The

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

(MCU) is an American

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

and based on characters that appear in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The shared universe, much like the original

Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...

in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Over the course of the films and related media (such as

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

), several teams and organizations have been formed, each with different aims and purposes.

Teams and factions

Avengers

The Avengers are the central team of protagonist

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es of "The Infinity Saga" within the

. Created by

Nick Fury Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ...

and led primarily by Steve Rogers / Captain America, the team is a United States-based organization composed mainly of enhanced individuals committed to the world's protection from threats. The Avengers operate in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

; beginning at

Avengers Tower The Stark Tower Complex is a fictional high-rise building complex appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

, and subsequently, from the

Avengers Compound The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall. It was the fi ...

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

. They were foreshadowed in the 2008 film, ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

'', in which the "

Avengers Initiative ''Avengers: The Initiative'' is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series deals with the aftermath of Marvel's "Civil War" s ...

" was referenced by Nick Fury in a post-credit scene. The team first appear in ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'' (2012), consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Bruce Banner / Hulk,

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye. The lineup that was depicted by Joss Whedon is primarily based on the

Ultimates The Ultimates is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates'' #1 (March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel i ...

of Ultimate Marvel, with the exception of two classic founders, Hank Pym / Ant-Man and the Janet van Dyne / The Wasp. In '' Avengers: Age of Ultron,''

Pietro Maximoff Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the comic book ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) and was created by St ...

and

Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...

joins the Avengers before the Battle of Sokovia while Vision, James Rhodes / War Machine, and Sam Wilson / Falcon and also joins them in a new team roster led by Rogers. In '' Captain America: Civil War,'' the Avengers break apart into two teams, one led by Rogers and one led by Stark. In '' Avengers: Infinity War'', the Avengers battle

Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...

, and Stark officially makes Peter Parker / Spider-Man a member of the team. In '' Avengers: Endgame'', five years after the events of ''Infinity War'',

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

, Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, and Scott Lang / Ant-Man join the Avengers as well. The Avengers appear in the films ''The Avengers'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', ''Captain America: Civil War'', ''Avengers: Infinity War'', '' Captain Marvel'' (mid-credits scene), and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the Disney+ series ''

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...

'' (archival footage). Alternate versions of the team also appear in the animated

series '' What If...?''. Individual members of the Avengers are central characters in almost all films of the MCU.

Children of Thanos

The Children of Thanos were an elite team of powerful individuals who used their abilities to serve their adoptive father

. As Thanos's vicious generals, they assisted him in his mission to find and harness the power of the Infinity Stones. Thanos adopted six known children:

Ebony Maw Ebony Maw is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos. The character has made several appearances in media, such as a ...

, Proxima Midnight,

Corvus Glaive Corvus Glaive is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos. The character has made several appearances in media, s ...

Cull Obsidian In biology, culling is the process of segregating organisms from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics. In animal breeding, it is the process of removing or segregating animals from a breeding stock based on a specific tr ...

, Gamora, and

, and trained them in the ways of combat, turning each of them into a deadly warrior. Over the years, Gamora and Nebula would both turn on Thanos, while the rest of his children continued to serve him faithfully. In 2018, once Thanos initiated his crusade to acquire the six Infinity Stones, he sends them to Earth in order to retrieve the Time and Mind Stones. Maw and Obsidian attempt to remove the former from Doctor Strange's

Eye of Agamotto The Eye of Agamotto () is a fictional, mystical item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and other media, particularly in their Marvel Cinematic Universe films, with its first appearance in ''Doctor Strange''. The item ap ...

while Glaive and Midnight attempt to steal the latter from Vision, but they are each killed by members of the Avengers. Five years later, alternate versions of the Children of Thanos from 2014 time-travel to 2023 and participate in the battle between Thanos's forces and the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy,

Masters of the Mystic Arts The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appea ...

, and Ravagers. Obsidian and Glaive are killed during the battle, while Maw and Midnight both disintegrate after Stark uses the Infinity Stones to snap his fingers. An alternate version shown in ''What If...?'' shows how Thanos lost the team to the Collector when he became good. They appeared in the films ''Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the Disney+ animated series ''What If...?'', in which they are referred to as the Black Order.

Dora Milaje

The Dora Milaje, also known simply as the Dora, are an elite organization of female bodyguards and Wakanda's special forces. The current general is

Ayo The interjection Ayo! is a common variation of the word Yo!. Ayo, Ayọ, Ayọ̀ and AYO may also refer to: People Ayọ is a common Yoruba given name, it can be given to a female and a male. ''Ayọ'' in Yoruba means ''Joy''. * Ayo Akinola, A ...

Florence Kasumba Florence Kasumba (born 26 October 1976) is a Ugandan-born German actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Ayo (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Ayo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), Black Panther (f ...

portrays

, a member of the Dora Milaje, in ''Captain America: Civil War'', as a guard of T'Challa. They next appear in ''Black Panther''. Florence Kasumba reprises her role,

Danai Gurira Danai Jekesai Gurira (; born February 14, 1978) is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2020, 2022) and as Okoye in the ...

portrays Okoye, and Sydelle Noel portrays Xoliswa while the unnamed Dora Milaje are portrayed by Marija Abney, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, Maria Hippolyte, Marie Mouroum, Jénel Stevens, Zola Williams, Christine Hollingsworth, and Shaunette Renée Wilson. After Killmonger takes over Wakanda and seemingly kills

T'Challa Black Panther is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-coplotter Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #52 ...

, the Dora Milaje reluctantly stand by him as they must remain loyal to the throne. After T'Challa returns, the Dora Milaje fight Killmonger, though Xoliswa is killed in the process. In 2018, the Dora Milaje join the

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

in defending Wakanda from

's forces., whilst they fight Thanos's forces again in 2023. In 2024, after Bucky Barnes breaks Helmut Zemo out of prison, the Dora Milaje pursue the latter, and eventually capture him before sending him to the Raft. Ayo advises Barnes not to return to Wakanda for some time, though he is able to ask them to create a suit for Sam Wilson. They appeared in the films ''Captain America: Civil War'', ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

'', ''Avengers: Infinity War'', ''Avengers: Endgame,'' and ''Black Panther: Wakanda Forever''; as well as the

television series '' The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' and ''What If...?''.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a band of outlaws who joined to protect the galaxy from threats. The group's founding members are Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax,

, and

Groot Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, sentien ...

. The team's membership is later expanded with the addition of

Yondu Udonta Yondu Udonta, or simply Yondu (), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original version of the character is depicted as the last survivor of his species in the 31st century, and is a founding ...

and Mantis while temporarily aided by

in their fight against

Ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...

