Mic-flag graphics flash. Cameras click. A skyline backdrop names a city. You remember who introduced the clip on late night, who trended the morning after, which song rode the credits.
The lineup mixes studio eras. MCU juggernauts, Fox-built chapters, Sony webs, and a few animated swings share the floor. Familiar titles return with new leads and fresh coats of paint.
Start with culture noise. Was that before a console launch, after an award sweep, during a Super Bowl teaser wave. Pin the atmosphere to a season. Then say the year, crisp and sure.
[D] 2008 | MCU entry starring Edward Norton with Tony Stark cameo; based on 1962 Hulk comic originally grey before printing changed him green.
2/20
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?
[C] 2018 | Animated multiverse adventure introduced Miles Morales and distinct comic-book visual style; won Best Animated Feature, first non-Disney/Pixar winner since 2011.
3/20
Deadpool & Wolverine?
[D] 2024 | Upcoming R-rated team-up brings Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth into the MCU alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine; expect meta jokes and claws galore.
4/20
X-Men: Days of Future Past?
[C] 2014 | Time-travel plot united original and younger X-Men casts to rewrite history, stopping Sentinels; Wolverine time-slid, blending blockbuster action with emotional reunion.
5/20
Captain Marvel?
[B] 2019 | Set in the 1990s, it introduced Carol Danvers as the MCU’s first female lead, youthful Nick Fury, a flerken cat, and punchy empowerment soundtrack.
6/20
Venom?
[B] 2018 | Tom Hardy bonded with an alien symbiote to become the toothy antihero; banter between host and parasite became the unexpected comedic highlight.
7/20
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
[C] 2023 | James Gunn’s trilogy capper dives into Rocket’s tragic past, features a spacefaring heist and heart-wrenching farewells while blasting more era-spanning tunes.
8/20
The Wolverine?
[B] 2013 | Logan travels to Japan, duels yakuza on bullet trains, confronts mortality, and earns his samurai sword skills; sets stage for Logan’s swan song.
9/20
Avengers: Endgame?
[C] 2019 | Time-heist blockbuster assembled every hero, broke box-office records, gave Tony Stark and Steve Rogers emotional farewells, and introduced fat Thor’s love of beer.
10/20
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings?
[D] 2021 | Martial-arts epic with Simu Liu showcased Asian culture, mystical rings, dazzling bus and scaffolding fights, plus lovable creature Morris and karaoke scene.
11/20
Spider-Man 2?
[B] 2004 | Tobey Maguire’s sequel pitted Spidey against brilliant Doc Ock and his sun machine; pizza delivery stress and train rescue defined superhero responsibility.
12/20
Captain America: Brave New World?
[A] 2025 | Sam Wilson dons the stars and stripes, confronting political intrigue and possibly the Red Hulk; film’s title change hints at evolving themes.
13/20
X-Men: First Class?
[A] 2011 | 1960s-set prequel shows Charles and Erik’s friendship fracturing during Cuban Missile Crisis; mutants sport groovy suits and groovier code names.
14/20
Spider-Man: No Way Home?
[C] 2021 | Multiverse madness brought three generations of Spider-Men together, rehabilitated classic villains, and proved that nostalgia sells tickets and cures multiversal headaches.
15/20
X2: X-Men United?
[A] 2003 | Nightcrawler’s White House assault opened this acclaimed sequel, which loosely adapted 'God Loves, Man Kills' and forced Magneto and Xavier into uneasy alliance.
16/20
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?
[B] 2017 | Ego reveals himself as Peter Quill’s celestial father, Baby Groot steals hearts, and Yondu’s whistle-arrow funeral made audiences tear up while laughing.
17/20
Captain America: The First Avenger?
[D] 2011 | Skinny Steve Rogers becomes super soldier and squares off against Red Skull during WWII; Peggy Carter proves a better dancer than anyone else.
18/20
Spider-Man?
[D] 2002 | Sam Raimi’s original had Tobey Maguire’s Peter battling Green Goblin while learning that with great power comes upside-down kissing responsibility.
19/20
Deadpool 2?
[A] 2018 | Sequel introduced Cable and X-Force, killed the team in minutes, and gave Deadpool time travel for rewriting everything, including Deadpool.
20/20
Hulk?
[A] 2003 | Ang Lee’s experimental comic-panel editing and metaphysical musings made this ponderous Hulk stand out, though audiences mostly remember mutant poodles.