Wikipedia:Featured topics/Marvel Cinematic Universe films

The Marvel Cinematic Universe films are an American series of superhero films, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The films have been in production since 2007, and in that time Marvel Studios has released 20 films, with 11 more in various stages of production. The series has collectively grossed over $17.5 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing film franchise. The first film was 2008's Iron Man, which began the franchise's Phase One and concluded with the 2012 crossover film Marvel's The Avengers. Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 (2013) and concluded with Ant-Man (2015). Marvel began Phase Three in 2016 with Captain America: Civil War and is scheduled to conclude with Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Kevin Feige has produced every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while the films are written and directed by a variety of individuals and feature large, often ensemble, casts. Many of the actors, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Samuel L. Jackson signed contracts to star in numerous films.