Watch Anything Before The Avengers
There’s no question that Marvel films are some of the most well-oiled and finely honed franchise movies on the market. They’re not only fantastically entertaining but highly functional on a standalone basis, as they provide satisfying character arcs and a narrative that’s woven together from the start of the universe with each installment. This is all well and good, but if you’re someone who is just starting out in the MCU, it can be difficult to know the go-to place for easy-to-follow guides in order to watch these films in. For this reason, we’ve put together a list of all the movies you need to watch before seeing Avengers: Endgame that will help prepare you for this monumental conclusion to the MCU’s Phase 3.
Luckily, the MCU is one of those rare film worlds where you don’t need to have seen every previous entry to enjoy the current installment. While you’re not going to get the full effect without the rich emotional payoff that comes from having been on this journey with the characters for years, you can certainly appreciate The Avengers if you’ve only just started watching the MCU.
The best place to start, of course, is with the very first movie in this series: Iron Man. This movie is arguably the most important film in the MCU, as it lays the groundwork for everything that follows, including the introduction of all of the primary characters and the concept of the Avengers. It also sets up many of the themes and concepts that carry over to later films, such as the idea that superhumans need to be regulated, and the infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D by the evil Hydra organization.
Do I Need to Watch Anything Before The Avengers?
After the events of this movie, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) starts assembling the heroes of The Avengers by rounding up some of the more prominent individuals who work for S.H.I.E.L.D, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). They take on a new threat, the egomaniacal supervillain Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who is trying to use a powerful magical staff to control all of humanity.
Ultimately, the main event of this movie is when Thanos (Josh Brolin) gains all six Infinity Stones to destroy the universe. To do so, he killed half of all life on Earth in an attempt to acquire the Power Stone, destroyed Xandar in order to obtain the Space Stone, and killed off his adoptive father Ronan (Dave Bautista) and his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy members Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) or Gamora (Zoe Saldana).
This is one of the most important movies to watch before Avengers: Endgame, as it reveals how Thanos was able to attain these powerful stones. In addition, it explains the origins of several of the key characters and provides important background for his ultimate plan in the third and final movie in the Infinity War trilogy.
