Marvel Cinematic Universe - Timeline

[selfishmisery]

The director (or Sony) had to have gotten the years Iron Man and The Avengers took place mixed up. I don't know how, but this was most likely a rookie mistake. Nothing more. (That also includes the screw ups with Homecoming taking place "two months" after Civil War and Aaron Davis' birthdate and age.)

I suggest leaving Spider-Man Homecoming in late 2016.

 

[Craig]

Jon Watts:


So... What happened?

I think this article is on to something: http://screenrant.com/spider-man-homecoming-timeline-break-plot-hole-solved

I hadn't considered Liz's drawing at all. So they threw the timeline out for a creative decision.

The director (or Sony) had to have gotten the years Iron Man and The Avengers took place mixed up. I don't know how, but this was most likely a rookie mistake. Nothing more. (That also includes the screw ups with Homecoming taking place "two months" after Civil War and Aaron Davis' birthdate and age.)

I suggest leaving Spider-Man Homecoming in late 2016.

That one is even more puzzling. That Eric Carroll interview that came out in like March or April had him saying it was 5 months after Civil War, which would have been perfect. Maybe test audiences thought that was too long of a gap? I dunno.

 

[DIrishB]

I'm really trying to find some middle ground that makes sense... unsuccessfully so far...

 

[Captain Canuck]

I'm really trying to find some middle ground that makes sense... unsuccessfully so far...

Yeah, there is no way for Spider-Man to take place eight years after Avengers AND two months after Civil War if Civil War takes place eight years after Iron Man.

 

[Lebnyx]

Yeah, there is no way for Spider-Man to take place eight years after Avengers AND two months after Civil War if Civil War takes place eight years after Iron Man.

It can work, if we take Vision's statement and the timecard from Homecoming as estimations:

Fall 2008: Tony reveals he is Iron Man.

Spring 2010: Battle of New York.

Spring 2017: Events of Civil War (This is 8-and-a-half years after Iron Man)

Fall 2017: Events of Homecoming (This is 7-and-a-half after The Avengers)

 

[Captain Canuck]

It can work, if we take Vision's statement and the timecard from Homecoming as estimations:

Fall 2008: Tony reveals he is Iron Man.

Spring 2010: Battle of New York.

Spring 2017: Events of Civil War (This is 8-and-a-half years after Iron Man)

Fall 2017: Events of Homecoming (This is 7-and-a-half after The Avengers)

Spring to Fall is at least 3 months. Most likely more because homecoming isn't at the beginning of Sept.

Unless Peter was in Summer school for algebra, I guess. Which is possible. Either because he likes math or because he neglected school for a while after Uncle Ben died.

 

[Lebnyx]

Heavy spoilers for Infinity War that may shed some light on the placement of one of Guardians Vol. 2's credits scenes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstud...ilers_avengers_infinity_war_footage_shown_at/

Spoiler

Teenage Groot is in one of the described scenes, which appears to take place sometime after Thor: Ragnarok (since Thor's hair is cut short). We don't know at what rate Groot's species ages, but presumably this indicates Vol. 2's credits scene with Quill and Groot takes place not too long before Ragnarok/Infinity War, so probably 2-3 years after the events of Vol. 2 (2014).

 

[DIrishB]

Heavy spoilers for Infinity War that may shed some light on the placement of one of Guardians Vol. 2's credits scenes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstud...ilers_avengers_infinity_war_footage_shown_at/

Spoiler

Teenage Groot is in one of the described scenes, which appears to take place sometime after Thor: Ragnarok (since Thor's hair is cut short). We don't know at what rate Groot's species ages, but presumably this indicates Vol. 2's credits scene with Quill and Groot takes place not too long before Ragnarok/Infinity War, so probably 2-3 years after the events of Vol. 2 (2014).

Well, we can estimate Groot's age relative to human aging. Assuming Infinity War occurs in 2018 (a pretty safe bet), Groot would be around 4 years old (since GotG and its sequel in 2014), putting an average rate of growth for him at four human years per actual year. So, after a year he'd be around equivalent to human 4 year old, 2 years he'd be an 8 year old, and so on, with four years later placing him around 16. BUT, it was only a couple months between GotG and its sequel, and during majority of the film Groot was essentially a toddler, maybe equivalent to a 2-4 year old, which doesn't really jive with the 1 year = 4 human years of growth theory.

Therefore, only conclusion is that his rate of growth/aging probably isn't steady, which makes sense as it allows more leeway for filmmakers relating to this very topic. So, I wouldn't necessarily place the post credit scene of teenage Groot (from GotG Vol 2) as 2-3 years later. It might be, but we'll have to see how Infinity War treats his aging process. Will he mature further during film, perhaps due to necessity to fight Thanos, will he mature between IW and Avengers 4? We'll see how it plays out.