Kraglin Kraglin is a fictional alien appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by plotter Stan Lee, writer Ernie Hart and artist Don Heck, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #46 (August 1963). He is a member of the Ravag ...

also assists the team in the final confrontation. Four years later, they aid

and the

in confronting

in his attempt to collect the six Infinity Stones. Thanos succeeds in collecting all of Stones, murdering Gamora in the process, and disintegrates half of all life in the universe, with Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, and Groot among his victims, with only Rocket and Nebula spared. After Thanos has destroyed the Stones and is executed by Thor, Rocket and Nebula help the Avengers travel back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones from the past. They are successful, but the Thanos of 2014 becomes aware of the presence of this other Nebula, and has her captured, sending 2014 Nebula to the present in the former's place. 2014 Nebula summons Thanos to the present, where he destroys Avengers headquarters in order to acquire the Stones to kill the entire universe. Nebula successfully convinces 2014 Gamora to join her in opposing Thanos, and kills her 2014 counterpart, though 2014 Gamora has no emotional connection to Quill. The combined forces of the Avengers, the Guardians and all of their allies succeed in repelling his forces, and killing Thanos once and for all. Afterwards, Nebula and Thor joins the Guardians, quipping that they are now the " Asgardians of the Galaxy", and jokingly argues with Star-Lord over command of the team. Thor eventually leaves the team. The Guardians, having gained lots of money due to their role in saving the universe, buy Knowhere to use as their base of operations.

Cosmo the Spacedog Cosmo the Spacedog (russian: Космо, Kosmo) is a fictional character, appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Cosmo, a telepathic Soviet space dog, is the security chief of the space station Knowhere and a member of the ...

then joins the team. They appeared in the films '' Guardians of the Galaxy'', ''

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...

'', ''Avengers: Infinity War'', ''Avengers: Endgame'', and '' Thor: Love and Thunder''; as well the Disney+ television special '' The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' and the animated series ''What If...?''.

Guardians of the Multiverse

The Guardians of the Multiverse is a group consisted of superheroes and supervillains from across the

Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...

. The group was assembled by the Watcher with the goal of stopping an alternate version of Ultron from destroying the Multiverse. The group's members are Peggy Carter / Captain Carter, T'Challa / Star-Lord,

, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, Gamora, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange Supreme. After a lengthy battle, the team defeats Ultron, but Killmonger enters into a duel with

Arnim Zola Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers (comics), Avengers. The character first appeared in ''Captain America (comic ...

over the Infinity Stones. Strange Supreme then casts a spell which imprisons the two inside a pocket dimension before the team is disbanded, returning to their universes by the Watcher. However, Romanoff is transported to another universe, as her own universe was destroyed by Ultron. They appeared in the animated series '' What If...?''.

Howling Commandos

The Howling Commandos are an elite combat unit that had been led by

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

(portrayed by Chris Evans) during World War II. At the end of the war and after Captain America's apparent demise, their unit continued to be active and was led by Dum Dum Dugan (portrayed by Neal McDonough). They are first introduced in ''Captain America: The First Avenger''. They were made up of men freed from a Hydra prisoner camp by Rogers. Their number also included Bucky Barnes,

Gabe Jones Gabriel "Gabe" Jones is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, he made his first appearance in World War II war comics series ' ...

, James Montgomery Falsworth,

Jim Morita ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' was a comic book series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and published by Marvel Comics from 1963 to 1981. The main character, Sgt. Nick Fury, later became the leader of Marvel's super-spy agency, S.H.I ...

, and

Jacques Dernier ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' was a comic book series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and published by Marvel Comics from 1963 to 1981. The main character, Sgt. Nick Fury, later became the leader of Marvel's super-spy agency, S.H.I.E. ...

(portrayed by Sebastian Stan,

Derek Luke Derek Nathanial Luke (born April 24, 1974) is an American actor. He won the Independent Spirit Award for his big-screen debut performance as the titular character in the 2002 film ''Antwone Fisher'', directed and produced by Denzel Washington. ...

, JJ Feild, Kenneth Choi, and Bruno Ricci respectively). In ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', the team uses old Howling Commandos' equipment provided by Agent Antoine Triplett who is the grandson of one of the Howling Commandos. Commandos Dugan and Morita also return in a flashback, led by

Peggy Carter Margaret Elizabeth Carter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in books featuring Captain America. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirb ...

. They also appear in '' Agent Carter''. They appeared in the film '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' and ''Agent Carter'', as well as the Disney+ animated series ''What If...?''.

Revengers

The Revengers is a team of ex-

Sakaar The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

prisoners assembled by

to escape the planet and defeat Hela. The team consists of Thor,

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

, Korg, and Miek. With the exception of Loki, who is choked to death by

, the team survives Ragnarok and the attack on the ''

Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

''. They appeared in the film '' Thor: Ragnarok'' and the Disney+ series ''Loki'' (archival footage).

Salem Coven

The Salem Coven was a witch

coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...

based in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. In 1693, during the Salem witch trials, the coven brought one of its members, Agatha Harkness, to the woods. She begged to be spared but was tied to a wooden post with magic bonds. Evanora Harkness, her mother, inquired if she was a witch, which Agatha admitted to. Evanora responded by saying she had betrayed her coven and stole knowledge above her place and that she practiced the darkest of magic, which Agatha denied. The witches tried to kill Agatha with energy beams as Agatha pleaded with Evanora. Agatha continued to cry until her powers took over and she reversed the effect of the beams onto the witches and killed them. Agatha broke free of the post and killed Evanora before taking the brooch off her mother's corpse and flew away. It appeared in the Disney+ series ''WandaVision''.

Starforce

The Starforce is an elite military task force of skilled Kree warriors in the service of the

Kree Empire The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are a fictional scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cl ...

. Led by Yon-Rogg (portrayed by

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

in the 2019 film '' Captain Marvel''), the group also includes

Vers Vers may refer to: *Vers (Lahn), a river of Hesse, Germany *Vers (Lot), a river of southern France, tributary of the Lot *an abbreviation for the trigonometric function "versine" *an abbreviation for versatile (sex), commonly used in Western gay m ...

Korath Korath the Pursuer () (real name Korath-Thak) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Korath was a geneticist, who founded and led the Pursuer Project. He also was a member of the Starforce. Djimon ...

Minn-Erva Doctor Minerva (Minn-Erva) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in '' Captain Marvel'' #50 (May 1977), created by writer Scott Edelman and artist Al Milgrom. Doctor Minerva is a ...

, Att-Lass, and

Bron-Char Bron-Char is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Mark Waid and artist Joe Kubert, the character debuted in ''Avengers'' Vol. 1, #364 (July 1993). He was a member of the Lunatic Legi ...

(portrayed by Brie Larson, Djimon Hounsou,

Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at t ...

Algenis Perez Soto Algenis Perez Soto is a Dominican actor. He is best known for his title role in the film ''Sugar (2008 film), Sugar'' (2008) and his portrayal of Captain Atlas, Att-Lass in the film ''Captain Marvel (film), Captain Marvel'' (2019). Early life S ...

