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The best moments from 10 years of Marvel movies

From Iron Man to Avengers: Infinity War, we pick our favorite moments from a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Marvel movies are celebrating their 10th birthday, which means we have a whole decade of awesome Marvel moments to look back on. From Iron Man to Avengers: Infinity War, we revisit some of the best bits from the 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Spoiler warning: We've deliberately kept the mention of Infinity War very vague, but if you haven't seen it yet and want to remain completely unspoiled, you might want to come back after you've watched it. 

From heroic revelations to laugh-out-loud gags to emotional character moments, the 19 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have given us a lot to enjoy. We've selected our favorite bits from each film, but which will be the pinnacle of the MCU? Check out the countdown here:

The first MCU movie was Iron Man, released on May 2, 2008 in the US. Iron Man set the tone for the MCU with its combination of wide-screen action, eye-popping effects and chucklesome humor, anchored by the spot-on casting of Robert Downey Jr. Each film since then has built on those foundations, introducing new characters from the pages of Marvel comics for us to fall in love with.

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Those intertwined storylines come to a head in the apocalyptic action of Infinity War, which packs in more than 70 characters from the MCU. For longtime fans, the fates of these characters really resonate because we've followed them for so many years. 

Of course, with so many to choose from, it's hard to whittle it down to just one bit for each movie. Would you find room for Tony Stark revealing his secret identity, Steve Rogers grabbing a helicopter or Thor encountering a friend from work? What about the Hulk putting Loki in his place, Spider-Man's big entrance or Shuri's new footwear? Doctor Strange's Wi-Fi password, Captain America's elevator or Bruce Banner's secret? Tell us your favourite Marvel movie moments in the comments. 

For a more spoiler-y look at the best (and worst) bits of Avengers: Infinity War, check out this video:

With Avengers: Infinity War, the MCU adds insult to DC's injury: Simple differences explain why Avengers: Infinity War soars where the DCEU has yet to succeed.

How to watch every MCU property in the perfect order: From Marvel films to the shows on Netflix, here's the best order to experience the MCU.