Avengers Endgame timeline: The films you NEED to see before Avengers 4 – MCU timeline

The Marvel Cinematic Universe consists of 21 movies and countless characters. Boasting one of the biggest casts ever, the upcoming Avengers: Endgame will be the conclusion of ten years of storytelling. With so many movies to watch and so little time before Endgame is in cinemas, there may be some in the MCU you can skip.

What movies do you need to see before Avengers: Endgame, and in what order?

There are only four movies you absolutely need to watch before seeing Avengers: Endgame.

These, according to the Russo brothers themselves, are Captain America The Winter Soldier, Captain America Civil War, Thor Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

Anthon Russo said: “I would say, certainly, Civil War and Infinity War are probably the two biggest lead-ins to this movie in the sense that Civil War created the situation where the Avengers were divided.

“The relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers was severed, and that was what put them in a vulnerable place when Thanos came in Infinity War.

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“I think that is what partially what led to their demise in that film, the fact that they were divided when the greatest threat they ever faced came to them. So there is definitely a throughline there.”

Thor Ragnarok may not be as much of an emotional necessity as a chronological one.

The 2017 movie gives fans a clue as to what Thor and the Hulk, aka Bruce Banner, were doing before Infinity War.

In fact, Thor Ragnarok ends with Thanos attacking an Asgardian refugee ship – a direct tie into the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War.

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Captain America: Winter Soldier does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of Captain America’s emotional development.

To understand why he is the way he is by the time you get to Endgame, watching Winter Soldier is key.

Anthony Russo said: “I mean, my brother and I, of course, are very focused on story starting from Winter Soldier, because that’s where we entered the MCU.

“So for us, in our brains, on a storytelling level, we were threading a narrative from there.

“Certainly, I would also say that the previous Avengers movies also very much factor into this film.”

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But for those of you intent on watching the entire MCU series, here is the perfect order to watch all the Marvel films:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Thor (2011)

The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)