The Expendables Movies: Release Order
The Expendables franchise was conceived as a nostalgic homage to classic action blockbusters, bringing together legendary action stars from the 1980s and 1990s in an ensemble mercenary team. Created by Sylvester Stallone, the series follows Barney Ross and his team of elite soldiers-for-hire as they take on dangerous missions around the world.
This watch order presents the complete series in its intended progression, following the linear storyline where each film builds upon the previous one. The franchise maintains strong character continuity with recurring team members like Barney Ross (Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), while introducing new faces and escalating the action with each installment.
Linear Timeline: Release Order = Story Order
The Expendables
Barney Ross leads a team of skilled mercenaries who are hired to assassinate a dictator on a small South American island. When they arrive to scout their mission, they discover the conflict is more complicated than it initially appeared.
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The Expendables 2
When one of their own is killed during what should have been a simple mission, Barney Ross and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a dangerous quest for revenge that leads them into hostile territory.
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The Expendables 3
Barney and his team of mercenaries face off against Conrad Stonebanks, Barney's former partner who has become a ruthless arms dealer. To defeat this personal enemy, Barney recruits a new generation of younger, tech-savvy fighters to join the classic Expendables crew.
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Expend4bles
The Expendables return as the world's last line of defense, but new team members with fresh tactics are about to shake up the veteran mercenary squad's established methods.
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Other Film Series
Airport
A 1970s disaster movie franchise featuring airline catastrophes and all-star ensemble casts.
American Ninja
A cult martial arts action series from Cannon Films following American soldiers skilled in ninjutsu as they battle various criminal ninja organizations.
Ong Bak
Tony Jaa's martial arts showcase trilogy featuring spectacular Muay Thai action across different time periods and loosely connected stories.
Shaft
A multi-generational action franchise following the Shaft family of private detectives across five decades, from the original blaxploitation classic to modern action films.
Skyline
A sci-fi trilogy following humanity's battle against alien invaders, with each film building directly on the previous story.
The Matrix
A groundbreaking sci-fi action series exploring the nature of reality through the story of Neo, a hacker who discovers the world is a computer simulation.