A delightful timeline of the 'Avengers' stars being friends in real life
- Dozens of stars have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and bonded as a cast over the years.
- Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have been vocal about their "bromance" on social media.
- Tom Holland and Chris Pratt tightened their bond when they voiced the lead characters in "Onward."
One of the best things about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is what happens behind the scenes. Many of the superhero actors and actresses are friends in real life and share many sweet moments together.
Whether they're doing interviews, making fun of each other on social media, or supporting one another's new projects, these celebrities have made it clear that their friendships will outlast the film series.
Here's a look at some of the most delightful moments that illustrate the Marvel stars' real-life friendships:
October 2013: Chris Hemsworth said he developed 'a great friendship' with on-screen brother Tom Hiddleston
Per Metro, when Hemsworth and Hiddleston were asked about their off-screen friendship during a press conference for "Thor: The Dark World," Hemsworth said, "From the beginning, we were lucky, we just had a chemistry and the same kind of enthusiasm."
Hiddleston responded by putting his arm around the actor and saying, "I love you man," to which Hemsworth responded, "I love you."
Hiddleston agreed, adding, "... The two characters define each other and lead each other ... When I'm on set with Chris, whatever he serves I return and he'll return it back and that is the joy for me."
In another interview with On Demand Entertainment later that month, Hemsworth joked that he's Hiddleston's no. 1 fan, saying, "I lead his fan base. I'm the founding member of that one."
July 1, 2014: Mark Ruffalo said Robert Downey Jr. is like his older brother
Ruffalo and Downey Jr. played friends in the "Avengers" films, and they're even closer in real life.
During a Reddit AMA, Ruffalo wrote, "We have a really good friendship. We've known each other since before 'Zodiac.' And he's kind of like an older brother that I wish I had."
He continued, "He sort of looks out for me, and I remember when the role came up in ['The Avengers'], I reached out to him, I was nervous about it, I said 'I don't know if I can do this' and he said 'It's alright buddy, I gotcha.'"
February 3, 2015: Chris Evans and Chris Pratt photobombed fans with Jimmy Fallon
On an episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" the host, Evans, and Pratt photobombed some fans.
At one point, Fallon said they should do a "triple piggyback," and the camera showed both Evans and Fallon jumping onto Pratt's back in the background of a photo.
In the next one, the three celebrities wore colorful leis and did a conga line behind an unsuspecting fan.
April 28, 2015: The 'Avengers' cast identified each other's biceps during an MTV interview
During an interview with MTV, the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" cast was asked to try to identify each other based on only a photo of a bicep.
After debating one photo, Ruffalo, Johansson, and Evans all guessed that it was Evans, before Cobie Smulders correctly identified it as Downey Jr.
When told it was the Iron Man actor, Hemsworth was surprised and Evans said with admiration, "That's RDJ? Shut up!"
April 30, 2015: Scarlett Johansson said she knows Evans 'too well' right before he scared her on live TV
Johansson and Evans worked together long before they starred in the MCU. The two first met in 2004 on the set of "The Perfect Score," and they've worked together on several other films as well.
During a 2015 interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Johansson said, "I know him very well. Too well, I'm sure."
As she was finishing her sentence, Evans jumped out from behind the chair to scare her.
November 25, 2015: Downey Jr. said being Iron Man is 'the best thing that ever happened' to him
When Evans and Downey Jr. went on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" together in 2015, the two wore matching outfits and had some nice things to say about each other.
Downey Jr. said that playing Iron Man was "the best thing that ever happened to me."
He continued, "... It's just been a great job, and we've all made good friends and stuff."
September 5, 2016: Hemsworth and Idris Elba helped Hiddleston receive his TV Choice Award
While filming "Thor: Ragnarok," Hiddleston scored a TV Choice Award for his role on BBC's "The Night Manager," so the actor made a video virtually accepting the award.
As Hiddleston thanked his fans, Hemsworth popped up behind him, grabbed the award out of his hands, and said, "Oh, is that for us?" before delving into his own acceptance speech.
