Marvel Movies In Order: How to Watch Them All In Release Order

The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially begins with Iron Man, when billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is captured by terrorists during a trip to showcase his company's latest weapon. While trapped in a cave with nothing but a box of scraps, Tony builds a powerful armored suit to help him escape—which ultimately leads him to become the technologically advanced superhero known as Iron Man.

Iron Man kickstarts the franchise in style, establishing a strong visual and tonal identity that still defines the MCU today. It is one of the definitive Marvel movies that encapsulates everything the franchise is known for.

One of the movie's greatest strengths is the cast, which sees Robert Downey Jr. give a stellar performance as the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark. The actor's improvisational skills adds some much-needed comic relief and helps director Jon Favreau (who also plays Happy Hogan) balance the movie's adventerous thrills with Stark's quick-witted comedy. This winning combination made Iron Man a huge hit and cemented its status as a classic of the superhero genre—MCU or otherwise.

In the MCU's second movie, The Incredible Hulk, the accomplished scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) searches for a cure to his own illness: gamma radiation that turns him into the Hulk. During his search for a cure, Bruce must evade the military and take on another powerful gamma-enhanced foe, Abomination (Tim Roth).

In comparison to other early MCU movies, The Incredible Hulk is something of an oddity. It's the only movie in which Bruce Banner is played by Edward Norton, who was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for The Avengers. But there's still a lot to enjoy in The Incredible Hulk, such as the fast-paced escape scene through the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

The movie also does a great job at showing Hulk as a terrifying figure capable of immense destruction. In comparison to previous Hulk movies, the character had never looked meaner, and Tim Roth's Abomination also serves as the embodiment of what the Hulk might become if he were under government control.

Iron Man 2 begins moments after Tony Stark has impulsively announced himself as Iron Man to the media. Stark deals with the consequences of revealing his identity while facing increasing pressure from the government regarding his use of advanced technology. On top of that, Tony faces the wrath of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a vengeful inventor with whom he shares a dark history.

Robert Downey Jr. gives another memorable performance as Tony Stark, doubling down on the character's appetite for theatrics and the grandiose. In terms of watching Marvel movies in order, this is also an important building block leading up to The Avengers, marking the debut appearance of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Iron Man 2 may not be remembered by Marvel fans with the same fondness as Iron Man (or Iron Man 3), but it's still a serviceable adventure about one of the franchise's most popular superheroes. And for fans who have already watched plenty of superhero movies, Iron Man 2 offers something different by abandoning the dual identity trope.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is an arrogant warrior who is exiled to Earth after reigniting an ancient war with the Frost Giants. While on Earth, the Asgardian god encounters a group of scientists who help him take on some of Asgard's darkest forces.

Like Iron Man, Thor is another early Marvel movie that struck gold with exceptional casting, bringing a relatively unknown Australian actor into the fold as one of the franchise's most iconic heroes. In addition to looking the part, Hemsworth shines during the movie's comedic fish-out-of-water scenes as Thor awkwardly adapts to his new surroundings.

Thor also lays the foundations for the franchise's cosmic universe. Otherworldly concepts such as Asgardian gods and the Bifröst are seamlessly introduced, with sci-fi explanations that make Norse mythology, advanced technology, and interdimensional travel feel at home in the same universe as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

Captain America's debut movie takes place several decades before the events of Iron Man, as we see the origin of Captain America during World War II. Initially just a strong-minded American citizen, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) steps up for a 'super-soldier' program that gives him the incredible abilities of peak human performance. With his new strength and vitality, Steve takes on Hydra and the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

Captain America: The First Avenger offers a great mix of sci-fi and superhero adventure with the backdrop of WWII. Once again, Marvel Studios make a great casting choice by giving Chris Evans the role of Steve Rogers. The actor embodies the iconic Marvel character so well that you'll forget he was The Human Torch in Fantastic Four. Evans goes toe-to-toe with Hugo Weaving, who offers a memorable performance as Red Skull, the leader and founder of Hydra's military and scientific division during WWII.

In one of the biggest event movies of all time, The Avengers brings the MCU's greatest heroes together for an epic team-up adventure. Brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Marvel's heroes must learn to work together when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) emerges as a new threat to Earth.

