Robert Downey, Jr. is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor von Doom (aka Doctor Doom). Before he was Doctor Doom, he portrayed Iron Man in the MCU, a role that garnered him universal recognition. It’s possible his Iron Man character, or at least a variant of it, will figure into his transition into the role of Doctor Doom, meaning viewers may wish to catch up on Iron Man’s film history before Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Check out our guide for a breakdown of every Iron Man movie, along with the recommended watching order when booting up Disney+.
Iron Man Trilogy
Tony Stark makes his MCU debut in Iron Man, where he’s forced to build an Iron Man suit to escape a hostage situation in Afghanistan. Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 continue to follow Stark’s adventures as the hero Iron Man, which grows increasingly complex as unsavory figures try to obtain his technology and he becomes more reliant on it. The Iron Man trilogy is a worthy adaptation of the comic book material, bolstered by Downey’s charm and the trilogy’s emotional depth.
In addition to groundbreaking visuals and high suspense, the Iron Man movies offer viewers a flawed and relatable hero with character development that keeps them engaged. If you love the typical MCU origin films, like Black Panther (2018) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), you’ll love the first two Iron Man movies. Iron Man 3’s comeback story and deep dive into the emotional impact of Stark’s heroism parallels the depth and darker tone of films like The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Logan (2017), and it will be appreciated by fans of more mature superhero movies.
- Iron Man (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
The Avengers Series
In addition to the Iron Man trilogy, Stark is a consistent and vital fixture in the MCU’s Avengers series. He’s one of the original heroes recruited by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in The Avengers to fight Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) invasion of New York. The team's missions grow more dangerous when Thanos (Josh Brolin) starts collecting the Infinity Stones and leaves The Avengers grappling with how to save humanity in Avengers: Endgame.
The Avengers is one of the first-ever large-scale superhero crossover films, bringing together heroes from Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and Thor (2011). All of The Avengers films boast an epic scale and the appeal of the sheer spectacle. Each film raises the stakes, scale, and visuals, keeping them consistently engaging and brimming with improvements. Fans of other movies that feature epic superhero team-ups, like X-Men (2000) or Thunderbolts* (2025), will love The Avengers movies. However, the larger casts and team premise mean viewers don’t get as personal stories as the Iron Man movies.
- The Avengers (2012)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Other Iron Man MCU Appearances
Stark appears in several MCU projects in addition to the Iron Man and Avengers movies. Besides an uncredited cameo in The Incredible Hulk, Stark appears in Captain America: Civil War, where his feud with Captain America (Chris Evans) tears The Avengers apart. He also stars in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) mentor.
The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man: Homecoming are excellent superhero origin movies, though Spider-Man: Homecoming boasts more comedy and heartfelt moments due to its young protagonist. Meanwhile, Captain America: Civil War is quite distinct in the MCU with its slightly darker tone and hero vs. hero premise. It parallels projects like AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) due to setting two iconic characters against each other, though it executes its crossover with more sophistication and uses it to delve into topics of revenge, morality, and the dark side of heroes. Fans of the Iron Man movies will likely enjoy Captain America: Civil War, whereas fans of Hulk and Spider-Man who enjoyed The Avengers movies are more likely to prefer The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Animated Iron Man Movies
In addition to the MCU, Iron Man appears in different timelines in several animated movies. He’s a significant part of Marvel Entertainment’s Ultimates adaptations, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie and Ultimate Avengers 2, the Heroes United films, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United and Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United, as well as the Japanese adaptation, Iron Man: Rise of Technovore. Most of the animated projects featuring Iron Man boast more lighthearted tones than the live-action adaptations.
The Heroes United movies, in particular, really probe how fun superhero team-ups can be, capturing the chemistry between Iron Man and his fellow heroes and offering great adventures. Movies like Iron Man: Rise of Technovore are great for fans of superhero anime adaptations, like Marvel Future Avengers (2017). If you love the DCAU, Marvel Saturday morning cartoons, and the earlier MCU Avengers movies, you’ll enjoy the animated Iron Man projects.
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)
- Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006)
- The Invincible Iron Man (2007)
- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)
- Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)
- Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United (2013)
- Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United (2014)
How To Watch The Live-Action 'Iron Man' Movies In Order
The best way to watch the Iron Man movies is to start with the MCU timeline before moving on to the animated Iron Man movies. See below for the MCU Iron Man films in release date order:
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Captain America: Civil War
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
If you want to watch the movies chronologically, it is the same as the order of release date. The only difference is that you would watch Iron Man 2 before The Incredible Hulk.
How To Watch The Animated 'Iron Man' Movies In Order
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
- Ultimate Avengers 2
- The Invincible Iron Man
- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow
- Iron Man: Rise of Technovore
- Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United
- Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United
