15 Real MCU Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit

The 2008 Jon Favreau premiere Iron Man I started Marvel Cinematic Universe, an unparalleled franchise that has revolutionized the film industry and the world at large. Made up of films, TV series, shorts, and other productions, this universe features the heroes and villains of Marvel Comics, and quickly became one of the highest-grossing franchises in history, adding to the popularity of already popular characters and launching the careers of dozens of actors to superstardom. Currently, the MCU is going through its fifth phase, which started with the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania last february. Earlier this month, I welcomed this stage Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3the film which proved to be a hit at the box office and garnered rave reviews.

Naturally, the MCU movies and TV series incorporate a great deal of CGI to achieve the amazing scenes that make it to the silver screen in productions like The AvengersAnd Black Panther, And Dr. Strange. However, despite their use of green screens and advanced technology, the filmmakers responsible for this cinematic world also use a number of real locations for their films. As a result, the film’s crew and cast members are often required to travel to various places around the world, and these places have become popular on touring and visited by fans who want to take a picture where their movie idols have been. From restaurants to universities, to natural wonders and airports, here are 15 real-life locations that have been used to film MCU movies.

15 Shawarma Palace – The Avengers

2012 movie The Avengers It is for the first time that beloved superheroes join forces as a team to defend New York City. Once they finish fighting, and at Iron Man’s suggestion, the group concludes the day by eating shawarma at a restaurant known as Shawarma Palace. This is a post-credits scene from the movie that was actually shot after the original premiere to add on before its wide release.

The location for this scene was Elat Burger, a Los Angeles restaurant that later changed its name to Shalom Grill. Of course, like many things featured in the Marvel movies, shawarma became very popular after that The Avengers With sales skyrocketing.

Related: Is the MCU About to Lose a Wealth of Talent to the Central Console?

14 Warrior Falls – Black Panther

Warrior Falls is located in Black Panther Where different characters compete in ritualistic battles for the crown of Wakanda, and although the main focus here is on these grueling battles, audiences can still appreciate the natural beauty in the background. While scenes featuring the actors were filmed in an Atlanta studio, shots of the waterfall were taken at Iguazu Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall system located between Argentina and Brazil.

13 Xander Plaza – Guardians of the Galaxy

the Guardians of the Galaxy The trilogy is one of the most CGI-intensive in the entire MCU. However, few real locations were used for these films. At the beginning of the first installment, Peter Quill has stolen the Mysterious Orb on Morag, which he later attempts to sell in Xander, the capital of the Nova Empire. Gamora confronts him, leading to an epic battle at Xandar Plaza that ends with them, Rocket and Groot being captured by a Nova Corps officer and sent to prison. These battle scenes were filmed in Belgium, more precisely at the Liege-Guillemins railway station.

12 Randy Donuts – Iron Man 2

In one of the most famous scenes in Iron Man 2Tony Stark is seen wearing Iron Man’s armor, eating donuts and drinking coffee while sitting on the giant donut sign on the roof of Randy’s Donuts. Eventually, his peace is interrupted by Nick Fury, who brings him in for a conversation, and then reveals Natasha Romanoff’s true identity.

This cake shop exists in real life and has the same name. It is located in Inglewood and was built in 1953 by Russell C. Wendell. However, the scenes inside the coffee shop were filmed on another California establishment called Yum Yum Donuts.

11 Pier 13 – Captain America: The First Avenger

After Steve Rogers undergoes transformation by subjecting him to super-soldier treatment, a secret Hydra agent flees the scene to steal the serum, forcing Steve to search for it. Thus, he chases the agent all over Pier 13, though his efforts are in vain: once he catches him, the man commits suicide. These scenes from Captain America: The First Avenger They were shot outside the Titanic Hotel, located at Stanley Dock, Liverpool.

10 Midtown High School – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Besides saving the world in the name of Spider-Man, Peter Parker is just a teenager who, like everyone else, must go to school. For this reason, educational institutions are present in abundance all over Spider Man films. The superhero played by Tom Holland and his friends attends the fictional Midtown School of Science and Technology, located in Queens, New York City in Spider-Man: Homecoming. To film the hero’s school scenes, the filmmakers chose several schools in Atlanta and Brooklyn, including Henry W. Grady High School and Franklin Kay Lane High School.

