With the recent release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicking off Marvel’s Phase 5, it can be easy to become confused and overwhelmed by the ever-growing number of movies in this hugely popular franchise. The MCU is one of the most successful franchises to date, having started in 2007, and produced more than 31 films since then, not to mention all the Marvel Disney+ mini-series that also slot into the overall timeline of the worlds.
The MCU is set in 5 phases, each of which encompasses at least 5-10 movies, if not more, and fans have begun feeling like they need to go back to basics and begin re-watching some of the old classics, both to relive the glory days, but also to understand where the stories have been, and keep in touch with where they are heading next. So, here is a guide to Marvel’s Phase 1.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Despite the release order of the movies, the recommended viewing order starts with Steve Rogers in Captain America. Captain America is known as ‘The First Avenger’ for a reason, and that’s because he was the first superhero created who later joined the Avengers team. Captain America is the perfect place to start, both because the story itself is about a man of humble origins who rises to do great things (just like the Marvel franchise itself) but also because it introduces several core concepts that are crucial to the franchises’ narrative that follows, including the organization Hydra, who will later have a huge impact, and the existence of the Tesseract, which will later be revealed as one of the infinity stones. Through Steve’s journey, fans can very quickly get back in touch with some of the most pressing elements of the MCU.
Iron Man
Next in the viewing order of the MCU should come Iron Man. Iron Man sets up some key characters, as well as some of the most important technological advances that will underpin films like Age of Ultron further down the line. It also introduces Stark Industries, whose building will later become recognized worldwide as the Avengers Tower. Not only does it introduce some important themes, but it is also crucial to understanding later character arcs, including Steve and Tony’s rivalry, which of course leads to Avengers: Civil War. Iron Man fleshes out S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as brings forward some fan-favorite characters like Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts.
The Incredible Hulk and/or Iron Man 2
Interestingly, the next two movies in the chronological viewing order are interchangeable, because they happen at similar times within the narrative, and bring about several of each other’s key themes. These two aforementioned films are The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2. The Hulk introduces Bruce Banner, who will of course become one of the most vital, but also one of the most controversially dangerous, members of the Avengers team. Bruce has very little control over his Hulk abilities, a fact that enemies will come to use against him and his team many times in future. He is one of the MCU characters that has changed the most across the franchise, so exploring his origin story is a great place to start.
It sets up the concept of a unification or a collaboration among the heroes that could possibly come together to fight the powers at large in the world. Similarly, Iron Man 2 further draws on this idea by bringing in characters like Natasha Romanoff, who will later become Black Widow. She is key in the Hulk’s success as part of the team, but also in increasing the female representation among the heroes, a point which had led to much controversy among fans up to this point.
Thor
Next in the chronological narrative comes the original Thor film, which sets up the god of thunder as one of the most essential protagonists. This film also starts expanding the lore of the world beyond Earth and its troubles, and paves the way for the alien invasion that takes place in The Avengers movie. It also establishes Loki and his trickster ways as being an important villain to come for the following movies.
The Avengers
Finally, it's The Avengers, in which Loki gets his hands on the Tesseract, and decides he wants to become the supreme ruler of the Earth. Part of his plot involves working with Thanos, who will of course become the quintessential villain in Infinity War and Endgame, during which o many important events occur, like the blip which wipes out half of the people on the planet for 5 years. The Avengers is the last stage in Phase 1 of Marvel before the MCU delves into Phase 2, and is the perfect place to pause and ground within the timeline, before stepping into the next phase to see what lies ahead.