WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BY SHOLA ABODUNRIN

Chronological order of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies (part II)

Today, will be sharing with you the concluding part of the Chronological order of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

THE CONVERGENCE - 2013

Asgard used the Tesseract to repair the Bifrost, and began a military campaign to restore peace to the Nine Realms. This distracted Asgard's forces from the impending Convergence; although Thor noted that the barriers between dimensions were crumbling, he believed this was due to Loki's old dimensional jaunts. On Earth, Jane Foster stumbled across a dimensional rift and became infected with the Aether. Thor swiftly traveled to Earth, and took her to Asgard for study. He had failed to anticipate the return of the Dark Elves, awakened from suspended animation when the Aether returned to this dimension. The Dark Elves once again attempted to use the Aether and the Convergence combined to restore their own dark universe.

Thor defeated Malekith, but at a price; the Dark Elves had successfully raided Asgard's cells, meaning the Nine Realms' most terrifying villains had escaped. Meanwhile, Loki took advantage of the chaos to disguise himself as Odin, and banished the real All-Father from Asgard.

Sources: Thor: The Dark World; Thor: Crown of Fools; Guidebook to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1

THE FALL OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - 2013-2014

Back on active duty, although with memories of his resurrection wiped, Phil Coulson began to investigate the "Centipede" conspiracy. He was placed in charge of a small tactical team, heavily supervised by Fury's agents for any sign of instability. It didn't take long for Coulson to add to the team, though, picking up the mysterious hacker Skye. Hydra agents attempted to use Skye to discover the secret of Coulson's resurrection, but their investigations resulted in the destruction of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.. Meanwhile, Captain America became an active S.H.I.E.L.D. asset, usually working alongside Brock Rumlow and Black Widow.

Hydra began to prepare for what they believed would be their masterstroke. They believed humanity was finally at the point where it would sacrifice liberty for security; to that end, S.H.I.E.L.D. funding was redirected towards the controversial Project Insight. This would allow Hydra to kill all potential opponents in one single devastating attack. When Nick Fury questioned Insight, Hydra had the Winter Soldier launch an assassination attempt. This caught the attention of Captain America and Black Widow, and they exposed Hydra.

S.H.I.E.L.D. entered a brief period of "civil war," with Hydra triggering their agents across the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. ultimately emerged triumphant, with Captain America and Falcon neutralizing Project Insight, and Black Widow dumping all S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets on to the Internet. In the aftermath of this disaster, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were both branded terrorist organisations, and the US Government assigned General Talbot to capture every active S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. In spite of General Talbot's interference, Coulson and his team successfully continued their war against Hydra. To Coulson's surprise, Nick Fury placed him in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the new director. Unknown to Coulson and Fury, a S.H.I.E.L.D. splinter group also formed, based on the S.H.I.E.L.D. ship Illiad.

In Sokovia, Baron Strucker resolved that other branches of Hydra could be sacrificed in order to maintain his own experiments with Loki's Scepter. He had already successfully created two "enhanced" people, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

Sources: Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1 & 2; Avengers: Age of Ultron - This Sceptre'd Isle, Captain America: Homecoming, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Infinite Comic

A NEW KIND OF HEROES

THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - 2014

The millennia-old war between the Kree and Xandar finally came to an end, but Kree extremist Ronan was dissatisfied. He launched a wave of terrorist attacks across Xandarian space, and ultimately acquired the Power Stone with the intention of destroying Xandar. Fortunately, Ronan was opposed by a ragtag group of "a-holes," the self-proclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy. They were able to defeat Ronan due to Peter Quill's Celestial heritage, as he was able to handle the Power Stone and survive.

The Guardians of the Galaxy became famous for their actions on Xandar, and traveled the cosmos, working as mercenaries. They wound up on the wrong side of Ayesha, High priestess of the Sovereign, but were saved by Ego himself. Having heard of a human who could wield the Power Stone, Ego correctly deduced that Quill was his son. He took Quill to his planet, and attempted to launch his plan to absorb the whole universe into his being. The Guardians used Sovereign technology to destroy Ego's Planet, and the "living light" it contained.

