Where to watch Captain America: The First Avenger
Disney Plus streams the film in the US, together with the rest of the Infinity Saga. Outside the US, rights vary by country, so check the watch box on this page for what is available where you live. The runtime is 124 minutes, a little over two hours, which makes it an easy opening night for a full timeline marathon.
| Detail | The First Avenger |
|---|
| US streaming | Disney Plus |
| Runtime | 124 minutes |
| Story years | 1942 to 1945 |
| Watch first | Nothing |
| Phase | Phase 1, Infinity Saga |
| Our rating | Essential |
Where it sits in the watch order
On a chronological watch, this is where everything begins, which makes it the easiest possible entry point for a newcomer. The next stop on our timeline is Marvel's Agent Carter, a TV series that picks up Peggy Carter's story in the years right after the war. After that, the timeline jumps forward decades to Captain Marvel, set in the nineties. If you are sticking to movies only, you can leave Agent Carter for later without losing the thread.
Release order is a little different. The film came out in July 2011 as part of Phase 1, after Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor, and right before The Avengers. Either way, see it before the first team-up. Our Marvel watch order for beginners explains which route suits a first-time viewer better, and the Marvel Phase 1 in order page lists the whole opening phase.
Captain America: The First Avenger explained (spoiler-free)
Steve Rogers is a skinny, sickly kid from Brooklyn who keeps trying to enlist and keeps getting rejected. What he lacks in strength he makes up for in stubbornness and plain decency, and that is exactly what a secret army program is looking for. One experimental serum later, Steve is the first super soldier.
The army first uses him as a mascot selling war bonds. He wants to fight. His chance comes when he learns that Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, leads HYDRA, a science division that has broken away from the Nazis, and has found a powerful cosmic object. The film has a pulpy, old-fashioned adventure feel, more war movie than superhero story, which also makes it a good pick for friends who usually avoid capes and costumes.
At its core, the film argues that character matters more than power. The serum amplifies who Steve already is, and that idea follows him through every later appearance.
Captain America: The First Avenger post-credit scene
The film's final minutes, before the credits, already jump into the present day, so do not switch off at the last battle. After the full credits there is one more extra: a fast-cut preview of The Avengers that brings Steve and Nick Fury together and works almost like a trailer for the team-up. It spoils nothing in this film, and it is a fun bridge if you are watching in release order.
Why it is essential
We mark it essential, and the reason goes beyond being first. It introduces the Tesseract, the Space Stone in disguise, which drives The Avengers and resurfaces all the way to Endgame. HYDRA, the enemy introduced here, becomes the central threat of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Howard Stark, Tony's father, shows up as a young engineer.
Most of all, it sets up Steve's relationships with Peggy Carter and his best friend Bucky Barnes. Those two bonds are the emotional backbone of every later Captain America film, and without them the last scene of Endgame means far less. For the full run of Steve's and Sam's films, see our Captain America movies in order guide.
Cast and characters
Joe Johnston directs. Chris Evans makes his debut as Steve Rogers, and Hayley Atwell plays Peggy, an officer who never lets anyone underestimate her. Sebastian Stan is Bucky. Tommy Lee Jones gets many of the funniest lines as gruff Colonel Chester Phillips. Hugo Weaving plays the Red Skull, Dominic Cooper is Howard Stark, and Arnim Zola, a HYDRA scientist with a long future in the franchise, is part of Schmidt's inner circle. Nick Fury also appears near the end.
