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
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...
centered on
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature Action film, ac ...
s 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
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
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
![Symbol from Marvel's The Avengers logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Symbol_from_Marvel%27s_The_Avengers_logo.svg)
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
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 ...
. 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 ...
in
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 ...
in
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
A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
. 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
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
, 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
The Avengers are a team of superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Ni ...
while
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
,
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
. As Thanos's vicious generals, they assisted him in his mission to find and harness the power of the
Infinity Stones
The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They play a significant role in the first three phases (also called the "Infinity Saga") of the MCU, including being the MacGuffins of the films '' Avengers: Infini ...
. 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
Proxima Midnight is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, she first appeared ...
,
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
Gamora is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and ...
, and
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 ...
, 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
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
,
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
![Masaai-women](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Masaai-women.jpg)
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
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 ...
, 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
Sydelle Noel (; born July 16, 1985) is an American actress and former athlete, best known for her role as Cherry "Junkchain" Bang in '' GLOW''.
Early life
Noel was born in Hollywood, Florida. She studied at the University of Georgia on a track ...
portrays Xoliswa while the unnamed Dora Milaje are portrayed by Marija Abney,
Janeshia Adams-Ginyard
Janeshia Adams-Ginyard (born February 14, 1984) is an Emmy-nominated American actress, stunt woman and professional wrestler. She is best known for her role as Nomble, one of the Dora Milaje, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Black Panther ...
, Maria Hippolyte, Marie Mouroum, Jénel Stevens, Zola Williams, Christine Hollingsworth, and
Shaunette Renée Wilson
Shaunette Renée Wilson (born January 19, 1990) is a Guyanese-born American actress. She is best known for four seasons in the role of Dr. Mina Okafor in the Amy Holden Jones-created Fox series '' The Resident''.
She appeared in ''Black Panther'' ...
. After
Killmonger
Erik Killmonger (né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in ''Jungle Action'' #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depicte ...
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
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 ...
's forces., whilst they fight Thanos's forces again in 2023.
In 2024, after
Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...
breaks
Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly as an adversary of the superhero Captain America and the Avengers. He is the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo and the thirteenth Baron Ze ...
out of prison, the Dora Milaje pursue the latter, and eventually capture him before sending him to the
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrel ...
. 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
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 ...
television series ''
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' is an American television miniseries created by Malcolm Spellman for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. ...
'' and ''What If...?''.
Guardians of the Galaxy
![Guardians of the Galaxy-Logo (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy-Logo_%28cropped%29.png)
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
Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a fictional character and superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976) ...
,
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and ...
,
Drax,
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 ...
, 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
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...
while temporarily aided by
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 ...
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 also assists the team in the final confrontation. Four years later, they aid
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 ...
and 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 confronting
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 ...
in his attempt to collect the six
Infinity Stones
The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They play a significant role in the first three phases (also called the "Infinity Saga") of the MCU, including being the MacGuffins of the films '' Avengers: Infini ...
. 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
The Asgardians of the Galaxy are a team of superheroes that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team made their first appearance in ''Asgardians of the Galaxy'' #1 (September 2018) by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Matte ...
", 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
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'', ''
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
''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' is an American television special written and directed by James Gunn for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy. It is the secon ...
'' 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,
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 ...
,
Erik "Killmonger" Stevens,
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and ...
,
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
The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They play a significant role in the first three phases (also called the "Infinity Saga") of the MCU, including being the MacGuffins of the films '' Avengers: Infini ...
. 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
Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his mark ...
(portrayed by
Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn Compton, Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney ...
). 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
Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romanian-American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film '' Captain America: The First Ave ...
,
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
John Joseph Feild (born 1978) is a British-American film, television and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. Feild played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' television ...
,
Kenneth Choi
Kenneth Choi (born October 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for playing Henry Lin on the television series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014), Chester Ming in Martin Scorsese's '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013), and Judge Lance It ...
, 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
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 ...
to escape the planet and defeat
Hela
HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta La ...
. The team consists of Thor,
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 ...
,
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
, founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, they ...
, and
Miek
Miek is a fictional character, a supervillain, and antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Miek appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films '' Thor: Ragnarok'' (2017), '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), and '' ...
