By Adam Bray

DK Books, out now

A comprehensive rundown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading up to Infinity War…

Any book that is that categoric about its contents is always going to lead to some smart alec pointing out the many questions that aren’t answered within its pages, so let’s take it as read that this deals with a lot of points, rather than everything. What it does do is break the MCU into its component parts – and Phases – and provide enough character breakdowns, plot descriptions and ancillary information to remind anyone who’s seen the films over the past ten years what was going on, and to instil enough information for those who may have missed a few. Unless you missed Spider-Man Homecoming – in which case you’re on your own (presumably the rights issues with Sony prevent Spidey making an appearance in this other than in his Captain America: Civil War role).

It’s a well-judged mix of boxed-out text, character bios, flow charts and illustrations with a few of the latter that may be unfamiliar. It doesn’t go into questions of actor changes (Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo, Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle) more than is totally strictly necessary, nor overcomplicate the issues present.

What it doesn’t do, which I had rather hoped would at the very least get some mention, is cover the TV series – as far as this book is concerned, Phil Coulson is dead, and Nick Fury knows that’s the case. There’s no Daredevil, Defenders or Punisher – even Peggy Carter’s exploits purely deal with her big screen appearances. There’s very definitely a space in the marketplace for a book that deals with this all officially – particularly with Agents of SHIELD looking likely to end this coming season…

Verdict: A well put together guide to the big screen MCU. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Marvel Studios: All Your Questions Answered from Amazon.co.uk