When Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was first introduced to the world in 2008’s “Iron Man,” it was with the suggestion that he might be a part of something bigger. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has now spanned 25 films. The story is still being told, albeit with many branches and side stories that develop innovative protagonists and new frontiers that may or may not ever feature in the movies.
To a certain extent, each film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) can be viewed as its own entity, but, much like Lego bricks, they all fit together to form a single, cohesive universe. You can piece together a coherent narrative by watching all of Marvel’s films in sequence.
Below, we detail one approach to watching the Marvel films chronologically, among several others. Even though some MCU movies, like “Captain Marvel” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” are direct prequels taking place in the 1990s and 1940s, respectively, the films all make sense when viewed in chronological order.
However, if you are a purist, we have also included a list of the movies in the MCU in the order that they were released and a list of the Marvel films that are currently available to stream on Disney+.
Should you watch Marvel movies in release date order or chronologically?
It’s not necessary to watch the MCU films to understand the story. Still, newcomers are advised to do so for the sake of continuity. In that order, you can see how Marvel Studios ironed out the kinks and refined the formula for making Marvel films. You can also follow the timeline in which the movies were released.
It’s a lot of fun to watch the Marvel movies in order if you’ve watched some or all of them. To watch “Captain Marvel” so soon and then wait for 20 films for Brie Larson’s character to be mentioned again is strange, but it doesn’t alter the plot. You can see how seamlessly Marvel integrated its prequel films into the central universe.
Chronological order of Marvel movies
Even though most Marvel films are direct sequels to one another, some of them recount events that happen simultaneously with those of other films. For example, “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” both take place before “Avengers: Infinity War,” which is set to occur around the same time.
The Infinity Saga is a three-part story arc spanning the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from “Iron Man” to “Avengers: Endgame.” The Disney+ shows “WandaVision,” “Black Widow,” and “Shang-Chi” are all part of the fourth phase, which debuted with “WandaVision.”
Thor: Love and Thunder, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, looks to be going sometime after “Doctor Strange 2” and “Ms. Marvel” and after the happenings in “Avengers: Endgame.”
The following is a recommended viewing order for the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies:
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Black Widow
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Black Panther
- Doctor Strange
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Eternals
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
Marvel movies in order of release
Once Paramount Pictures took over distribution of the MCU films after “Iron Man” in 2008 (with Universal handling “The Incredible Hulk”), Disney took over distribution of all Marvel Studios films made after “Captain America: The First Avenger.” The three “Spider-Man” films released by Sony Pictures stand out as the only exceptions, despite being official MCU canon.
Here’s the recommended viewing schedule for all the Marvel films in order of release:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Black Widow (2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
A timeline of events for the Marvel TV shows on Disney Plus
Loki
While the first episode of “Loki” takes place immediately after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” the time at which the happenings of the season finale affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not specified.
Hawkeye
Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame” by roughly a year and running concurrently with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Hawkeye” is set during the Christmas season of 2024.
WandaVision
Taking place between “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” Marvel’s first Disney+ series will pick up three weeks after the climactic events of the latter film.
Falcon and Winter Soldier
Timeline-wise, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” occurs six months after “Avengers: Endgame” but before “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
The Moon Knight
Other than taking place after “Avengers: Endgame,” no specific time period for “Moon Knight” has been revealed.
Ms. Marvel
The teen-oriented “Ms. Marvel” takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” and it appears that some time has gone since Avengers protected the planet.
What Marvel films are available to watch on Disney Plus?
Almost every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is available to stream on Disney+, except for “The Incredible Hulk” (which is available on HBO Max) and the three “Spider-Man” films starring Tom Holland (including “Far From Home,” which is available on FuboTV). Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD copies of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” can also be purchased.
The Disney+ premiere of “Thor: Love and Thunder” is expected to take place in August.
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Black Widow
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
In the works: Upcoming Marvel films
And here’s what’s up next for the MCU, in terms of corroborated movies, with their expected release dates:
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Nov. 11, 2022
- The Marvels – Feb. 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 5, 2023
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Jul. 28, 2023
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