The Avengers

Nick Fury needs more than one hero when Loki threatens the world. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk join Black Widow and Hawkeye in a team assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. Their shared task is to confront Loki and his Chitauri army. Directed by Joss Whedon, this 2012 film brings six very different heroes into one adventure.

The draw is the ensemble: seeing how familiar heroes work together when the problem is too large for any one of them. If you have been following the early solo films, this is the team-up those separate introductions lead toward. It also gives you a way to discover which characters you want to explore further.

An earlier character introduction

Iron Man ↗

2008 · 2h 6m

For a longer introduction to Tony Stark, start with Iron Man. For the broader route to the team-up, follow the six films in the Phase 1 guide. This is a suggested viewing route, rather than a claim that every earlier film is essential to understanding this one.

The Avengers closes the six-film Phase 1 sequence in the Disney+ release-order guide. That makes it a useful milestone if you are following the films as audiences first encountered them. Release order and story order answer different questions; use Phase 1 for the former, and keep the catalog’s curated story selection separate.

Allow about 2h 23m (143 minutes), the runtime used in this catalog’s viewing plans. Disney+ lists 2h 26m (146 minutes). The catalog release date is April 25, 2012; the US theatrical opening advertised in Marvel’s official TV spot was May 4, 2012.

Essential before Doomsday. The first Avengers team-up, with Steve Rogers, Thor and Loki at its centre — the team Doomsday's heroes descend from.