. With the exception of Loki, who is choked to death by
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 ...
, 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 Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
, the coven brought one of its members,
Agatha Harkness
Agatha Harkness is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a powerful witch, typically portrayed as a friend and teacher of Wanda Maximoff, as well as the mother of Nicholas Scratch. Agatha is ...
, 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
Yon-Rogg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A military commander of the Kree alien race whose weaknesses are his jealousy of others' accomplishments and his love for the medic Una, he's dispatche ...
(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 (portrayed by
Brie Larson
Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers (born October 1, 1989), known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress. Known for her supporting roles in comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded to leading roles in independent films and blockb ...
,
Djimon Hounsou
Djimon Gaston Hounsou (; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor and model. He began his career appearing in music videos. He made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990) and earned widespread recognition for his role as ...
,
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
Rune Temte (born 29 September 1965) is a Norwegian actor best known for his roles in ''The Last Kingdom'' and ''Eddie the Eagle''. He portrayed Bron-Char in the Marvel Studios superhero film '' Captain Marvel'' in 2019.
Early life and sporting ...
, 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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
General (United States), General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross (also known as the Red Hulk) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States Armed Forces, United States mi ...
in order to hunt down the
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' ...
. 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
Abomination may refer to:
*Abomination (Bible), covering Biblical references
**Abomination (Judaism)
In Judaism, an abomination, horror, or scandal is, in general, an offense against the religious senses of a people, and, in particular, an offen ...
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
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 ...
''.
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
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 ...
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
HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta La ...
, 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
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
and becomes a
bounty hunter
A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...
, serving the
Grandmaster on
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 ...
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
Hogun the Grim is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgard (comics), Asgardian adventurers and supporting cast of ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Th ...
,
Fandral
Fandral the Dashing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers consisting of Fandral, Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the Val ...
, and
Volstagg
Volstagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers and supporting cast of Thor. He is known for having multiple children. ...
, with Fandral initially portrayed by
Joshua Dallas
Joshua Paul Dallas (born December 18, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Prince Charming/David Nolan in the ABC television series ''Once Upon a Time'' and as Ben Stone in the NBC/Netflix sci-fi drama series ''Manifest'' ...
, Hogun portrayed by
Tadanobu Asano
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in ''Electric Dragon 80.000 V'', Kakihara in ''Ichi the Killer'', Mamoru Arita in '' Bright Future'', Hattori Genosuke in ''Zatoichi'', Kenj ...
, and Volstagg portrayed by
Ray Stevenson
George Raymond Stevenson (born 25 May 1964) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is known for playing Dagonet in the film ''King Arthur'' (2004) and Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series ''Rome'' (2005–2007). He has portrayed two Marv ...
.
They often fight alongside
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 ...
and
Lady Sif.
Zachary Levi
Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for starring as Chuck Bartowski in the series ''Chuck'', and as the title character in '' Shazam!'' and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Ext ...
later replaces Joshua Dallas as Fandral.
They are ultimately killed by
Hela
HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta La ...
during her takeover of
Asgard
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
.
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
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 charac ...
, but failed and was instead approached by
Maya Hansen
Maya Hansen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Rebecca Hall portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Iron Man 3'' (2013).
Publication history
Maya Hansen first appeared i ...
, 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
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 charac ...
, 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
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as a supporting character to Iron Man and sometimes a romantic interest of Tony Stark. Created by writers Stan Lee and R ...
.
It appeared in the film ''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Ir ...
''.
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
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
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
Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first ...
seeks shelter at the F.E.A.S.T. Community Center, and is tended to by May until her nephew
Peter Parker
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 S ...
arrives to escort him to the
New York Sanctum, 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
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 publishe ...
. Following
Tony Stark
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 charac ...
'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
''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) and List of Marve ...
''.
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
The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...
company founded by
Hank Pym
Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a 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 appeared in ''Tales to ...
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
Hope van Dyne (née Pym) is a fictional character portrayed by Evangeline Lilly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Hope Pym. Portrayed as the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van D ...
. 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
Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...
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
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in costum ...
''.
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
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 charac ...
. 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
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 ...
. 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
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 ...
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
Wanda is a female given name of Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda."''Behind the Name.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010. The name has long been popular in ...
and
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 ...
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
Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is primarily depicted ...
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
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 S ...
, 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
In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotio ...
news outlet modeled on
Alex Jones
Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcas ...
'
InfoWars
''InfoWars'' is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones. It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC.
Talk shows and other content for the site are created primarily in studi ...
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
Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is primarily depicted ...
and exposed his
secret identity
A secret identity is a person's alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction. Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent ...
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
Viral marketing is a business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product mainly on various social media platforms. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way tha ...
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
A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
of the
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the f ...
(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
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 charac ...
's "I am Iron Man" press conference, the opening ceremony of the 2011
Stark Expo
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 publishe ...
, a clash between the
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' ...
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
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
Battle of Sokovia
The Avengers are a team of superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Ni ...
,
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 ...
'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
General (United States), General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross (also known as the Red Hulk) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States Armed Forces, United States mi ...
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
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 ...
, reported sightings of the
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
, the activities of the
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 ...
, 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 Blip (also known as the Decimation and the Snap) is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snappin ...
, 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'', and ''
Eternals''; the ABC series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
'', 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 ''
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 the Disney+ series ''WandaVision'' and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''; and is the main focus of the
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
''
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
Viral marketing is a business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product mainly on various social media platforms. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way tha ...
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
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
,
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 Blip (also known as the Decimation and the Snap) is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snappin ...
. 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
Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a secret agent, an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, and a love interest of St ...
.
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 ...
's
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
. Initially led by
Johann Schmidt, Hydra acquired the
Tesseract
In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of eig ...
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
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 ...
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.
''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and L ...
'' 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
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
and wreaked havoc across the Nine Realms, until they were stopped by
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 ...
,
Sif
In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse: ) is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century ...
, 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
In Norse mythology, the einherjar (singular einheri) literally "army of one", "those who fight alone"Simek, Rudolf. 1993. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Angela Hall. p. 71Orchard (1997:36) and Lindow (2001:104).) are those who h ...
.
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
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 ...
,
Aleta Ogord
Aleta Ogord, briefly also known as Starhawk, is a fictional character, a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted in a future of the Marvel Universe and is the adoptive sister of Starhawk. ...
,
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
Martinex T'Naga is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as being from an alternate future version of Marvel's shared universe, the Marvel Universe. Most of Martinex's adventu ...
,
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
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
,
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the ''Mission: Impossible'' film series and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in ''Pulp Fiction''. He also ap ...
,
Michael Rosenbaum
Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman television series ''Smallville'', a role that ''TV Guide'' included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Vill ...
,
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
![Ten Rings Chinese Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Ten_Rings_Chinese_Logo.webp)
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
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 ...
's
ten cosmic rings in
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 ...
. 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
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 ...
to kidnap
Tony Stark
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 charac ...
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,
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 ...
of
AIM hires 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 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 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
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 ...
' 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
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 publishe ...
. Wenwu dispatches his Ten Rings warriors to capture his estranged children
Shang-Chi
Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...
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
The Dweller-in-Darkness is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a demon, one of the Fear Lords, who has clashed with Doctor Strange.
The character made its film debut in the 2021 Marvel Cine ...
, 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
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 ...
. 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 ...
of
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
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 ...
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
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 S ...
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
Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first Mus ...]
, 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
The Blip (also known as the Decimation and the Snap) is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snappin ...
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
Xandar () is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The planet is depicted as being in the Tranta system in the Andromeda Galaxy. It is best known as the home world of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic poli ...
. 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
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
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
Ronan the Accuser is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Ronan was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby and he first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #65 (August 1967). He is the Supreme A ...
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
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 ...
during the decimation of Xandar in search of the Power Stone as mentioned by
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 ...
. 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
James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker and executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1997). He then began working as a director ...
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
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 ...
,
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
Chester Phillips
Karen Page
Paibok
Doctor Paine
Doctor Paine are two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Thaddeus Paine
Dr. Thaddeus Paine, created by Len Kaminski, first appeared in ''Morbius the Living Vampir ...
following
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 ...
as the successor to 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 ...
. In the early 21st century,
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 ...
