What Is the Order of the Avengers Movies?
Marvel Studios has created a whopping 22 films as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2008. The final installment, Avengers: Endgame, hits theaters tomorrow. Already the movie has created lots of hype. Sites crashed on April 2, 2019, when pre-sale tickets to the movie became available. There’s also talk that the final MCU movie will break records held by Black Panther.
For those who want to brush up on characters’ storylines or just do some serious movie-watching before the release of Avengers: Endgame, check out our list of all the movies in order of release date going from oldest to newest. Read this article for tips on where to watch the films.
‘Iron Man’
Iron Man premiered in 2008 starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, or Iron Man. But the film could’ve been completely different because Downey Jr. almost didn’t get the role. Marvel Studios turned the actor down several times before they finally cast him in the film because they saw his battle with drug addiction as a risk.
‘The Incredible Hulk’
The Incredible Hulk hit theaters in June 2008, giving Marvel Studios another summer blockbuster after Iron Man. This time actor Mark Ruffalo joined the MCU. Today, Ruffalo is known for revealing spoilers about Marvel films on press tours.
‘Iron Man 2’
Downey Jr. reprised his role as Iron Man in 2010 when the sequel to the original hit theaters. The follow-up to Iron Man came as no surprise because of its success at the box office in 2008.
‘Thor’
Actor Chris Hemsworth joined the MCU in 2011 when Thor was released on May 6, 2011. See a pattern in release dates yet?
‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
Then came Captain America: The First Avenger, starring another actor named Chris, this time actor Chris Evans. This installment in the franchise went back in time to 1941 focusing on “the early days of the Marvel Universe,” according to Marvel Studios. The movie premiered on July 22, 2011.
‘The Avengers’
The Avengers came next in 2012 which brought together Iron Man (Downey Jr.), the Incredible Hulk (Ruffalo), Thor (Hemsworth), Captain America (Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson). Hawkeye joined the MCU in Thor and Black Widow in Iron Man 2.
‘Iron Man 3’
Third time’s the charm in Iron Man 3 for Downey Jr., who reprised his role as Stark in 2013.
‘Thor: The Dark World’
Hemsworth returned as Thor in Thor: The Dark World, which picked up where Thor left off in The Avengers. The movie premiered in Nov. 2013, a break from the norm in the MCU.
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’
In another sequel, Evans made another appearance as Captain America in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film premiered in April 2014.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Another actor named Chris joined the Marvel Universe family in Guardians of the Galaxy. This time, Parks & Rec actor Chris Pratt joined the cast as Peter Quill. Initially, Pratt didn’t want to join the MCU.
“Chris didn’t want to play the part and refused to audition,” Sarah Finn, the casting director for all MCU films told Variety. But Pratt eventually auditioned for the role.
“It was honestly one of those eureka moments that we talk about in casting when it absolutely feels right and you know it’s right,” Finn added. “James [James Gunn, the director] turned to me within 10 seconds and said, ‘He’s the guy.’”
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
Marvel Studios released Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015. The film centered around Stark, aka Iron Man, putting together a peacekeeping force of other characters in the MCU.
‘Ant-Man’
Actor Paul Rudd joined the MCU when he signed on to play Scott Lang or Ant-Man. The film marked the first time Ant-Man made an appearance on the big screen. Ant-Man also had a 2015 release date giving Marvel fans a double dose that calendar year.
‘Captain America: Civil War’
Captain America: Civil War brought Evans and many other characters in the MCU back to the big screen in May 2016.
‘Doctor Strange’
Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch joined the MCU playing Doctor Strange in the eponymous movie released in Nov. 2016.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2’
Pratt reprised his role of Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 which documented the “team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos.”
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
Spider-Man got a revamp from the early 2000s version starring Tobey Maguire. This time around, actor Tom Hollan played Peter Parker aka Spider-Man in the version released on Oct. 17, 2017. The actor first appeared in Captain America: Civil War as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’
Back at it again, Hemsworth picked up Thor’s hammer again in Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.
‘Black Panther’
Premiering on Feb. 16, 2018, Black Panther introduced new characters to the MCU and broke many records in the process. The film broke box office records, got rave reviews, and starred Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan.
‘Avengers: Infinity Wars’
April 2018 saw the MCU come together in an epic war in Avengers: Infinity Wars.
‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’
Rudd became Ant-Man once again in Ant-Man and The Wasp, the sequel to the 2015 film. Another summer release, Ant-Man and The Wasp premiered on July 6, 2018.
‘Captain Marvel’
The 2019 film, Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson marked a shift in the MCU toward more female-driven movies surrounding female superheroes. The movie broke box office records and took Larson’s star power to a whole other level.
There you have it. These are all of the films leading up to their culmination in Avengers: Endgame.