, and Rune Temte, respectively). The group is first seen going to the planet Torfa to rescue a Kree scout named Soh-Larr. Vers is captured in a Skrull ambush led by Talos, but escapes to Earth and makes contact with Yon-Rogg. Following a parley with Talos and the discovery of the Skrull refugees hidden by Mar-Vell, Starforce arrives on Earth and takes prisoner the

Skrulls The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated from ...

Maria Rambeau Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

, and

Goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

. Vers, in her regained identity of Carol Danvers, is placed in a transmission with the Supreme Intelligence. After breaking free and overheating the implant that limited her abilities, Carol Danvers fights Starforce and Kree soldiers to rescue Nick Fury, Maria Rambeau, and the Skrulls; most of the antagonizing Kree are killed or incapacitated. They appeared in the film ''Captain Marvel''.

Strategic Operations Command Center

The Strategic Operations Command Center, also known by its acronym SOCC, was a special task force led by Thaddeus Ross in order to hunt down the

. Part of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, the SOCC tracked Banner down in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil and attempted to arrest him, but Banner transforms into the Hulk and manages to escape. The SOCC then confront the Hulk at Grayburn College and arrest Banner, but are forced to become temporary allies with him during his fight with the Abomination in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

. It appeared in the film '' The Incredible Hulk''.

Valkyrie

The Valkyrie were a group of female Asgardian warriors who served under

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

. Described by

as a "legend", the Valkyrie were sworn to protect the throne and fly on

winged horses The following is a list of fictional or mythological winged horses. Mythology *The ancient Pegasus is a mythological winged horse. *The Hippalectryon is a half-horse, half-rooster hybrid depicted in ancient Greek art. *Devadatta is the winged ...

. During one of their missions, they were sent by Odin to Hel in order to prevent his daughter, Hela, from escaping. However, Hela single-handedly murdered all but one of the Valkyrie before Odin arrived and stopped her. Deeply traumatized by the experience, the sole surviving Valkyrie leaves Asgard and becomes a bounty hunter, serving the Grandmaster on

as "Scrapper 142". They appeared in the film ''Thor: Ragnarok''.

Warriors Three

The Warriors Three are a group of Asgardian warriors/adventurers, made up of Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg, with Fandral initially portrayed by Joshua Dallas, Hogun portrayed by Tadanobu Asano, and Volstagg portrayed by Ray Stevenson. They often fight alongside

and Lady Sif. Zachary Levi later replaces Joshua Dallas as Fandral. They are ultimately killed by Hela during her takeover of Asgard. They appeared in the films ''Thor'', ''Thor: The Dark World'', and ''Thor: Ragnarok''; as well as the Disney+ animated series ''What If...?''.

Companies

Advanced Idea Mechanics

Advanced Idea Mechanics, better known by its acronym A.I.M., was a scientific research and development company that was founded by

Aldrich Killian Aldrich Killian is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' vol. 4 #1 (Jan. 2005 in comics, 2005) and was created by Warren Ellis and Adi Grano ...

. In 1999, Killian attempted to recruit Tony Stark, but failed and was instead approached by Maya Hansen, who agreed to join the organization and develop the Extremis

genetic manipulation Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

technology. Over the years, A.I.M. gathered an army of Extremis soldiers, but many of them became unstable and exploded. To cover the accidents up, Killian hired failed actor

Trevor Slattery Trevor Slattery is a fictional character portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). An actor hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings dubbed " the Mandarin", he first appeared in the film ''Iron Man ...

to pose as the

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

and claim responsibility for the "attacks". The Mandarin's actions eventually caught the attention of Tony Stark, whose mansion was later destroyed by A.I.M., while Killian kidnapped U.S. President

Matthew Ellis Matthew or Matt Ellis may refer to: *Matthew Ellis (British musician), pseudonym of novelist Michael Cox *Matt Ellis (Australian musician) (born 1973), Australian singer-songwriter *Matthew Ellis, member of A Hope for Home *Matt Ellis (ice hockey) ...

. Killian is ultimately stopped by Stark and James Rhodes, and is then killed by Pepper Potts. It appeared in the film '' Iron Man 3''.

Bestman Salvage

Bestman Salvage was a company based in New York owned and run by Adrian Toomes. Other employees included Phineas Mason, Herman Schultz, Jackson Brice, and Randy Vale. This company went defunct following the Department of Damage Control taking over their contracts, leading to Toomes choosing a life of crime to support his family. It appeared in the film ''Spider-Man: Homecoming''.

Bishop Security

Bishop Security is a security company owned and operated by the Bishop family in New York City. It appeared in the Disney+ series '' Hawkeye''.

F.E.A.S.T.

Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter & Training, better known by its acronym F.E.A.S.T, is an American non-profit charitable organization. In 2024, May Parker worked for F.E.A.S.T. to feed the poor and the hungry in New York. During one of her shifts, the recently displaced Norman Osborn seeks shelter at the F.E.A.S.T. Community Center, and is tended to by May until her nephew Peter Parker arrives to escort him to the

New York Sanctum The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements including locations, weapons, and artifacts. While many of these features are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books publis ...

, housing all the other displaced individuals from across the

multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...

. It appeared in the film '' Spider-Man: No Way Home''.

Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway

Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, better known by its initialism GLK&H, is an American

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

operating in New York City and Los Angeles. It appeared in the Disney+ series '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law''.

Hammer Industries

Hammer Industries is an American weapons manufacturing company formerly led by

Justin Hammer Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. As he ex ...

, until his arrest at the Stark Expo. Following Tony Stark's unprecedented announcement that his company would no longer manufacture weapons, Hammer Industries received the weapons contract for the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. However, despite its claims, most of the weapons produced by Hammer Industries are defective or weak. It appeared in the film '' Iron Man 2''.

Pym Technologies

Pym Technologies was a multinational

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

and scientific research company founded by Hank Pym and later taken over by his protégé,

Darren Cross Darren Agonistes Cross is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the archenemy of Scott Lang (the second superhero to be called Ant-Man), and the cousin of Crossfire. The character was portr ...

. Following his departure from

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...

, Pym founded the company to study

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...

, but was later voted out of his own company by Cross and his daughter, Hope van Dyne. Obsessed with recreating the fabled

Pym Particles Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appea ...

, Cross eventually succeeded and created the Yellowjacket suit, hoping to sell it to the military or terrorist organizations and planning to rename the company Cross Technologies. He is ultimately stopped by Pym, van Dyne, and

Scott Lang Ant-Man (Scott Lang) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Byrne, Scott Lang first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #181 (March 1979) and in ''Mar ...

, and the company's headquarters is destroyed. It appeared in the film '' Ant-Man''.

Roxxon Corporation

Roxxon Corporation is a large industrial conglomerate that frequently comes into conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D. and other superheroes due to its willingness to use unethical methods. It appeared in the films ''Iron Man'', ''Iron Man 2'', and ''Iron Man 3''; the Marvel One-Shot ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios, set within or inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2011 to 2014, they were included as special features on the MCU fi ...

''; as well as the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''Agent Carter'', the Netflix series ''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...

