The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. The first MCU film, Iron Man (2008), began Phase One which culminated in the 2012 crossover film The Avengers. The MCU has inspired other film and television studios to attempt similar shared universes.