The world of the Iron Man.
At this time, there are 20 movies in the MCU, all interconnected and all centered around the superhero team of The Avengers. However, watching the movies in the order they were released is just one way to enjoy them. If you want to watch them in the order that they happened chronologically within the universe, we have you covered.
Here is a look at all the interconnected Avengers Movies in Chronological Order.
Last updated: November 27, 2019 to reflect the latest additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
While it was the fifth movie produced by the MCU, Cap came to power during World War II.
The end of the movie, when Captain America woke up in the present day, the movie jumps ahead of the next few movies on this list. However, as the title states, Cap was the very first Avenger.
IRON MAN
The first movie released by the MCU was Iron Man and this was where things really started to take off. There weren't any known superheroes at the time, so Iron Man was also the first superhero on Earth for the new generation.
By the end of the movie, Nick Fury approached Stark and asked if he wanted to be part of the Avengers Initiative. As a side note, when Captain Marvel premieres, it will replace Iron Man as the second Avengers movie chronologically, and will hopefully explain why no one knows who she is.
IRON MAN 2
Iron Man 2 was the third MCU movie but actually took place before the events of The Incredible Hulk, the second released movie for Marvel. What puts this movie first is the fact that the rampage with The Hulk is shown on television during this movie.
There is also the fact that Tony Stark shows up to talk to General Ross in the post-credits of The Incredible Hulk, which puts it squarely before that movie, based on the events in Iron Man 2.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
While The Incredible Hulk was released before Iron Man 2, the post-credit scene in this movie shows that it concludes after Tony Stark finally starts officially working with S.H.I.E.L.D.
This is also the weird movie in the series, as it is the only time Ed Norton plays Hulk and no one but General Ross ever appears again. The post-credit scene also plays into the idea of General Ross moving up into the position he holds in Captain America: Civil War.
THOR
Thor got things slightly back to normal again in the timeline, although many of the events in the movie happened around the same time as those in Iron Man 2 and Incredible Hulk. That has everything to do with Mjolnir.
Thor started off the movie with Mjolnir but lost it when he angered Odin and was banished to Earth. In the post-credits of Iron Man 2, Agent Coulson finds Mjolnir. Then, Thor gets it back and saves the world in this movie, with the three finally lining up to lead into the first Avengers movie as a team.
AVENGERS
By the time The Avengers rolled around, everyone had pretty much been introduced. Black Widow was in Iron Man 2, Hawkeye had a cameo in Thor and the other four had their own solo movies.
This was the big movie that everything built to. It ended with The Avengers saving the world and that ended Phase 1 of the MCU.
IRON MAN 3
Iron Man 3 takes place six months after The Avengers. The movie follows up the events of that film with Tony Stark dealing with PTSD based on almost dying in the alien invasion and shaken by the fact that there are aliens at all.
This is also the story that finishes the Iron Man trilogy. While Iron Man would return for more movies, this was the end of his traditional hero's story.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Thor: The Dark World has the God of Thunder back on Asgard and his brother imprisoned for his actions in The Avengers. The timeframe here is one year after that movie, which puts it six months after Iron Man 3.
The post-credit scene here shows Sif and Volstagg taking the Aether to the Collector, which puts it before the events of Guardians of the Galaxy.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Taking place two years after The Avengers and one year after Thor: The Dark World, the MCU brought back Captain America and created an espionage movie that remains one of their best films to date.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes place in 2014 and introduces new heroes in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, who was obviously a bad guy at this time.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Up next is Guardians of the Galaxy. This movie was hard to classify because it takes place off Earth and kicks off the cosmic Marvel Universe. However, there are clues to when this takes place.
The main clue is that Peter Quill is stolen from Earth in 1988. The movie then takes place 26 years later -- which means it takes place in 2014 -- the same year as Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
