Summary

• The Avengers franchise has been incredibly successful, earning billions in ticket sales and living up to the hype.
• Watching the crossovers between MCU movies is only part of the story, as some of the best Marvel movies directly build into the Avengers movies.
• Avengers: Endgame brought the Infinity Saga to a breathtaking conclusion, setting a high bar for all comic book movies and paving the way for the future of the MCU. But there's more to come...

No matter how many future Marvel movies are released, the Avengers will always be the main event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Born out of Marvel Studios' brave but Earth-shatteringly successful decision to release movies for supposed B-tier heroes, the Avengers franchise ranks with the true Hollywood box office superpowers. On the back of Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and countless others, the Avengers movies have made more than $7.5bn in ticket sales, and more billions will come. And most importantly, the movies live up to the hype.

Now that more than a decade has passed since the first iteration of the Avengers assembled, a whole new generation of fans is able to go back and enjoy the first eras of the MCU. Some of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies build directly into the Avengers movies, so watching the crossovers is only part of the story, but it is possible to only watch the team-ups (as long as you throw in the unofficial Avengers movie Captain America: Civil War, at least). Here's how to watch the Avengers movies in order, both in release date and chronologically.

Release and in-universe chronological order are the same for Marvel's Avengers movies.

You can watch every Avengers movie on Disney+.

The Avengers (2012)

The First MCU Avengers Movie

Otherwise known as Avengers Assemble in the UK, The Avengers is the first major crossover event in the MCU, uniting the fledgling Marvel superhero under Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury. Faced with an alien invasion led by Tom Hiddleston's Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief, Fury revives the Avengers Initiative, mobilizing Earth's mightiest heroes. A landmark comic book movie event, Marvel Studios brought together a then-huge cast, a huge budget, and an action set-piece that leveled New York City. And then, of course, came the stinger, The Avengers' post-credits scene setting up Thanos' arrival.

The original Avengers team consists of Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Black Widow (Natasha Romanov), Thor, and Hawkeye (Clint Barton).

Movies That Directly Set Up The Avengers

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

The Second MCU Avengers Movie

After Joss Whedon kicked off the Avengers in 2012, he returned to dial things up for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, as Marvel's premiere superhero team came back together once more. Having vanquished the remnants of HYDRA, the Avengers face the huge new threat of Ultron, the accidental AI villain created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Faced with a global extinction event as the robot seeks to rebuild a world better than humans, as well as new metahumans, the Maximoff twins, the Avengers have Earth's fate in their hands once more in a bigger, bolder, but not quite as successful sequel.

Ultimately, Age Of Ultron is close to being a sequel to Iron Man 3, as Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark continues to wrestle with his PTSD and attempts to deal with his legacy. Marrying humor, heart, and a greater commitment to action set pieces, Age Of Ultron is an underappreciated pleasure.

Movies That Directly Set Up Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The Third MCU Avengers Movie

After The Avengers teased the arrival of Thanos and Josh Brolin's Mad Titan appeared for the first time in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War is the first half of Marvel's first huge culmination event. Blowing the first two Avengers movies out of the water in terms of scale, Infinity War sees the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy (plus some extra heroes) thrown together to stop Thanos from attaining the incredibly powerful Infinity Stones.

Despite the size of the Avengers: Infinity War cast, the sequel is deft, balancing its many moving parts with immaculate execution. The stakes are unprecedented, the emotion raw and occasionally terrifying, and the ending is like nothing else ever seen on a movie screen.

Movies That Directly Set Up Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The Fourth MCU Avengers Movie

With Thanos' deadly snap still ringing loudly in the ears of every Marvel fan, Avengers: Endgame brought the MCU's Infinity Saga to an end. Thanos won, but five years after the harrowing events at the Battle of Wakanda, the surviving Avengers come together for a desperate final plan to bring his victims back. With an unprecedented cast size, particularly for the spectacular Battle of Earth, Endgame is stunning story-telling, both shocking and uplifting, exploring the true cost and responsibility of being a superhero in the MCU.

Endgame is stunning story-telling, both shocking and uplifting

Avengers: Endgame's ending sets the bar very high for all comic book movies, bringing a decade of story-telling to an end while also paving the way for a new era for the MCU. That said, it's telling that so many post-Endgame MCU releases still tie so closely to the events and the legacies of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thanos. That's what happens when you leave such a mark.

Movies That Directly Set Up Avengers: Endgame

Upcoming Avengers Movies

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026)

The Fifth MCU Avengers Movie

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Release Date: 1 May 2026

The next Avengers movie brings back an entirely new superhero in the wake of Avengers: Endgame. Franchise founders Iron Man and Steve Rogers' Captain America are out, but in come a wider variety of even more powerful defenders of Earth. Their mission this time? To defeat an army of megalomaniacs intent on conquering the entire multiverse. Jonathan Majors' Council Of Kangs have their many eyes on dominion, no matter what the cost to each timeline, and it's up to the new Avengers, under a brand-new leader, to work out how to beat thousands of versions of the same villain.

At this point, all Avengers: The Kang Dynasty plot points are pure speculation.

It's worth noting that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is the first time an Avengers movie has also been set up by shows, due to the recent slew of Disney+ MCU series. As such, several television shows also play a role in setting up Avengers 5 - with Loki fleshing out more about Kang and hs variants, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier setting up Sam Wilson as the MCU's new Captain America, and Secret Invasion, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Hawkeye all providing useful insights into what those involved with the Avengers have been up to.

Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)

The Sixth MCU Avengers Movie

Release Date: 7 May 2027

Not content with one new Avengers movie, Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Secret Wars alongside The Kang Dynasty, finally bringing one of the biggest, most popular Marvel comics crossover events to the big screen. As the expected finale in the MCU's Multiverse Saga, the upcoming Avengers 6 will see the final battle for the timeline. Promising huge cameos from all of Marvel movie history and a story that could change everything, Secret Wars has been a long time coming. Will this be the point where the Marvel Cinematic Universe resets? Time will tell.

Key Release Dates

• 

  Deadpool & Wolverine

  Release Date:

  2024-07-26

• 

  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date:

  2025-02-14

• 

  Marvel's Thunderbolts

  Release Date:

  2025-05-02

• 

  Marvel's Fantastic Four

  Release Date:

  2025-07-25

• 

  Blade (2025)

  Release Date:

  2025-11-07

• 

  Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

  Release Date:

  2026-05-01

• 

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date:

  2027-05-07