You already know I’m a Marvel chick, so obviously I saw Avengers: Infinity War opening night. Like most viewers, fans and norms, I thought it was a fantastic movie. The way they changed the story from the comics worked really well. And the fact that, after 10 years of Marvel movies, they still managed to surprise me was pretty amazing. But I’m not here with a review of the movie (you can read plenty of those online) – today I’m reviewing the MCU and what this past decade has meant. 

It’s a bit crazy to realize that all of this started 10 years ago with Iron Man, a big budget movie focusing on a B-tier superhero. You may have forgotten, but at the time no one (except hardcore fans) knew much of anything about Iron Man and most people thought it was a mistake to hire Robert Downey Jr. for the lead role. Maybe the low expectations helped, because the movie blew everyone away. For the first time in decades, there was a real comicbook story on the big screen. And this movie truly laid a foundation for everything leading all the way to Infinity War – Iron Man had the post-credit scene where Nick Fury shows up to talk to Tony about the Avengers Initiative.

And that’s another aspect of the MCU that people thought would never pan out – Marvel planning a connected universe of movies years in advance. With every film along the way, haters have been waiting for a flop. Sure, a couple of the 19 films haven’t been quite as good (like Incredible Hulk and Thor: Dark World), but even then they’ve been better than offerings from other production companies. And the ability to tie storylines and characters together, when you’re dealing with a variety of writers, directors and producers, is pretty amazing. Sure, there’s an overarching story, but allowing the creators relative free reign on how to present their particular chapters took a lot of faith.

Marvel has done something that no other studio has ever managed with their connected universe of 19 movies across 10 years. Sure, there are franchises that have sequels, but this is not simply a collection of multiple sequels. This is an actual universe of characters and stories. When The Avengers hit theaters in 2012 it was huge! We had already been introduced to each member in the five movies leading up to it and there was massive satisfaction for comic fans seeing the Avengers finally assembled.

And that’s why, for the fans, Infinity War is such a big deal. It’s the big pay-off for a 10-year investment in this universe and the lives of these characters. We really do care what happens to them! And there is such satisfaction in seeing massive, comicbook battles played out live on a big screen, plus all of the direct panel-to-screen references. With every MCU movie people say it will be hard to beat and yet each new one raises the bar. Right now, Infinity War is the pinnacle and it’s hard to imagine just what will come when the Avengers return next year – but I’m definitely looking forward to being blown away.