Here's a breakdown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame, along with a brief description of each film and Thanos' involvement in his pursuit of the Infinity Stones.
Iron Man (2008): The first movie in the MCU introduces Tony Stark, a genius billionaire who builds a high-tech suit of armor to escape captivity and later becomes the superhero Iron Man.
The Incredible Hulk (2008): Scientist Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk, a powerful green creature, after a failed gamma radiation experiment. He tries to find a cure for his condition while being pursued by the military.
Iron Man 2 (2010): Tony Stark faces pressure from the government to share his Iron Man technology and battles a new enemy, Whiplash, who seeks revenge on the Stark family.
Thor (2011): The story of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, who is exiled to Earth from his home realm of Asgard after his father, Odin, deems him unworthy. He must learn humility and protect Earth from his brother Loki's schemes.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): Set during World War II, Steve Rogers volunteers for an experimental program that turns him into the super-soldier Captain America. He battles the villainous Red Skull and his organization, Hydra.
Marvel's The Avengers (2012): The first team-up of the main superheroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, to stop Loki and an alien invasion. Thanos is revealed as the mastermind behind the invasion, and his pursuit of the Tesseract, which contains the Space Stone, begins.
Iron Man 3 (2013): Tony Stark deals with the aftermath of The Avengers and faces a new terrorist threat called the Mandarin.
Thor: The Dark World (2013): Thor reunites with Jane Foster and battles the Dark Elves, who seek to use the Aether, which is later revealed to be the Reality Stone. In the end, the Aether is given to The Collector for safekeeping, inadvertently putting Thanos one step closer to obtaining another Infinity Stone.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon uncover a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. and face a deadly assassin, the Winter Soldier.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): A group of intergalactic misfits, including Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot, band together to prevent Ronan the Accuser from using the Orb, which contains the Power Stone, to destroy the galaxy. Thanos is indirectly involved, as Gamora is his adopted daughter, and Ronan was originally working for him.
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Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): The Avengers battle the artificial intelligence Ultron, created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. The film introduces Vision, who is powered by the Mind Stone.
Ant-Man (2015): Scott Lang becomes the new Ant-Man, using a suit that allows him to shrink in size, and helps his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands.
Captain America: Civil War (2016): A rift forms between Captain America and Iron Man, leading to a conflict that divides the Avengers. The film introduces Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU.
Doctor Strange (2016): Dr. Stephen Strange, a brilliant neurosurgeon, becomes the Sorcerer Supreme after a car accident leads him to the discovery of the mystic arts. The Time Stone is revealed to be housed in the Eye of Agamotto.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): The Guardians of the Galaxy face a new threat while unraveling the mystery of Star-Lord's parentage. The film further explores the relationship between Gamora and her sister Nebula, both of whom are daughters of Thanos.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): Peter Parker, mentored by Tony Stark, navigates high school life while facing the villainous Vulture and trying to prove himself as Spider-Man.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017): Thor, now without his hammer Mjolnir, must stop the goddess of death, Hela, from destroying Asgard. He teams up with Hulk and Valkyrie to prevent Ragnarok, the prophesied end of Asgard. The Tesseract, containing the Space Stone, is stolen by Loki.
Black Panther (2018): T'Challa, the Black Panther, returns to his technologically advanced homeland, Wakanda, to take his rightful place as king after the death of his father. He faces a challenge to his throne from Erik Killmonger.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018): Thanos takes center stage, as he seeks to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe. He faces opposition from the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Thanos successfully collects the stones and snaps his fingers, causing the infamous "Blip."
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): Taking place before the events of Infinity War, Scott Lang teams up with Hope van Dyne, the new Wasp, to rescue her mother from the Quantum Realm. The film's post-credits scene ties in with the events of Infinity War, as several characters are affected by the Blip.
Captain Marvel (2019): Set in the 1990s, the film tells the origin story of Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force pilot who becomes the powerful hero Captain Marvel after being exposed to alien technology. The movie features the Tesseract, which contains the Space Stone.
Avengers: Endgame (2019): The culmination of the MCU's Infinity Saga. The surviving Avengers, along with some new allies, devise a plan to travel back in time and collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos can. They ultimately face off against Thanos and his army in a final battle to reverse the Blip and save the universe.
Throughout these films, Thanos' pursuit of the Infinity Stones forms a critical narrative thread that leads to the epic conclusion in Avengers: Endgame. His actions have lasting consequences on the heroes and the MCU as a whole.