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When Marvel returns to movie theaters this December, it’s coming in style. The studio’s first release in 17 months isn’t just any old movie — it’s an Avengers movie, a sign that something big is happening. If you're wondering how to watch the Avengers movies in order — whether in release order or chronological order — here’s the complete Marvel watch guide before Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel Avengers movies in release order

• The Avengers (2012)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Thunderbolts: The New Avengers (2025)

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes only come together in times of great need, as their relatively restrained appearances as a team demonstrate. Of course, the Avengers is also a somewhat nebulous concept — considering that the original team splits up in its third appearance, it’s worth noting that of the six Avengers movies to date — only five of which have Avengers in the title — the original Avengers line-up only makes it through two of them intact.

And, yes; we know that Thunderbolts is technically not an Avengers film, per se, but Marvel’s official alternate title/subtitle for the movie is The New Avengers, so we’re counting it.

Marvel Avengers movies in complete chronological order

Although the MCU has some weird chronological tricks of its own (both Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel are, for all intents and purposes, extended flashbacks, after all), the Avengers film series is mostly straightforward when it comes to chronology. As long as you ignore that five year gap in between Infinity War and Endgame. And then all the time travel in Endgame. Oh, never mind; here’s the MCU Avengers movies in order, chronologically:

• Avengers: Endgame (2019) (1970 sequences)
• The Avengers (2012)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019) (2012, 2013, 2014 sequences)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019) (2018, 2023 sequences)
• Thunderbolts: The New Avengers (2025)

Marvel Avengers FAQs

What movies do I need to watch before The Avengers (2012)?

The Avengers (2012) is the first Avengers film, but it is the sixth film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a result, the movie contains some characters and concepts that were introduced in prior MCU films. Should you watch all of them before starting The Avengers? That’s up to you. Think of it like comic books, where nobody is expected to read decades of material before diving into the latest issue.

If you’re curious, here are all the MCU films released before Avengers. (Remember, for a full MCU watch order, please refer to this guide.)

• Iron Man (2008) – The film introduces Iron Man and sets up the world of the MCU. You don’t have to watch it before starting The Avengers, but it will enhance your experience.
• The Incredible Hulk (2008) – Of all the films released before The Avengers, this is probably the most skippable. Not because of its quality, but because none of the supporting characters or concepts are used in The Avengers. In fact, this film has Edward Norton playing the Hulk. Norton would be replaced by Mark Ruffalo for the Avengers films. Watch this one if you’re a completist.
• Iron Man 2 (2010) – A fun Tony Stark adventure, but if you’ve already seen Iron Man, there is no urgency to watch this one before starting The Avengers. However, this film does introduce us to Black Widow.
• Thor (2011) – Probably the most essential film to watch before The Avengers. In addition to introducing Thor, this movie also serves as an introduction to Loki. The mischievous Loki serves as the main villain for the first Avengers film.
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – This film introduces Captain America, and a powerful artifact known as the Tesseract. Due to the presence of the Tesseract, I would rate this as the second most essential film to watch before The Avengers.

Or you could just dive into The Avengers right away if you want. But if you have the time, these are all great movies to watch.

Have the Avengers appeared in other MCU projects?

The Avengers appear in episodes of the alternate reality series What If…? — although they’re not necessarily the Avengers that audiences might expect. (Alternate reality, remember?) Here’s The Avengers in What If…? in order:

• What If…? Season 1 episode 3
• What If…? Season 1 episode 5
• What If…? Season 1 episode 8
• What If…? Season 1 episode 9
• What If…? Season 2 episode 2
• What If…? Season 2 episode 3
• What If…? Season 2 episode 5
• What If…? Season 2 episode 8
• What If…? Season 3 episode 1
  
  

How many Avengers movies are there?

The answer is four, if you judge purely based on movies with the title 'Avengers':

• The Avengers (2012)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)

However, 2016's Captain America: Civil War is an Avengers movie in every single way beyond the title, and 2025's Thunderbolts: The New Avengers introduces a new team who ultimately have the Avengers name pushed upon them, bringing the total to six. 

Is Thunderbolts really an Avengers movie?

In that it has the subtitle 'The New Avengers,' 2025's Thunderbolts is explicitly an Avengers movie in Marvel's estimations. That said, it does not feature any of the traditional Avengers members, nor does it fulfill the traditional purpose of an Avengers movie in the MCU up that point - which is to say, it isn't a team-up of characters from their own movie series to deal with a threat no one of them could face alone. Think of it as a 'New Avengers' movie rather than an Avengers movie, if that helps.

What movies do I need watch before Avengers: Doomsday?

It’s not necessarily just Avengers movies you need to watch before Doomsday. The groundwork for the next big Avengers epic has been laid throughout the MCU as a whole across the past few years, and while we don’t know the exact shape of what you need to watch to prepare just yet, we know that these Marvel projects will play in to what’s coming:

• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Loki Season 1 (2021)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2022)
• Loki Season 2 (2023)
• Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)
• Thunderbolts: The New Avengers (2025)
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
  
  

Where can I watch the Avengers movies?

All of the Avengers movies — and, in fact, all Marvel Cinematic Universe projects to this point — are available to stream on Disney+.

(Updated February 2026.)

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters