The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest franchises of all time, making it hard to position the Marvel movies in order to watch. At this stage, rewatching the franchise in full requires some serious homework, so some may choose instead to stick to the best MCU movies and TV shows instead. That is particularly true when you consider how much Marvel Studios' creatives have tinkered with the timeline, retconning things along the way. Luckily though, anyone looking for how to watch the Marvel movies in order do have a roadmap provided by the films themselves.

Success in Hollywood leads to longevity, and as the billions trickled in, Marvel Studios went from a bold idea to a multi-stranded goliath. Inevitably, that expansion led to more complexity in the timeline, as Kevin Feige's team sought to keep hold of the unprecedented size of the shared universe. The scale of the franchise is awesome: the MCU has 6 Phases, planned right up to 2027, with numerous future MCU movies and TV shows yet to be revealed, and even before that, there are tens of movies and Disney+ shows to watch. Here's every Marvel movie in order from 2008's Iron Man to the Multiverse Saga...

Related: All Marvel Movies Releasing In 2024

Marvel Movies In Order Of Release Date

Back when the MCU was still young, Kevin Feige announced his plans for multiple Phases of stories, introducing new characters and stories after the first run of Marvel movies up to The Avengers in 2012. Here's every Marvel movie in order within that plan, broken down into Phases and the two Sagas - the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga. This is the best way to watch Marvel movies in order of release date...

The Infinity Saga

MCU Phase One

• 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 Two

• 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

MCU Phase Three

• 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

The Multiverse Saga

MCU Phase Four

• 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, 2022
• Thor: Love and Thunder - July 8, 2022
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - November 11, 2022

MCU Phase Five

• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - February 17, 2023
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - May 5, 2023
• The Marvels - November 10, 2023
• Deadpool 3 - May 3, 2024
• Captain America: Brave New World - July 26, 2024
• Thunderbolts - December 20, 2024
• Blade - February 14, 2025

MCU Phase Six

• Marvel's Fantastic Four - May 2, 2025
• Avengers: The Kang Dynasty - May 1, 2026
• Avengers: Secret Wars - May 7, 2027

Upcoming MCU Movies After Phase 6

• Armor Wars - TBA
• Shang-Chi 2 - TBA
• Untitled MCU mutants film - TBA
• Spider-Man 4 - TBA

How To Watch Marvel Movies In Order Of Major Events

Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)

The US army develops the super soldier serum to help fight the war with the Nazis, creating Steve Roger's Captain America (Chris Evans), and pitting him off against deadly HYDRA villain Red Skull. The first Infinity Stone, the Tesseract, debuts.

Captain Marvel (1995)

Over 50 years later, Carol Danvers crashes her fighter jet before gaining superpowers, losing her memory, and entering the Kree/Skrull war that brings her back to Earth. Decades after Peggy Carter helped create SHIELD, field agent Nick Fury investigates the alien invasion and teams up with the hero who becomes the inspiration for the Avengers Initiative.

2010s

Iron Man (2010)

Billionaire tech mogul and problem child Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is kidnapped and creates the ultimate superhero armor, taking down terrorists and a threat to his family business. Nick Fury turns up to recruit him as an Avenger.

Iron Man 2 (2011)

Struggling with the toll the arc reactor in his chest is taking on his body, Tony Stark begins his almost decade-long struggle to keep his technlogy out of the wrong hands, as another rival tries to take him down.

The Incredible Hulk (2011)

While it came out second, The Incredible Hulk - a new reset for the character after Ang Lee's Hulk (2003) - actually comes after the first Iron Man movies in the timeline. Brilliant scientist Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) is drawn back to the US after exiling himself, to find himself hunted by the military hell-bent on using his genetics as a weapon.

Thor (2011)

The MCU's first introduction to ancient civilization the Asgardians sees heir-apparent to Odin's throne, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), banished to Earth to work on his worthiness, as his brother Loki causes chaos at home.

The Avengers (2012)

Loki returns to wage war on Earth, with a Chitauri army borrowed from Thanos in tow. Nick Fury revives the Avengers Initiative (after scrapping it off-screen) to bring together Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The second Infinity Stone debuts, in Loki's scepter.