'', the Freeform series '' Cloak & Dagger'', the Hulu series ''

Runaways Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

'' and '' Helstrom,'' and the Disney+ series ''Loki''.

Stark Industries

Stark Industries is a company founded by

Howard Stark Howard Stark is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a background character in stories featuring Iron Man and stories featuring Captain America. He is the fou ...

and later handed over to Tony Stark. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a young Howard Stark assists the Strategic Scientific Reserve in their Super Soldier program, and provides key assistance to Steve Rogers and Agent

. The Stark Industries logo is modified to fit in with the 1940s time period. When Tony becomes CEO, the company is featured with a logo similar to those of

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...

and

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

, and touted as developing many of the same weapons systems that Lockheed Martin is/was responsible for developing, such as the

F-22 The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...

Raptor and

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

Fighting Falcon. After Tony's father Howard dies,

Obadiah Stane Iron Monger is an alias used by multiple fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to use the alias is Obadiah Stane, who first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #163 (Oct. 1982). The Iron Mong ...

becomes the CEO and later abdicates when Tony grows old enough to run it. After Stark comes back from Afghanistan, he announces that he is closing the weapons division of the company, causing the company's stocks to fall by about 40.7%. In 2010, Pepper Potts, Stark's lover and eventual wife, becomes the CEO of the company. Stark Industries, for the first time since 1974, hosted the renowned Stark Expo in

Flushing Meadows Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...

. In 2012, Tony Stark opens the Stark Tower in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. After the

Chitauri The Chitauri () are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, specifically in Ultimate Marvel. They were created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch for the Ultimate universe franc ...

invasion, almost all the lettering forming the word 'STARK' on the side of the tower falls off, leaving only the 'A' - mirroring the logo of the Avengers that would replace the lettering later on. In 2013, Pepper is still the CEO of Stark Industries and Happy Hogan is the head of security. Happy calls out to an off-camera secretary named Bambi in reference to Bambi Arbogast. The company is later stated to have designed Sam Wilson's winged flight gear, as well as the redesigned

Helicarrier The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as the crucial mobile command center, forward operations platform, and signature capital ship of the fictional int ...

s' propulsion systems. After

is dissolved,

Maria Hill Commander Maria Hill ( ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch, the character first appeared in '' The New Avengers'' #4 (March 2005). As a form ...

is seen applying for a position at the

Human Resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...

department of Stark Industries. The company also has a negative impact, with Wanda and

recalling their childhood in the fictional nation of

Sokovia The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements including locations, weapons, and artifacts. While many of these features are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books publis ...

, where the apartment in which the Maximoff family was living was attacked with Stark Industries-manufactured mortar shells, killing their parents. This would prove to be the basis for their hatred of Stark. A former Stark Industries warehouse later becomes the new Avengers headquarters. It is revealed in 2016 that

Damage Control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (runn ...

is a joint venture between Stark Industries and the U.S. government to clean up New York City in the aftermath of the invasion. In 2024, a group of disgruntled former Stark Industries employees led by Quentin Beck create a fabricated superhero named Mysterio using the Stark Industries augmented reality technology "B.A.R.F." to wreak havoc while using drones to pose as the Elementals. They are stopped by Peter Parker, but William Ginter Riva managed to leak Spider-Man's identity to DailyBugle.com. It appeared in the films ''Iron Man'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', ''The Avengers'', ''Iron Man 3'', ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', ''Ant-Man'', ''Captain America: Civil War'', ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'', ''Avengers: Infinity War'', ''Avengers: Endgame'', ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'', and ''Spider-Man: No Way Home''; the Marvel One-Shot ''The Consultant''; as well as the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''Agent Carter'' and the Disney+ series ''WandaVision'', ''What If...?'', and ''Hawkeye''.

''The Daily Bugle''

''The Daily Bugle'' (formerly ''TheDailyBugle.net'') is a sensationalist news outlet modeled on Alex Jones' InfoWars headquartered in New York City and hosted by

J. Jonah Jameson John Jonah Jameson Jr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and he ...

. In 2024, the site released doctored footage incriminating

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

for the death of Mysterio and exposed his secret identity as Peter Parker.

Betty Brant Elizabeth Brant is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man. She is the personal secretary of J. Jonah Jameson at the ''Daily Bugle'', and served as b ...

later joins the company under an internship as Jameson's correspondent. It appeared in the MCU films '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'', a series of viral marketing videos on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

of the same name, as well as in the mid-credits scene of the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film '' Venom: Let There Be Carnage''.

WHIH World News

WHIH World News is a

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...

and subsidiary of VistaCorp that reports political, scientific, and entertainment news. Its program ''WHIH Newsfront'' is anchored by

Christine Everhart Earth Lord Earth Sentry Earth Sentry (John Foster) was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, and first appeared in ''A-Next'' #2 (1999) in the MC2 universe. When John and his father Bill were investigating a UFO crash site, they discovered a ...

and Will Adams. Over the years, it has covered stories on the bombings of Sokovia, Tony Stark's "I am Iron Man" press conference, the opening ceremony of the 2011 Stark Expo, a clash between the

and the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

at Culver University, the aftermath of the

Hydra Uprising Steven Grant Rogers, more commonly known as Steve Rogers, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly ...

Wilson Fisk The Kingpin (Wilson Grant Fisk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (cover-dated July 19 ...

's thoughts on

, the Battle of Sokovia,

's break-in of VistaCorp, the creation of the

Advanced Threat Containment Unit The third season of the American television series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Inhumans as they face new threats to the world. It ...

(ATCU), the reemergence of

Danny Rand Iron Fist (Daniel Thomas "Danny" Rand) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Iron Fist first appeared in ''Marvel Premiere'' #15 (May 1974). The character is ...

, an interview with Dr. Stephen Strange, the appointment of Thaddeus Ross as Secretary of State, the aftermath of the Lagos Incident, the signing of the

Sokovia Accords Discrimination against superheroes is a common theme and plot element comic books and superhero fiction, usually as a way to explore the issue of superheroes operating in society or as commentary on other social concerns. Often in response to th ...

, the return of the Punisher, reported sightings of the Inhumans, the activities of the

, an

alien attack ''Alien Attack'' is a 1979 handheld electronic game made by Coleco using a Vacuum fluorescent display, VFD display. It is housed in a bright orange, futuristic-styled case. The controls are a joystick, fire button, and move button. The player's s ...

in New York City, worldwide celebrations following the Blip, the appointment of John Walker as the new Captain America, and the

Flag Smashers The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that app ...

' attack on the

Global Repatriation Council The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that app ...

in New York. It appeared in the films ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''

Black Widow Black widow may refer to: Spiders * Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus'' American species * ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow * ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...

'', and '' Eternals''; the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and '' Inhumans'', the Netflix series ''Daredevil'', ''

Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones Cage is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in ''Alias'' #1 (November 2001) ...

'', ''

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...