Fans may be used to seeing their favorite heroes share the screen nowadays, but when The Avengers was released, a crossover of this scale was almost unheard of. It was an ambitious move that required a long-term strategy which undeniably paid off—grossing more than $1.5 billion worldwide.

While the movie had jaw-dropping box office earnings, what's really impressive is how Marvel managed to bring all of its heroes together without a tonal imbalance. The likes of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson have great chemistry, albeit through clashing personalities and ideologies. Their larger-than-life egos provide comedy and conflict, making their eventual team-up all the more satisfying. Mark Ruffalo quickly makes the role of Bruce Banner his own, and Hiddleston makes a lasting impression as Loki—whose personal connection to Thor gives The Avengers personal stakes and cosmic consequences.

Iron Man 3 deals with Tony Stark's struggles with trauma in the aftermath of the Battle of New York. As he tries to overcome everything he'd witnessed, Tony must also investigate a mysterious terrorist known as the Mandarin.

The third and final instalment of the Iron Man trilogy is full of twists, turns and subversions, presenting Tony with a different challenge to what he'd already faced in previous movies. Rather than another villain that is in some way the reversal of Stark's values, Iron Man 3 sees Tony dealing with his own vulnerability and, for a time, flexing his genius with basic hardware—reminding fans why he's among the MCU's most beloved characters.

The most interesting aspect of Iron Man 3 is how Tony deals with his trauma after being exposed to cosmic visions during the Battle of New York. As the first post-Avengers movie, Iron Man 3 shows how the franchise's most cataclysmic events won't simply be forgotten for standalone movies. On the contrary, these moments redefine the MCU's heroes and serve as the foundation of their next adventure.

In Thor's second Marvel movie, the Asgardian Avenger is tasked with protecting the Nine Realms from the Dark Elves, who want to plunge the universe into darkness by wielding the power of an ancient force.

Out of all the Thor movies, The Dark World leans deepest into into the character's origins as a mythological character. It takes Thor on an interplanetary adventure that shows the side of Marvel that's inspired by myth and high fantasy. This makes it a great experience for fans of the genre, but it also means Marvel fans miss out on a more comedic performance from Chris Hemsworth.

Thor: The Dark World also dives deeper into his relationship with Jane Foster, and his very complicated connection to his sibling, Loki, after the Battle of New York.

While Steve Rogers' first adventure was set during WWII, Captain America: The Winter Soldier offers something totally new for the Marvel hero: his first ever solo movie set in the modern day.

The movie follows Captain America as he uncovers a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. that changes the MCU forever. Cap must also take on an assassin known as The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who has close ties to his past.

The Winter Soldier is still considered to be one of the best Marvel movies. Directed by the Russo brothers (who would later helm Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame), this movie puts Captain America at the center of a thrilling adventure that has personal stakes and consequences on an international scale. While Cap's first movie worked as a WWII movie, this is very much inspired by 1970s post-Watergate political thrillers such as Marathon Man (1976) and Three Days of the Condor (1975). It even introduces Robert Redford, a screen legend of the genre, as a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official, Alexander Pierce.

After huge hits with well-known Marvel characters such as Iron Man, Captain America and The Avengers, the introduction of the Guardians of the Galaxy seemed like a left-field choice from Marvel Studios. But choosing to explore the franchise's cosmic universe in greater depth through the adventures of the Guardians massively paid off.

Guardians of the Galaxy follows a group of space outlaws who band together to protect a uniquely powerful artifact from Ronan the Accuser, a warlord working with the Mad Titan, Thanos. The team of misfits includes the Earthling known as Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), the deadly assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), the vengeful Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a genetically modified raccoon called Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and the so-called "talking tree," Groot (Vin Diesel).

If you're a huge fan of Star Wars, this is probably going to be your favorite Marvel movie. Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun-filled cosmic adventure driven by the central character's shortcomings, whether it's Star-Lord's immaturity or Gamora's cold demeanor. The movie also joyfully explores the Marvel universe's eccentric melting pot of alien species and planets—all set to an awesome mixtape of 1960s and 1970s pop, rock, soul, and funk.