Where all the major Marvel Cinematic Universe characters are right before 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Marvel's most recent movies in particular have set up the foundation for "Infinity War" — from Thor's homeworld being destroyed in "Thor: Ragnarok" to the nation of Wakanda revealing itself to the rest of the world in "Black Panther."

If you are a casual Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, it might be difficult to keep track of where all of "Infinity War's" 20-plus main characters stand heading into the events of the movie.

With that in mind, here is a helpful guide to where we last saw all of these characters, what they were doing last time they were on screen, and what we can expect from them in this third "Avengers" movie.

If you haven't seen every MCU movie, or just forget who's who, this will sort it out for you before "Infinity War."

Unfortunately, we left characters like Hawkeye and Ant-Man off the list because their involvement in "Infinity War" will be limited to the point where they have not been featured in any promotional material.

Below is a guide to all the major characters in "Avengers: Infinity War":

Steve Rogers/Captain America

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Chris Evans

Heading into "Infinity War," Rogers is considered a fugitive under the Sokovia Accords introduced in "Civil War." The Accords were a United Nations initiative introduced to force superhumans to register with the government. Cap was against the Accords, and the other Avengers who sided with him were imprisoned — but Cap broke them out at the end of the movie. He also wrote a nice letter to Iron Man (who was pro-registration), letting him know that he's always around if Iron Man needs help. But expect some tension in "Infinity War."

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Last seen in: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)

Played by: Robert Downey Jr.

Stark was last seen trying to recruit Peter Parker/Spider-Man — who he has mentored — to the Avengers at the end of "Homecoming." Parker turned down his offer (and a new armored suit), and so Stark had to come up with a last-second plan for the press conference he scheduled for the occasion. Prior to that, Stark was trading punches with Captain America in "Civil War" over those Sokovia Accords, and discovered that Bucky Barnes — Cap's best friend — killed his parents years ago while brainwashed.

Thor

Last seen in: "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)

Played by: Chris Hemsworth

At the end of "Ragnarok," Thor's homeworld of Asgard was destroyed. He and his fellow Asgardians set out to find a new home on a spaceship. Everything seemed to be going fine, until an after-credits sequence showed a much larger ship stop Thor's in its tracks. That ship most likely belongs to Thanos, which means bad things for the Asgardians. As we've seen in "Infinity War" trailers, Thor ends up with the Guardians of the Galaxy at some point in the film, separated from his people.

Bruce Banner/The Hulk

Last seen in: "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)

Played by: Mark Ruffalo

The Hulk is with Thor when Thanos stops their ship in space at the end of "Ragnarok." Throughout the movie, Hulk helps Thor on the planet Sakaar, where he crash landed after leaving Earth in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" so he wouldn't harm anyone else. Judging by "Infinity War" trailers, Banner ends up crashing down to Earth right into the home of Doctor Strange.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Scarlett Johansson

Black Widow betrayed Iron Man to help Captain America in "Civil War" so their reunion won't exactly be pleasant. She's probably on the run with a new hair color in "Infinity War." Also expect an awkward reunion between her and Bruce Banner. They had a strange relationship in "Age of Ultron."

T'Challa/Black Panther

Last seen in: "Black Panther" (2018)

Played by: Chadwick Boseman

By the end of "Black Panther," T'Challa had revealed Wakanda, the fictional African nation that he is king of, to the rest of the world and promised to share its wealth and technology. That could mean bad things in "Infinity War," as much of the action takes place in Wakanda. The character was first introduced in "Civil War," when his father was killed in a United Nations bombing by Baron Zemo. T'Challa restrained himself from taking Zemo's life, however.

Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange

Last seen in: "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)

Played by: Benedict Cumberbatch

Doctor Strange made a brief appearance in "Ragnarok" because he was concerned about Loki being on Earth. After Thor convinced Strange to let him have Loki, Strange helped the two locate their father Odin. Before this, Strange starred in a solo movie in 2016 in which he learned to master the mystic arts — with the help of one of the Infinity Stones that Thanos is after.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Last seen in: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)

Played by: Tom Holland

Teenage Peter Parker turned down an offer to join the Avengers and an armored suit from Tony Stark at the end of "Homecoming," preferring to be more of a neighborhood superhero. But it looks like Parker finally takes Stark up on his offer in "Infinity War."

