From Iron Man (2008) to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) currently stands as the biggest and highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
As of today, the MCU is composed of 31 movies and several Disney Plus shows. This gigantic franchise, run by Marvel Studios, isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, with many other highly anticipated movies on the way, including Blade, Deadpool 3, and Fantastic Four.
Whether you’re new to the MCU or planning to start an MCU binge-watching party with your friends or family, knowing how to watch Marvel movies in order is significant, as the entire franchise is inter-connected.
Similar to the Star Wars franchise, you can watch Marvel movies in chronological order, or you can watch them based on their release dates. We cover both approaches in this guide, so stick around!
Marvel Movies in Chronological Order
Watching Marvel movies in chronological order is perfect for those already familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and looking for a new way to watch the franchise.
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
Despite being the fifth MCU movie in terms of release date order, Captain America: The First Avenger marks the chronological start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The events of this Marvel movie take place during World War 2, from 1942 to 1943. They show Steve Rogers (Captain America), played by Chris Evans, fighting the terrorist organization HYDRA, and its leader, Red Skull.
This is one of the most important movies in the MCU because it introduces the Tesseract, which, as you’ll later discover, is one of the six infinity stones.
2. Captain Marvel (1995)
Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an action-packed movie that sees Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), played by Brie Larson, fighting the shape-shifting Skrulls alongside a young Nick Fury.
While it might not be the most popular MCU movie, Captain Marvel delivered a well-appreciated dose of ’90s nostalgia by incorporating elements like payphones, Blockbuster, and Nine Inch Nails music.
3. Iron Man (2010)
About 15 years after the events of Captain Marvel, we’re introduced to the third chronological Marvel movie, Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man).
In this movie, we see Tony Stark creating the Iron Man suit to escape the captivity of the Ten Rings cell, a terrorist organization based in Afghanistan.
Stark eventually escapes and becomes the superhero we know and love, accompanied by P.A. Pepper Potts and his close friend, Colonel James Rupert “Rhodey” Rhodes, who later becomes War Machine.
4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
The second Iron Man movie picks up right where the first movie left off. Stark’s identity as Iron Man is revealed, which puts him under much pressure, especially from the government.
Iron Man 2 shows the government trying to seize the technology behind Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit, along with Hammer Industries, another prominent weapons manufacturer.
5. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
The Incredible Hulk is set around the same time as Iron Man 2, and it introduces the green, colossal, and rage-filled monster into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In this movie, we see Bruce Banner on the run from General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and the military as they’re trying to take him down due to his condition. We also see the Hulk fighting Abomination by the end of the movie.
The Incredible Hulk featured actor Edward Norton as Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk, but he was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo, who continues to play the role to this day.
6. Thor (2011)
As Tony Stark grapples with his superhero identity and Bruce Banner tries to escape the military, Thor, the God of Thunder, is banished to Earth by his father due to Loki’s mischief.
In this movie, we see the mighty Norse god, played by Chris Hemsworth, trying to regain his powers with the aid of Jane Foster so that he can set things right before his brother ruins Asgard.
7. The Avengers (2012)
This is the very first Avengers movie, and it’s considered the culmination of Phase 1 of the MCU. The events of this Marvel movie take place about a year after Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk and Thor.
In this movie, we see Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye teaming up to fight a Tesseract-wielding Loki and a massive horde of alien invaders in the heart of New York City.
This is one of the best Marvel films to date. It’s also the movie that showed the world that the MCU is bound to be one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, garnering a worldwide gross of over $1.5 billion.
8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
The events of the third and final Iron Man movie take place around six months after the events of The Avengers. This movie shows Stark wrestling with the ramifications of the New York City battle.
We also see him teaming up with Rhodey to save the president, who scientist Aldrich Killian, the movie’s main antagonist, had kidnaped. Fun movie, overall, but far from the MCU’s upper echelon.
9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
After the events of The Avengers, Thor returns to Earth to learn that Jane Foster, his love interest, has absorbed the Aether, a dangerous substance that can potentially kill her.
