Skip to main content

Are you ready for Avengers: Endgame? The movie — which is in theaters April 26 — wraps up Marvel’s long-running Infinity Saga and will set the stage for MCU’s Phase 4, which kicks off with Spider-Man: Far from Home in July.

Some fans are gearing up for Endgame with Marvel marathons, settling down on their couch to binge all 21 previous Marvel movies. Some theaters are even hosting multi-day marathon events leading up to Endgame’s release.

Of course, not everyone has 2½ days to sit through every Marvel flick from the past decade. Fortunately, if you just want to brush up on recent events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflix has got you covered.

Avengers: Infinity War is on Netflix

Infinity War cast
The cast of Avengers: Infinity War | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

Fortunately, Netflix has the one Marvel movie you definitely need to see before you buy your ticket for Endgame. Last year’s Avengers: Infinity War is available on the streaming service.

The 2½-hour movie is the first half of the Infinity Saga’s epic conclusion, and as those who’ve already seen it know, it ends on a pretty dark — and surprising — note. The Hollywood Reporter described the ending of that film as “the biggest cliffhanger in Marvel Studios history.”  If you want to be able to follow what’s going on in Endgame, you’ll need to see it.  

Infinity War is also available to rent on Amazon.

What other Marvel movies are on Netflix?  

Don’t want to stop with Infinity War? While Netflix doesn’t have anywhere close to every Marvel movie, you can stream some of the more recent releases. Here’s what’s available:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  • Thor: Ragnarok
  • Black Panther
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp

If you have Amazon Prime, Iron Man 2 is streaming for free. It’s also on Hulu.

That leaves 15 more Marvel movies that you’ll need to pay to rent or buy if you don’t already own them. Fortunately, unless you’re a true completist, you probably can skip a few, like Thor: The Dark World or 2008’s The Incredible Hulk (from back when the Hulk was played by Edward Norton, not Mark Ruffalo).

Which movies do you need to see before Endgame?

So which movies in the MCU do you really need to see before Endgame (aside from Infinity War)? That depends on who you ask, but you’ll probably want to stream Captain America: Civil War, since it helps to set up the events in Infinity War. Rewatching Iron Man, the movie that kicked everything off back in 2008 might be a good idea too.

The Avengers marks the first time many of Marvel’s core superheroes banded together, and it offers the first (brief) glimpse at ultimate bad guy Thanos in a mid-credits scene. Other movies to add to the to-watch list could include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters April 26.

Read more: Will There Be a New Marvel Movie in 2020?

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!