 

[Captain Canuck]

James Gunn made a big point about the fact that Groot wasn't a teenager in the post credit scene, but a preteen.

 

[RocketRacoon]

What do you guys think of this?

http://i.imgur.com/RUfjg3d.png

 

[DIrishB]

James Gunn made a big point about the fact that Groot wasn't a teenager in the post credit scene, but a preteen.

Forgot about that. Either way it doesn't jive with a steady growth rate compared to physical/relative age.

 

[DIrishB]

What do you guys think of this?

http://i.imgur.com/RUfjg3d.png

That actually works, far as I can tell, even for AoS.

Anyone notice anything glaring in that approach that doesn't align with the TV series?

 

[RocketRacoon]

I'm pretty sure Talbot once said that the Battle of New York took place in 2012.

Doesn't this timeline also mean we have to move the placements for AoS S3 and S4?

 

[SexySnorlax]

That actually works, far as I can tell, even for AoS.

Anyone notice anything glaring in that approach that doesn't align with the TV series?

It's not a deal-breaker, but on top of the Talbot 2012 line, marketing material for IM2 set the Stark Expo in 2010.

Also, it feels very wrong thematically to have two and a half years between Avengers and IM3, even though there's no actual evidence of it being 6 months later

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Completely agree. I think this site still has it the most accurate.

 

[selfishmisery]

Again, let's not let one movie dictate what was previously established in numerous other MCU material for now. Let's wait and see if any future films reflect the "change".

But we can still have this image on file in case the change is permanent.

 

[Captain Canuck]

That actually works, far as I can tell, even for AoS.

Anyone notice anything glaring in that approach that doesn't align with the TV series?

I'm pretty sure Talbot once said that the Battle of New York took place in 2012.

I don't remember if this is true, but even if if it isn't, this timeline causes some minor issues with the movies and shows that follow Avengers. Iron Man 3 is clearly meant to take place shortly after Avengers. It also means that Coulson was "in Tahiti" for at least a year and a half. Or at least he wasn't allowed back in the field for that long. Also, the reference in Thor 2 to Thor being gone for 2 years is clearly referencing the last Thor movie, not the Avengers, since they make a big deal about him not contacting Jane during the Avengers.

Finally, where does the school year start in August?

Those are the only problems I can really see with it off the top of my head. Overall, they are pretty minor issues and I think it makes the best sense of the problem created by Spider-Man: Homecoming.

 

[selfishmisery]

This whole timeline confusion is giving me anxiety...They need to "George Lucas special edition" some of this when the people put in charge of "continuity" actually watch the TV shows, because I don't feel like they have.

If all else fails, the wiki (for info) and this timeline are their best friend.

 

[selfishmisery]

Also, the "4,772 Hours" episode is the breaking point for 2015 in the timeline (let alone the timing of events the films seem to place between then and 2017).

 

[Lebnyx]

James Gunn made a big point about the fact that Groot wasn't a teenager in the post credit scene, but a preteen.

I know; I was saying that if Groot is a tween in GotG Vol. 2's ending, then it's more likely to take place closer to Infinity War, rather than GotG Vol. 2 (unless his species has a long tween/teen period).

That actually works, far as I can tell, even for AoS.

Anyone notice anything glaring in that approach that doesn't align with the TV series?

That's mostly the new timeline I've been thinking about, but there are a few issues I can think of, for the movies at least:

Apart from the timespan between The Avengers and Iron Man 3 being 2 years rather than 6 months (though it's fine since it wasn't stated in the film), and contradicting Talbot that the Chitauri invasion was in 2012:

-If Doctor Strange begins in 2016 and Civil War takes place in spring/summer 2017, then it may cause issue with the mention of Strange in WHiH prior to CW coming out. I can accept that they may have interviewed him before the accident and had the footage of the interview set to air several weeks after the fact, but I'm not really sure that they'd have the footage for that long before airing it a year and a few months later.

-In Civil War, Zemo says he'd been planning his revenge for a year, though you can make a case for him grieving for a year, then starting his revenge for a year after that.

But also in CW, Peter Parker says he's had his powers for 6 months, implying he's had them since early that year or late the previous year, which fits with what we have now. But he is also alluded to at the end of Ant-Man ("We've got a guy who jumps, we've got a guy who swings, we've got a guy who crawls up the walls...")

If Ant-Man takes place 2 years prior, then the reference might not work, since the context for it was that Falcon was looking for Ant-Man, meaning either he'd take more than a year to start looking for him, or it took a year for the information to get to Luis; or that Luis just came up with random powers as examples, which coincidentally happened to match up with Spider-Man whose origins are a year later.

That's all I can think of for now.

Finally, where does the school year start in August?

I live in Canada, and school starts here from mid- to late- August. I don't know if it does in New York.