How to watch the Captain America movies in order (including the Avengers)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is the most successful in Hollywood history. It has grossed over $31 billion at the box office and its legacy will continue in the years ahead, with plenty of exciting titles on the horizon. From the Infinity Saga to the Multiverse Saga and beyond, fans are loving what the MCU is producing.

There are countless beloved heroes in the franchise, but Captain America might just be the most important of all. The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan is, after all, the first Avenger, so it makes sense that he be at the center of the franchise - and he was, for the longest time. As one of the leaders of the Avengers and a pop-culture legend even within the fictitious world of the franchise, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers was a fixture of the MCU until 2019's Avengers: Endgame when he handed the shield over to longtime friend, The Falcon Sam Wilson.

Now, Captain America lives on as Sam Wilson carries the shield as the MCU's new Star-Spangled Man, headlining Captain America: Brave New World.

If you would like to watch the journey of Cap through the MCU, here's what you need to know when it comes to watching his movies, the chronological order to watch them in, and whether or not there are any other MCU movies you should watch too.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Release date: July 22, 2011
Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci

It all began for Steve Rogers in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. The fifth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's technically the first from a chronological standpoint as it is set during World War II in the 1940s. Chris Evans plays the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan who steps up to take on the evil of Hydra and the Red Skull by taking the super-soldier serum and becoming the greatest hero the MCU has ever known.

Over a decade later, this one remains one of the franchise's finest outings. With a tone and aesthetic all of its own, Captain America: The First Avengers imbues you with a sense of nostalgia and hope as Chris Evans makes a name for himself as one of the centerpieces of Hollywood's biggest franchise, showcasing to us all what Captain America truly stands for.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Release date: April 4, 2014
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Jenny Agutter, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson

Although Captain America: The First Avenger remains one of the MCU's most underrated movies, its 2014 sequel captured the attention of audiences pretty quickly. Set in the present day, it welcomes its titular hero into a new world of modernity and allows us to see him get used to it - and struggle with it - in a way that The Avengers couldn't. It also directly impacts the whole franchise with its focus on SHIELD and its questionable history while offering up one of the most thrilling stories of the century thus far.

Widely regarded as the MCU's best standalone movie, The Winter Soldier is a mysterious, gripping, edge-of-seat thriller that shows a different side to Captain America and forces him to face off against a figure from his past and an urban legend that provides a greater challenge than any battle he had been in until that point. And the result is nothing short of incredible.

Captain America: Civil War

Release date: May 6, 2016
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Cap's standalone movie series continued to grow in scale with its third movie, Captain America: Civil War being its biggest yet. In fact, it's so large in scale and in terms of importance to the MCU that many consider it an Avengers movie. And it's easy to see why, as it features almost all of the original Avengers and plenty of the new arrivals that joined the franchise along the way.

Focusing on a new piece of Government legislation that splits the Avengers, Civil War adapts one of the most iconic Marvel Comics storylines of all time as Steve Rogers takes a stand against the government, Iron Man, and the heroes who don't agree with his point of view. With his freedom, the Avengers' future, and the life of his best friend on the line, this film showcases Captain America - and everything he stands for - at his very best.

Captain America: Brave New World

Release date: February 14, 2025
Director: Julius Onah
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford

The Captain America franchise returned to screens after almost a decade away from them with 2025's Captain America: Brave New World. But there was one major difference: Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon, was now wielding the shield as the new Cap. Steve had passed the mantle onto one of his best friends in 2019's Avengers: Endgame and he officially accepted it in 2021 Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Brave New World looked to return that grounded nature to some of the MCU movies - something that hadn't been as present in the Multiverse Saga - with a thrilling tale that served as both a new beginning for the Captain America shield and an unexpected sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk. It's an unlikely mix, but the result is a compelling action thriller that sees Captain America squaring off with the Red Hulk. That alone makes it a must-see.

Captain America movies and shows in order with The Avengers

While Captain America is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most popular heroes in his own right and the leader of his own film series, he is also an important part of the MCU's overall fabric due to his regular role in the Avengers movies. That means that the events that go down in other movies and / or Disney Plus shows can directly or indirectly influence his arc in his own movies.

With that in mind, if you'd like to do a complete catch-up and watch the whole Captain America story in order, here are all of the MCU projects either features an appearance from Cap or influences his story in some capacity.

It's also worth pointing out that Anthony Mackie made a cameo appearance in 2015's Ant-Man when Sam Wilson was still in his Falcon persona. Mackie will return as Captain America in both upcoming Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).