The 7 movies you need to see before 'Avengers: Infinity War'

By: Hemal Jhaveri | April 20, 2018 12:34 pm
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In the 10 years since Iron Man, Marvel has created a complex and layered universe of characters and plots that are all about to come together in Avengers: Infinity War.

For fans who have been keeping up with the franchise, Infinity War promises to deliever on some long teased plot points that have been years in the making. But, for causal fans, the scope of Infinity War may seem confusing and overwhelming since it builds on 18 movies worth of stuff. The good news is that it isn’t necessary to watch all 18 films before heading into Infinity War, (though it certainly is recommended) and you can properly appreciate the latest release with more limited viewing.

Here’s a list of the essential films you need to see before watching Infinity War.

1. Iron Man (2008)

The first film from director Jon Favreau not only introduces Iron Man, but it lays out the structure, tone and style for each subsequent Marvel movie.

2. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are the cornerstones of the franchise. Their stories are not just the longest running, but the most important. Like Iron Man, Captain America’s origin story is essential to everything that comes after.

3. Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

This film brings all the separate superheros together for the first time, introducing us to the dynamics that will play out across the franchise. Plus, it introduces Black Widow, Bruce Banner/Hulk and Hawkeye.

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Cap is such a huge part of the MCU that all his movies are stacked with details and character interactions that have consequences further down the line. Winter Solider establishes so much context for things to come. Plus, it’s just really, really good.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Now we’re into the space stuff. GotG is an essential introduction to Thanos and the Infinity Stones, which are going to dominate Infinity War.

6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Many consider Civil War to be the best out of all the MUC movies. Aside from the Tony Stark-Steve Rogers drama, Civil War is our introduction to Black Panther and Spiderman and makes up for skipping Age of Ultron.

7. Doctor Strange (2016)

So far, Doctor Strange has been adjacent to the MCU and not fully involved with all the main characters, but, again his role with Infinity Stones promises to be key in Infinity War.

Ok, so the above is a primer for those who want to knock out a movie a night in the next week. But, if you only have time to see three movies before Infinity War, make it The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Civil War.

If you are incredibly pressed for time and are being dragged to Infinity War against your will but still need some context, one viewing of Civil War will get you through. Happy viewing!