The Incredible Hulk
One fundamental scene inIron humans 2featured a S.H.I.E.L.D. activity map that was packed with Easter egg teasing the future of the MCU . By 2010 , Marvel Studios had devote to their Avengers scheme , and theIron Mansequel was learn as a vital stepping - Harlan Stone on the way to the 2012 blockbuster . As such , it introduced Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow , boast a significantly increased presence for S.H.I.E.L.D. , and hada lot of teasing Easter testis .
In one fundamental aspect at the last ofIron Man 2 , Nick Fury met with Tony Stark to reveal that the Black Widow had been assessing him for involution in the Avengers Initiative . The conversation did n’t exactly go the way Stark wanted it to , with Black Widow decide she could n’t advocate him reach he was hardly a team player . But it did n’t take eagle - eyed viewers long to pull in that the really interesting item were in the background of this scene , offering an unprecedented glance into S.H.I.E.L.D. priority .
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During the scene , the camera panned around the two character and revealed a number of S.H.I.E.L.D. holoscreens . One screen actually showed footage from Bruce Banner ’s brush with General Ross in Virginia duringThe unbelievable Hulk(in theMCU timeline , the 2008 release happened at the same time asIron Man 2 ) . But the most of import item was a S.H.I.E.L.D. activity map , which prove orbit of pursuit to the governance . From Captain America ’s frozen physical structure to tease for Black Panther and Namor , here ’s whatIron Man 2 ’s S.H.I.E.L.D. map give away .
Tony Stark’s Malibu Pad
Let ’s start with the most obvious S.H.I.E.L.D. hot spot ; Malibu , home of Tony Stark . It make sense that Malibu would appear on this activity mathematical function , given Nick Fury had a major operation monitor Stark , involving some of his highest - level agents . No doubtS.H.I.E.L.D. ’s Department of Damage Controlwas heavily involved in uncontaminating - up after Vanko ’s onset on the Stark Expo as well .
Mjolnir & Thor’s Arrival In New Mexico
New Mexico is also marked as an important hotspot , a unclouded point of reference to the Mjolnir impact situation fromThor . It was tease over the course ofIron Man 2that S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites had been detecting strange vigor surges over New Mexico , with gravitational lensing that intimate it could be an Einstein - Rosen Bridge . Though they did n’t screw it , they were detecting the Bifrost , specifically when Odin retch Mjolnir and Thor to Earth . Iron Man 2 ’s post - quotation scenethen showed Coulson ’s arrival at the shock crater .
Hulk vs. Abomination (Or Iron Man vs. Whiplash) In New York City
New York City had seen a muckle of superhero conflict long beforeThe Avengers ' Battle of New York . First , inThe Incredible Hulk , the Green Goliath and Abomination fight in Harlem , the end - final result of Thaddeus Ross ' mission to grasp Bruce Banner that learn the General illegally break into S.H.I.E.L.D. secure server . It ’s possible that ’s what the NYC marker on the function means .
However , given the timeline ofIron gentleman 2 in sexual relation toThe Incredible Hulkis unclear , it may be another event : Iron Man and War Machine ’s fight against Whiplash and the Hammer Drones from before in the film . Either direction , this marker is less a tease of the future than an cite of the fight already happening in the world ( and a admonisher that you really do n’t want to live in the MCU ’s Manhattan ) .
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Captain America Frozen In Greenland
There are two markers on the S.H.I.E.L.D. map inIron Man 2setting up the next year’sCaptain America : The First Avenger . The first is locate in Greenland and would come out to be an indicator of a search for Steve Rogers himself ; it was revealed inThe First Avengersthat Cap barge in one of the Red Skull ’s planes into the Greenland ice roof back in 1945 , andS.H.I.E.L.D. had never stop front for the clangour internet site .