'', '' Iron Fist'', and ''

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'', the Hulu series ''

'', and the Disney+ series ''WandaVision'' and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''; and is the main focus of the web series ''

WHIH Newsfront ''WHIH Newsfront'' is a faux American current affairs digital series serving as the center of several viral marketing campaigns for Marvel Studios. Based on the fictional television network WHIH World News that appears throughout the Marvel ...

'', which served as a viral marketing campaign for ''Ant-Man'' and ''Captain America: Civil War''.

X-Con Security Consultants

X-Con Security Consultants is a security company founded by Scott Lang, Luis,

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

, and Kurt. While Scott is under house arrest for violating the Sokovia Accords, it is run by Luis. It appeared in the film ''Ant-Man and the Wasp''.

Criminal organizations

Black Widows

The Black Widows are a group of assassins, part of the Red Room program led by General Dreykov. The program takes young orphan girls and turns them into elite assassins named "Black Widows", and is overseen by various individuals, including Madame B. and Melina Vostokoff. Graduates of the program include

Natasha Romanoff Black Widow (Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanova; Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа" Романова) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotte ...

and

Yelena Belova Black Widow (Yelena Belova; Russian: Еле́на Бело́ва) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is depicted as a spy and was the second modern-era character to use the Black Widow nam ...

. The program sends assassins, called Widows, to perform missions, and following Romanoff's escape from the program adopts mind control techniques to prevent their defection. It was terminated in 2016 following the destruction of the Red Room's headquarters by Romanoff and Belova, and each surviving Widow went their separate ways. They appeared in the film ''Black Widow''; as well as the Disney+ series ''Hawkeye''.

Flag Smashers

The Flag Smashers are a team of anarchists who oppose all forms of nationalism, believing that life was better during the Blip. The group posts messages in online forums and leave clues around the world with augmented reality. Led by

Karli Morgenthau Karli may refer to: Places *Karlı, Ardanuç, village in Turkey *Karli-Eli, historical name of a region in Greece *Karlı, Vezirköprü, village in Turkey *Karli, Koper, settlement in Slovenia *Karli, India, village in India *Karla Caves, a complex ...

, its members have enhanced strength due to taking the Super Soldier Serum, given to them by the

Power Broker In political science, a power broker is a person who influences people to vote towards a particular client (i.e. elected official or referendum) in exchange for political and financial benefits. Power brokers can also negotiate deals with other p ...

. They eventually turn on the Power Broker, who is later revealed to be Sharon Carter. They appeared in the Disney+ series ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.

Hydra

Hydra is the former science research division of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

and a covert terrorist organization responsible for infiltrating

during the modern day. Hydra was originally founded as an Inhuman cult dedicated to worshipping

Hive A hive may refer to a beehive, an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species live and raise their young. Hive or hives may also refer to: Arts * ''Hive'' (game), an abstract-strategy board game published in 2001 * "Hive" (song), a 201 ...

and continued to exist throughout the centuries before it became part of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

under Hitler. The modern incarnation was created by Hitler to pursue methods of creating advanced weaponry to help the

Axis Powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

win

. Initially led by Johann Schmidt, Hydra acquired the Tesseract and conducted research on it to harness the energy it released to power weapons. Hydra's allegiance to its Nazi superiors grew to be only superficial; as Schmidt intended to harness the potential of the Tesseract to overthrow Hitler and eventually the world, believing that mankind could not be trusted with its own freedom. However, during the war, Hydra learned, particularly due to Steve Rogers' attacks on their operations, that humanity will always fight for its freedom. After Schmidt's disappearance and Rogers' successful efforts to botch Schmidt's plans to attack cities around the world, Hydra was defeated and fell. Following World War II, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded by former members of the

Strategic Scientific Reserve The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appea ...

, and employed

Operation Paperclip Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from the former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World Wa ...

, recruiting former Hydra scientists with strategic value. As part of the process, Arnim Zola was recruited and then subsequently began to reform Hydra secretly from within S.H.I.E.L.D. Operating discreetly within S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra staged political coups, wars (including the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

), and assassinations (including those of Howard and Maria Stark), intending to destabilize world governments and drive humanity to surrender its freedom in exchange for security. Hydra agent

Gideon Malick ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics D ...

(portrayed by

Powers Boothe Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor. He won an Emmy in 1980 for his portrayal of Jim Jones in '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones''. He also played saloon owner Cy Tolliver on '' Deadwood'', "C ...

) infiltrated the

World Security Council The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appea ...

. Hydra's operations were later exposed by Rogers once S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, and their remnants were pursued and defeated by the

and by remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. It appeared in the films ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', ''Ant-Man'', ''Captain America: Civil War'', and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the ABC series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and '' Agent Carter,'' and the Disney+ series ''WandaVision'', ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', and ''What If...?''.

Intelligencia

Intelligencia is a far-right online criminal organization founded by

Todd Phelps Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

and other influential people that harass people belonging to discriminated groups. They appeared in the Disney+ series ''She-Hulk: Attorney at Law''.

Marauders

The Marauders were a group of

space pirate Space pirates are a type of stock character from science fiction. A take on the traditional seafaring pirates of history or the fictional air pirates of the 19th century, space pirates travel through outer space. Where traditional pirates target ...

s who took advantage of the destruction of the Rainbow Bridge in Asgard and wreaked havoc across the Nine Realms, until they were stopped by

, Sif, the

Warriors Three The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor''. The Warriors Three are the Asgard (comics), As ...

, and the Einherjar. They appeared in the film ''Thor: The Dark World''.

Ravagers

The Ravagers are an interstellar crime syndicate comprising thieves, smugglers, criminals, bandits, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and space pirates. There are nearly one hundred factions of Ravagers around the galaxy each led by an independent captain. Their moral code states that Ravagers do not steal from other Ravagers or deal in children. They appeared in the films ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'', and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the Disney+ animated series ''What If...?''.

Stakar Ogord's team

Stakar Ogord (portrayed by

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

) led his own team of Ravagers. Other members included

, Aleta Ogord,

Charlie-27 Captain Charlie-27 is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in the Earth-691 timeline of the Marvel Universe as a member of the original 31st century incarnation of the tea ...

, Martinex,

Mainframe A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...

, and

Krugarr Kaecilius Elloe Kaifi Kala Jennifer Kale Noble Kale Kaluu Kamikaze Kamran Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and fi ...

(portrayed by

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Henry in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), Chick Gandil in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Frank Baily in ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988), Terry Cruger in ''S ...

, Michelle Yeoh, Ving Rhames, Michael Rosenbaum,

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

respectively, with Krugarr being portrayed through CGI). The team eventually disbanded, but was reunited following the death of their former teammate Yondu. It appeared in the film ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2''.

