The Ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe Quiz

ENTERTAINMENT

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By: Olivia Cantor

6 Min Quiz

Image: Marvel Studios

About This Quiz

For those unfamiliar with the term MCU, it's short for Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many of us grew up knowing two major comic-book companies: Marvel Comics and DC Comics. So that takes care of the Marvel part. What about the "CU" part?

That's where the concept called "cross-platform media" comes in. DC has been doing this for a long time. Remember the old "Batman" and "Superman" TV series? The original comic-book story gets showcased in another media. Aside from reading them, we get to watch them, too.

Marvel also went the same cross-platform route. Some of their titles got converted to TV series. Naturally, after broadcast media, these heroes will fly to another media that's larger than life: movies. It fits them well for the brand they have. And since Marvel has so many heroes, we got to see them featured one by one. Usually, these stand-alone movies got produced when Marvel partnered with a movie studio or through licensing. That was how early Marvel films like the "Blade" trilogy came about.

Now what differentiates the MCU films from these stand-alone partnerships is the existence of Marvel's own film company. Yes, they finally put up Marvel Studios to produce their own Marvel films. That's how the 11-year MCU movie series evolved since 2008. Plus the MCU covers three distinct phases exclusive to the films in this umbrella category. Each phase has distinct narrative arcs that also intertwine with the other phases. This is why it might be a bit difficult to watch one "out of sequence."

So now, let's see if you're an MCU super fan. Click away and have fun!

Most of the series had our heroes preoccupied with retrieving which items?

There's a reason why they call the MCU collection the "Infinity Saga." The majority of the plots revolved around the retrieval of the "infinity stones," which collectively hold the power over all of life. In the comics, the original term is "infinity gems" because they're gemstones.

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The MCU heroes treat this guy as their boss. What's his name?

The 2019 solo hero film "Captain Marvel" explains how Nick Fury became the default boss of The Avengers. His "origin story" in this film ties up with his last action in "Avengers: Infinity War" right before he got turned to dust. No spoilers, but watch out for a cat and what it does to him!

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This rare element took center stage in the "Black Panther" film. Can you name the chemical?

We first hear of the MCU's wonderful element called "vibranium" extensively when Tony Stark's dad bragged of using it to create Captain America's shield. This fictional element takes center stage in "Black Panther," as we discovered that it's abundant there in Wakanda.

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When not in hero duty, Hawkeye goes by which name?

Hawkeye is one of the Avengers' core members in the MCU. We briefly see him as Clint Barton in "Thor." In "Avengers: Age of Ultron," we saw him as a family man when the heroes temporarily took shelter in his house. Losing his family in "Infinity War" prompted him to turn dark in "Endgame."

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So, who is Groot?

Vin Diesel could have easily played any MCU hero or villain, but his schedule didn't permit it during that earlier time. In an interview, he said that the Marvel executives offered him to be the voice of Groot instead. Hesitant to play "only a tree," it was his children that convinced him to do the role.

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He's Thor's hateful brother whom everybody loves anyway. What's his name?

Loki is one of those characters you love but you also hate; then he turns around and does something lovable while being good or being bad! Tom Hiddleston's nuanced portrayal of this Asgardian character adds to this unique characterization.

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In which MCU film did Valkyrie fly for the first time?

Valkyrie's Asgardian comics character is bisexual and, just like Thor, she had a romantic relationship with a human female. She first appears in the MCU in "Thor: Ragnarok," and we saw her back up Captain Marvel in a climactic all-female featured fight scene in "Avengers: Endgame."

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Which Chris played Star-Lord?

"Guardians of the Galaxy" entered the MCU in 2014 with Chris Pratt in the lead. His Star-Lord character's back story originated in the late '80s to show his human origins. His alien heritage is unraveled in this film and in the 2017 sequel.

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Who is Gamora's sister?

Gamora's brown-nosing android sister Nebula appeared in "Guardians of the Galaxy" as a villainous character. But she got her MCU redemption arc when she sided with the good folks and helped them destroy Thanos. Her storyline delivered crucial plot points which made "Avengers: Endgame" possible.

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What is Black Widow's given name?

