Asking how to watch Iron Man is like asking "How to enjoy sunshine." You just do it. Iron Man, released in 2008, is the first is what's now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU itself is made up of four phases. Iron Man kicked off Phase 1.
How to watch Iron Man on Disney+
The best way to watch Iron Man is on Disney+, which is the subscription streaming service that's now home to the MCU. You get the full Iron Man experience, in 4K ultra-high definition and in high dynamic range.
With your Disney+ subscription, which costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, you can watch Iron Man as much as you want, as many times as you want.
You also can watch Iron Man on Disney+ if you have the Disney+ Bundle, which includes ESPN+ and the basic Hulu service (with advertising for just $12.99 a month. That effectively gets you three streaming services for the price of two — and the entire MCU catalog along with it.
But Disney+ isn't the only way to watch Iron Man.
How to watch Iron Man: Everywhere else
Iron Man also is available on pretty much every video catalog available. Google Play. Amazon Video. iTunes. Vudu. You get the idea. If you want to buy Iron Man, go nuts. Buy Iron Man from wherever you want to buy Iron Man. Same goes if you just want to rent Iron Man.
The price may vary a little bit depending on your platform (and your country), but the end result is the same. You get to watch the original Iron Man.
Should you watch Iron Man on Disney+ or somewhere else?
Good question. If you're only going to watch Iron Man and no other MCU movies (or anything else on Disney+ for the matter) your best bet may be to do so on a platform that's not Disney+. You can rent Iron Man in 4K for as little as $3.99. Or purchase Iron Man in 4K for about $20.
But if there's any chance that you're going to watch at least three MCU movies — and there are three Iron Man movies in and of themselves — then you'll save money with a Disney+ subscription. You won't own the movies, but you'll be able to watch three movies and break even, and save money if you watch more than three.
Plus there's everything else that Disney+ has to offer.
- Everything you need to know about Disney+
- All about the Disney+ Premier Access program
- Disney+ price: What it costs where you live
The four phases of the MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is made up of four phases, with the "Infinity Saga" making up Phase 3. Black Widow is scheduled to be the first movie of Phase 4, but its release was delayed due to the global pandemic shutting down theaters.
MCU Phase 1
- Iron Man (May 2, 2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)
- Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)
- Thor (May 6, 2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011)
- Marvel's The Avengers (May 4, 2012)
MCU Phase 2
- Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (Nov. 8, 2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Aug. 1, 2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
- Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)
MCU Phase 3
- Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016)
- Doctor Strange (Nov. 4, 2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (Nov. 3, 2017)
- Black Panther (Feb. 16, 2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018
- Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2, 2019)
MCU Phase 4
- Black Widow (July 9, 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021)
- Eternals (Nov. 5, 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (Christmas 2021)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6, 2022)
- Black Panther 2 (July 8, 2022)
- The Marvels (Nov. 11, 2022)
