Robert Downey, Jr. is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor von Doom (a.k.a. Doctor Doom). Before he was Doctor Doom, he portrayed Iron Man in the MCU, a role that garnered him universal recognition. It’s possible his Iron Man character, or at least a variant of it, will play a role in his transition into the role of Doctor Doom, meaning viewers may wish to catch up on Iron Man’s film history before Avengers: Doomsday.
Check out our guide to find out where to watch every Iron Man movie in order on platforms like Disney+ and more!
Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1962. Over the years, he quickly became one of Marvel’s most popular characters with his artificial heart, iron suit, and playboy antics, making him a flawed hero that readers couldn’t help but like. He first started appearing in film in 2006 in the first three direct-to-video Marvel Animated Features. By 2008, he made his live-action debut in Iron Man, with Downey portraying him.
The film kickstarted the MCU and tells the hero’s origin story as Stark, a billionaire industrialist, is forced to construct a suit of armor to escape the terrorists holding him captive. Once home, he employs the help of James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to fight crime and terrorism. The film is often credited with reinventing the superhero genre as it mixed comedy and action, provided viewers with larger-than-life heroes and mesmerizing visuals, and paved the way for a shared universe.
By 2012, Downey’s Iron Man appeared in the MCU’s first major crossover movie, The Avengers. In the film, he is recruited to Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) superhero team, the Avengers, alongside Earth’s other mightiest heroes including Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). The film, which sees the team fight the God of Mischief, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), marked the first proper and ambitious shared universe crossover.
Stark immediately became a staple of the MCU, appearing in two Iron Man sequels and every Avengers movie to date. However, he also crossed over into other heroes’ film series. He plays a significant role in Captain America: Civil War, when he and Captain America spark a Civil War between the Avengers. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Stark takes on a mentorship role to Peter Parker (Tom Holland).
His films culminated in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, in which countless Marvel heroes team up to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) from using the Infinity Stone to wipe out half of Earth’s population. Downey’s career as Stark concluded with Avengers: Endgame, although Iron Man’s legacy remains vital to the shared universe.
How to watch the Iron Man movies in order
The best way to watch the Iron Man movies is to start with the MCU timeline before moving on to the animated Iron Man movies. See below for the MCU Iron Man films in release date order:
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Captain America: Civil War
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
If you want to watch the movies chronologically, it is the same as the order of release date. The only difference is you would watch Iron Man 2 before The Incredible Hulk.
See below for the Iron Man animated movies in release date/chronological order:
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
- Ultimate Avengers 2
- The Invincible Iron Man
- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow
- Iron Man: Rise of Technovore
- Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United
- Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United
Where to watch all Iron Man movies online
Check out our list below to find out where to watch every Iron Man movie in release date order in the United States!