Introduction
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become one of the most popular movie franchises in history. With over 20 movies released to date, it can be hard to keep track of the order in which they were released. In this article, we will take a look at the Marvel movies in order of release.
Phase One
Phase One of the MCU began with the release of “Iron Man” in 2008. This movie introduced us to Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., as well as the concept of the Avengers Initiative. Next up was “The Incredible Hulk” in the same year, which starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. “Iron Man 2” followed in 2010, which featured the introduction of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character.
Captain America and Thor
In 2011, “Captain America: The First Avenger” was released, which starred Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. The movie took place during World War II and introduced us to the Tesseract, a powerful object that would become important in later movies. The same year, “Thor” was also released, which introduced us to the Asgardian god played by Chris Hemsworth.
The Avengers
The first phase of the MCU culminated in 2012 with the release of “The Avengers”. This movie brought together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk to form the superhero team known as the Avengers. The movie was a massive success and set the stage for future MCU movies.
Phase Two
Phase Two began with “Iron Man 3” in 2013. This movie saw Tony Stark face off against his greatest foe yet, the Mandarin. Next up was “Thor: The Dark World” in the same year, which saw Thor battling against the dark elf Malekith. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” followed in 2014, which saw Steve Rogers teaming up with Black Widow to take down a dangerous conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Also released in 2014 was “Guardians of the Galaxy”, which introduced us to a group of misfit heroes led by Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. The movie was a surprise hit and helped expand the scope of the MCU beyond Earth. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was released in 2015, which saw the Avengers facing off against the villainous Ultron.
Phase Three
Phase Three began with “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016. This movie saw the Avengers split into two factions over the issue of government oversight. Next up was “Doctor Strange” later that year, which introduced us to the mystical side of the MCU. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” followed in 2017, which saw the team facing off against the villainous Ego.
Spider-Man and Thor: Ragnarok
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” was released in 2017, which saw Tom Holland take on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The movie was a critical and commercial success and helped reintroduce Spider-Man into the MCU. “Thor: Ragnarok” was also released in 2017, which saw Thor teaming up with the Hulk and Loki to save Asgard from destruction.
Infinity War and Endgame
The third phase of the MCU culminated in 2018 and 2019 with the release of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”. These two movies saw the Avengers facing off against the cosmic threat of Thanos and his quest to collect the Infinity Stones. “Endgame” was the highest-grossing movie of all time and brought closure to many of the storylines that had been building up over the previous movies.
Conclusion
The Marvel movies in order of release can be a lot to keep track of, but hopefully this article has helped to make it a bit easier. From the first Iron Man movie to the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga, the MCU has provided us with some of the most memorable superhero movies of all time.
