Thor: The Dark World Thor: The Dark World That story finally comes full circle in Infinity War.ģ. Perhaps most importantly, The Avengers hinges on Loki's efforts to steal the Tesseract and acquire it for Thanos. Not to mention that it technically showcases the first conflict between the Avengers and Thanos's forces, though that fact wasn't made clear until the mid-credits scene. This movie is the true launching point for much of what's unfolded since in the MCU.

The Avengers marks the first time Earth's Mightiest Heroes banded together to fight a common enemy. Not to mention that Infinity War finally addressed the fate of Red Skull himself. There's also the fact that Captain America: The First Avenger revolves heavily around the Tesseract, the Hydra artifact that Red Skull used to power his army and which contained the first Infinity Stone to be introduced in the MCU - the Space Stone. Plus, this film gives necessary context to the Steve/Bucky relationship as the two friends are finally reunited (sans brainwashing) in Infinity War before being cruelly torn apart again. For that reason alone, it's worth going back to the first Cap movie and reliving his early World War II exploits. That's especially true in Endgame, as the man formerly known as Captain America comes to terms with his failures and inability to move on in a post-Decimation world. Steve Rogers' character arc is a huge part of the first three phases of the MCU.

Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The First Avenger

Instaling Avengers: Infinity War