Avengers: Endgame is about to release in theaters, and it's likely to be the biggest movie of the year. If you want to rewatch the previous Avengers films or catch up with the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you'll need to know where to start.
There are two approaches to watching all 21 MCU films before the release of Endgame : watch the Marvel Studios films in chronological order, or in the order they were released.
Both methods have their benefits, and it really depends on personal preferences.
Every MCU Movie, Listed in Chronological Order
By rewatching the Marvel movies chronologically, fans will get to see how the world of the MCU unfolds on-screen. This allows viewers to move along with the Avengers, through their individual origin stories, to the inception of the team, to its breakup and inevitable reunion.
Even Avengers:Endgame directors, Anthony and Joe Russo announced on Twitter that they have begun rewatching the films in chronological order, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger.
With the first Cap film taking place during WWII, it makes sense to start there as it introduces the Tesseract - the Infinity Stone that appears in multiple movies - as well as the founding members of what would become S.H.I.E.L.D and the heart of the Avengers, Cap himself.
Here's the MCU films in chronological order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- The Incredible Hulk
- Thor
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Dr. Strange
- Black Panther
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Ant-Man and The Wasp
- Avengers: Infinity War
Every MCU Movie, Listed in Order of Theatrical Release
Watching the MCU films by the date they debuted in theaters lets fans relive the experience of watching the first time. This also keeps the significance of many of those easter eggs and mentions intact, because they wouldn't have the same impact if you know how Nick Fury lost his eye before he first appears before Tony Stark at the end of Iron Man 2
Here's the viewing order of MCU movies based on date of release:
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
Which viewing order do you prefer? Do you have another preferred method of viewing all 21 MCU films? Let us know in the comments section below.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Phillip Martinez is a game and culture reporter for Newsweek. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2018, he was a reporter ... Read more
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