Over the weekend, Captain Marvel soared into theaters nationwide. Did you get to see it? I went with my family on Saturday and I'm still nerding out about it.

Of course, I couldn't just watch Captain Marvel and be done. So, when I got home, I marathoned some of my favorite Marvel movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and so so many more. (There might be a dent in my couch).

As I was watching, I noticed something; Iowa is mentioned more than once in this universe. It makes sense, considering Joe Russo – one half of the directing team behind the latest Avengers films – actually went to the University of Iowa.

Have you caught all the references? If not, here are five of the biggest.

 

  • 1

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier

    The central conflict in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is that Hydra has infiltrated and taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. With Project Insight, they plan to eliminate roughly 20 million people using Zola's Algorithm.

    While explaining what exactly that algorithm is, Jasper Sitwell lists potential targets, including Stephen Strange and "a high school valedictorian in Iowa City."

    Hawkeyes represent!

  • 2

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, could be a reference in and of itself. But considering he was a character in the Marvel Comics long before Joe Russo got involved, it's probably just a happy coincidence.

    The location of Barton's family farm is a different story. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Clint takes his team to a safe place after a rough battle against Ultron.

    It's never explicitly stated in the movie that they're in Iowa, but per Marvel lore, they're in Waverly. Barton also has a John Deere tractor in his barn. Considering John Deere has such a huge presence in Iowa – shoutout to their headquarters in the Quad Cities! – it's likely they could be in Iowa.

  • 3

    Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

    Iowa is mentioned not once, but three times in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. The first mention comes in season two, while the other two happen in season three.

    One specific instance is when Rebecca Stevens was given a new identity following the procedures of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. Her memories were erased and replaced with a new identity as Janice Robbins, a community art teacher from Iowa!

  • 4

    Jessica Jones

    With the success of the MCU movies, it's no surprise that they tried to expand the universe even further through TV shows. One such show is housed on Netflix – or at least, it was. Jessica Jones has officially been cancelled, but its lore lives on!

    And in its story, Iowa plays a small, albeit not awesome part. During a conversation between Jessica Jones and her friend Trish Walker, Walker jokes that the man she loves might have a secret family in Iowa.

  • 5

    Agent Carter

    It's starting to seem like Iowa is the perfect state for an origin story. Not only is Hawkeye from the state, but so is Dottie Underwood! Well, sort of.

    Dottie was an assassin on the shortlived TV series Agent Carter. Like Black Widow, she was trained in the Red Room, making her particularly lethal, and skilled in lying.

    One of those lies was her cover story, wherein she told people she was from Iowa!

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