61 Marvel Movie And Show Details That Are So Clever, The Writers Literally Planned Them For Years

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is big, and it's had a lot of callbacks and references between all its movies and TV shows over the years. Here are some of our favorites:

🚨 Spoilers ahead! 🚨 Also, some submissions are from Community users.

1.Happy's boxing gear that he used while training with Tony in Iron Man 2 is on display in his apartment in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Happy boxing; the boxing gear in his apartment
Sony / Marvel

2.The earlier commercials in WandaVision correspond to the pieces of Wanda's story we've seen throughout the MCU.

WandaVision's toaster, watch, bath powder, and paper towel commercials alongside Wanda saying Stark tech trapped her, Strucker experimenting on Wanda and Pietro, and Wanda looking horrified in Lagos

3.But the Nexus commercial from WandaVision predicts the "Nexus events" described in Loki.

A commercial for Nexus antidepressants and an infographic explaining Nexus events
Disney+

4.Yelena makes macaroni and cheese in Hawkeye, the same food she asked for when she was a child in Black Widow.

Yelena saying, "I wan mac and cheese," in Black Widow, and "I made macaroni if you want some," in Hawkeye
Marvel / Disney+

5.Loki smashes his cup after finishing his drink in Loki, just like Thor does in Thor.

Thor and Loki yelling, "Another," as they smash their cups
Marvel / Disney+

6.Wanda says, "I can't feel you," as she feels Vision's lifeless head in WandaVision, which is a reference to them saying, "I just feel you," to each other in Infinity War.

Wanda saying, "I just feel you," as she probes the mind stone and Vision saying it back to her later in Infinity War and Wanda saying, "I can't feel you," in WandaVision
Marvel / Disney+

7.In Loki, Loki recycles his iconic "glorious purpose" line from Avengers.

Loki saying, "I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose," in The Avengers and Loki
Marvel / Disney+

8.As Monica is walking through the hex barrier in WandaVision, she hears a lot of voices, including Carol repeating something she said in Captain Marvel.

Carol saying, "Your Mom's lucky; when they were handing out kids, they gave her the toughest one," to Monica in Captain Marvel and then Monica hearing it in WandaVision
Marvel / Disney+

9.The in-flight entertainment in Spider-Man: Far From Home includes a lot of movies and shows about different parts of the MCU, including an episode of the PBS show Nova hosted by Dr. Erik Selvig.

The Snap, Finding Wakanda, Hunting Hydra, Nova with Doctor Erik Selvig, and Heart of Iron: The Tony Stark story
Sony

10.Pepper's Rescue Armor in Endgame is the same silvery blue as the gown she picked out for herself as a birthday gift from Tony in the first Iron Man movie.

Pepper wearing her backless, v-neck gown in Iron Man and wearing the Rescue Armor Tony built her in Endgame

Suggested by: mjwatson92

Marvel

11.Throughout Endgame, Wanda's visions from Age of Ultron all sort of come true.

Wanda's visions of Steve's shield breaking, Steve dancing with Peggy, and most of Asguard dying in Age of Ultron with the same things happening in Endgame
Marvel

12.Bucky sleeping on the floor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a reference to a conversation Steve and Sam had in The Winter Soldier.

Sam saying, "Your bed, it's too soft," and Bucky sleeping on the floor
Marvel / Disney+

13.Bucky asks John if he's ever jumped on a grenade in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier because that's the test Colonel Phillips used in First Avenger to see if Steve had "guts."

Steve curled up on the ground over a grenade, and Bucky asking, "You ever jump on top of a grenade"
Marvel / Disney+

14.Principal Morita in Spider-Man: Homecoming has a picture of his grandfather, Jim Morita, one of Cap's Howling Commandos from Captain America: The First Avenger (and both characters are played by Kenneth Choi).

Jim Morita alongside Captain America in The First Avenger and a portrait of Jim in Principal Morita's office in Homecoming
Marvel / Sony

15.In the Captain America exhibit in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there's a wall of documents, many of which appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Documents and posters in both First Avenger and Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Marvel / Disney+

16.In the fight club in Shang-Chi, we see a widow from Black Widow, an Extremis soldier from Iron Man 3, Abomination from The Incredible Hulk, and obviously, Wong from Doctor Strange.

