The Avengers Movies, the movies that align the entire MCU, are a bit tough to place in order if you haven’t been watching Marvel movies for the past 10 years.
But, hey, it’s not a terribly difficult thing to order, especially with only four “Avengers” movies out at the moment (with two more on the way), along with another Marvel film that doesn’t boast the “Avengers” name, but is quite important to the overall story.
So, let’s do it. The Avengers movies in order of both release date and watch order. We’ve also ranked the MCU films from best to worst over here, if you’re curious.
1. The Avengers (2012)
Although The Avengers was the culmination of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, it’s a pretty easy film to watch without any prior knowledge of the MCU. Going into it expecting a high-stakes, high-octane action flick about superheroes and invading aliens is a pretty good way to go, no homework required.
It was with The Avengers that we really started to see the MCU come into its own, crossing heroes over for a massively enjoyable adventure.
If you’re going to start with the MCU but don’t have much time to throw at it, or if you’re going for a rewatch and want to skip some of the earlier films, it’s probably a good idea to start with The Avengers.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron is often seen as the lesser Avengers movie, with a tedious b-plot focused on shipping Hulk and Black Widow.
Age of Ultron provided a pretty pivotal moment in the MCU, when lines began to form between Stark and Rogers’ methods.
It’s worth watching if you’re after an Avengers binge, but it’s not the strongest MCU film.
3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
No, it doesn’t have “Avengers” in the title, but Captain America: Civil War was an important enough film to the Avengers storyline that it deserves placing on this list, especially if you’re going for a rewatch.
Civil War sees the tension between Stark and Rogers come to a head. Heroes pick their sides and much of the unity built up in the first two Avengers films is undone.
Definitely one to add to the watch list.
4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Here’s where things begin to blur and MCU homework becomes necessary. Immediately in Infinity War, we’re introduced to a scene from Thor: Ragnarok, followed by characters from Doctor Strange, and later characters from Guardians of the Galaxy.
It’s a bit tough to tell the motivations of some heroes if you’re going in without watching some of the earlier movies, although it’s still an awesome flick where the Avengers are tested. The great villain of the infinity saga, Thanos, finally arrives in Infinity War.
5. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The stakes were never as high as they were in Avengers: Endgame, the ultimate film of the MCU, paying off 10 years of buildup. Following on from the fallout of Infinity War, Endgame wraps the MCU up quite neatly before it enters phase four. Endgame is a terrific film, one where the hype never felt so real.
That being said, homework returns in force. To understand some things about Endgame, you’ll need to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, along with the homework we listed from Infinity War.
Where to watch all of the Avengers movies?
but for now, until more are made, that’s all of the Avengers movies in order.
Now you know the correct order, and you have your homework, you can watch all of the Avengers films on Disney+ (as long as it’s in this order). If you’re after the other MCU films, here’s a running list of all of them. And while you’re here, why not check out all the other sci-fi, horror and fantasy films coming our way this year.