Elba then appeared and took the award from Hemsworth, asked what it was for, then jokingly said, "Hey, how come 'Luther' didn't get nominated?"
Hemsworth then took the award back, pointed at it, and said, "Three stars, so we'll have one each, I guess."
June 1, 2017: The crew serenaded Tom Holland for his birthday after filming a tough scene for 'Infinity War'
In April, the Russo brothers shared on Twitter that they actually filmed the scene where Holland got "dusted" in "Infinity War" on his birthday.
They posted a video to their joint account of the crew singing "Happy Birthday" to the star as he stood in front of a green screen.
July 22, 2017: Ruffalo posted a photo of Hiddleston and Hemsworth 'working' on the set of 'Thor: Ragnarok'
While on the set of "Thor: Ragnarok," Ruffalo snapped an adorable behind-the-scenes photo of some of the cast members and shared it on Instagram.
In the photo, Hiddleston, Hemsworth, and director Taika Waititi are napping together on a small couch, and the caption read, "Living the dream, dreaming of living."
September 24, 2017: Pratt took an online quiz to find out which famous Chris he is
After taking an Oh My Disney quiz to find out which famous Chris he is, Pratt tweeted out a photo of his result - he got Evans - with the caption, "Dude I suck at quizzes."
Evans replied, "What do you mean? You aced it."
May 7, 2018: Five of the six original Avengers got matching tattoos
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Downey Jr. said that five of the original six Avengers got matching custom ink - Ruffalo couldn't be persuaded.
"It was Johansson's idea, and she and Evans did it in New York. Then, their New York guy, Josh Lord, who is amazing, flew out to LA, he did me, did Renner, and then we just bullied Hemsworth into doing it, and he got it," he said.
The actor also shared that they each got to tattoo a line of the design onto the artist.
During an interview with Fallon the next month, Renner said, "... It's not only about the tattoo, it's about a celebration of our friendship that has bonded over the past decade."
June 21, 2018: Evans tweeted out a crude but humorous birthday message for Pratt
For the actor's 39th birthday, Evans tweeted out a photo of a dog peeing on a sign that read, "Property of Star-Lord. Dogs beware" to poke fun at Pratt's character in "Guardians of the Galaxy."
The "Captain America" star wrote, "Happy birthday @prattprattpratt from me and this giver of zero f*cks. We hope you're getting showered with affection today."
September 23, 2018: Downey Jr. and Evans compared themselves to famous Disney duos on Twitter
Downey Jr. and Evans continued to prove how strong their friendship is with some wholesome tweets.
The Iron Man actor started it off by tweeting out a photo of Bambi and Faline from "Bambi II" alongside one of him and Evans with the caption, "All the way down to the eye color."
Evans retweeted it and added, "What can I say? The man knows me."
Soon after, Evans responded with his own Disney side by side featuring the pair next to Woody and Buzz from "Toy Story." He wrote, "One good Disney reference deserves another …"
January 7, 2019: Downey Jr. joked that Evans needed some technological help from Tony Stark and Bruce Banner
Evans tweeted about his frustrations with technology, writing, "Remember the 90's when you just WORKED ... You're a major pain in all of our a--es. You're not worth it."
Downey Jr. replied, "Hey @MarkRuffalo looks like Cap needs a little tutoring from the science bros" - in reference to the name fans use to describe Downey Jr. and Ruffalo's characters in the MCU.
Ruffalo quickly joined in on the conversation, tweeting, "Call or DM us whenever you need assistance, @ChrisEvans. Also language."
March 2, 2019: Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson sang 'Shallow' together
During an appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show" in the run-up to the premiere of "Captain Marvel," Larson and Jackson sang "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born."
The two may not have known all of the words, but they certainly gave a dramatic performance.
March 13, 2019: Evans and Downey Jr. once again tweeted about their adorable friendship
Downey Jr. shared a photo of Iron Man and Captain America action figures in battle with the caption, "BFFs let you share their umbrellas, right @ChrisEvans?"
