These Forgotten MCU Tie-In Comics Foreshadow The Events of 'Captain Marvel' & 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

As any Marvel fan will know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a lot more than just a series of blockbuster movies. It's a remarkable shared universe, one that extends to TV shows, tie-in comics, and even YouTube videos. But even the most fanatical Marvel fans can't know everything; there are some official tie-in comics that have mostly been forgotten. Many of these predate the days when Marvel was purchased by Disney; back then, the House of Ideas entered into promotional partnerships in order to raise funds for their films and TV series. As a result, they released some exclusive comics which have been largely forgotten — but which flesh out the MCU in ways that are sure to delight fans.

Behind The Scenes On Iron Man

Let's start off with a forgotten tie-in comic that was exclusively released at Walmart. As you'll see, most of Marvel's Iron Man tie-ins expanded the role of S.H.I.E.L.D., and this first one-shot, Iron Man: Security Measures, is no exception. It tells the film's story from the perspective of Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, and reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. was already monitoring the Ten Rings. They were concerned about the group's advanced tech, and when Stark was captured, Fury was concerned that he'd be turned. Three months later, when Stark escaped, Fury feared that the Ten Rings now had a mole in charge of Stark industries.

The tie-in added another layer of deception to Obadiah Stane, showing him playing S.H.I.E.L.D. for fools. He gave them just enough information to remain suspicious of Tony Stark. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. did a covert financial analysis of Stark Industries, and found evidence of war profiteering. They initially pegged Stark as the culprit, but Fury soon realized they'd been misled.

Meanwhile, in those early days of the MCU, Marvel also tried out a range of digital exclusives. The ancestors of the modern Infinity Comics, these exclusives predated Marvel's move to the ComiXology platform, and as a result they're only available on Marvel Unlimited. The two-issue miniseries Iron Man: Fast Friends is one example. The first issue set up the friendship between Stark and Rhodey, but the second was far more important. It explored the aftermath of Stark's battle with Stane, and showed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s initial attempts to recruit Stark as an enhanced operative. Significantly, Coulson proposed a working relationship that sounds identical to the one we'd later learn Hank Pym enjoyed (or endured) with S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Cold War. Evidently, Marvel Studios liked the idea; with Captain Marvel set in the '90s, it's quite possible they're about to repeat that theme once more.

Another important detail in this issue is a reference to Damage Control, established as a S.H.I.E.L.D. front. That allows us to reconcile the Damage Control of Spider-Man: Homecoming with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s historic responsibility for cleanup in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. In a fascinating twist, this story closed by subtly recasting the moment Stark revealed his identity to the world. It's shown as a refusal to stick to S.H.I.E.L.D. scripts, and thus as a refusal to work as an enhanced agent. (Back in Security Measures, we learn that Fury expected this, and was amused rather than angered by Stark's going public.)

All that leads to Marvel's official comic book adaptation of the film, I Am Iron Man, probably the most well-known of the books in this list. It's still worth mentioning here, because Marvel carefully inserted additional scenes that tie in very well with Security Measures and Iron Man: Fast Friends. Most intriguingly, we see an extended version of the conversation between Nick Fury and Tony Stark. Let's just say it didn't go well; the story closes with Fury asking Coulson to contact Natasha, as her services would be required. We'd later see how Black Widow infiltrated Stark Industries in the Iron Man 2 tie-in Black Widow Strikes.

The MCU Origin Of The Incredible Hulk

Meanwhile, forgotten tie-in comics added a lot more detail to The Incredible Hulk too. Take the Walmart edition of the film, for example; it included an exclusive motion comic, The Incredible Hulk: The Big Picture. Incredibly, this actually tells the #MCU origin of the #Hulk in detail. The comic showed Bruce Banner's experiment go horribly wrong, with Betty left in a coma, and several of Bruce's graduates apparently dead as a result of the Hulk's first rampage.

The issue was fascinating, giving us a window into General Ross's character. He insisted that the sacrifices shouldn't be wasted, and was excited that his twenty-year pursuit of supersoldiers had finally unleashed something powerful. Banner, for his part, was forced to admit that his desire to impress Betty's father had made him reckless. Seeking a cure, he went on the run; there was an incident at the Canadian border, but then he seemingly vanished.

This remained the status quo until a commando unit in South America were assigned to take out a terrorist cartel. Someone beat them to it; a force of nature that Ross recognized as the as-yet-untitled Hulk. Ross was left impressed by the commando unit, especially by their leader, who remained focused and dedicated even in circumstances he couldn't understand. The man's name? Emil Blonsky.

Banner may have vanished from Ross's sights, but a short one-shot called Incredible Hulk: First Impressions revealed that Nick Fury found him while he was in Canada. Fury was intrigued by rumors that Ross had created a supersoldier, and was clearly already considering creating the Avengers. He sought Banner out personally, setting up a conversation and a bar-room brawl to test him. He was left staggered at what he saw, but dismissed the rampaging Hulk as a potential operative. Fury concluded that Banner would stay Ross's problem, but — of course — we'd ultimately learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. kept a watchful eye on Bruce Banner, just in case.

A Surprising Extra Mission For The Stars Of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

When #AgentsOfSHIELD hit the small screen, it was initially sponsored by Honda's Acura brand. It didn't take long for the show to switch sponsors, though, and soon the Toyota's Lexus brand was in the mix. Incredibly, #Marvel Comics even published a one-shot, Lexus Presents: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 'The Chase.' A previously unseen mission for the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, The Chase was set shortly after the Season 1 episode 'Seeds.' Coulson's pursuit of Quinn was sidetracked by Garrett, who assigned them with recovering a devastating energy weapon heavily influenced by leaked Chitauri tech.

Although the issue was largely intended as a promotion (it repeatedly features Lexus cars in key shots), it also prepared the way for some intriguing ideas. For example, it was clear that the energy weapon wasn't being developed by #Hydra. Garrett wanted it to be retrieved for the Slingshot, and we eventually learned Hydra was co-opting technology that S.H.I.E.L.D. thought had been destroyed. Coulson had unwittingly uncovered another conspiracy, and we're left with tantalizing questions about who had access to Chitauri technology. Is it possible that they were supplied by the Vulture, who retrieved technology from the Battle of New York?

With many of these tie-ins related to specific promotions, they're relatively hard to come by, and many Marvel fans don't even know they exist. A good few of them are now only available on Marvel Unlimited, the digital subscription service that offers fans access to a wide range of Marvel comics. They reveal so many fascinating new aspects to the MCU, while laying the foundation for so many ideas we'd later see developed by Marvel Studios. They're definitely worth checking out!