Some people have used their time during quarantine to read more books, watch more movies and TV, learn a new skill. You can’t scroll through Instagram without tripping over a picture of someone showing off the sourdough loaf they baked. Many others are adopting pets (myself included) to keep them company. And still others are just not doing anything at all, but taking the time to recharge, doing the best they can.
One enterprising fan, however, took it upon himself to go through the MCU and sort all the scenes in chronological order. With 23 movies to pore over and a number of scenes happening in flashbacks and alternate timelines, it was quite the undertaking. But he did it. The man did it. He shared the results on his Twitter account, @tonygoldmark.
Now, there were a few rules and guidelines he set for himself: First, he looked at the movies only. None of the Netflix shows, other Marvel TV series, or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were counted. No Marvel one-shots or deleted scenes were used, either.
Goldmark also only counted flashback scenes that were distinctly apart from the film’s present, which means he made allowances for when movies were employing creative license, like the scene in Thor: The Dark World that jumps back and forth repeatedly between Thor, Heimdall and their comrades planning the escape from Asgard.
But Goldmark vows he double- and triple-checked his work and his work is sound.
The total number of scenes he sorted: an eye-popping 110 scenes. That’s dedication. In case you’re wondering, the first chronological scene in the entirety of the MCU is the prologue of Thor: The Dark World. The last is – well, basically, it’s the entirety of Spider-Man: Far From Home (Goldmark simply put the movie’s title in last place on the list). But if you want to get technical, the last chronological scene in the MCU is Far From Home‘s post-credits scene (we can assume the mid-credits scene happens at the same time or slightly earlier), where it’s revealed Skrulls Talos and Soren have been impersonating Nick Fury and Maria Hill on Earth and Nick Fury is in space, doing secretive Nick Fury things.
Seeing it all laid out like that really makes you appreciate anew the complicated weaving that was required to create the continuous fabric of the MCU to this point. And it really makes you appreciate the people whose job it was to keep the MCU bible updated and continuity straight. It’s no wonder Kevin Feige has said Marvel will chill on huge story arcs for a bit now that Avengers: Endgame has finished the Infinity Gauntlet arc.
If you’re still curious about Goldmark’s methodology, he answered quite a few questions in the thread about his thought process. As an entertainment editor and a veteran writer of objective lists, I can fully appreciate someone who sets specific rules for themselves when undertaking a task like this. Let’s hope he keeps updating it. And maybe one day, another even crazier fan will take the time to edit a monster chronological MCU cut together. I welcome all challengers to the task.
Black Widow is the next Marvel movie set to hit theaters, with its new release date bumped to November 6th. Add Black Widow to your Watchlist and we’ll let you know when tickets go on sale.