Evans replied, "Technically it's YOUR umbrella. But I'm happy to hold it."
April 4, 2019: Evans wished Downey Jr. a happy birthday with a really sweet message
In 2019, Evans sent Downey Jr. a special birthday message on Twitter, writing, "Happy birthday to the man, the myth, the incomparable, the indomitable, @RobertDowneyJr. You're a true original. Thank you for carrying us these last 10 years!!!!"
April 6, 2019: Evans, Hemsworth, Downey Jr., and Ruffalo all sang 'Hey Jude' together during the 'Avengers: Endgame' press tour
During the press tour for "Avengers: Endgame," Downey Jr. posted a video to Instagram of him, Evans, Hemsworth, and Ruffalo singing "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.
The actor captioned the post, "#Goodtimes to be had by all ..."
April 7, 2019: The cast exchanged some lighthearted jabs during an 'Endgame' press conference
There were plenty of sweet moments between the cast for fans to appreciate during the "Endgame" press conference.
At one point, Downey Jr. ribbed Evans for not showing up to Paul Rudd's birthday party, to which Rudd responded, "It's alright, I'm one of the newer guys."
As the rest of the cast talked about where their characters end up in the film, Evans asked Hemsworth, "Hemmy, did you make it?", letting fans in on the adorable nickname.
June 8, 2019: Hemsworth and Holland made fun of each other in a joint interview
While promoting "Men in Black: International" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home," respectively, Hemsworth interviewed Holland, and the two basically joked around together the entire time.
The Thor actor started out the interview by acting like he didn't know who Holland was, calling him "Tom Hiddleston." Then Hemsworth asked why Thor wasn't a part of the "Spider-Man" movie - to which Holland replied it was only for the "front-runners" of the Avengers.
When Hemsworth asked Holland who his favorite actor in the world was, Holland responded, "Liam Hemsworth."
Holland posted the video of the interview on his Instagram with the caption, "Cross promo with this hero. So much fun dude."
January 5, 2020: Evans helped Johansson with her dress at the Golden Globes
When they walked on stage together to present the awards for best actor and best actress in a musical or comedy at the 2020 Golden Globes, Evans offered Johansson his arm and moved the train of her long Vera Wang gown out of the way to keep her from tripping over it.
March 6, 2020: Pratt and Holland said they were like brothers in an interview for 'Onward'
During an "Onward" press interview, shared on ABC 30 Action News, Pratt talked about his close relationship with Holland and explained how he mentored the young actor.
"When I met Tom, about four or five years ago kind of coming into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I felt myself in this position to finally be able to extend the same kind of like loving support and voice that I know meant so much to me, hearing it from my brother, and my sister when I was coming up," he said.
Holland added, "Chris is kinda like my big brother in lots of ways."
March 10, 2020: Johansson spoke about her chemistry with Evans
Although some fans have been waiting to see an on-screen romance between Johansson and Evans' Marvel characters, it hasn't happened - and, as far as we know, nothing romantic has happened between the stars in real life either.
Still, there is undeniable chemistry between them.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Johansson said, "It's really a result of 10 years of knowing somebody and being able to have a kind of intimacy with them that I think you get from just spending a lot of time with somebody and knowing their soft underbelly."
She added, "We had a lot of fun doing it."
May 8, 2020: Ruffalo said that Downey Jr. convinced him to take the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk
During a virtual interview with Fallon, Ruffalo admitted that he'd originally been scared to accept the role of the Hulk, saying, "I didn't know what I could add to what I'd already thought had been done so well before me ... I'd only been doing indie movies up to that point, so I was like, 'I don't know if I'm the right person for this.'"
He went on to say that he was still hesitant about taking the role even after director Joss Whedon told him he was "the right person."
"And then I got a call from Downey, it must've made it to him that I was ... hemming and hawing, and he just simply said, 'Ruffalo, let's go. We got this,' in true Iron Man fashion," Ruffalo said. "And then after that, I was like, 'I guess I have to do it.'"