In the comics, Russian spy Natasha Romanoff's original design was as a nemesis to Iron Man who later gave up her Russian ways and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to do "good deeds." In the MCU, though, we saw her as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. already when she first appeared in "Iron Man 2."

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Before becoming a time-bending hero, Doctor Strange practiced which medical specialty?

A neurosurgeon works on the body parts associated with the nervous system. Aside from the brain and spine, this basically covers working on all arteries and veins. Such sensitive work needs nerves of steel; Dr. Strange sadly lost his, prompting his character's new journey for healing.

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What kind of playback format does Star-Lord use when he's listening to music?

Since he came of age in the '80s, Star-Lord experienced the analog joys of sound tripping with cassettes played on a tape deck. A portable Walkman device with that unmistakable orange foam-covered headphones played his mixed tape. That was how older folks created a playlist back in the day, kiddos!

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Nick Fury's pager got redesigned to contact which particular hero?

Since "Avengers: Endgame" finished filming before "Captain Marvel" started filming, analysts pointed out the differences in Brie Larson's characterization of this hero. For one, "Endgame" Marvel wore more makeup, which goes against her established natural look in the stand-alone movie.

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Which popular catchphrase did secret enemies recite in the MCU to identify each other?

In an "Avengers: Endgame" sequence, Captain America played on the aspect of knowing "Hail Hydra" when they time-traveled to retrieve an Infinity Stone. Hydra's terrorist-focused R & D origins unfolded in Captain America's own 2011 film.

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Before Tom Holland became Spider-Man, which actors portrayed this character before him?

Tobey Maguire was the non-MCU face of Spider-Man in the 2000s under the direction of Sam Raimi. The early 2010s saw a non-MCU reboot with Andrew Garfield in the lead. The MCU Spider-Man first appeared in "Captain America: Civil War" before spinning off into his own stand-alone MCU film.

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Before Mark Ruffalo got ripped as The Hulk, which two actors played the green guy before him?

Eric Bana became the Hulk in director Ang Lee's 2003 non-MCU version. while Edward Norton appeared in the 2008 MCU version. Another Hulk actor was also in that MCU version: '70s TV Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, who provided the voice for the green guy whenever he's on screen.

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Which MCU film had our heroes fight each other in two distinct sides?

Even heroic groups form factions; this happened when the Avengers took opposing sides in "Captain America: Civil War." Not surprisingly, leading one side was Tony Stark, while the other was Steve Rogers. The rest of the Avengers, along with other recruits, also took sides behind Iron Man or Captain America.

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If Scott Lang is Ant-Man, who's the Wasp?

Hope van Dyne's connection to the MCU might be tighter than Ant-Man's since her parents worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. Her dad created the Pym Particle, which makes it possible to shrink or enlarge humans. This technology was crucial in the "Avengers: Endgame" in their plan to retrieve the Infinity Stones.

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The latter part of the MCU series saw our heroes fight which common enemy?

In the Marvel comics, they classify Thanos as a "supervillain," since this character type gets pitted against superheroes. But in the MCU, his villainous portrayal has a more philosophical aspect. This is evident in the way he delivers speeches to rationalize his plan of wiping out the universe.

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Pepper Potts is to Tony Stark what _ _ is to Steve Rogers.

To continue its "transmedia storytelling" nature, MCU developed Peggy Carter in interlinked TV series. One was in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," while the other was in her own "Agent Carter" show. Hayley Atwell portrayed her; she also appears in Captain America's MCU film storylines.

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What is Black Panther's given name?

The African king T'Challa succeeded his father-king T'Chaka in "Black Panther." But we first saw this Wakandan father and son tandem in "Captain America: Civil War," where the elder king got killed in a United Nations explosion.

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Most of the MCU films had creator Stan Lee do this thing. What's it called in the film industry?

Stan Lee filmed several MCU cameos before his death; that's why you can still spot him in "Avengers: Endgame." He's the car-driving '70s hippie that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers passes by on the way to the New Jersey military base. In "Captain Marvel," Carol Danvers smiles at him inside a subway.

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Who played War Machine?

Actor Terrence Howard originally played the Jim Rhodes character in "Iron Man" but without donning the War Machine ensemble yet. It was Don Cheadle who had that chance in the "Iron Man" sequels and in the subsequent MCU films.

