Countdown to Infinity: MCU Timeline Pt. 6 2009 (Iron Man Begins)

Leading up to the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, we’re taking a look back at every element of the MCU thus far in our series, Countdown to Infinity! This film is the culmination of everything that began with the first Iron Man film in 2008, and so we want to prepare you for what may be the biggest film of all time. We’ll dive into all 18 films released thus far, each of the TV series that are considered part of the MCU, and a selection of other shorts and comics considered canon within the MCU. As part of our Countdown To Infinity Series We’ll also be looking at the full MCU timeline. We continue today with a look at the history of the MCU with a look at the dawn of Iron Man in 2009!

At this point in the MCU, we’ve seen the rise of Wakanda, Asgard, SHIELD and Hydra. We’ve seen the families of the MCU torn apart, and the birth of the Hulk. But now, things get really interesting, starting with the kidnapping of Tony Stark…

February 11th

• Tony Stark wins the Apogee award, Obadiah Stane accepts on his behalf as Tony is gambling.

February 13th

• Tony Stark is kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorist organization, and his life is saved by fellow captive Ho Yinsen. Tony is ordered to build a missile for the Ten Rings, but instead he builds a battle suit.

February 14th

• SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson speaks with Obediah Stane to investigate the possibility of Tony Stark committing treason.

March 6th

• Aldrich Killian injects himself with Extremis, curing him of his disabilities.

March 9th

• Natasha Romanoff is ordered to escort a scientist out of Iran. She is shot, straight through, by the Winter Soldier. The bullet kills the Scientist.

May 1st

• Tony Stark finishes his battle suit and escapes from the Ten Rings. Ho Yinsen is killed as they attempt their escape.

May 3rd

• Tony Stark returns home to the US and terminates all military contracts. Hammer Industries takes over all military weapons contracts for the US government.

May 4th

• Pepper Potts meets Phil Coulson for the first time.

May 18th

• Tony talks with his best friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes about a new peacekeeping project.

May 26th

• Tony begins work on Mark 2.

June 20th

• Aldrich Killian finds recruits for his Extremis program.

June 24th

• The Ten Rings find the remains of Tony’s first Battle suit.

June 25th

• Killian begins giving subjects Extremis injections. Some candidates explode in the process, while others regrow missing limbs lost while in military service.

July 20th

• Cassie Lang is born to Scott and Maggie Lang.

August 1st

• Tony Stark begins testing the flight capabilities of his Mark 2 suit.

November 8th

• Bruce Banner begins contact with Dr. Samuel Sterns to try to find a cure.

November 11th

• Banner begins settling into Rochina, Brazil, studying calming techniques at a nearby temple and getting a job at a soda bottling factory.

November 15th

• Tony Stark has a successful test flight in his Mark 2 Armor. However he discovers the Armor will freeze in high altitudes.

November 16th

• Tony begins putting together Mark 3, giving the suit a red and gold paint job, and using gold titanium to help prevent the suit from icing in high altitudes. He attends a benefit dinner where he meets Phil Coulson for the first time, and confronts Stane who has filed an injunction against him.

November 17th

• Tony discovers that the Ten Rings have invaded the Afghan town of Gulmira, Ho Yinsen’s hometown. He flies there in the Mark 3 armor and takes out the Ten Rings members in the town. On his way back home he is fired on by two US Raptor Fighter jets. He destroys one of the jets, and tells Rhodey he’s Iron Man to help save him from more attacks.

November 18th

• T’Challa takes over the mantle of the Black Panther from his father, who has become too old to continue using the Panther Habit armor.

November 24th

• Pepper Potts discovers that Obediah Stane was responsible for Tony’s kidnapping. Stane suits up in his own armor and battles Iron Man. Stane is killed in the battle.

November 25th

• Agent Coulson presents Tony with a SHIELD produced alibi, put together by their Damage Control department. Tony holds a press conference and rejects the alibi, announcing that he is Iron Man. Anton Vanko dies in poverty, and his son Ivan vows revenge on Tony Stark, building his own portable arc reactor.
• On the night of November 25th Nick Fury meets with Tony Stark and asks him to join the “Avengers Initative” but he declines. Fury leaves Stark’s Mansion and calls Coulson to tell him they will need Romanoff.

December 18th

• Fury puts Coulson in Charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. in experiment where harvested fluids from the Kree corpse found in 1945 could be used to save a mortally wounded SHIELD agent or Avenger.

December 19th

• Tony begins a serious relationship with a woman named Lina, her son is kidnapped by the Ten Rings and they blackmail her to get the Iron Man blueprints. Tony ends up finding out the truth and saves her son on December 28th.

We’ll stop there for now. The MCU rolls on from here, with the of the rise of Hulk and Thor!

Keep Following Poor Man’s Spoiler all this week as we continue our Countdown to Infinity Series covering everything that has led to Avengers: Infinity War! And be sure to see the movie when it hits theaters this Friday!

You can Check Out all of our previous Countdown to Infinity coverage here:
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
MCU Timeline Part 1 The Birth of the MCU 
MCU Timeline Pt. 2 1900-WW2
Avengers
MCU Timeline Pt. 3 1946-1979
MCU Timeline Pt. 4 1980-1999
MCU Timeline Pt. 5 2000-2008