Phase Two

Phase Two is the second part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second part of the Infinity Saga. From 2013 to 2015, the Phase Two films grossed $5,245,789,655 worldwide, surpassing the Phase One films.

Overview
The second phase focuses on the post-Battle of New York exploits of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., and also introduces more heroes, including Falcon, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Guardians of the Galaxy (consisting of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and Groot) and further explains the origin of the Infinity Stones. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the terrorist group HYDRA is revealed to have been operating within S.H.I.E.L.D., resulting in the agency's collapse. Now acting without assistance from S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers work solo to bring down HYDRA, but unintentionally spawn a more dangerous adversary in the form of the hostile artificial intelligence, Ultron.

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Marvel's Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits--Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand--with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Marvel Studios presents Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, along with support from Nick Fury and Maria Hill are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Ant-Man (2015)
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man." Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Trivia

 * Every Phase Two movie features at least one character having their hand or arm cut off, in homage to The Empire Strikes Back, the second act of the Star Wars saga.
 * Iron Man 3 - Tony Stark cuts off Aldrich Killian's forearm using the Silver Centurion's blade.
 * Thor: The Dark World - Loki cuts off Thor's hand in an illusion to trick Malekith. Malekith himself later has his arms removed by Erik Selvig's teleporters.
 * Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Bucky Barnes has his forearm removed from his body in the accident where he fells from the Schnellzug EB912, which is then completely removed by HYDRA.
 * Guardians of the Galaxy - Gamora cuts both of Groot's arms off on Xandar. Later, Nebula cuts her own bionic handoff to flee from the Battle of Xandar.
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ultron cuts off Ulysses Klaue's arm in a fit of rage after Klaue compares him with Tony Stark.
 * Ant-Man - Darren Cross right arm is the first part of himself to shrink before he implodes to the subatomic Quantum Realm.
 * Although not officially part of Phase Two, Season Two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Season One of Daredevil, both of which aired during Phase 2, feature characters having their hand cut off:
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.01: Shadows - Lance Hunter cuts off Isabelle Hartley's arm after she touched the Diviner and her arm started petrifying.
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.22: S.O.S. Part Two - Phil Coulson holds a Terrigen Crystal which slowly starts petrifying his hand, prompting Alphonso Mackenzie to cut it off with an axe to save him.
 * Daredevil: 1.07 Stick - Stick cuts Aito's hand off while battling and interrogating him.
 * Unlike Phase One, every Phase Two movie has killed the main villain.
 * Ant-Man was originally slated as the first film of Phase Three, but it was changed to be the last film of Phase Two.
 * So far Phase Two is the only Phase that doesn't have 2 movies from the same franchise. (Phase One had 2 Iron Man films, while Phase Three has two Avengers films and two Spider-Man films).
 * This is also the only phase to have Kevin Feige as the only one credited as a producer in every film.
 * This is also the only phase to have Walt Disney Studios distribute every film.