Ten Rings

The Ten Rings is a clandestine criminal organization founded one thousand years ago by the immortal

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

Xu Wenwu Xu Wenwu ( ; zh, c=徐文武, p=Xú Wénwǔ) is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Leung in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, a composite character based on the Marvel Comics characters the Mandarin and Fu Manchu but ...

and named after his mystical ten rings. The group's name is an homage to the

's ten cosmic rings in

. In 1996, Wenwu disbanded the organization after marrying and starting a family, but reactivated the Ten Rings following the death of his wife, Ying Li. In 2010, the Ten Rings is hired by

to kidnap Tony Stark in Afghanistan, with the cell led by a man named Raza. The Ten Rings also help arrange for

Ivan Vanko Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

to travel to

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

to enact his revenge on Stark. Years later,

of AIM hires actor

to pose as Wenwu; unfamiliar with Wenwu's history, Killian invents "the Mandarin" persona for Slattery and has him unwittingly broadcast propaganda messages claiming credit on behalf of the Ten Rings for explosions caused by AIM's failed

Extremis ''Extremis'' is a six-issue story arc from the comic book series ''Iron Man'' (vol. 4), published in issues one through six in 2005 and 2006 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov. ''Extremis'' elevate ...

experiments. However, following his arrest, Slattery is confronted by

Jackson Norriss Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There have been seven versions of the character: two supervillains-turned-superheroes from the mainstream Marvel Universe contin ...

in prison, who reveals that he is a member of the group and that "the Mandarin" is real. A member of the organization was also one of

' potential buyers of his Yellowjacket suit. Sometime after 2023, Wenwu begins hearing his deceased wife's voice, telling him she is trapped in her former home, Ta Lo. Wenwu dispatches his Ten Rings warriors to capture his estranged children Shang-Chi and Xialing for their pendants that can lead him to Ta Lo. Wenwu and the Ten Rings arrive in Ta Lo and attack the village to free Li. Unbeknownst to Wenwu, Li's voice was that of the sealed Dweller-in-Darkness, who manipulates him into releasing it and its minions. The Ten Rings form a truce with the villagers to fight the new threat. After Wenwu's death, Xialing becomes the new leader of the Ten Rings and starts restructuring it by incorporating more female recruits into the previously all-male organization. The organization Ten Rings was an original creation of the

. The organization resembles Si-Fan from Sax Rhomer's books. In the animated series '' Iron Man: Armored Adventures'', Gene Khan, the Mandarin leads the Tong;

tong Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese *Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities *''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...

is a name of a type of

criminal organization Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

Chinese immigrants Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...

in the United States.Peter Huston. ''Tongs, Gangs, and Triads: Chinese Crime Groups in North America'' (1995) Paladin Press, Boulder CO It appeared in the films ''Iron Man'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''Iron Man 3'', ''Ant-Man'', and ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings''; as well as the One-Shot ''

All Hail the King ''All Hail the King'' is a 2014 American direct-to-video short film featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character Trevor Slattery, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It is a follow up a ...

''. The Ten Rings was later integrated into

mainstream Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of th ...

Tivan Group

The Tivan Group is a powerful group led by the Collector. Responsible for the founding of the Exitar mining colony on

Knowhere Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being, which serves as an interdimension ...

, the group wields enormous power and prestige in the criminal underworld of the cosmos. It appeared in the films '' Thor: The Dark World'', ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', and ''Avengers: Infinity War''; as well as the Disney+ animated series ''What If...?''.

Tracksuit Mafia

The Tracksuit Mafia is a criminal organization operating in New York, with a history of being fought by Ronin, eventually revealed to be working for Wilson Fisk, under the orders of Maya Lopez / Echo. In the comics, they were known as the Tracksuit Draculas. They appeared in the Disney+ series '' Hawkeye''.

Wrecking Crew

The Wrecking Crew is a four-man criminal group wielding stolen enhanced Asgardian construction tools as weapons. The group's members consist of Wrecker, Piledriver,

Bulldozer A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous track ...

, and Thunderball. They were hired by an anonymous client to steal a sample of Jennifer Walters' gamma-irradiated blood, though she fights them off. They appeared in the Disney+ series ''She-Hulk: Attorney at Law''.

Zealots

The Zealots were a separatist faction of the

led by

Kaecilius Kaecilius () is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as an enemy of Doctor Strange. The character who first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' Vol. 1, #130 (March 1965) was cre ...

. Kaecilius and his surviving disciples were given the immortality they had wanted all along from Dormammu. Unfortunately for them, the warnings they failed to heed turned out to be correct as the three were dragged into the Dark Dimension upon Doctor Strange defeating Dormammu. They appeared in the film ''Doctor Strange''.

Government agencies

Damage Control

The United States Department of Damage Control (DODC), often referred to as simply Damage Control, is a United States government agency set up with the aid of Stark Industries in order to clean up after the Battle of New York in 2012. This drives Bestman Salvage, Adrian Toomes' company, out of business. It appeared again in 2016 to clean up a destroyed deli-grocery store and bank, and in 2024, to apprehend Peter Parker and interrogate his aunt and friends after his identity as Spider-Man was made public. In 2025, DODC agents

P. Cleary P. is an abbreviation or acronym that may refer to: * Page (paper), where the abbreviation comes from Latin ''pagina'' * Paris Herbarium, at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' * ''Pani'' (Polish), translating as Mrs. * The ''Pacific Repo ...

and Sadie Deever launch an investigation into

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Kamala Khan, after she is suspected to have caused significant damages and injuries during the local AvengerCon exhibit. Their methods for tracking her draw significant controversy among the public, particularly garnering ire from the city's Muslim-American community upon their attempt to (in Cleary's case, reluctantly) raid a mosque related to Khan's associates. Eventually, Cleary orders Deever to forfeit the operation as a result of the public backlash, with Deever opting to proceed with capturing Khan,

Kamran Kamran ( fa, کامران ''Kāmrān'') is a Persian male given name meaning 'prosperous, fortunate'. The name is commonly used in Iran and Azerbaijan, in addition to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, Pakistan. Variants include Kâmran and Kamu ...

, and their friends at Coles Academic High School. Deever's raid subsequently draws the attention of Jersey City locals, allowing them to intervene and stop Damage Control from capturing Khan, who eventually flees the scene after consoling Kamran. The ensuing events cause Deever to be fired from her position by Cleary for her inability to comply with orders and for putting children at risk. It appeared in the films ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' and ''Spider-Man: No Way Home''; as well as the Disney+ series ''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...

'' and '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law''.

Global Repatriation Council

The Global Repatriation Council, abbreviated as the GRC, is an international organization established by world governments following the Blip that is responsible for managing resources for refugees displaced by the Blip. It appeared in the Disney+ series ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.

Nova Corps

The Nova Corps was the intergalactic military and police force of the Nova Empire that was headquartered on the planet Xandar. Led by the

Nova Prime The Nova Corps is a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman, the Corps first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #205 (April 1979). They have since appea ...

