Infinity Saga Recap: The Whole Story, Phase by Phase
Updated
The Infinity Saga (Phases 1–3, 2008–2019) is the 23-film story of the Infinity Stones and Thanos. Here's the whole decade in five minutes, one phase at a time.
Phase 1 (2008–2012): The Avengers assemble
Six films introduce Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America, then bring them together in New York.
Spoiler Spoilers for Phase 1, Iron Man through The Avengers: tap to reveal
Tony Stark becomes Iron Man; Steve Rogers is thawed out as Captain America; Thor is humbled on Earth. Nick Fury's cameos tease the Avengers Initiative, and in The Avengers (2012), Loki invades New York with the Tesseract (Space Stone). The heroes unite and win, but Loki's staff (Mind Stone) falls into Hydra's hands. The mid-credits scene reveals a smiling purple titan: Thanos.
Phase 2 (2013–2015): Cracks in the team
The Infinity Stones start surfacing across the galaxy, and the team starts to fray.
Spoiler Spoilers for Phase 2, Iron Man 3 through Ant-Man: tap to reveal
The Stones surface: the Aether (Reality Stone) in Thor: The Dark World, the Orb (Power Stone) in Guardians of the Galaxy. SHIELD falls when Hydra is exposed in The Winter Soldier. Tony builds the genocidal AI Ultron out of fear. The Avengers stop him, but Sokovia's destruction shatters public trust, and the Age of Ultron mid-credits scene shows Thanos taking up the Infinity Gauntlet: "Fine, I'll do it myself." Ant-Man then introduces the Quantum Realm, which matters a lot later.
Phase 3 (2016–2019): Thanos arrives
The Avengers split, new heroes arrive, and Thanos finally comes for the Stones.
Spoiler Spoilers for Phase 3, Civil War through Endgame: tap to reveal
The Sokovia Accords split the Avengers in Civil War; Thor loses Asgard to Hela in Ragnarok. Then Thanos strikes: in Infinity War he claims all six Stones and snaps half of all life out of existence. Five years later, the survivors pull off a "time heist" through the Quantum Realm in Endgame, undo the Snap, and face Thanos one last time. Tony Stark sacrifices himself to win; Captain America retires, passing the shield to Sam Wilson.
Where the saga left the universe
Spoiler Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame: tap to reveal
Half the universe's population returns ("the Blip"), the original Avengers are gone or retired, and the Stones are destroyed, leaving a power vacuum the Multiverse Saga rushes to fill. New heroes (Shang-Chi, the Eternals, Ms. Marvel) step up while old threats give way to a new one: the multiverse itself.
Ready for what's next? See what to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, or start the saga yourself with our chronological order and release order guides. Browse every phase at Phases 1–6.
FAQ
What is the Infinity Saga?
The MCU’s first saga: Phases 1–3 (2008–2019), 23 films about the Infinity Stones and Thanos’s quest to wipe out half of all life.
How many movies are in the Infinity Saga?
23 films: 6 in Phase 1, 6 in Phase 2, 11 in Phase 3. See our phases hub for the full breakdown.
What happens in the Blip?
The five years after Thanos’s Snap at the end of Infinity War. What the Avengers do about it is the story of Endgame, and the fallout drives Phase 4.
Do I need to watch the Infinity Saga before the Multiverse Saga?
Not every film, but Endgame, Infinity War, and the Avengers films set up everything. Our MCU essentials list trims it to the must-sees.