2012), and is destroyed by Thanos in Infinity War (2018) when he crushes it to claim the stone inside. The wrong options are all real Infinity Stone containers from the MCU: the Aether (red liquid form) houses the Reality Stone in Thor: The Dark World, the Orb houses the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Eye of Agamotto houses the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. So all four answers refer to genuine stone containers — only the Tesseract holds Space.
✗ Wrong. The answer is the Tesseract. The trap is that all four options are real Infinity Stone containers: the Aether holds Reality (Thor: The Dark World), the Orb holds Power (Guardians of the Galaxy), and the Eye of Agamotto holds Time (Doctor Strange). Space — the blue stone shown in Cap’s 1942 plane wreckage and Loki’s 2012 invasion — is the Tesseract.
05
In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the Soul Stone is hidden on Vormir and guarded by a Stonekeeper — revealed to be a cursed Red Skull. To claim it, the seeker must sacrifice the person they love most by throwing them from a cliff. Thanos arrives on Vormir with one adopted daughter, weeps, and pushes her over the edge. Which character does Thanos sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone?
✓ Correct! Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). Thanos forces her to lead him to Vormir because Nebula has earlier revealed under torture that Gamora knew the Soul Stone’s location all along. The scene is the emotional pivot of Infinity War: it confirms that Thanos really does love Gamora, which means the sacrifice qualifies. In Endgame (2019), a 2014 version of Gamora returns through time travel with her father — meaning Gamora-of-Infinity-War remains dead at the end of the saga, while a different Gamora wanders the cosmos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War; Mantis survives Vormir entirely; Proxima Midnight is one of Thanos’s Black Order children, killed in the Battle of Wakanda.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Gamora. Nebula is alive throughout Infinity War (she’s the one whose torture reveals Gamora knew where the stone was hidden). Mantis isn’t on Vormir. Proxima Midnight is Thanos’s adopted daughter via the Black Order, not via Zen-Whoberi, and is killed during the Battle of Wakanda by Scarlet Witch. Thanos sacrifices Gamora — the only adopted daughter he genuinely loves.
06
In Avengers: Endgame (2019), Steve Rogers travels back in time to return the Infinity Stones, then chooses to remain in the past and live out a life with Peggy Carter. He returns to the present as an old man, sits on a bench by the lake at the Avengers compound, and hands his vibranium shield to a younger Avenger as the symbolic transfer of the Captain America identity. To whom does Steve give the shield?
✓ Correct! Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — the Falcon. The choice deliberately bypasses Bucky, the original comics successor, because the Russos and screenwriters Markus & McFeely wanted the moment to read as a deliberate, racially-charged passing of an American icon rather than the obvious comics-canon handoff. The thread is then picked up directly in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, 2021), in which Sam initially gives the shield to the Smithsonian, sees the government install John Walker as a replacement Cap, and ultimately takes the mantle himself — setting up Captain America: Brave New World (2025) with Mackie as the franchise’s new lead.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Sam Wilson, the Falcon. In the comics Bucky is the classic Cap successor, but the Russos and screenwriters Markus and McFeely deliberately picked Sam instead — a choice the entire Falcon and the Winter Soldier series (Disney+, 2021) then unpacks before Mackie carries it into Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
07
After Endgame, Marvel Studios’ Phase Four launched the MCU on Disney+ with a sitcom-pastiche limited series in which Wanda Maximoff and a resurrected Vision live inside a reality-warping suburban hex. Each episode parodied a different era of US TV sitcom — The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Family Ties, Modern Family. The show premiered January 15, 2021 and ran nine episodes. Which series was it — the first MCU project on Disney+?
✓ Correct! WandaVision (January 15 – March 5, 2021), created by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman. It launched Phase Four, earned 23 Emmy nominations, and effectively rebooted Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier followed it in March 2021 — not first — and Loki landed in June 2021. Hawkeye is the 2021 Christmas series with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld. The original launch order was WandaVision → FATWS → Loki → What If…? → Hawkeye, and WandaVision’s sitcom format remains the boldest swing of the Disney+ era.
✗ Wrong. The answer is WandaVision (January 15, 2021), the first MCU show on Disney+ and the launchpad for Phase Four. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier came in March 2021, Loki in June 2021, and Hawkeye in late 2021. The sitcom-pastiche structure — Dick Van Dyke through Modern Family — is unique to WandaVision.
08
At the closing panel of San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, 2024, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige brought the Russo brothers back on stage to announce a new title for the next Avengers film — previously labelled “The Kang Dynasty” before Jonathan Majors’s December 2023 conviction forced a pivot — and then unmasked a cast of actors wearing green hoods. The final hood came off Robert Downey Jr. RDJ is returning to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark. As whom?
✓ Correct! Doctor Doom — Victor von Doom, the Latverian dictator and Reed Richards’s lifelong nemesis, generally considered Marvel’s greatest comics villain. The next Avengers film, originally announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, was retitled Avengers: Doomsday after Jonathan Majors was dropped as Kang following his December 2023 assault conviction. Doomsday is scheduled for May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars to follow in May 2027 — both directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, returning to the MCU after Endgame. The in-universe explanation for RDJ playing Doom rather than Stark hinges on the multiverse: Doom is being positioned as a variant of Stark from another timeline.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Doctor Doom. The film was retitled from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026) after Jonathan Majors was dropped, and the Russos returned to direct. RDJ’s casting as Doom — rather than as Tony Stark — is being explained in-universe via the multiverse: Doom as a Stark variant from another timeline.
The Stones Are Cast · Final Scorecard Your Avengers Standing
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/ 8
A worthy Avenger — or dusted in the snap?
Thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s record-breaking box office of $1.7 billion (and counting), it has now entered the top 4 all-time for the MCU. It joins Endgame,Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. As a result, Spider-Man becomes the only Marvel hero to be in the universe’s four highest-grossing movies.
Spider-Man Is Responsible For The MCU’s Highest-Grossing Movies
MCU Spider-Man Shooting Organic Webs in Brand New Day
While there are many factors behind the individual success that Endgame, Infinity War, No Way Home, and Brand New Day achieve, it should not be considered a coincidence that Spider-Man is in them all. Tom Holland’s web-slinger is the biggest common thread between these four films; Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds is the only other character to appear in all four, but he only had cameos in the Avengers films (including a non-speaking role in Endgame).
That’s why it is fair to attribute a good amount of these films’ success to having Spider-Man in them. This is quite obvious with No Way Home and Brand New Day. Those are solo movies for the character. Audiences went to see them for Spider-Man specifically and to experience the next chapters in his story. Without him, those movies wouldn’t even exist, so him getting the credit for their success is not up for debate.
MCU Movie
Global Box Office
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
$2.7 billion
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
$2.0 billion
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
$1.9 billion
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
$1.7 billion
Spider-Man also should be considered heavily responsible for how well Infinity War and Endgame did. He had a sizable role in the former and arguably the most impactful “death” scene among the whole ensemble. Infinity War is also the first Avengers movie with Spider-Man, and considering he was featured prominently in the marketing, he deserves points for audiences’ participation in the event.
His role in Endgame is clearly much smaller, only factoring into the plot for the final battle. However, his limited screentime did not diminish his impact. Spider-Man is still central to Endgame‘s biggest emotional beats. And if you watch any of the audience recordings of the portal sequence, the thunderous applause and cheers that accompanied Spider-Man swinging into place were consistently among the biggest reactions. People clearly were excited to see Spider-Man back. Some may have even come just to see him return.
Doctor Strange can claim three of the top four movies. Iron Man, Captain America, and most of the Avengers used to be able to count three of the four too. But with Brand New Day knocking The Avengers down to fifth place, Spider-Man’s popularity has moved him into a league of his own. He’s the MCU’s second-highest-grossing character (behind only Iron Man) right now and responsible for the biggest solo franchise, with $5.6 billion in sales and counting.
How Spider-Man Became Bigger For The MCU Than Iron Man & Other Avengers
Avengers Endgame poster
Spider-Man’s popularity within the MCU is not a complete surprise. He has always been one of Marvel’s biggest comic book characters, routinely being a favorite hero for kids, resulting in huge merchandise sales, multiple TV shows, and several movie franchises. The latter may not have always gone as well as Sony would have hoped, but Spider-Man has and always will be an A-list hero. Conversely, Iron Man, Captain America, and others were B-list characters at best when the MCU started.
The MCU has also done a fairly fantastic job with Spider-Man. He’s been seamlessly integrated into the larger universe, giving fans the long-awaited opportunity to see him interact with other Marvel heroes on the big screen. Holland has convincingly transformed him from an unsure high school student to a young adult with more confidence. He’s also received key development and standout moments in all his appearances.
It is no coincidence that Spider-Man’s rise to these newfound popularity levels has come in the aftermath of his Avengers roles. Those movies exposed him to an even bigger audience, and with Marvel Studios moving forward without Iron Man or Steve Rogers, there was a huge vacancy in terms of franchise-leading heroes. Spider-Man effortlessly stepped into that role and became the character that audiences gravitated to the most in the Multiverse Saga.
The MCU Can’t Afford To Lose Spider-Man Now
This has now left the MCU in a place where Spider-Man is, by all accounts, the face of the franchise. He’s become an irreplaceable icon for Marvel Studios, which puts them in a dangerous position moving forward since they do not control his rights.
Marvel and Sony are currently sharing Spider-Man as part of a second agreement that came together in 2019, extending the partnership that began in 2015. But when Marvel nearly lost Spider-Man seven years ago, there was reason to believe that the MCU could be okay without him. There were other characters and franchises seemingly positioned to carry the franchise into the next saga. But the reality is that none have come close to matching Spider-Man’s results.
The Spidey sharing deal is beneficial for both Marvel and Sony, so it should continue for years, especially as long as Holland is playing Peter Parker. But depending on the specifics of the current deal, Sony is arguably the one who has more leverage at this point. They could take Holland out of the MCU, do another team-up with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, and likely watch it make well over $1 billion. It would be jarring, but Sony and Spider-Man could still find success.
Meanwhile, Marvel is entering an era where Spider-Man is easily the biggest draw they have. Unless an Iron Man reboot is coming or an X-Men-heavy phase makes the mutants pop like never before, the MCU needs Spider-Man more than ever. Marvel Studios has to do everything they can to keep him around. Otherwise, they’ll have to replace the character who has helped deliver its four biggest movies ever.