, the Nova Corps initially arrest the Guardians of the Galaxy on Xandar after they cause a public disturbance and send them to the

Kyln The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

, a secure prison. Later, during the Battle of Xandar, the Corps defend Xandar from Ronan the Accuser along with the Guardians, but are almost completely obliterated by Ronan using the Power Stone. Following the battle, the Corps expunge each of the Guardians' criminal records in gratitude, while the Orb is placed in the Corps' possession for safekeeping. Four years later, the Nova Corps was presumed to have been annihilated by

during the decimation of Xandar in search of the Power Stone as mentioned by

. Other notable members of the Corps include

Rhomann Dey The Nova Corps is a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman, the Corps first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #205 (April 1979). They have since appea ...

and Denarian

Garthan Saal Supernova, also known as Nova Omega and Garthan Saal, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. His first appearance was as an antagonist in '' The Avengers'' #301 in 1988. As a Nova Corps officer, he ...

. The film version of the Nova Corps acts as a traditional police force, with no mention of the Nova Force. When asked about a Nova solo movie, James Gunn said "I think there is always a chance of a Nova movie." It appeared in the film ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and the animated Disney+ series ''What If...?''.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym S.H.I.E.L.D., is an intelligence agency founded by

, and Chester Phillips following

as the successor to the

. In the early 21st century,

was promoted to the position of Director by Secretary

Alexander Pierce Alexander Goodwin Pierce is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent. A re-imagining of the character ...

, who was secretly working for

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

. In 2010, Agent

Phil Coulson Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...

was sent to speak with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts following his kidnapping in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, but before he could do so Stark became involved in a battle with

in an advanced armored suit. Later, in a press conference, Stark publicly declares himself as "Iron Man", prompting Fury to approach him on the "

". S.H.I.E.L.D. was also involved in an attack by an army of unmanned drones at the Stark Expo, monitored the activity of Dr.

Bruce Banner The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

, witnessed the arrival of

in Puente Antiguo,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and recovered the long-lost body of

. In 2012, Fury assembled a team which consisted of six extraordinary individuals known as the

in response to the theft of the Tesseract by

, leading to the Battle of New York. Following the incident, Fury secretly revives Coulson (who was killed by Loki) via Project T.A.H.I.T.I., while Rogers joins S.H.I.E.L.D.. During the

, Hydra was revealed to have been secretly infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, culminating in the destruction of the

Triskelion A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry. The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean spirals, or represent three bent human legs. It is found in artefacts of ...

, three

s, and

Project Insight The San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department is the city agency responsible for governing and maintaining all city-owned parks and recreational facilities in San Francisco, California. The Recreation & Parks Department also runs Sharp Park i ...

, along with the collapse of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. S.H.I.E.L.D. was secretly revived by Phil Coulson and Nick Fury, the latter assisting the Avengers during the Battle of Sokovia. It appeared in the films ''

'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''

'', ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', ''The Avengers'', ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', ''Ant-Man'', '' Ant-Man and the Wasp'', ''Captain Marvel'', ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'' and ''

''; the Marvel One-Shots '' The Consultant'', ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer'', ''

Item 47 ''Item 47'' is a 2012 American direct-to-video short film featuring the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division), produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios ...

'', and '' Agent Carter''; as well as the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and the Disney+ series ''What If...?''.

S.T.R.I.K.E.

S.T.R.I.K.E. is a unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Steve Rogers, but also infiltrated by Hydra

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

s such as

Brock Rumlow Crossbones (Brock Rumlow) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of Captain America, and played a part in his assassination. The character has been ad ...

. A glimpse of S.H.I.E.L.D. records in ''

'' show that

and

Clint Barton Hawkeye (Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, the character first appeared as a supervillain in ''Tales of Suspense ...

were partnered together under S.T.R.I.K.E. Team Delta. It appeared in the films ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the Disney+ series ''What If...?''.

Strategic Scientific Reserve

The Strategic Scientific Reserve, or SSR, was a top secret

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

war agency during

, founded by Chester Phillips,

and

, on the orders of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. It was based in London. It was later replaced by

, with all operations taken over by

. It appeared in the film ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''Agent Carter'', and the Disney+ series ''What If...?''.

S.W.O.R.D.

The Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division, better known by its acronym S.W.O.R.D., is an intelligence agency that was founded by

. In 2020, Rambeau died from cancer, prompting Tyler Hayward to succeed her by becoming the new acting director. Under Hayward's directives, S.W.O.R.D. obtained the Vision's corpse and began the process of attempting to re-activate it. In 2023, two weeks following the Blip,

created an anomaly around the town of Westview,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, prompting S.W.O.R.D. to send one of its agents,

Monica Rambeau Monica Rambeau is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr., the character debuted in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #16 (October 1982). Monica w ...

, to assist FBI agent Jimmy Woo in investigating it. After Rambeau is accidentally sucked inside the anomaly, Hayward and other S.W.O.R.D. members set up a temporary response base outside the town, bringing in Darcy Lewis to further investigate the anomaly. Later, Hayward successfully re-activates the Vision through exposure to Wanda's power from a drone, and sends it inside the anomaly to kill Maximoff and the Vision simulacrum. Following a tense confrontation between the Maximoff family, S.W.O.R.D., and Agatha Harkness, Hayward is arrested, and Monica meets with a Skrull posing as an FBI agent. S.W.O.R.D. was originally intended to appear in ''

'', in a deleted post-credits scene wherein Erik Selvig tells Jane Foster and Darcy to "cross reference ... with the S.W.O.R.D. database". However, due to complications with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, which owned the film rights to S.W.O.R.D. members Lockheed and Abigail Brand at the time, the scene was cut. The creative team behind the TV show ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' intended to incorporate S.W.O.R.D., but were refused permission by Marvel Studios. It appeared in the Disney+ series ''WandaVision''.

War Dogs

War Dogs are

sleeper agent A sleeper agent, also called sleeper cell, is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization not to undertake an immediate mission but to act as a potential asset if activated. Even if unactivated, the "sleeper agent" is still an asset ...

s responsible for covert operations and gathering intelligence for Wakanda. They are branded with a tattoo on their lips to identify themselves when prompted. In 1992, King T'Chaka visited his brother N'Jobu in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where he was stationed as a War Dog. Revealing that he had sent Zuri to spy on him, T'Chaka demanded to know why N'Jobu had helped black-market arms dealer

Ulysses Klaue Klaw (Ulysses Klaue) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a human physicist who has been transformed into solid sound, and who wears a sonic emitter on his right wrist ...

steal a cache of vibranium from Wakanda before killing him in order to save Zuri's life. In 2016, War Dog member

Nakia Nakia Reynoso (born February 20, 1975), known professionally as Nakia, is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is a native of Fort Payne, Alabama. Professional background Nakia moved to Austin in 200 ...

is rescued by

and Okoye whilst undertaking a mission in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and is taken back to Wakanda to attend T'Chaka's funeral. Later, after N'Jadaka ascends to the Wakandan throne, he orders

W'Kabi Dorothy Walker Dorothy Walker is a fictional character in Marvel Comics. She was created by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson and first appeared in ''Miss America Magazine'' #2 (November 1944). She was reintroduced in '' The Defenders'' #89 (Novem ...

to deliver vibranium to War Dogs stationed around the world, but this plot was thwarted by resistance from

and his allies in Wakanda. They appeared in the films ''Black Panther'' and ''Black Panther: Wakanda Forever''.

