Avengers: Endgame

"Avengers: Endgame" was the culmination of 21 films spanning 11 years but Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue on for years to come. (COURTESY OF DISNEY)

With “Avengers: Endgame,” the sequel to last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and the culmination of 11 years and 21 previous films, officially in theaters, let’s take a closer look at some of the people behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Many individuals have made invaluable contributions to the success of the MCU — an interconnected film series that tells standalone stories while preserving one overarching narrative — but I’ve narrowed it down to the essential voices who have most helped shape the MCU.

Kevin Feige

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018. (BRINSON+BANKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

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Jon Favreau, an actor and filmmaker, outside his office at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, April 16, 2014. Favreau directed the first two "Iron Man" movies. (DAVID WALTER BANKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

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Actor Robert Downey Jr. at his home in Brentwood, Calif., April 2, 2008, a month before the release of "Iron Man" kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (J. EMILIO FLORES/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon outside his office in Santa Monica, Calif., Apr. 30, 2013. (MICHAEL LEWIS/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

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James Gunn, who directed the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, in Los Angeles, April 19, 2017. (JAKE MICHAELS/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

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Anthony (left) and Joe Russo, the directing brothers, in their offices in Los Angeles, March 15, 2018. The Russos pushed to cap the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current 22-film story arc with a two-part epic and Marvel listened. (BRAD TORCHIA THE NEW YORK TIMES)

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