With Avengers: Endgame set to break records left and right, many UK fans probably want to watch some of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films again, in preparation. Or maybe you’re new to the Marvel Universe (is that even possible?) and want to watch the entire gigantic series of movies from the beginning.
Of course, with more than 20 movies over more than 10 years, we’re talking about a lot of watching hours. And, since we’re a cord cutting site, we aim to help you watch movies online – streaming them, that is. So in this guide, we’ll take a look at ALL the “official” Marvel Cinematic Universe films, starting with Iron Man (2008)… but we’ll point you towards places where you can watch them On Demand, without an expensive cable/satellite subscription. (We’ll list the films in the order they were released, and not in chronological-story order)
We’ll cover the five major streaming options: Netflix UK, where you can watch some of the films as part of your regular monthly subscription, NOW TV, where you can watch some of the films with a Cinema Pass. (If you want some tips on getting a NOW TV subscription for a cheaper price – check out my guide.)
Then we have Amazon Prime Video UK, Google Play and iTunes – where you can buy or rent each of the films by paying for it directly.
There are a few smaller VOD services in the UK that offer some of the films as well, but we’ll only take a look at the major ones since these are the most popular. Eventually, all the Marvel films will move to the new Disney+ streaming service – but that’ll take a couple of years in the UK.
Note: Some of the MCU films are also available on Netflix US, which isn’t normally available in the UK. But you can also check out my guide on how to watch American Netflix in the UK.
OK, Now let’s dive in! (Just remember that this list is correct as of this writing – we’ll try to keep it updated, but streaming rights often change and move around).
1. How To Watch Iron Man Online In The UK
The movie that started the whole Superhero madness (at least in the new millennium, so not counting the older Batman and Superman films).
Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is the perfect example of what the Marvel Cinematic Universe will become – a funny, flawed superhero who – despite his issues – still manages to save the world.
Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man started many of the things we now take for granted – even the amusing post-credits scenes, which often tease the new film in the series.
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2. How To Watch The Incredible Hulk Online In The UK
The Incredible Hulk, which was released in the same year as Iron Man (2008), is a bit of an odd bird in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. It had a very different tone to it, and felt much more like a standalone movie (though Iron Man does have a short cameo in it).
Plus, this version of the Hulk is portrayed by Edward Norton, who was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo.
Still, even though this film feels external to the rest of the series, it’s still an interesting watch, and does establish Bruce Banner (the hulk) in a way that is later used again in future Marvel films.
Stream The Incredible Hulk On:
- NOW TV (Via Cinema Pass)
- Netflix (Via Subscription)
- Amazon Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
- iTunes (Rent/Buy)
- Google Play (Rent/Buy)
3. How To Watch Iron Man 2 Online In The UK
If it works… do it again. So they did, and Tony Stark came back in 2010, this time expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe some more – we got our first look at Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and a few other Marvel references and easter eggs.
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4. How To Watch Thor Online In The UK
Moving away from Earth (at least for a bit), Chris Hemsworth was the perfect Thor, the crown prince of Asgard.
Kenneth Branagh was brought in to direct, and the first Thor (2011) was also where we got to meet one of Marvel’s best villains (and characters in general) – Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
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5. How To Watch Captain America: The First Avenger Online In The UK
One of Marvel’s better-known heroes finally reached the Cinematic Universe in 2011. Chris Evans, as Steve Rogers, wore Captain America’s suit (and muscles) for the first time, in a movie that mostly takes place during the 1940s.
Now that Captain America’s origin story was in place – everything was ready for the heroes to assemble…
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6. How To Watch The Avengers (Avengers Assemble) Online In The UK
The film that brought the Marvel universe and its heroes together for the first time, in 2012. Marvel’s The Avengers (it was called Avengers Assemble in the UK to avoid confusion with the British TV series) was a huge spectacle, but also managed to be emotional and funny thanks to Joss Whedon’s script (he also directed the film).
Surprisingly, the film feels a bit slow today, simply because the pacing amped up so much since then – but it remains an excellent piece of movie history.
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7. How To Watch Iron Man 3 Online In The UK
Avengers Assemble marked the end of “Phase One” of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, and Iron Man 3 (2013) marked the beginning of Phase 2. With a new director (Shane Black) and Ben Kingsley as the villain, this is considered to be one of the best films in the franchise, although it wasn’t as successful as some of the others.
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8. How To Watch Thor: The Dark World Online In The UK
Chris Hemsworth was back as Thor again in 2013, for the full sequel, as was Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The film was quite literally dark, and has a somewhat slow pace, but fans of Thor are still likely to enjoy it.
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9. How To Watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier Online In The UK
Steve Rogers is back, now part of S.H.I.E.L.D, headed by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Sebastian Stan is also back as The Winter Soldier. The 2014 film, which was inspired by 70’s political thrillers, was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who later directed the third sequel, as well as the two most recent Avengers films – Infinity War and Endgame.
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10. How To Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Online In The UK
The second Marvel film to come out in 2014, this was a bit of a gamble: a group of totally new (in the cinematic world) characters, with a talking racoon being one of them.
The film, directed by James Gunn, was a huge success, both critically and in the box-office, with Chris Pratt shining as Star-Lord.
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11. How To Watch Avengers: Age of Ultron Online In The UK
Joss Whedon was back in 2015 to write and direct the Avengers sequel, bringing the whole gang back together again, to fight the evil A.I. – Ultron (James Spader). While still having many of the good points from the first film, the sequel was a bit of a mess and a disappointment to some. Still, it’s highly entertaining and sets a lot of the building blocks for what’s to come later.
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12. How To Watch Ant-Man Online In The UK
In 2015, another new character was brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who could become tiny thanks to a special suit created by his mentor, Dr Hank Pym (Micheal Douglas). The film was lighter than many of the other Marvel films, and was basically a superhero comedy.
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13. How To Watch Captain America: Civil War Online In The UK
Directing brothers Anthony and Joe Russo were back in 2016, Civil War marked the beginning of the Third Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considered by many to be Avengers 2.5, this film brought many of the Marvel characters together again – though this time, they were… fighting each other.
This film also introduced Marvel’s new Spider-Man (Tom Holland), as well as Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), both of which would later receive their own stand-alone movies.
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14. How To Watch Doctor Strange Online In The UK
Magic entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016, with Benedict Cumberbatch portraying ex-neurosurgeon-turned-mystical-arts-hero Dr Stephen Strange. The film takes some time picking up the action, but it introduces concepts which would be important in later Marvel films.
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15. How To Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Online In The UK
Star-Lord and his band of misfits came back in 2017, this time looking for Peter Quill’s real father. James Gunn directed again, and while the film was still very entertaining and quite funny, it probably wasn’t as good as the first one.
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16. How To Watch Spider-Man: Homecoming Online In The UK
Spider-Man, one of Marvel’s most popular heroes over the years, had several cinematic incarnations. From the successful Tobey Maguire films at the beginning of the century, to the less-successful Andrew Garfield ones. Finally, in 2015, Sony – who held the cinematic rights for Spider-Man – decided to co-produce the next incarnation of Spidey with Marvel, bringing the webbed hero into the MCU.
Thus, after being introduced in Captain America: Civil War, 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming brought us a young, perky Spider-Man, portrayed by Tom Holland. While aimed (at least in part) at younger audiences, this film retained all the familiar hallmarks of a good Marvel film.
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17. How To Watch Thor: Ragnarok Online In The UK
After two Thor films that took themselves VERY seriously, director Taika Waititi was brought in to direct what was essentially a buddy-comedy with Thor and The Hulk. The third Marvel film to be released in 2017, Ragnarok was unlike anything we’ve seen in previous Thor films – but it was hilarious and entertaining (and yes, there’s action too).
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18. How To Watch Black Panther Online In The UK
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) was first introduced back in Captain America: Civil War, and returned in 2018 for the fight over who would rule the mysterious, highly advanced nation of Wakanda. Black Panther was the first Marvel film that featured a predominantly black cast, and it went on to be a huge box-office success.
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19. How To Watch Avengers: Infinity War Online In The UK
The Avengers finally meet up with The Guardians Of The Galaxy, and the more recent Marvel heroes as well – Spider-Man and Black Panther. 2018’s Inifity War was the first Avengers film to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and it was the ultimate superhero film, spanning galaxies and stories, and an incredible villain – Thanos (Josh Brolin). It’s the culmination of everything Marvel did in its cinematic universe up until this point – and it’ll take your breath away.
While not presented as “Part 1”, Infinity War is indeed the first part of this story, which will be concluded in Avengers: Endgame.
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20. How To Watch Ant-Man and the Wasp Online In The UK
Scott Lang is back to his usual antics, in this romantic-superhero-comedy from 2018. Following the bleak (in tone) Avengers: Infinity War the light-heartedness of this film was a bit strange – but maybe that’s exactly what the world needed.
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21. How To Watch Captain Marvel Online In The UK
The first Marvel Cinematic Universe to be headed by a female hero (following DC’s Wonder Woman). The film is set in the 90’s, and brings together Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, along with two MCU favourites – Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg).
Captain Marvel isn’t available for streaming just yet – but you can pre-order it on: