With the next generation of the hero set to hit theaters next year with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, it’s time to take a look back at the history of the MCU’s Captain America with all the canon movies to watch in order.
Cap has come a long way, being one of the primary pillars of which Marvel Studios’ super-powered franchise. The role was originally played by Chris Evans, whose Steve Rogers went from plucky Brooklyn underdog to universe-saving superhero before ultimately getting his happy ending and passing the mantle off to another up-and-comer.
Now with seven impactful movie appearances across the franchise, here is how to watch every MCU Captain America movie in order.
Every MCU Captain America Movie in Order
1.) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
“Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”
Getting his start in the MCU, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers put his body on the line and took on some Nazis in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. This wartime adventure saw Evans’ scrawny Brooklyn native get a jolt of the mysterious Super Soldier Serum, becoming the adonis-like superhero fans know and love. Along the way, he came face-to-face with the villainous Red Mask, fell in love, and went down in the chilly waters of the Atlantic before waking up in the modern day at the movie’s close.
2.) The Avengers (2012)
“Put on the suit. Let’s go a few rounds.”
70 years and one freezing cold dip in the Atlantic Ocean later, The Avengers sees Cap coming to grips with having missed a lifetime of super-powered antics. While he largely worked alone in his first adventure during World War II, he must team up with five other heroes (Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye) to for the Avengers and save the world from an alien invasion and the devious antics of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. While the team is at odds at first, they come together with Steve Rogers helping lead the charge to take down the series’ first ‘Avengers-level threat.
3.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
“I think it’s time to tell the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was.”
Captain America: The Winter Soldier sees Captain America going undercover alongside Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff while going up against a familiar threat he thought long gone in his presumed dead wartime best friend Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier). After it’s revealed the dastardly Hydra has infiltrated SHIELD and Cap, Fury, Romanoff, and the newly-introduced Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) take down Project Insight, a SHIELD program that would have murdered thousands.
4.) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
“I once had strings, but now I’m free… There are no strings on me!”
With SHIELD gone, Avengers: Age of Ultron sees Steve Rogers and co. looking for answers on how they can better protect the world from threats like a HYDRA infiltration into their most trusted government agency. Going against Cap’s wishes, this leads to the creation of rogue AI Ultron. Cap and the rest of the Avengers thwart Ultron in the fictional country of Sokovia, leaving hundreds dead and billions of dollars in damage. The film closes with Steve introducing audiences to a new generation of Avengers heroes including Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Falcon.
5.) Captain America: Civil War (2016)
“We’re outside the law on this one, so if you come with us, you’re a wanted man.”
Following the events of Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War divides the Avengers team with Captain America on one side and Iron Man on the other. The pair feud over government control of superheroes with Cap falling on the side of against the idea. The two teams of heroes come to blows on an airport tarmac in Germany, and Civil War finishes with Cap lodging his shield in Iron Man’s chest and breaking his friends out of the high-security prison known as the Raft.
6.) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
“Evacuate the city! Engage all defenses! And get this man a shield!”
Avengers: Infinity War thrusts Captain America back into the spotlight after some time in hiding. With the Mad Titan Thanos on a conquest to collect all six Infinity Stones in an effort to wipe out half of all life, Cap teams up with a handful of Earth-based heroes, taking on Thanos’ armies in the wilds of Wakanda. Despite coming to blows with the Mad Titan himself, Evans’ Marvel hero loses, with Thanos snapping half the universe to dust.
7.) Avengers: Endgame (2019)
“Avengers! Assemble.”
Rounding out Chris Evans’ time as Captain America is the time-traveling epic, Avengers: Endgame. Five years after killing Thanos, Cap leads a Quantum-tech-powered mission back in time to collect the Infinity Stones to hopefully bring back those that were snapped. From there, he goes to battle again, this time against the 2014 version of Thanos and issuing a battle cry to the entire MCU. He helps take down the Mad Titan, bringing back everyone who was turned to dust. Evans’ MCU tenure comes to an end as he hands off the mantle to Anthony Mackie’s Sam and teleports back in time to be with his one true love, Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell).
BONUS: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021 series)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sees the next generation of Captain America being officially crowned, as Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson grapples with taking on the shield and the legacy that comes with it. The Disney+ series ends with Mackie’s MCU hero sporting a new suit and officially stepping into the Captain America role full-time.
While Captain America has made his presence felt in some pretty major appearances across the MCU’s filmography, he has also popped up elsewhere in the franchise in a number of smaller roles.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America proper does not appear in Thor: The Dark World; however, he does show up by way of a Loki-created illusion. Amidst Thor’s escape attempt from Asgard, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief embodies Cap for a split-second, asking Chris Hemsworth’s Asgardian hero if he wants “to have a rousing discussion on truth, honor, [or] patriotism” all before Thor throws him against a wall.
Ant-Man (2015)
Despite not showing up throughout Ant-Man‘s 177-minute runtime, Steve Rogers is one of the main characters of the film’s post-credits stinger. Focusing on Cap and Sam Wilson as they seem to have Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes imprisoned, the Star-Spangled Man ruminates on who can help them, to which Mackie’s Sam replies, “I know a guy.”
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Captain America may not be the funniest hero in the MCU, but he gets one of the biggest laughs in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. The great American hero cameos by way of a series of high school PSAs in Peter Parker’s gym class and again in detention. This joke is then called back to in the post-credits scene, playing on the Marvel Studios staple of staying to the end to get a tease of what’s next, with Cap teaching audiences about the virtue of patience.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Another post-credits appearance for Captain America comes in Captain Marvel. With much of the Brie-Larson-starring blockbuster taking place during the 1990s, the stinger sees the hero answer the call being sent by Cap and co. after half the universe was snapped away by Thanos at the end of Infinity War.
Loki (2021 series)
The only of these cameos in which no new footage was actually filmed came in Season 1 of Loki. Captain America appears alongside the other Avengers when Loki is being shown his memories by Owen Wilson’s Mobius. This is done with archival footage from Avengers: Endgame and The Avengers.
When Will Captain America Next Appear in the MCU?
While fans may have seen the last of Chris Evans’ Captain America, that is not to say the character is done in the MCU.
Anthony Mackie’s take on the iconic character will next pop up in his first solo movie as the character in next year’s Captain America: New World Order.
From there, Cap will likely pop up in the pair of Avengers movies (The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars) set as the end-cap to the ongoing Multiverse Saga.
And with the amount of crossover between Captain America 4 and the upcoming Thunderbolts, there is a real chance the star-spangled hero makes a cameo appearance in the Phase 5 finale.
Of course, with Steve Rogers seemingly still out there as well, there is also always the chance that he comes back to reprise his role for a mega MCU event (a la Secret Wars), potentially giving fans the chance to see two different Caps on-screen at the same time.
Captain America can next be seen when Captain America: New World Order comes to theaters on May 3, 2024.
