Still with me? It only gets tougher from here on out. And then comes Iron Man 3, which, despite being a Phase 2 film, takes place later that same year. Of course, Avengers tops it all off with the Battle of New York in 2012. Tucked in-between the Jade Giant’s solo movie and Thor’s arrival on Earth, however, are a pair of One Shots (which were very in vogue at Marvel during the early 2010s and meant to be an added incentive for fans to buy the DVDs). Iron Man 2 comes a year later, as do The Incredible Hulk and Thor, which both, incredibly, take place that same week.
Iron Man, according to Marvel’s 10 Years of Marvel Studios book, actually takes place in 2010, not 2008. This is where things in the Marvel timeline begin to ramp up a bit. One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (2011).