The God of Thunder resorts to the help of his mischievous brother Loki, who tricks Malekith into getting the Aether out of Jane. Thor and Jane then try to stop Malekith from using the Aether to destroy Earth.
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
To this day, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is regarded as one of the best Marvel films. As a matter of fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Marvel fan that doesn’t have this movie in its top five.
This movie reintroduces Steve Roger’s closest friend, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, as an adversary that goes by the Winter Soldier, with Sebastian Stan reprising his role. The movie also features the debut of Sam Wilson (Falcon), played by Anthony Mackie.
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most entertaining Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The movie shows Peter Quill (Star-Lord), played by Chris Pratt, stumbling upon an Infinity Stone that’s coveted by Ronan the Accuser.
Quill then teams up with a bunch of characters that we grew to love, including Groot, Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer, to save the universe by preventing Ronan from seizing the Infinity Stone.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)
Picking up where the first movie left off, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 shows Peter Quill (Star-Lord) coming face to face with Ego, a powerful godlike character played by Kurt Russell.
Star-Lord later learns that Ego is actually his biological father and that he is, in fact, a major villain that has to be stopped. So, Quill and his ragtag group attempt to fight Ego with the help of Mantis.
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Though not the most popular among the Avengers movies, Age of Ultron is noteworthy, as it introduced many popular Marvel characters, including the Scarlet Witch, Vision and Quicksilver.
In this movie, we see Tony Stark and Bruce Banner create a powerful AI robot called Ultron, voiced by James Spader, hoping it is a formidable line of defense for humanity.
Little did they know, Ultron was more interested in exterminating the human race than saving it. So, Stark, Banner and the rest of the Avengers assemble once again to fight Ultron and save humanity.
14. Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man sees Dr. Hank Pym recruiting ex-con Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, to dawn the Ant-Man suit. The suit allows its user to shrink in size, control ants and possess superhuman strength.
With the suit’s powers, Scott Lang has to prevent Darren Agonistes Cross (Yellowjacket) from duplicating Dr. Pym’s technology (Pym Particles) and using it for all the wrong purposes.
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Next up, we have another monumental MCU plotline that takes place after Avengers: Age of Ultron. In this movie, two superhero factions go head to head — one led by Steve Rogers and the other by Tony Stark.
Though the movie is titled Captain America: Civil War, all Avengers are featured. The movie even introduced Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther!
16. Black Widow (2016)
Black Window sees Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson, tracking down the Red Room, which is the organization that tortured and trained her to become a Black Widow.
Having acquired an antidote to the Black Widow mind-control tactics that the Red Room uses, Romanoff sets off on a mission to save herself and other Black Widows from the organization’s clutches.
17. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
After his introduction in Captain America: Civil War, it was time for Spider-Man’s solo debut, where he faces off with Adrian Toomes (Vulture), played by none other than the legendary Michael Keaton.
In addition to facing a formidable villain, Peter Parker has to deal with the complicated dynamic of being a high-school freshman who is secretly a wall-crawling, web-slinging superhero.
18. Black Panther(2016)
The events of Black Panther take place after the UN bombing and death of T’Challa’s father in Captain America: Civil War, where we see T’Challa returning to Wakanda to take his rightful place as king.
This movie introduces one of the MCU’s best supervillains, Erik Stevens, also known as Killmonger. It also shows Killmonger challenging T’Challa to an epic showdown for the throne of Wakanda. Many consider this movie a masterpiece!
19. Doctor Strange (2016)
As the events of Civil War are taking place, Dr. Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is struggling to find a cure for his disability following a horrific car accident that injured his hands.
While traveling the world searching for a cure, the brilliant yet broken doctor runs into the Ancient One, leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. At the time, the Ancient One held the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
The Ancient One trains Strange in the mystic arts until he becomes a formidable sorcerer. Then, we see Strange dealing with an inter-dimensional threat in the form of a powerful entity called Dormammu.
20. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok might be the funniest, most entertaining MCU movie to this day. Though light-hearted and humorous, the movie is remarkably action-filled. There isn’t a single dull moment in this movie!
We see Thor fight the Hulk gladiator-style in this movie. We also see him fight his older sister Hela, the goddess of death, played by Cate Blanchett, by bringing about Ragnarok (the end of the world in Norse mythology).
21. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Alongside Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War is another one of the MCU’s masterpieces. This epic movie is considered half of the culmination of the entire Infinity Saga.
In this movie, we see Thanos, voiced by Josh Brolin, on a quest to collect all of the infinity stones so that he can wipe out half of all the life in the universe, with the Avengers trying to stop him.
Unfortunately, Thanos succeeds in his mission and wipes out half of the life in the universe. This leads to the second half of the Infinity Saga’s finale, Avengers: Endgame.
22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
The events of Ant-Man and the Wasp are concurrent with the events of Avengers: Infinity War. This movie is about the Quantum Realm, so prepare for a lot of quantum physics talk.
One of the reasons you should watch this movie after seeing Avengers: Infinity War, even though it’s occurring at the same time as the latter, is the post-credits scene.
23. Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
Avengers: Endgame is the finale of the entire Infinity Saga. The events of massive production take place five years after Thanos successfully wipes out half of all the life in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War.
This movie shows how the world struggles to readjust to the calamity. It also shows Earth’s mightiest heroes reuniting to try and set things right, which they eventually do, but not without tragedy!
24. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)
The tragedy that struck at the ending of Avengers: Endgame left Peter in deep grief. So, to lighten the load, he decides to go on a school trip to Europe. Things didn’t go as planned, though!
Far From Home shows Spider-Man teaming up with Quentin Beck (Mysterio), played by Jake Gyllenhaal, to fight the Elementals. It’s later revealed that Beck is, in fact, the overarching villain of the movie.
25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2024)
Starring Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings show the titular character going against The Mandarin, played by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai.
Note that The Mandarin in this movie is the real deal, while the one in Iron Man 3 was a fake Mandarin. Speaking of which, the fake Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, also shows up in this movie.
26. Eternals (2024)
Created by a Celestial, the Eternals are beings that are assigned the mission of protecting humans from the evil and monstrous Deviants. At least, that’s what they think their mission is!
The Eternals later realize that they were put on Earth to ensure the human race develops enough to conceive a Celestial from the Earth’s core. This is when the real conflict arises.
27. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
You’re in for a fun ride with this movie, as it’s one of the most monumental MCU releases to date! The movie’s events occur right after Far From Home, where Peter’s identity as Spider-Man is revealed.
In this multiversal movie, Holland’s Spider-Man is joined by Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, along with Doctor Strange, for an over-the-top experience of superhero mania.
28. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a dark-in-tone MCU movie that’s notably tied to the events of No Way Home and the Disney Plus series WandaVision.
This movie shows Doctor Strange trying to deal with the consequences of the spells that were cast in No Way Home and deal with a seemingly evil Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch).
29. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
Seeing as the events of this movie take place after T’Challa’s death, you’d expect it to be set in 2024, but it’s not. Instead, according to Nate Moore, the film’s producer, the events of Wakanda Forever take place in 2025.
This movie introduces Namor, the ruler of Atlantis, portrayed by Tenoch Huerta. It also displays a conflict between Namor’s water-dwelling nation and the nation of Wakanda.
30. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025)
This is the latest MCU movie to date, and its events are concurrent with the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the year 2025, based on Scott Lang’s autobiography.
In this movie, we see Ant-Man and the Wasp embarking on a mind-boggling adventure in the Quantum Realm and interacting with all the strange creatures that dwell there.
31. Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
After learning about Gorr, the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale, we see Thor returning to Earth and running into Jane Foster yet again to learn that she’s been granted the same powers that he possesses.
