Surviving more than 30 hours of Marvel movies

Tony Stark said it best: “It’s all been leading to this.”

“Avengers: Infinity War,” the culmination of 18 films that started with “Iron Man” in 2008, comes out Thursday. We are at the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to join hundreds of other super-fans partaking in the Infinity War Marathon, a more than 30-hour endurance screening of 12 Avengers movies, back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to… you get the picture.

The marathon begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday and stretches through the “Infinity War” premiere at 6 p.m. Thursday.

I’ll be following the Los Angeles Times’ Curiosity Correspondent, Benjamin Crutcher, as he experiences this cultural event.

We want to find out why these films are important to people. We have a lot of questions.

Why on Earth would they sit in a movie theater for more than 30 hours? How will the theater smell at the end? How hard will I cry if Captain America dies?

Join us on this discovery of epic proportions. And maybe, just maybe, we will discover something about ourselves along the way, like how much popcorn one human can consume before having to go to the hospital.

Wednesday, 2:20 p.m.

Wednesday 1:30 p.m.

Before the marathon began, El Capitan had a costume contest. Many dressed up in full costumes and lots of makeup. Many were worthy of the prize, but this young Black Panther stole the show and came out the winner.

Wednesday, 1:10 p.m.

Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, answers the most important question of the event: How does “Avengers: Infinity War” end? Spoiler alert: we’re 99% sure he is lying.

Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.

Not going to lie: Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner, got the short end of the costume stick.

Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Doors don’t open until 11:30 a.m., but Nicole Rojas arrived a little after 8 a.m. because she was too excited. Dressed as Mistress Death from the comic book series, she doesn’t expect the character to show up in “Avengers: Infinity War,” but is holding out hope she might surprise audiences with an appearance.

The marathon starts at 1 p.m. Wednesday and lasts until “Avengers: Infinity War” at 6 p.m. Thursday. The films will be shown in release order, not in the order in which the stories occur in the MCU timeline.

Watch order has become an interesting point of discussion among fans of these films, with many believing a chronological timeline is best to adhere to. However, only a small fraction believe watching many of them in a row at a movie theater with no sleep is a good idea.

Me? I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think it’s a great idea (drinks fourth cup of coffee today and it’s not even noon).

Marathon order: “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “The Avengers,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Doctor Strange,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Hey, I can’t wait to see the new Avengers movie but I’ve had to do a lot of things the past 10 years and I’m worried I don’t know what I need to before ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’” Well, let us help you! Check out our short explainer to get fully prepared for the new film.