Iron Man 3 (2012)

Tony Stark struggles to come to terms with the Battle of New York, developing PTSD just as an old business associate, Aldrich Killian re-emerges at the same time as a terrorist, The Mandarin vows to kill Iron Man.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Reunited with his brother Loki (despite his universal crimes), Thor faces down another threat to the Nine Realms, as the Dark Elves seek to regain control of the third Infinity Stone (within their ancient weapon the Aether) which infects Jane Foster.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Steve Rogers is confronted with an unexpected face from his past as he battles mysterious HYDRA assassin The Winter Soldier and investigates a huge SHIELD betrayal. Sam Wilson debuts, becoming side-kick Falcon.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Roughly at the same time as The Winter Soldier, the universe's other premium superhero team - the far more grubby, far less morally perfect Guardians of the Galaxy - are thrown together. The fourth Infinity Stone, the Power Stone, plays a key part in bringing the anti-heroes together.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2014)

Almost immediately after the end of the first movie, the Guardians are once more faced with a universe-threatening villain, this time in the shape of Kurt Russell's charming Ego. Baby Groot dances.

I Am Groot (2014)

James Gunn might claim it's not canon, but Disney+'s Baby Groot series of shorts delights, set some time during the events of 2014 in-universe (but before the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 post-credits scene).

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Back on Earth, Tony Stark's obsession with saving Earth from every conceivable threat leads to the accidental creation of his own nemesis, warmongering robot Ultron (James Spader). The Avengers gain some new members, including Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch.

Ant-Man (2015)

Still set in Marvel's Phase 2, but after the events of Age Of Ultron, Ant-Man sees Paul Rudd's Scott Lang recruited for a heist by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The smallest (and biggest) Avenger's origin story.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Don't call it an Avengers movie, but Captain America: Civil War is notable for including basically the whole Avengers cast, and bulking it out with the recruitment of both Ant-Man and Tom Holland's brand new Spider-Man. The Avengers struggle with superhero registration, taking sides and ultimately fighting it out as dark secrets from the past threaten the oldest alliance.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)

Spider-Man's MCU origin begins, skipping the usual part about the spider bite and the dead uncle. Homecoming kicks off immediately after the events of Civil War's big battle in Germany.

Doctor Strange (2016-2017)

Prodigious surgeon Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seeks to overcome the effects of a devastating car crash, desperately turning to the Masters of the Mystic Arts. The fifth Infinity Stone, the Time Stone, debuts.

Black Widow (2017)

Set in part in 1995 when Natasha is a child, Black Widow picks up after Captain America: Civil War, with Nat on the run and hunted. At the same time, she confronts her past and her dark origin story. Though released after Avengers: Endgame, it precedes its events by several years (apart from Black Widow's post-credits scene).

Black Panther (2017)

After being introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa returns home to Wakanda to face his destiny and duty as king, unaware that a challenge from a familiar face greets him.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

4 years after the critical disappointment of The Dark World, Chris Hemsworth's Thor returns for a somewhat unexpected third solo outing. With Odin's reign ending, Thor and Loki must prevent the destruction of Asgard after Loki's mischief threatened everything.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)

Rudd's Ant-Man and newly ascended hero Hope Van Dyne (the Wasp, played by Evangeline Lily) team up to rescue Hope's mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm. Though released after Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp precedes it (not just with its 1980s flashbacks), before the two crossover at the end.

Avengers: Infinity War (2017)

After the slow build of the Infinity Stones' introduction across the Infinity Saga, Thanos dials things up, looking to combine the Stones to wipe out half of the universe's living life. The shortest MCU movie in terms of time passing, Infinity War happens over only a matter of days. The final Infinity Stone - the Soul Stone - completes the collection.

2020s

Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)

Picking up almost immediately after the events of Infinity War's ending, Endgame is the second half of the culmination event, showing the aftermath of Thanos' plan. Not long into the movie, the timeline jumps 5 years, skipping the MCU ahead of real-life by several years.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2023 or 2024)

After Endgame's Blip, a new hero emerges. Simu Liu's Shang-Chi faces his past and his destiny - both of which are told through flashbacks to 1996 - in an origin story introducing new dimensions to the MCU.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)

Possibly set at exactly the same time as Shang-Chi, Spider-Man: Far From Home deals with the fallout from Endgame's explosive ending as Peter Parker tries to rebuid his life. A new mentor emerges in the form of Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)

The Multiverse Saga kicks off for real, as No Way Home brings variants to the main timeline. Originally intended to be set immediately after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, No Way Home was shifted early, because of the real world pandemic.