Together, the two have to set aside the awkwardness that stems from their breakup and team up to take down Gorr, who’s hellbent on killing every single god that exists in the MCU.
Marvel Movies in Release Date Order
Watching Marvel movies in the order in which they were released is recommended for first-time viewers and those who have only seen a few Marvel movies here and there.
Phase 1 (2008-2012)
- Iron Man (May 7, 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)
- The Avengers (May 4, 2012)
Phase 2 (2013-2015)
- Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
- Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)
Phase 3 (2016-2019)
- Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016)
- Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017)
- Black Panther (February 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)
Phase 4 (2021-2022)
- Black Widow (July 9, 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021)
- Eternals (November 5, 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2021)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022)
Phase 5 (2023-2024)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
- The Marvels (November 11, 2023)
- Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
- Blade (September 6 2024)
- Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)
The Entire MCU in Chronological Order (Movies + TV Shows)
Here’s a list of all MCU releases, including movies and TV shows, in chronological order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
- Captain Marvel (1995)
- Iron Man (2010)
- Iron Man 2 (2011)
- The Incredible Hulk (2011)
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)
- I Am Groot (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
- Black Widow (2017)
- Black Panther (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
- Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
- Loki (Unkown)
- What If…? (Unkown)
- WandaVision (2023)
- Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2023-2024)
- Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2023-2024)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
- Eternals (2024)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
- Hawkeye (Christmas 2024)
- Moon Knight (2025)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
- She-Hulk (2025)
- Ms. Marvel (2025)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
- Werewolf By Night (2025)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Christmas 2025)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025)
The Entire MCU in Release Date Order (Movies + TV Shows)
Here’s a list of all MCU releases, including movies and TV shows, in release date order:
Phase 1 (2008-2012)
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
Phase 2 (2013-2015)
- 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)
Phase 3 (2016-2019)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Phase 4 (2021-2022)
- WandaVision (TV Show, 2021)
- Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV Show, 2021)
- Loki S1 (TV Show, 2021)
- Black Widow (2021)
- What If…? (TV Show, 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Hawkeye (TV Show, 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Moon Knight (TV Show, 2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Ms. Marvel (TV Show, 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- I Am Groot (TV Show, 2022)
- She-Hulk (TV Show, 2022)
- Werewolf By Night (Special, 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special (Special, 2022)
Phase 5 (2023-2024)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- Secret Invasion (2023)
- Loki S2 (2023)
- The Marvels (November 11, 2023)
- Echo (2023-2024)
- Ironheart (2023-2024)
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos (2023-2024)
- Daredevil: Born Again (2024)
- Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
- Blade (September 6 2024)
- Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)
Upcoming MCU Releases to Look Out For
The following is a list of all upcoming MCU movies and TV shows that have been announced:
- Secret Invasion (TV Show – Spring of 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
- The Marvels (July 28, 2023)
- Loki S2 (TV Show – Summer of 2023)
- Echo (TV Show – TBA 2023-2024)
- Ironheart (TV Show – TBA 2023-2024)
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos (TV Show – TBA 2023-2024)
- Daredevil: Born Again (TV Show – Spring of 2024)
- Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
- Blade (September 6, 2024)
- Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)
- Fantastic Four (February 14, 2025)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)
- Shang-Chi 2 (TBA)
- Nova (TBA)
- Armor Wars (TBA)
- Wakanda/Okoye (TV Show – TBA)
- Wonder Man (TV Show – TBA)
- What If…? S2 (TV Show – TBA)
- What If…? S3 (TV Show – TBA)
- Spider-Man: Freshman Year (TV Show – TBA)
- Marvel Zombies (TV Show – TBA)
Quick Recap
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most entertaining film franchises of all time. This juggernaut of a franchise isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, so you better pick up the pace now!
If you’re new to the MCU, we recommend you go through its movies in release date order. If you’re a fanatic who already saw all the Marvel movies released and want to try something different, we recommend the chronological order. Enjoy!
