The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the team is a United States-based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York; originally operating from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently from the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. The concept of the Avengers was teased in the post-credits scene of Iron Man (2008), the first MCU film, by Nick Fury as an initiative planned by him. The concept was further explored in Iron Man 2 (2010), with the introduction of Natasha Romanoff. The team was eventually established in the crossover-style film The Avengers (2012), which, followed by Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), established a series of four films that headlined the MCU and became the sixth highest-grossing film series of all time, with the MCU franchise overall ranking first. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters such as Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, they are central to the MCU's Infinity Saga and have been acclaimed as an important part of the franchise.