Marvel has provided movie-going audiences with an experience never before seen. For the first time ever, different superhero franchises have all taken place within the same cinematic universe.
Along the way, they made sure to leave clever little trails of breadcrumbs and Easter Eggs along the way.
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See for yourself and check out these 10+ hidden details fans didn’t notice in Marvel movies!
1. There’s a picture of Bruce Banner in Peter Parker’s classroom.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming , adorning the walls of Peter Parker’s homeroom is a very familiar face.
Included in the “Wall of Science Heroes” is none other than Dr. Bruce Banner, better known as The Hulk!
2. *Pulp Fiction* exists in the MCU.
A keen eye wouldn’t be able to miss the iconic bible verse inscribed on Nick Fury’s tombstone: Ezekiel 25:17 — The Path of the Righteous Man.
This is a nod to yet another one of Samuel L. Jackson’s characters, Jules Winnfield.
3. Principal Morita’s heroic heritage.
During the scene where Peter is sitting in the principal’s office in Spider-Man: Homecoming , pay extra close attention to the black and white photograph atop the filing cabinet.
The photo is of Jim Morita, a soldier who served with Captain America. Peter’s principal is his grandson.
4. Hulk meets Hulk in *The Incredible Hulk*.
There’s a very special cameo appearance that takes place in The Incredible Hulk . Lou Ferrigno , who played The Hulk in the live-action TV show, is the security guard!
Ferrigno also plays the voice of The Hulk in the movie, after he’s transformed.
5. Tony’s ringtone in *Iron Man* is an ode to the cartoon.
In the first Iron Man film, when Tony calls Rhodes, the ringtone that plays is the theme song to the 1960s cartoon of the same name!
It’s a pretty clever touch if I do say so myself.
6. Shuri’s favorite movie is *Back To The Future Part II*.
Can you blame her? I mean, who doesn’t love Back To The Future ?!
During the scene where she fits T’Challa with her new self-tying sneakers , she says that she got the inspiration from her favorite American movie. She doesn’t mention it by name, but we all know what she’s talking about!
7. Black Widow’s necklace was a gift from Hawkeye.
This will more than likely require some strategic pause/play action, but take a look at the charm on Black Widow’s necklace. It’s in the shape of a tiny silver arrow.
Is this an allusion to a possible romantic relationship between Clint and Natalia? They do always mention their trip to Budapest together, after all.
8. Remembering Jack Kirby in *Captain America: First Avenger*.
Toward the beginning of the film, there’s an iconic scene from the comics recreated during the USO Show.
When Captain America pretends to punch Hitler, it’s actually an allusion to the cover of Captain America #1 .
9. J. Michael Straczynski isn’t worthy!
After Mjolnir crashes down to earth in Thor , a number of onlookers try their hand at lifting the mythic hammer.
One of the unworthy is actually J. Michael Straczynski , writer of the Thor comics and other Marvel titles!
10. A reference to the flag in *Black Panther*.
Remember the scene in Black Panther where T’Challa, Okoye, and Nakia are looking down on the casino floor? Their wardrobe colors are intentional.
Red, black, and green are the three colors of the Pan-African Flag!
11. Does Pixar exist in the MCU?
One of the most well-established Pixar Easter Eggs is A113. It’s in all of their films and is a reference to the classroom at the California Institute of the Arts.
During a news broadcast in the first Avengers film, you can see A113 scrolling across the top of the screen.
12. Killmonger’s suit is a nod to the comics in *Black Panther*.
You may have been asking yourself “Why does Killmonger’s suit look so much cooler than T’Challa’s?”
The subtle leopard print design is a reference to Killmonger’s pet leopard, Preyy .
13. Resurrecting The Winter Solider in comics and film.
The person responsible for bringing The Winter Soldier back from the dead in the comic book world was a man by the name of Ed Brubaker .
Brubaker makes a cameo appearance in the film as the one responsible for bringing Bucky back to life on film!
14. Rocket is wearing a very familiar red scarf in *Avengers: Endgame*.
This was one of the most heartwarming moments of the film that went largely unnoticed.
Look closely at the red scarf that Rocket is wearing in Avengers: Endgame . It’s the exact same one that Peter Quill (Starlord) was wearing before he disappeared.
15. A glimpse of things to come in *Iron Man*.
In the very first Iron Man film, during the scene where Tony is being fitted with his iron suit, you can see a slight glimpse of Captain America’s iconic shield on his workbench!