World Security Council

The World Security Council is an international council formed of politicians from some of the world's most powerful countries that function as oversight for

Its stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. It appeared in the films ''The Avengers'' and ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier''.

Others

Einherjar

The Einherjar is the army of Asgard who have been serving the Asgardian throne since the time of Odin's father, Bor. Over the millennia, they have fought the Dark Elves, the

Frost Giants Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

, and the Marauders, as well as Hela and

's forces. Their current leader is Tyr. It appeared in the films ''Thor'', ''Thor: The Dark World'', ''Thor: Ragnarok'', and ''Avengers: Endgame''; as well as the Disney+ series ''What If...?''.

Illuminati

The Illuminati is an organization established by an alternate version of Stephen Strange in

Earth-838 The multiverse is a fictional setting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Based on the setting of the same name from the Marvel Comics, it is a collection of infinitely many alternate realities and dimensions. First explor ...

. They are intended to monitor and apprehend potential threats to the wider

. Joining Strange as council members are Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel, Peggy Carter / Captain Carter, Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt,

Professor Charles Xavier Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...

, and Reed Richards. When Strange recklessly uses the '' Darkhold'' to prevent

's invasion of their world, he was deemed a threat to the multiverse by his peers, leading him to be executed by Boltagon and subsequently replaced by the succeeding Sorcerer Supreme, Karl Mordo. Some time later, the Illuminati arrest and imprison the Stephen Strange of

Earth-616 In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. History of the term The term was first used in "Rough Justice", a story credited to both Alan Moore and Alan Davis p ...

, as they fear he and his companion

America Chavez America Chavez is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta, Chavez was the second character to use the moniker Miss America, after Madeline Joyce. Chavez first appeared in ' ...

pose a similar threat. However, their attempt to decide his fate is interrupted by a corrupted

from Earth-616, who infiltrates their headquarters and slaughters every member of the organization (except for Mordo) while Strange, Chavez and that reality's

Christine Palmer ''Night Nurse'' is a comic-book series published by Marvel Comics in the early 1970s. Linda Carter, one of the series' three central characters, previously was the lead of an earlier Marvel series, ''Linda Carter, Student Nurse'', published in 1 ...

pursue the '' Book of Vishanti'' to subdue her. They were later avenged when the redeemed Wanda destroys the Darkhold and seemingly killing herself as self punishment. They appeared in the film '' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness''.

Masters of the Mystic Arts

The Masters of the Mystic Arts are an order of sorcerers dedicated to protecting the world from mystical threats. They originated in the time of Agamotto, and through the centuries developed into their current form. Notable current and former members include Dr. Stephen Strange,

Wong Wong may refer to: Name * Wong (surname), a Chinese surname Places * Wong Chuk Hang, an area to the east of Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island * Wong Chuk Hang Estate, a public housing estate in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong * Wong Chuk Hang Road, a majo ...

, the

Ancient One The Ancient One is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was the mentor of Doctor Strange and was his predecessor as Sorcerer Supreme. The character was voiced by Michael Ansara in the 1978 telev ...

, Karl Mordo / Baron Mordo,

, Jonathan Pangborn,

Daniel Drumm Daniel Drumm is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Doctor Strange (2016 film), Doctor Strange'' (2016), portrayed by Mark Anthony Brig ...

Hamir Hamir may refer to: * Hamir, a rock dove, pigeon in the 2006 Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney animated film ''The Wild'' * Hameer, a Hindustani classical raga also spelt ''Hamir'' * Hameer (film), ''Hameer'' (film), a 2017 Gujarati film ...

Tina Minoru Pride, is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as a criminal organization that controlled the Los Angeles area of the Marvel Universe. They are the parents and the initia ...

, Sol Rama and

Rintrah Rintrah is a character in William Blake's mythology, representing the just wrath of the prophet. Rintrah first appears in ''The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'': "Rintrah roars and shakes his fires in the burdened air" shows him personifying revolu ...

. They appeared in the films ''

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

'', '' Avengers: Infinity War'', '' Avengers: Endgame'' and '' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness''.

Red Daggers

The Order of the Red Daggers, or simply Red Daggers, is an order of mystic warriors based in Pakistan and dedicated to protecting the world from inter-dimensional and supernatural threats. Specifically, they take interest in tracking down and eliminating the Clandestines, ''djinn'' who are trying to tear down the Veil of Noor in order to merge their home-world with Earth. Notable current and former members include Kareem and Waleed. They appeared in the Disney+ series ''Ms. Marvel''.

Time Variance Authority

The Time Variance Authority, better known by its initialism TVA, is an organization which was created by

He Who Remains The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as a group of timeline monitors. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Chronicoms, based on the lower-ran ...

(a variant of Kang the Conqueror) that monitors the various timelines of the

, including the preservation of the Sacred Timeline. In an alternate 2012 created by the

Time Heist "Time Heist" is the fifth episode of the Doctor Who (series 8), eighth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 20 September 2014. The episode was written by Stephen Thompson ...

escaped from Stark Tower with the Tesseract following his defeat, leading TVA agents to take him into custody. It is later revealed by Sylvie to Loki that all TVA agents are Variants taken from different times by He Who Remains. The

Atlanta Marriott Marquis The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is a 47-story, Marriott hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the 15th tallest skyscraper in the city. The building was designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman Jr. with construction completed in 198 ...

hotel was used to portray the TVA Headquarters. It appeared in the Disney+ series ''Loki''.

References

External links

TheDailyBugle.net
– viral marketing website {{Marvel Cinematic Universe Lists of fictional organizations Marvel Cinematic Universe features Marvel Cinematic Universe lists

Teams and factions

Avengers

Children of Thanos

Dora Milaje

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Multiverse

Howling Commandos

Revengers

Salem Coven

Starforce

Strategic Operations Command Center

Valkyrie

Warriors Three

Companies

Advanced Idea Mechanics

Bestman Salvage

Bishop Security

F.E.A.S.T.

Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway

Hammer Industries

Pym Technologies

Roxxon Corporation

Stark Industries

''The Daily Bugle''

WHIH World News

X-Con Security Consultants

Criminal organizations

Black Widows

Flag Smashers

Hydra

Intelligencia

Marauders

Ravagers

Stakar Ogord's team

Ten Rings

Tivan Group

Tracksuit Mafia

Wrecking Crew

Zealots

Government agencies

Damage Control

Global Repatriation Council

Nova Corps

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.T.R.I.K.E.

Strategic Scientific Reserve

S.W.O.R.D.

War Dogs

World Security Council

Others

Einherjar

Illuminati

Masters of the Mystic Arts

Red Daggers

Time Variance Authority

See also

References

External links