Over the past eleven years, Marvel Studios has produced and released a total of 21 high-soaring, blockbuster films. This April marks the release of Avengers: Endgame (2019) which will be the 22^nd film for the studio and will ultimately be the culmination of what has been labelled as the ‘Infinity Saga’. It has been stated that “Avengers: Endgame will rewrite the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. When it’s all over, nothing will be the same.”

The hype and excitement for Avengers: Endgame has been evident through its loyal fanbase. Tickets for the superhero film went on sale on the 3^rd of April and within six hours, it had already crushed a record for most tickets sold within 24 hours, taking away the top spot from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Even before it’s release, Avengers: Endgame has already broken the internet as a frenzy for tickets ensued. Ticketing site Fandango announced that the film set its biggest single-day ticket sales since the company started 19 years ago. The company’s Managing Editor, Erik Davis, has confirmed that the film has achieved a historic accomplishment which ultimately defines it as the most anticipated movies of all time.

However, Avengers: Endgame’s success in ticket sales does not result in a positive feeling for some fans. Because of its popularity, tickets were in high demand and thus meant that some unlucky fans had to miss out on tickets for opening weekend. The pre-sales also resulted in various sites crashing, restricting fans from buying tickets.

In the United States, several theatres are screening a Marvel Cinematic Universe marathon which contains every single film for diehard fans. As of now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes approximately 59 hours and 7 minutes to complete, starting from Iron Man (2008) up to the latest film, Captain Marvel (2019). If you were to include Avengers: Endgame, the total run time would fall at approximately 62 hours. The marathon takes a total of three days to complete, starting on April 23 and ending with the screening of Avengers: Endgame on the day of its release.

If you do not have the time like some fans to marathon the entire franchise but still want to be reminded of what has recently happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, look no further for our very own quick recap below. Warning, this will contain major spoilers.

When we last saw our favourite avenging heroes, they were engaged in a long, dangerous, battle with the mad-titan Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Thanos had collected all six Infinity Stones, inserted them into his golden Infinity Gauntlet, and with a simple snap of his fingers, he was able to decimate half of the universe. For the first time, the Avengers had lost their battle. Our heroes were not safe and some fell casualty to Thanos’ plan. Some characters that managed to survive include Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and the Hulk, while characters such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy were turned to dust. Certain heroes such as Loki, Gamora, and Vision were lost prior to the decimation, and certain heroes were missing from the film altogether.

Avengers: Infinity War’s single end credits scene brought excitement and intrigue to the fans that waited until the end. We see the world turn to chaos as Nick Fury uses a pager to contact someone. Unfortunately for him and Maria Hill, they both turn to dust and the pager falls to the floor. The camera zooms in on the pager as it finally reveals a familiar logo for all Marvel fans, creating a sense of pleasure and hope that help is on its way.

Recently, Marvel Studios has released an array of character posters in anticipation for the upcoming film. Half of the posters portray characters in colour indicating those who have survived while the other half show characters in black and white, representing those who were decimated. These posters have officially confirmed the status of characters who were not present in Avengers: Infinity War or who were not seen during the decimation scene. Fans now officially know that Hawkeye, Valkyrie, and Pepper Potts had survived while Shuri did not.

Moving on to the MCU’s 20^th instalment, Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). This film reveals to the audience where our bug-sized heroes were during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Scott Lang is currently under house arrest after the events that occurred in Captain America: Civil War (2016) where he went against the Sokovia Accords. It is also established that Hope van Dyne has taken on the mantle of the Wasp. Chaos ensues in the light-hearted film as both heroes attempt to stop antagonists Sonny Burch and Ghost from stealing their bite-sized lab which contains the quantum tunnel. Nevertheless, Ant-Man and Wasp save the day and manage to find the missing Janet van Dyne who was stuck in the quantum realm for 30 years.

However, during the film’s mid-credits scene, the cheery and comical vibe of Ant-Man and the Wasp is turned upside down. We see Ant-Man in the quantum realm harvesting energy to help Ghost, but as he tries to communicate with Wasp, he does not get an answer. The camera shifts to the world outside where the audience suddenly realises that Hank, Janet, and Hope have disintegrated into dust, leaving Scott alone and trapped inside of the quantum realm. At this moment, it is obvious that the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp have been happening alongside the events of Infinity War. Furthermore, Ant-Man and the Wasp could possibly link up with Avengers: Endgame through the quantum tunnel. Many theories have believed that the quantum realm could play an essential part in Avengers: Endgame.

Lastly, we go back in time to 1995 where the events of Marvel’s latest instalment, Captain Marvel (2019), played out. Around halfway through the film, we see a younger Nick Fury pull out a pager which is eventually taken away from Carol Danvers. Remember the pager we saw during the end credits of Avengers: Infinity War? Yes, this is the same one. Fast forward to the end of the film, we see Carol Danvers return the pager back to Nick Fury, only this time it has been upgraded with advanced Kree technology. Carol tells Fury that he is welcome to contact her for help, but only when it is an emergency. Thus, the questions and mysteries of the pager at the end of Avengers: Infinity War have been cleared up. Captain Marvel is coming to help the surviving members of the Avengers defeat Thanos.

Captain Marvel’s mid-credits scene is set in the present day. We see the pager encapsulated when suddenly it turns off. The logo is no longer visible as the camera pans to Steve Rogers and the remaining Avengers inside of the Avengers Facility. Then suddenly, Captain Marvel appears behind the group and asks them on Fury’s whereabouts before the screen fades to black and confirms that Captain Marvel will return in Endgame.

Thus, takes us back to present day and concludes our quick Marvel Cinematic Universe recap. Through various films, videos, and official and promotional images fans have gained vital information about the status of their favourite heroes. Nevertheless, the plot and story behind Avengers: Endgame continues to remain a mystery.

Avengers: Endgame assembles into theatres April 26.