Widow, Extremis soldier, Abomination, and Wong
Marvel

17.In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter unknowingly mimics the way Tony interacts with holograms in Iron Man, which gets him a fond look from Happy.

Tony putting his arm into a holographic gauntlet in Iron Man and Peter doing the same thing

Suggested by: maiziehurst123

Marvel / Sony

18.WandaVision reveals that Jimmy Woo mastered the card trick he asked Scott about in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Jimmy Woo asking Scott how he did a card trick and practicing the trick in Ant-Man and the Wasp and then doing the card trick in WandaVision
Marvel / Disney+

19.Loki cheering when Hulk smashes Thor in Thor: Ragnarok is a reference to Loki getting similarly smashed in The Avengers.

Hulk smashing Loki in The Avengers and Hulk smashing Thor in Ragnarok with Loki yelling, "Yes, that's how it feels"

Suggested by: benevolentspirit

Marvel

20.A map in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in Iron Man 2 seems to label significant places in both past and future MCU movies.

A fuzzy map with circles that's been labeled with Greenland; Norway or Sokovia; Wakanda; New Mexico; Malibu; and New York, New Jersey, or Virginia

21.Thor's comment after Steve calls Mjolnir in Endgame confirms that he saw Steve was worthy enough to lift the hammer in Age of Ultron.

Mjolnir moving a little when Steve pulls in Avengers: Age of Ultron as Thor looks confused, and Thor saying, "I knew it," when Steve summons Mjolnir in Endgame

Suggested by: kookycooky97

Marvel

22.In Agent Carter, we meet the Stark Labs scientist Anton Vanko, who we learned in Iron Man 2 helped create Stark's arc reactor technology and also fathered Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash.

A screen in Iron Man 2 describing Ivan Vanko's history, including an espionage conviction, and Anton Vanko in Agent Carter wearing a name tag
Marvel / ABC

23.In The Incredible Hulk, we meet a pizza-craving grad student who grows up to become Peter Parker's teacher in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Mister Harrington sitting at a computer and holding pizza in The Incredible Hulk and then in front of a school bus in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Suggested by: putzik47

Marvel / Sony

24.In Spider-Man: Homecoming, there's a picture of Bruce Banner in Peter's physics class and a mural of Howard Stark in a stairwell.

A picture of Bruce Banner alongside famous scientists in a classroom and a mural of famous thinkers in a stairwell featuring Howard Stark
Sony

25.Thor's failed attempt to soothe Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok is a reference to what Natasha does to soothe Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Natasha saying, "Hey, big guy, the sun's getting real low," and touching Hulk's hand in Age of Ultron and Thor doing the same thing in Ragnarok
Marvel

26.A Stark-designed ship in Thor: Ragnarok requires that Thor use the name "Point Break," a reference to Tony using the nickname in The Avengers.

Tony saying, "No hard feeling, Point Break," in The Avengers and then Thor struggling to get access to a ship's controls until he says, "Damn you, Stark, Point Break," and gets access in Ragnarok

Suggested by: pipermurreyj

Marvel

27.Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows have a running joke of messing up that famous Spider-Man quote: "With great power comes great responsibility."

Agents of Shield: "With great power comes a ton of weird crap that you are not prepared to deal with," Jessica Jones: "If you say With great power, I'll throw up on you," and Cloak and Dagger: "With great power comes even more power"
ABC / Netflix / Freeform

28.In Infinity War, Loki makes a reference to something Tony said to him all the way back in The Avengers, making it clear he's really switched sides.

Tony answering Loki's "I have an army," with "We have a Hulk," in The Avengers and Loki saying, "And for another, we have a Hulk," in Infinity War

Suggested by: megana459810788

Marvel

29.Captain Marvel teases people who saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier by implying Fury will lose his eye by trusting a Coulson lookalike, only for him to actually lose his eye by petting a cat.

Fury saying, "Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye," in Winter Soldier, then in Captain Marvel injuring his eye in a car accident after trusting a disguised alien and then losing his eye while petting an alien that looks like a cat

Suggested by: goosethekitty

Marvel

30.In Avengers: Endgame, Loki brings back (or maybe originates) his spot-on Captain America impression from Thor: The Dark World.

Loki disguised as Steve and saying, "I can feel the righteousness surging," in Thor: The Dark World, and then mocking the way Steve says, "On my way to coordinate search and rescue," in Endgame

Suggested by: jaclynm3

Marvel

31.Steve gets tired of his own catchphrase after using it through three movies.