In the aftermath, Ayehsa created a new Sovereign, who she called "Adam."

Source: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

THE SOKOVIA INCIDENT - 2015

Tension was growing over how the world should respond to the growing importance of "enhanced" beings and superheroes. Matters were made infinitely worse when the Avengers retrieved Loki's scepter, which contained the Mind Stone. Affected by the Scarlet Witch's powers, Tony Stark created the artificial intelligence Ultron, which went rogue. Although the Avengers attempted to defeat Ultron, the AI was able to use the Scarlet Witch to trigger a battle between Iron Man and the Hulk in Johannesburg. Ultron's masterplan - an attempt to trigger an extinction-level event - brought devastation to the war-torn nation of Sokovia. It was clear to the world's governments that the Avengers could not go unchecked, and they began work on what they called the "Sokovia Accords," to police and control superhumans.

Captain America formed a new team of Avengers, including the Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and the android being called Vision. Thor, who had experienced visions of galactic destruction, left Earth in pursuit of the Infinity Stones.

Meanwhile, in the depths of space, Thanos the last survivor of Titan had committed himself to wielding the power of the Infinity Stones. With Loki's Asgard failing to safeguard the Nine Realms, Thanos was able to visit the legendary world of Nidavellir and force the Dwarves to construct the Infinity Gauntlet.

Source: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War

THE SUPERHERO CIVIL WAR - 2016

In the wake of another high-profile Avengers incident in Nigeria, the United Nations passed the Sokovia Accords. These required all "enhanced" individuals to register, with human members of the Avengers forced to do so as well. The Avengers schismed under the Sokovia Accords, a divide encouraged by terrorist attacks by Helmut Zemo. Zemo used footage of the Winter Soldier's assassination of Howard and Maria Stark to drive a final wedge between Iron Man and Captain America. Steve Rogers was ultimately forced to abandon the identity of Captain America altogether, while several of his allies wound up imprisoned in the Raft.

The passing of the Sokovia Accords, and the resultant "superhero civil war," introduced the Avengers to two new heroes; Black Panther and Spider-Man. T'Challa's father T'Chaka was killed during Zemo's terrorist attack, and he returned to Wakanda to become king. Unfortunately his cousin, Killmonger, used the regime change as an opportunity to attempt a coup. In the aftermath of Killmonger's defeat, T'Challa committed Wakanda to a new direction, abandoning his homeland's isolationist past. Meanwhile, Stark had built a strong relationship with Peter Parker, the Spider-Man. Stark monitored Spider-Man carefully to see if he was ready to become an Avenger, but Parker himself decided he wasn't yet after defeating the Vulture.

For S.H.I.E.L.D., the passing of the Sokovia Accords began a six-month process to legitimize themselves once again. Their Inhuman assets were registered under the Sokovia Accords, and their bases became known to the US military. Coulson stepped aside as Director, and the President proposed Jeffrey Mace for the role. Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. became involved in a complex scenario involving the Ghost Rider, anti-Inhuman pressure groups, and a rogue android. They were blamed for an assassination attempt on General Talbot, and officially declared outlaws. In the end, only Leopold Fitz was actually arrested; the rest were captured by the Chronicom Enoch, and transported to a dystopian future.

Sources: Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Iron Fist season 2, Jessica Jones Season 2, Luke Cage season 2; Avengers: Infinity War Prelude

THE THREAT OF THE DARK DIMENSION - 2016

For untold millennia, the Sorcerers Supreme had kept the dimension safe from mystical threats. But the Ancient One unwisely allowed several of her students to steal notes from the Book of Cagliostro, and - under the leadership of Kaecilius - they opened a portal to the Dark Dimension. Empowered by Dormammu, these Zealots attempts to tear down the barriers between the dimensions. The Ancient One herself died to oppose them. Fortunately, new sorcerer Stephen Strange was able to use the power of the Time Stone to defeat Dormammu, forcing the cosmic being to end his attack on Earth.

The history of the Sorcerers Supreme remains a mystery. Given they were actually aware that the Power Stone was hidden on Morag, it's possible that this order was actually formed back when the Celestials were defeated millennia ago.