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
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 charac ...
and
Pepper Potts
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as a supporting character to Iron Man and sometimes a romantic interest of Tony Stark. Created by writers Stan Lee and R ...
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
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 ...
in an
advanced armored suit. Later, in a press conference, Stark publicly declares himself as "Iron Man", prompting Fury to approach him on 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 ...
". 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
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 ...
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
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 ...
. In 2012, Fury assembled a team which consisted of six extraordinary individuals known as 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 response to the theft of the
Tesseract
In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of eig ...
by
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 ...
, 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 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 ...
, 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
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, 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
The Avengers are a team of superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Ni ...
.
It appeared in the films ''
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 ...
'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''
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 ...
'', ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', ''The Avengers'', ''Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', ''Ant-Man'', ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp
''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'', ''Captain Marvel'', ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'' and ''
Black Widow''; 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 ''
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 ...
'' show that
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
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
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 ...
, founded by
Chester Phillips
Karen Page
Paibok
Doctor Paine
Doctor Paine are two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Thaddeus Paine
Dr. Thaddeus Paine, created by Len Kaminski, first appeared in ''Morbius the Living Vampir ...
,
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
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 ...
, 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
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 ...
, with all operations taken over 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 ...
.
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
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 ...
. In 2020, Rambeau died from cancer, prompting
Tyler Hayward Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
to succeed her by becoming the new acting director. Under Hayward's directives, S.W.O.R.D. obtained the
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
's corpse and began the process of attempting to re-activate it. In 2023, two weeks following
the Blip
The Blip (also known as the Decimation and the Snap) is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snappin ...
,
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) ...
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
James "Jimmy" Woo (Woo Yen Jet) is a fictional secret agent appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by EC Comics writer Al Feldstein and artist Joe Maneely, the Chinese-American character first appeared in '' Yel ...
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
Darcy, Darci or Darcey may refer to:
Science
* Darcy's law, which describes the flow of a fluid through porous material
* Darcy (unit), a unit of permeability of fluids in porous material
* Darcy friction factor in the field of fluid mechanics
* ...
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
Agatha Harkness is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a powerful witch, typically portrayed as a friend and teacher of Wanda Maximoff, as well as the mother of Nicholas Scratch. Agatha is ...
, Hayward is arrested, and Monica meets with a
Skrull
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 fro ...
posing as an FBI agent.
S.W.O.R.D. was originally intended to appear in ''
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 ...
'', 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
Special Agent Abigail Brand is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, she first appeared in ''Astonishing X-Men'' vol. 3 #3 (Sept. 2004). She i ...
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
Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther. Wakanda first app ...
. They are branded with a tattoo on their lips to identify themselves when prompted. In 1992, King
T'Chaka
T'Chaka is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of T'Challa and Shuri. He was the king of Wakanda and Black Panther before T'Challa; he inherited both titles following the death of h ...
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 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
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 ...
and
Okoye
Okoye is a family name (surname) originating in Nigeria. It is an Anambra State, Anambra dialect derived from the central Igbo name Okorie (meaning someone born on orie market day, or Oye market day as known in Anambra State).
Notable people wi ...
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
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
HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta La ...
and
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 ...
'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
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 ...
. 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
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
. When Strange recklessly uses the ''
Darkhold
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 ...
'' to prevent
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 ...
'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
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) ...
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
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 ...
'' 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
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
''.
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,
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 ...
,
Jonathan Pangborn
Jonathan may refer to:
*Jonathan (name), a masculine given name
Media
* ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer
* ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski
* ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...
,
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,
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
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
''.
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
![Time Variance Authority Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Time_Variance_Authority_Logo.svg)
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
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, seve ...
) that monitors the various timelines of 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 ...
, including the preservation of the Sacred Timeline.
In an alternate 2012 created by 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 ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
escaped from
Stark 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 eg ...
with the
Tesseract
In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of eig ...
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''.
See also
*
Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe that involves productions of superhero films and television series. These productions star various titular superheroes; they are independently produced by M ...
*
Species of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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 ...
*
Features of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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 publishe ...
References
External links
TheDailyBugle.net–
viral marketing website
{{Marvel Cinematic Universe
Lists of fictional organizations
Marvel Cinematic Universe features
Marvel Cinematic Universe lists