16. Quoting the comic books in *The Avengers*.
When Tony is having his heart-to-heart with Loki, he refers to The Avengers as “Earth’s mightiest heroes, that kind of thing.”
The line is actually from the comic book tag line and it can be found on every cover since 1963.
17. Dr. Selvig from *Thor* worked with Bruce Banner.
Dr. Selvig describes a colleague he worked with in the past as being “a pioneer in Gamma radiation.”
There’s only one brilliant scientist in the Marvel Universe to whom he could be referring and that’s Bruce Banner, better known as The Hulk!
18. The incredible purple pants.
After Betty returns from shopping for Bruce in The Incredible Hulk , one of the items he produces from the bag is an extremely large pair of stretchy purple pants.
This is an ode to the comic book version of The Hulk, who always wore purple pants.
19. Is Bucky the White Wolf?
After we learn that Bucky (The Winter Soldier) is recovering in Wakanda, a group of young children are overheard referring to him as the White Wolf.
In the comics, the White Wolf was an actual character who betrayed T’Challa.
20. A nod to the Human Torch in *Captain America: The First Avenger*.
Near the beginning of the film, when Steve and Bucky first enter the future technologies exhibit, there’s a shot of a man in a bright red costume encased in glass.
That man is the original Human Torch , Marvel’s first superhero ever created!
21. That’s quite a collection in *Guardians Of The Galaxy*.
As we wander through The Collector’s impressive assortment of living specimens, a keen eye will reveal a lot.
You can see the slug creatures from director James Gunn’s film Slither , as well as Howard the Duck , and even Cosmo the Spacedog !
22. Thor’s alter-ego has a serious comic book connection.
In the first Thor film, he adopts the earth alias of Donald Blake . He even has a driver’s license to prove it!
Donald Blake was the alias that Thor went by in the comics.
23. The Grandmaster’s Palace honors their fallen champions in *Thor: Ragnarok*.
We all know that The Hulk was moonlighting as the Champion of Sakaar. But by no means was he the first. The heads on the building facade are an homage to real-life comic book characters.
They are Ares , Bi-Beast, Beta-Ray Bill, and Man Thing.
24. Captain America and Iron Man’s fight in *Captain America: Civil War* is an Easter Egg.
This is probably one of the most epic fight scenes in any superhero film. But after Tony tells Cap to stay down, he replies “I can do this all day.”
He’s actually quoting himself. Cap said the exact same thing to a group of bullies who were assaulting him.
25. Each Star Force uniform is different.
If you take a close look at the stars emblazoned on each member of Star Force’s chests, you’ll notice some slight variations.
Each soldier has their own unique imprint that’s designed to reflect their personality.
26. All I could think about was the number 616…
The number 616 has special meaning in the Marvel Universe. It represents Earth-616 , which is the planet that the majority of heroes in the MCU come from.
You can see 616 references in films like Avengers: Endgame , Thor: Dark World , and countless others.
27. Captain America was always worthy to wield Mjolnir.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest moments in Avengers: Endgame was watching Captain America wield Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir.
But you may have been wondering what Thor meant when he exclaimed “I knew it!”
This was a nod to a scene from *Avengers: Age Of Ultron*.
During the scene, Captain America goes to pick up Thor’s hammer during a dare that all the Avengers have to do.
What’s most surprising is that he’s able to move it!
28. The ship in *Guardians Of The Galaxy* rocks!
Peter Quill’s ship is called The Benatar. This is a nod to American Musician, Pat Benatar.
It’s a clever little Easter Egg as well as an ode to Quill’s character. I bet you a million dollars he and Gamora’s wedding song would be ” Love Is A Battlefield “.
29. Hawkeye becomes Ronin in *Avengers: Endgame*.
After watching his entire family turn to dust before his very eyes, Hawkeye snaps. He becomes a merciless contract killer for hire, enacting his vengeance on the criminal underworld.
This is a nod to the Civil War comic book storyline, wherein Hawkeye adopts the samurai-inspired persona of Ronin .
30. Howard the Duck was at the final battle in *Avengers: Endgame*.
Watch closely as the Marvel heroes come to make their final stand against Thanos and his army.
Howard’s pretty easy to spot, too. Just watch for the duck carrying the giant machine gun! You can’t miss him!