9 Tower City Center, Cleveland, Ohio – The Avengers

in a particular scene The Avengers, Loki intercepts a group of people in Germany, forces them to kneel before him and give a speech about how to get the human race to be ruled by other people. When an old man in the crowd rebels against Loki’s demands, he attempts to assassinate him to further demonstrate his power, though Captain America thankfully arrives to save the man. This scene was not actually filmed in Germany, but rather at Tower City Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

8 Culver University – amazing structure

As in the Netherlands Spider Man Trilogy, educational institutions also play a big role in Incredible HulkSince then, prior to his transformation, Bruce Banner worked as a nuclear physicist and biochemist at Culver University. This establishment appears in many moments of the 2008 film, and is also the setting for one of the most epic battles in the movie. To create Culver University, the filmmakers used two real-life venues in Toronto, Canada: the University of Toronto and Morningside Park.

Related: Will the MCU Debut Thanos Soon?

7 Leipzig-Halle Airport – Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War It begins with The Avengers divided over the news that a United Nations committee will be tasked with controlling the team: while Tony Stark supports this decision, Steve Rogers opposes it, splitting them into two parties. In the end, all of these superheroes find themselves in an epic battle at an airport, which also has its fair share of comedy. These scenes, which certainly included a great deal of CGI, were filmed at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany.

6 Hydra Research Base – Avengers: Age of Ultron

2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron He sets out with this group of superheroes as they battle through the Sokovia Forest to reach Hydra’s base to retrieve Loki’s Scepter. Along the way they cross paths with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, two of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker’s protégé participants, and as a result of this encounter, Hawkeye ends up injured. These opening scenes were filmed in two different locations: the exteriors were filmed at Ford Bard, Italy, while the scenes inside the Hydra base were filmed at Dover Castle, England.

5 The forests of Asgard – Thor: Ragnarok

After the return of Hela due to the death of Odin, a wave of disaster and destruction descended on Asgard. In the midst of all this, V.I Motorcycle rentalHeimdall leads a group of surviving Asgardians through the forests of Asgard to find them a safe haven, though along the way he has to fight many enemies. To shoot these scenes, the filmmakers used two real locations in Queensland, Australia: Tamborine National Park and Cedar Creek Falls.

4 Neptune’s Web – Iron Man 3

in Iron Man 3, Tony Stark met James Rhodes for lunch at the famous Neptune’s Net seafood restaurant in Malibu, to discuss some business matters and the rebranding of War Machine to Iron Patriot. While he is there, Stark is approached by some children asking for autographs, and during this interaction, he suffers a severe anxiety attack that causes him to run from the scene. While Neptune’s Net is an actual restaurant that has appeared in dozens of blockbusters, these scenes were filmed at Dania Beach Bar & Grill, a restaurant located in Dania Beach, Florida.

3 Dairy Queen – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

At the beginning Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego takes Meredith Quill to a forest behind a restaurant called the Dairy Queen to show her the seed he planted. Thirty-four years later, that seed has sprouted and completely destroyed the restaurant. While these scenes were filmed at BB’s Café in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the casting of Dairy Queen was no accident. In fact, according to director James Gunn in an interview, per CBR, he chose this restaurant because of the drastic redesign of its logo that it underwent over the years.

2 Royal Naval College – Thor: The Dark World

In one of the most epic battles in the 2013 movie Thor: The Dark WorldThen, the son of Odin was forced to fight again against the Dark Elf Malekith and his army of marauders. Of course, as happens in most fights and battles in the MCU, the area where the encounter takes place is shattered and people wandering around flee in fear of injury. In this case, the location chosen for filming Thor’s fight with Malekith was the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

1 Exeter College – Doctor Strange

in Dr. StrangeKaecilius, the evil and sorcerer, enters Kamar-Taj to steal several pages from Cagliostro’s book, which belongs to the Ancient One. Although the villain and his group of followers, the Fanatics, are confronted by the Ancient One in a battle inside the mirror dimension, they manage to escape. With these pages, Kaecilius conjures a spell to contact Dormammu, and demands his powers in exchange for merging the Dark Dimension with Earth. This spell was cast in full with the towering church as witness. This scene from the 2016 movie was filmed in Oxford, England, inside the chapel of Exeter College.