Before AVENGERS: ENDGAME, Watch...

With Marvel's climactic Avengers: Endgame hitting theaters this weekend, superhero movie demand is at an all time high. Endgame is the twenty-second entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the culmination of over a decade worth of long-form storytelling. All this to say, there's a lot going on in this movie: lots of characters, backstory, and information to remember from previous films. No time to catch up or have a refresher on twenty other movies before you head to theater? We've got it narrowed down to just a few: 

• Avengers (2012) - When an alien invasion hits New York, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye team up to save the day. This was the first large Marvel crossover movie that also offered a very brief cameo for Thanos, the villain of Endgame. 
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Marvel meets sci-fi in this planet-hopping adventure following a gang of misfits. While the first Avengers movie gave us a glimpse at the larger universe, Guardians dives into that universe and gives us a larger look at the Infinity Stones, which become important in both Infinity War and Endgame. 
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - In the aftermath of the alien invasion of New York, Tony Stark attempts to build a supercomputer to protect the Earth, but when it gains awareness it turns against the Avengers. Ultron introduces a few new heroes and sets the stage for the rest for the following movies.
• Captain America: Civil War (2016) - After the events of Age of Ultron, some of the Avengers feel the need for government supervision and accountability, causing a rift between heroes. Civil War introduces a few new heroes and sets up the need for all of the Marvel heroes to come together for one more fight, in Infinity War. 
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - All of the heroes come together in order to stop Thanos, who is constructing an artifact that will allow him to alter reality at will. If you only have time to watch one movie before Endgame, make it this one, whose events directly lead to Endgame. 

Below is a list of all 21 films in chronological order. 

1. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) 
2. Captain Marvel (2019)
3. Iron Man (2008) 
4. Iron Man 2 (2010) 
5. The Incredible Hulk (2008) 
6. Thor (2011)
7. Avengers (2012) 
8. Iron Man 3 (2013) 
9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) 
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017) 
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
14. Ant-Man (2015) 
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016) 
16. Black Panther (2018)
17. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) 
18. Doctor Strange (2016) 
19. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) 
20. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) 
21. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)