October 17, 2020: Marvel stars, including Ruffalo and Downey Jr., defended Pratt on social media
After TV writer Amy Berg tweeted photos of the four famous Chrises - Hemsworth, Pratt, Evans, and Chris Pine - and captioned it, "One has to go" many people voted Pratt off and expressed that it wasn't that hard of a decision.
As more online hate for Pratt began to circulate, some of his "Avengers" costars came to his defense.
Ruffalo tweeted that his costar is "as solid a man there is" and that the discussion was a "distraction."
Downey Jr. posted a photo of him and Pratt on Instagram where part of the caption read, "The 'sinless' are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt." "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn also came to the star's defense in a tweet, calling him "the best dude in the world."
However, his friends were criticized by fans for being so fervent in this defense but not speaking out in the same way when other MCU stars, like Larson, Zendaya, Tessa Thompson, and Don Cheadle, were subject to misogynistic and racist messages online.
October 20, 2020: A few members of the cast got together to encourage Americans to vote in the presidential election
In the lead-up to the 2020 US presidential election, Cheadle, Evans, Johansson, Rudd, Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana joined vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris for a virtual fundraiser, "Voters Assemble," in support of the Joe Biden Victory Fund.
A number of the stars, especially Ruffalo, have been vocal about their support for Biden on social media and have used their platforms to try and encourage US fans to vote in the election.
December 2, 2020: Holland and Downey Jr. shared a sweet exchange on Instagram about a 'borrowed' jacket
Holland posted a photo on his Instagram story in a red plaid jacket with the caption, "Looking after your jacket mate!" and slyly tagged Downey Jr. - who later reposted it, adding "#ThankYou Brother."
Back in December 2017, the jacket made its first appearance on Holland's Instagram when he posted a series of photos wearing it with part of the caption reading, "Styled by @robertdowneyjr."
Whether Downey Jr. actually gifted his costar the jacket, or if Holland has been borrowing it all these years, fans were gushing about their adorable relationship on social media after the exchange.
March 12, 2021: Downey Jr. congratulated Holland on his new film, 'Cherry'
A few weeks after "Cherry" premiered on February 26, 2021, Downey Jr. took to Twitter to shout out Holland's starring role and the Russo brother's direction.
The tweet read, "Always a pleasure seeing @TomHolland1996 gracing the screen ... Bravo to the @Russo_Brothers for a stellar film!"
March 21, 2021: Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie had a 'compliment showdown'
While promoting their Disney Plus series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie had a "compliment showdown" during an interview with the streaming platform.
Mackie drew attention to Stan's "wonderful hair," winning personality that could "make a grown man smile," and good looks.
"I'll be the man who will fight for your honor," the Falcon actor added.
Stan told his costar that he has "such a big heart that's protected by a lot of strength" and "firm and soft" thighs.
"I want to remake every romantic comedy with you," the Winter Soldier actor said.
April 4, 2021: Several MCU stars wished Downey Jr. a happy birthday
In honor of the Iron Man actor's 56th birthday, Ruffalo, Hemsworth, Renner, and the Russo brothers posted fun photos on social media.
The Russo brothers, who've produced and directed many of the MCU films, wished Downey Jr. a happy birthday on Twitter with a video of the actor dressed up as the Easter bunny.
Ruffalo's tweet read, "Wishing my other half of the #ScienceBros a happy birthday!" alongside a photo of the two.
Hemsworth posted a slideshow of fun selfies on Instagram, where part of the caption read, "Thanks to his mind blowing creativity and unrivalled leadership we were all able to ride on his coattails through the marvel cinematic universe."
Renner wished his costar a happy birthday and a happy Easter with an adorable photo of them laughing on the red carpet together.
June 13, 2021: Hemsworth trolled Evans to wish him a happy birthday
To celebrate Evans' 40th birthday and reignited the battle of the Marvel Chrises, Hemsworth posted a photo on Instagram of him and Pratt with the caption, "Happy 40th birthday Chris Evans, you'll always be number 1 in my book."
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