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Before we saw Paul Bettany act as Vision, we first heard him as which character?

"Avengers: Endgame" introduced to us the real-life Edwin Jarvis, butler and driver to Howard Stark. He was Tony Stark's inspiration in creating the artificial intelligence entity J.A.R.V.I.S., which acted as his "assistant" of sorts. The acronym stands for "Just Another Rather Very Intelligent System."

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Which '80s actor's career got a reboot from the MCU franchise?

Robert Downey Jr. portrayed the iconic silent-film star Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biopic "Chaplin," where Marisa Tomei played actress Mabel Normand. The two reunited in the MCU playing Tony Stark and Peter Parker's Aunt May.

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The 20-plus films in the MCU have which singular thing in common?

MCU actually goes beyond mere cross-platform storytelling; it's technically considered as "transmedia storytelling" because of their shared universe. Their interconnected stories where characters appear and continue their story arcs from one movie to another is what makes it "transmedia."

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Perhaps one of the most famous quotes to come out of "Avengers: Endgame" is this Tony Stark line. What did he say?

Spoiler alert: this line came from Tony Stark's young daughter in "Avengers: Endgame" which he later uses as his goodbye line. Katherine Langford, who played Hannah Baker in "13 Reasons Why," portrayed an older version of this daughter. Her scenes got cut when producers decided to tighten the story.

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The "Avengers" name inspiration came from Carol Danvers. How did she first use this word?

In "Captain Marvel," the younger Nick Fury noticed Air Force pilot Carol Danvers' call sign "Avenger" painted on the side of her jet. Military pilots also have their call signs on their uniforms and other items. Tom Cruise's 1986 movie "Top Gun" highlighted this call-sign use prominently.

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In relation to our heroes, elegant ladies Angela Bassett and Rene Russo both played which kind of MCU character?

Angela Bassett essayed the role of Queen Mother Ramonda in "Black Panther," while Rene Russo played Queen of Asgard Frigga in "Thor." As parents of the titular heroes, they served as caring mothers and wise counsel to their often conflicted children. They both appeared in "Avengers: Endgame."

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Who's considered as "The First Avenger" among the heroes?

To turn muscle-ripped "Captain America" into skinny Steve Rogers (or, well, the other way around!), the visual-effects studio combined old-school in-camera tricks with today's tech. Chris Evans crouched to fit Steve's short height. They later digitally re-scaled him painstakingly, somewhat similar to resizing a picture on Photoshop.

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Which country was Wanda Maximoff originally from?

From her accent alone, one can guess that Wanda Maximoff originated in Eastern Europe; her surname also sounds like it. She hails from the fictional MCU-created country called Sokovia. In "Avengers: Age of Ultron," a map shows that Sokovia is a small landlocked country near the Czech Republic.

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Which MCU actor got to direct two MCU films himself?

If you noticed Tony Stark interacting with friend and colleague Happy Hogan, then you just spotted two-time MCU director Jon Favreau. He helmed the first two "Iron Man" films and appeared in the funeral scene in "Avengers: Endgame" and in other MCU films with Tony Stark and Peter Parker storylines.

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Aside from Benedict Cumberbatch, which other "Sherlock" star appeared in the MCU?

In the BBC's "Sherlock," Benedict Cumberbatch played the titular detective character, while Martin Freeman played Dr. John Watson. "Black Panther" showed how his MCU character, CIA agent Everett Ross, links with T'Challa's storyline. But we see him first in "Captain America: Civil War."

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What's the name of the group holding the "hero action" together at the MCU core?

If you noticed in the "Avengers: Endgame" end credits, the original Avengers team included a literal "signing off" when their names flashed on-screen. The actors whose signatures flashed above their names were the ones who held the MCU story together as the Avengers, the core heroes of this saga.

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One MCU director was also an actor from Harry Potter's Wizarding World. Can you name him?

Knighted Shakespearean actor Sir Kenneth Branagh sometimes crosses over to the director's side. In the MCU, he helmed 2011's "Thor," but his directing career started way back in 1988. Among his recent directed films are "Cinderella," "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" and "Murder on the Orient Express."

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