In case you were like me and didn’t stick around after the credits of Iron Man this weekend, you may be in luck. If one of a number of YouTube clips is still up by the time you read this post, then you can kind of see (in a bad quality video capture) Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. approaching Tony “Iron Man” Stark about something called “The Avengers Initiative.” (If the clip above is down, try this one, or try Movieweb’s video, or else find one I’ve missed … or, of course, go see the movie again).

Some non-comic fans who may have stuck around may have wondered who this guy is and what he’s talking about. So, just in time to coincide with the box office news this morning, Marvel Studios officially announced its lineup of adaptations through the next few years. And The Avengers is among the titles, coming to theaters in July 2011.

Prior to that superhero team movie, though, we’ll be getting Thor (directed by Stardust’s Matthew Vaughn) and Iron Man 2, both in 2010, and The First Avenger: Captain America in 2011. For those who don’t know, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America are part of the Avengers. As is Ant Man, who is also set up for his own film (written by Edgar Wright), though a release date for that one hasn’t yet been decided.