Steve saying, "I can do this all day," twice in The First Avenger, once in Civil War, and once in Endgame, and replying, "Yeah, I know, I know," in Endgame

Suggested by: jaclynm3

Marvel

32.Steve almost re-creates his iconic elevator fight from Winter Soldier in Endgame until he realizes the one thing he could have said to walk out without fighting.

Steve realizing a fight is coming in Winter Soldier and knocking out everyone in the elevator versus him realizing a fight is coming in Endgame and saying, "Hail Hydra," to get out without fighting

Suggested by: jaclynm3

Marvel

33.Thor references the shawarma lunch from the Avengers mid-credits scene in Avengers: Endgame.

Past Thor saying he and Tony are going for a bit of lunch before he goes to Asgard in Endgame, and the Avengers eating shawarma in The Avengers

Suggested by: mikea4846bed6c

Marvel

34.James D'Arcy returns in Avengers: Endgame to play Edwin Jarvis, Howard Stark's butler who we first met in Agent Carter.

Jarvis and Peggy Carter in a diner in Agent Carter, and Jarvis opening a car door for Howard Stark in Endgame

Suggested by: whopple

ABC / Marvel

35.Sam finally gets to say, "On your left," back to Steve in Endgame after hearing it so much in Winter Soldier.

Steve saying, "On your left," to Sam both as he runs past and as he lies in a hospital bed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Steve hearing Sam say, "On your left," on his comms as a portal appears behind him in Avengers: Endgame

Suggested by: mororke7

Marvel

36.Steve finally says, "Avengers, assemble," for the first time in Endgame after teasing it in Age of Ultron.

Steve getting cut off after saying just "Avengers," in Age of Ultron and then saying, "Avengers, assemble," in Endgame

Suggested by: kookycooky97

Marvel

37.Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. references Wolfgang von Strucker and the fact that he gave Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver their powers, which we saw in the credits of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Wolfgang von Strucker looking at the imprisoned Maximoff twins in Winter Soldier and someone saying, "I know Strucker has been experimenting on powered individuals," in Agents of Shield

Suggested by: everlea

Marvel / ABC

38.Peter activates "Instant Kill" again in Endgame, but on purpose this time, unlike when he accidentally activated it in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Peter panicking and saying, "I don't wanna kill anybody," when Karen activates Instant Kill in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Peter saying, "Activate Instant Kill," in Endgame

Suggested by: kookycooky97

Sony / Marvel

39.Scott gives Hope a look after she calls Steve "Cap" in Endgame because she teased him throughout Ant-Man and the Wasp for doing the same thing.

Scott saying, "Cap needed help," and Hope saying, "Cap?" in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and then Hope saying, "We're on it, Cap," which makes Scott smile at her in Endgame

Suggested by: cor15

Marvel

40.Tony's last words in Endgame before sacrificing himself to save the world are the same words he ended his first movie with.

Tony saying, "The truth is I am Iron Man," in Iron Man and saying, "And I am Iron Man," before snapping in Avengers: Endgame

Suggested by: murrays3

Marvel

41.Steve and Tony prove each other wrong one last time in Endgame, years after their big argument in The Avengers.

Steve saying, "You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play," and Tony saying, "Everything special about you came out of a bottle," in The Avengers, then Tony dying and Steve wielding Mjolnir in Endgame

42.Harley, Tony's friend from Iron Man 3, attends Tony's funeral in Endgame.

Harley as a kid with a potato gun in Iron Man 3, and Harley grown up and in a suit at Tony's funeral in Endgame

Suggested by: megana459810788

Marvel

43.Morgan asks Happy for cheeseburgers at the funeral, the same thing Tony asked for after escaping his abductors in the first Iron Man.

Tony Stark saying, "I want an American cheeseburger," in Iron Man and Morgan Stark responding to Happy Hogan asking her what she wants with "Cheeseburgers," in Avengers: Endgame

Suggested by: megana459810788

Marvel

44.Tony's first arc reactor, which Pepper turned into a keepsake in Iron Man, also appears at his funeral.

The arc reactor with an engraving that says, "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart," first lit and in a glass box in Iron Man, and then unlit and resting on a bouquet in Endgame
Marvel

45.Steve and Bucky say goodbye in Endgame the same way they did before Bucky left for war in The First Avenger.