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Page 2 of 2:More Iron Man 2 SHIELD Map Teases (From Wakanda To Atlantis)
Norway From Of Both Thor & Captain America
Another hot spot onIron Man 2 ’s S.H.I.E.L.D. is in Norway , belike the town of Tønsberg . Generally regarded as the oldest town in Norway , Tønsberg was founded by Harald Fairhair in the 9th hundred . There ’s some grounds that , in the MCU , the ancient Viking monarchy was strongly associated with the Asgardians ; certainly Tønsberg was the internet site of Odin ’s battle against the Frost Giants in approx . 1,000AD , as seen inThor ’s prologue . Then , during the Second World War , the Red Skull found the Tesseract andthe Book of Yggdrasilat the church at Tønsberg , guard by a Norse cult . accord to official draw - ins , the Water of Sight - the pool Thor waded into inAvengers : Age of Ultronin order to receive visions of the future - is also situated on the outskirts of Tønsberg .
While S.H.I.E.L.D. would n’t know all of this , they were most likely aware the Tesseract was discover there , and may well have discovered other Asgardian artifacts in the orbit over the tenner .
Wakanda (Eight Years Before Black Panther)
One of the other hotspots is located in East Africa , and is clearlythe fictional African nation of Wakanda . Marvel had always lie with they planned to do aBlack Pantherfilm ; the estimation was first suggested back in 2005 , when Avi Arad talk over Marvel ’s proposed first slate . As a result , the studio apartment was already signposting that Wakanda be , and was an area of interestingness to S.H.I.E.L.D.
It ’s impossible to say how much S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about Wakanda . sure enough , they would have wanted to obtain more Vibranium , and they knew that Howard Stark find his first sample distribution of the rarified metal in " deepest Africa . " Over the days , S.H.I.E.L.D. had managed to acquire a handful of samples ; according toAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Fury ’s Black Box was made of Vibranium , and some of their big vehicles were equipped with Vibranium - layered cells . But it ’s unclear whether or not S.H.I.E.L.D. were aware of Wakanda ’s Vibranium deposits ; they could have potentially purchased their Vibranium on the mordant market , not know its true source .
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It ’s also possible that Fury ’s care was drawn byevents in theBlack Panther Preludecomic . place around the time ofIron Man , this prescribed tie - in comic showed T’Challa ’s first risky venture as the Black Panther . He was involved in a skirmish on the Wakandan border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was seen by a individual U.N. peacekeeper . Shortly after , T’Challa headed to Paraguay to rescue Wakandan citizens from a hostage situation , where he was again glimpse by local constabulary . It could have been enough to stimulate S.H.I.E.L.D. to start monitoring Wakanda , with Fury perhaps even evaluate this mystical being as a likely member of his Avengers Initiative .
Atlantis And Namor?
Finally , there ’s a location on the Mid - Atlantic Ridge , clearly mean to signpost the MCU existence of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis . In Marvel lore , the ancient kingdom of Atlantis sank beneath the waves 10,000 years ago , and in the present day is rule byNamor the Sub - Mariner . Unfortunately , at this stage Marvel does n’t appear to have any real plans for Namor in the MCU thanks to rights complications go steady from the other 2000s , when Marvel sold his film rightfulness to Universal . The production right seem to have reverted to Marvel due to inactiveness , but dispersion choice are believed to still sit with Universal ( this is standardised to therights situation with Hulk , who look in squad - up moving-picture show but not solo flick ) . Kevin Feige has said he consider there ’s " a way to probably figure it out , " but even he ’s admitted thatthe plastic film right to Namorare " not as a fair or clear as the majority of the other characters . "
So why did Marvel put in an Atlantean Easter testicle ? Perhaps a better question would be , why not ? This Easter egg subtly introduces the conception of Atlantis into the MCU , but it does so without defining it , and without invest Marvel to do anything with it . After all , Atlantis is an underwater kingdom that keeps its very existence a closely - guarded secret from the surface - indweller . S.H.I.E.L.D. may have known it exist , or perhaps distrust it , but there ’s no reason the rest of the world should have a clue about it . ThisIron Man 2Easter testicle still works perfectly even if Marvel never get around to doing anything with the Sub - Mariner in the MCU .
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