James Rhodes/War Machine

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Don Cheadle

Rhodes was crippled in "Civil War" by an accidental blast from Vision that sent him falling from the sky. But in "Infinity War," he's walking — and flying — thanks to some Stark tech.

Sam Wilson/Falcon

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Anthony Mackie

Like Captain America, Falcon is a now a fugitive. He was broken out of prison by Cap at the end of "Civil War" and will take on Thanos with the rest of the Avengers in "Infinity War."

Vision

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Paul Bettany

Vision was on Iron Man's pro-registration side in "Civil War," so he heads into "Infinity War" comfortably in that regard. But he has a much bigger problem on his hands: He has an Infinity Stone in his forehead. To protect him from Thanos, Captain America and the Avengers settle their differences and bring Vision to Wakanda in "Infinity War."

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Last seen in: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Played by: Elizabeth Olsen

Wanda accidentally kills a group of Wakandan diplomats in "Civil War," which is part of the reason the United Nations introduces the Sokovia Accords. At the end of the movie, Captain America broke her out of prison along with the other characters who opposed the Accords. She has trouble controlling her powers, which might a good or bad thing in "Infinity War." She's also grown a relationship with Vision, so her well-being in the movie could be based on Vision's fate, as well.

Bucky Barnes

Last seen in: "Black Panther" (2018)

Played by: Sebastian Stan

Bucky was framed by Zemo for the bombing at a United Nations conference in "Civil War" that killed Black Panther's father. His name is cleared of that by the end of the movie, but he's still at odds with many people, most notably Iron Man. Not only did Bucky oppose the Sokovia Accords, but Iron Man now knows that Bucky killed his parents while brainwashed by the terrorist organization Hydra. A brief after-credits scene in "Black Panther" reveals Bucky in hiding in Wakanda and being taken care of by T'Challa's sister, Shuri.

Okoye and Shuri

Last seen in: "Black Panther" (2018)

Played by: Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright

The military leader of Wakanda, Okoye, and T'Challa's sister, Shuri, both have prominent roles in "Infinity War" as they help T'Challa and the Avengers in the fight against Thano in Wakanda. Now that Wakanda is no longer hidden, Okoye will be even more integral in protecting the nation, while Shuri — who is Wakanda's leading scientist — has her hands full spearheading Wakanda's outreach centers (we know T'Challa is having some built in Oakland).

Wong

Last seen in: "Doctor Strange" (2016)

Played by: Benedict Wong

Wong, Doctor Strange's loyal ally, was killed in "Doctor Strange" but brought back to life by the time stone — just in time to help Strange against Thanos.

Peter Quill/Star-Lord

Last seen in: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

Played by: Chris Pratt

In "Vol. 2," Quill discovered that his father was a powerful celestial being who wanted to spread himself across the galaxy and killed his mom by putting a tumor in her brain. It wasn't exactly the "happily ever after" story he wanted. After destroying his father and reducing his connection to his powers, Quill is a lot more vulnerable heading into "Infinity War."

Gamora and Nebula

Last seen in: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

Played by: Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan

Gamora and Nebula — the adopted daughters of Thanos — both have a vendetta against the mad Titan for putting them through years of torture at young ages. But at the end of "Vol. 2" Nebula vowed to go after Thanos with or without her sister and the Guardians.

Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Mantis

Last seen in: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

Played by: Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Pom Klementtieff

The rest of the Guardians will be brought into the fight against Thanos when they find Thor in space. Drax, like Gamora and Nebula, wishes to kill Thanos for murdering his family. The last time we saw Groot, he was a baby (the original Groot died in the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" and this is his son). But he'll be a teenager by the events of "Infinity War."

Loki

Last seen in: "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)

Played by: Tom Hiddleston

Loki is with Thor and the other Asgardians at the end of "Ragnarok." Loki's involvement in "Infinity War" may be limited. He hasn't shown up in trailers outside of a scene in which he appears to hand over the blue Infinity Stone to Thanos, which might mean bad things for him.

Thanos

Last seen in: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)

Played by: Josh Brolin

Last time we saw Thanos was in an after-credits scene for "Age of Ultron," in which he retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet and vows to go after the Infinity Stones himself. He is the villain the entire MCU has been building up to, and he'll finally face them in "Infinity War" as he tracks down the stones that would give him control over the universe.

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