Sources: Doctor Strange; Avengers: Infinity War Prelude

A STORM IS BREWING ON EARTH - 2017-2018

An uprising on Attilan led the Inhuman Royal Family to ultimately destroy their home. The Inhumans of the Moon traveled to Earth, seeking to forge a new society here. They presumably chose an isolated location, as there has been no mention of these Inhumans since. In Los Angeles, the Pride's plans fell apart when their children began to discover the truth. The children wound up becoming runaways. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Roxxon's attempts to tap into new energy sources almost caused a disaster. The crisis was averted by two teenagers, Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, who had been empowered as the "Divine Pairing."

Steve Rogers, Falcon and Black Widow continued to act as independent heroes, traveling the world and dealing with crises as they encountered them Ant-Man and Hawkeye returned to America, signing plea bargains and being placed under house arrest. Tony Stark gave up on the Avengers Initiative, and instead focused on creating new tools that he believed would be essential in the defense of Earth. He blamed himself for losing focus over the years, and resolved to create a defense to protect the planet from alien threats.

Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team returned from a dystopian future, one in which the world had been shattered like an eggshell, and resolved to save the planet. They soon uncovered the last Hydra conspiracy, headed up by General Hale, who was seeking to create a super-soldier to protect the world from the threat of Thanos. General Talbot was ultimately transformed into Graviton, a powerful being able to manipulate gravity.

Scott Lang was broken out of house arrest by the Pyms in order to help rescue Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. They were successful, and Janet used her powers to heal Ghost from her intangibility.

Sources: Ant-Man & the Wasp; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5, Cloak & Dagger season 1, Inhumans, Runaways; Avengers: Infinity War Prelude

THE FALL OF ASGARD - 2017-2018

After two years seeking out the Infinity Stones, Thor returned to Asgard, and discovered that his brother Loki was masquerading as the All-Father. The two brothers returned to Earth, only to bear witness to Odin's death. That death unleashed Hela, who used the Rainbow Bridge to travel to Asgard. She cast Thor and Loki to the planet Sakaar, where they allied with the Hulk and a group of revolutionaries in order to return to Asgard.

Hela proved too powerful, and Thor realized there was only one way to defeat her; to cut off the source of her power. He incited Ragnarok, destroying his own homeworld. Only a small number of refugees escaped aboard a single vessel. In the final, ominous scene set seconds before Avengers: Infinity War, this vessel was confronted by the Sanctuary II, the ship of Thanos himself.

Source: Thor: Ragnarok

THANOS TRIUMPHANT - 2018

Thanos, last survivor of Titan, finally launched his insane campaign to "rebalance the universe." He and his Black Order razed Xandar, claiming the Power Stone, and then intercepted the Asgardian refugees to capture the Space Stone. Thanos then divided his forces; while he traveled to Knowhere in order to acquire the Reality Stone, he sent the Black Order to Earth in pursuit of the Time Stone and the Mind Stone. This brought them into conflict with the Avengers.

With the threat of Thanos more real than ever before, Graviton attempted to boost his powers by absorbing more Gravitonium into himself. This act would actually have destroyed the planet, but Graviton was successfully stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D..

Thanos forced his daughter Gamora to reveal the location of the Soul Stone, and sacrificed her in order to acquire it. Three of Earth's heroes battled him on Titan, but Doctor Strange was ultimately forced to surrender the Time Stone. With only one Infinity Stone left to acquire, Thanos himself headed to Earth, where the assembled Avengers were battling the Black Order in Wakanda. In spite of the Scarlet Witch's best efforts, Thanos successfully acquired the Mind Stone, killing Vision. He was able to use the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half the life in the universe with just a snap of his fingers.

Source: Avengers: Infinity War, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5

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Olushola Abodunrin is a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Ado-Ekiti. He is a professional writer, he writes articles for publication and he anchors – ‘What You Should Know’ on SHEGZSABLEZS’ blog.

‘What You Should Know’ is a column that offers to educate and enlighten the public on general falsehood and myths.