Bucky saying, "Don't do anything stupid until I get back," and Steve saying, "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," in Captain America: The First Avenger, and them repeating it in Avengers: Endgame with the roles reversed

Suggested by: mh202019

Marvel

46.Steve and Peggy dance in Endgame to the same song that was playing on the stereo when Nick Fury broke into Steve’s apartment in Winter Soldier.

Steve walking into his apartment where Fury is sitting and "It's Been a Long, Long Time" is playing in Winter Soldier, and Steve dancing with Peggy to the same some in Endgame

47.Captain America: The Winter Soldier mentions Stephen Strange as a target of Project Insight two years before the release of Doctor Strange.

Sitwell saying, "A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA"
Marvel

48.In Far From Home, Happy turns on "Back in Black," the song that the Jon Favreau–directed Iron Man opens with, but Peter Parker is too young to recognize who it's by.

A boombox playing AC/DC's Back in Black in Iron Man and Happy turning on Back in Black in Spider-Man: Far From Home with Peter responding, "Aw, I love Led Zeppelin"

Suggested by: mjwatson92

Marvel / Sony

49.Both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home end with a cut-off "What the f—?"

Aunt May saying, "What the f—" in Homecoming, and Spider-Man saying, "What the f—" in Far From Home
Sony

50.Batroc calling Sam's new uniform a "bird costume" in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a reference to the UN calling his old suit the same thing in Civil War.

Sam receiving a receipt for his gear that says "bird costume" in Civil War and Batroc saying, "I wonder how much I can get for your new bird costume" in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Marvel / Disney+

51.Sam says the same thing to Karli in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that Steve said to Bucky in Winter Soldier.

Steve and Sam saying, "I'm not gonna fight you"
Marvel / Disney+

52.When Bucky refuses to move his seat up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it's payback for Sam not moving his in Civil War.

Sam refusing to move his seat up in Civil War and Bucky doing the same in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Marvel / Disney+

53.Natasha and Clint reference a mission in Budapest in Avengers and Endgame, but we don't find out what the mission was until Black Widow.

Clint and Natasha joking about Budapest and then Natasha saying, "Barton and I spent two days hiding out up here" in Budapest
Marvel

54.In Eternals, not only does Kingo claim he knew Thor as a kid, but Sprite also calls Captain America "Captain Rogers," which suggests she may know him personally or at least through the military.

Kingo saying, "Thor used to follow me around when he was a little kid," and Sprite saying, "So now that Captain Rogers and Iron Man are both gone, who do you think is gonna lead the Avengers?"
Marvel

55.The guy who asks Spider-Man to do a flip in Homecoming is the same guy who livestreams the bus fight in Shang-Chi.

Zach Cherry in Spider-Man and Shang-Chi
Sony / Marvel

56.The tower at Kate's school in Hawkeye is named after Obadiah Stane from Iron Man.

Plaque that says, "Stane Tower"
Disney+

57.Yelena lands on the roof in Hawkeye in a pose that's very similar to the one she made fun of in Black Widow.

Yelena crouching with one hand on the ground in Black Widow and Hawkeye
Marvel / Disney+

58.In Spider-Man: No Way Home, you can spot a few billboards for Rogers: The Musical, which Clint took his kids to in Hawkeye.

Rogers the Musical billboard in Hawkeye showing the Avengers on a balcony; Rogers the Musical billboard near a Spider-Man: Public Enemy #1 billboard in No Way Home
Disney+ / Sony

59.Yelena mentions a "new and improved Statue of Liberty" in Hawkeye, but the giant Captain America shield being added to it is not revealed until Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Yelena saying she wants to see "the new and improved Statue of Liberty" and a Captain America shield on the Statue of Liberty in Spider-Man
Disney+ / Sony

60.There's a bus ad in Moon Knight for the GRC, or the Global Repatriation Council, which is the international council in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that's in charge of managing the refugee crisis following the Blip.

Global Repatriation Council meeting; a bus with an ad for the GRC
Disney+

61.Finally, there's also a line in Moon Knight that suggests Layla has been to Madripoor, the criminal haven we first saw in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Moon Knight implying to Layla that she's been to Madripoor; the cityscape of Madripoor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Disney+

Did we miss your favorite Marvel callback? Let us know in the comments!