Eternals (2024)

Roughly eight months after the events of Avengers: Endgame (around December 2024), Earth's oldest superheroes debut, revealing why they don't interfere in any actual threat to the planet. Actually set over a timeline of thousands of years, Eternals is technically the longest of all MCU properties.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024-2025)

As No Way Home's ending comes at the end of 2024, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kicks off around early 2025 (though possibly late 2025). While it was supposed to take place prior to No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness' events logically contradict Doctor Strange's willing participation in No Way Home's multiverse chaos. Unless he learns nothing.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2024-2025)

Though it kicks off with the tragic death of T'Challa in 2024, Wakanda Forever is set one year later in 2025, telling the story of the succession of Black Panther and the rise of a new threat from the seas, Namor the Submariner.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the last movie of Phase 4, Thor: Love and Thunder potentially comes after it, as confirmed by a detail in Ms Marvel, dating it to some time in 2025. Until Marvel officially confirms the actual date, this one's arguably the most complex one to place.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025 or Early 2026)

Confirmed to be set after Wakanda Forever (which mentions Scott Lang's book tour as confirmation), the third Ant-Man movie has to be set some time in late 2025 or 2026. In it, Scott Lang returns to the Quantum Realm to take on a formidable new threat: Kang the Conqueror.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (2026)

Set after the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is set in December 2025, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 closes out the MCU story of the team of anti-heroes somewhere in the MCU's present day of 2026.

Every Marvel Disney Plus TV Show In Order (By Release Date)

As well as Marvel's MCU movies, there's now a huge number of MCU TV shows, which kicked off with WandaVision in January 2021 at the start of Marvel's Phase 4. The majority of Disney+'s MCU TV shows tie into or spin off from the mainline Marvel movie timeline, with events on the big screen shaping reactions in the shows. Marvel have also used the TV shows to introduce new characters like She-Hulk, Ms Marvel and Moon Knight, who could all step up to the movies, and any Avengers-level crossovers in future.

Do you need to watch the Disney+ MCU TV shows to understand the movies? Not entirely. Though the MCU's TV shows tie in to the movies, most can be enjoyed separately, with limited or no impact on upcoming Marvel movies. The exception is Tom Hiddleston's Loki, which introduced Kang, the TVA and the multiverse threat, and WandaVision, that set up Scarlet Witch's villain twist in Doctor Strange 2, so it's harder to justify skipping them Here's every MCU Disney+ TV show in order of release date.

MCU Phase Four

• WandaVision - January 15, 2021
• The Falcon & The Winter Soldier - March 19, 2021
• Loki - June 9, 2021
• Marvel’s What If… - August 11, 2021
• Hawkeye - November 24, 2021
• Moon Knight - March 30, 2022
• Ms. Marvel - June 8, 2022
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - August 18, 2022
• Werewolf by Night - October 7, 2022
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - November 25, 2022

MCU Phase Five

• Secret Invasion - June 21, 2023
• Loki Season 2 - October 5, 2023
• What If...? Season 2 - Christmas 2023
• Echo - January 2024
• Daredevil: Born Again - Early 2024
• Agatha: Darkhold Diaries - Late 2024
• Ironheart - TBC

Upcoming MCU TV Shows After Phase 5

• Spider-Man: Freshman Year - 2024
• Marvel Zombies - 2024
• Untitled Wakanda series - TBC
• Wonder Man - TBC
• What If...? Season 3 - TBC
• Vision Quest - TBC

Where To Watch The Marvel Cinematic Universe On Streaming

The majority of the MCU's Marvel movies are on Disney+ as part of a subscription. There are currently 2 Marvel movies not on Disney+, thanks to Sony owning Spider-Man's movie rights:

• Spider-Man: Far From Home (Watch on Starz)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (Watch on Starz)

You can watch every other Marvel Cinematic Universe movie on Disney+.

How To Watch MCU TV Shows & Marvel Movies In Order On Disney Plus

• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man 2
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• 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
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Black Panther
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Captain Marvel
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Avengers: Endgame
• WandaVision
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
• Loki
• Black Widow
• What If...?
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Eternals
• Hawkeye
• Moon Knight
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Ms. Marvel
• Thor: Love and Thunder
• I Am Groot season 1
• She-Hulk
• Werewolf By Night
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
• Secret Invasion
• I Am Groot season 2