How to watch all the Captain America movies in order? Full guide
Captain America is a superhero movie trilogy based on the Marvel comics. The franchise follows the story of the fictional titular superhero, also known as Steve Rogers.
Chris Evans plays the role of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). His portrayal spans several films produced by Marvel Studios, including the following titles:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
This is also the chronological order in which these films must be watched.
For the unversed, Steve Rogers was a skinny young man during World War II who volunteered for an experimental Super Soldier serum that transformed him into a physically enhanced super-soldier with unbelievable strength, speed, and endurance. He fought against the Nazis and their leader, the Red Skull.
In what order do you watch Captain America movies?
1) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger is the first film in the trilogy. It is set during the Second World War, when Steve Rogers wants to fight for his country. However, he repeatedly gets rejected from military service due to his frail and skinny body. Dr. Abraham Erskine, a scientist, recruits him for his experimental program, through which he wants to create a super soldier.
Rogers undergoes the experiment, where he's injected with "Super Soldier serum." The serum transforms him into a superhuman. Despite having unbelievable strength and ability, people refuse to believe the possibility of him becoming Captain America. The movie then shifts the focus towards the villain of the movie, Red Skull, who leads the organization named HYDRA.
Red Skull tries to use the Tesseract to dominate the world. Steve Rogers sets out to face him. He teams up with Bucky Barnes, his loyal friend, and Peggy Carter, a British intelligence officer and his love interest. Rogers battles with Red Skull on a massive HYDRA aircraft and ultimately defeats him.
The Tesseract's energy, however, destabilizes the aircraft, and to prevent any further harm, Rogers crashes the aircraft into the Arctic waters. It is believed that he died, frozen in the ice for decades. The ending scene features him waking up in a room where he learns that the war has been long over and that he is in the future.
2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Winter Soldier is the second installment in the trilogy. The movie takes place right after the course of events featured in The Avengers. The Captain works for the spy agency S. H. E. I. L. D., along with Natasha Romanoff and Sam Wilson.
They discover a conspiracy within the agency and, along the way, encounter an assassin known as the Winter Soldier, a mysterious masked man with personal ties to Steve Rogers's past. He is revealed to be his loyal friend from wartime, Bucky Barnes.
Bucky was captured by the Soviet armed forces and HYDRA, brainwashed, and equipped with a metal arm. He becomes a deadly opponent with his combat skills. Rogers finds himself questioning the true motives of the organization.
The movie features one of the most intense action sequences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which includes hand-to-hand combat between the Captain and the Winter Soldier.
3) Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Civil War is the third installment in the trilogy. The movie is set after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. After the destructive events in Sokovia, the world's governments proposed the Sokovia Accords, which would regulate the activities of the Avengers.
On one hand, Tony Stark (Iron Man) supports the accords, taking accountability for their actions. On the other hand, the Captain is distrustful of the bureaucracy and opposes it. Other Avengers seem to have similar opinions. This conflict of interest causes a rift between them, leading the Avengers to split into two factions—Team Cap and Team Iron Man.
Led by Steve Rogers, Team Cap includes Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Antman. Meanwhile, Team Iron Man is spearheaded by Tony Stark and includes Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, and Black Panther.
Later, a bombing that kills King T' Chaka of Wakanda is blamed on Bucky Barnes, the winter soldier. Rogers is convinced that Bucky is innocent and tries to protect him from the authorities, while Team Iron Man believes the opposite. The two teams clash at an airport in Germany, facing off against each other in combat and banter, where Tom Holland's Spider-Man makes his debut.
In an interesting turn of events, a dark secret is revealed: Bucky was responsible for the deaths of Tony's parents, and even worse, the Captain was aware of this. Tony and Captain face off, while Bucky escapes. Later, Steve breaks Team Cap out of the prison.
In the aftermath of the movie, Steve sends a letter to Tony, expressing his regret but maintaining his stand. In Wakanda, Bucky enters cryogenic sleep.
Captain America: Brave New World is set to release in February 2025.