Marvel Cinematic Universe in Chronological Order
All 56 movies and shows from 2008 to 2027, arranged by when their stories happen rather than when they came out. The timeline moves 45 of 56 away from release order: Captain Marvel is #21 by release but #2 in the timeline, and Black Widow is #27 by release but #16 in the timeline. The full Marvel Cinematic Universe guide has both orders, the reasoning, and a free progress tracker.
| # | Title | Year | Release order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain America: The First Avenger The MCU's World War II period piece, set in the 1940s, which is why it opens the chronological order. Introduces Steve Rogers and the Tesseract. | 2011 | #5 (later) |
| 2 | Captain Marvel Set in 1995, decades before most of the MCU, so it comes second in the chronological order. Explains how Nick Fury got the pager seen in Infinity War's post-credits scene. | 2019 | #21 (later) |
| 3 | Iron Man The 2008 film that launched the MCU and the right place to start a first watch. Its post-credits scene introduces Nick Fury and the Avengers Initiative. | 2008 | #1 (earlier) |
| 4 | Iron Man 2 Direct sequel to Iron Man that introduces Black Widow. In-universe its events run roughly alongside Thor and The Incredible Hulk. | 2010 | #3 (earlier) |
| 5 | The Incredible Hulk The often-skipped one: Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner before Mark Ruffalo took over the role. Loosely connected, though Thaddeus Ross and Abomination resurface in later MCU films. | 2008 | #2 (earlier) |
| 6 | Thor Introduces Thor, Loki and Asgard. Its events overlap loosely with Iron Man 2 in the timeline. | 2011 | #4 (earlier) |
| 7 | The Avengers The first big team-up, uniting Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye against Loki. Closes out Phase One. | 2012 | #6 (earlier) |
| 8 | Thor: The Dark World Thor sequel built around the Aether, later revealed as the Reality Stone; its mid-credits scene hands the Aether to the Collector, setting up Guardians of the Galaxy. Disney+'s official timeline places it directly after The Avengers, since it opens with Loki's trial, so it sits before Iron Man 3 in chronological order; Marvel's print timeline flips the two, so either order works. | 2013 | #8 |
| 9 | Iron Man 3 Tony Stark reckons with the fallout of the Battle of New York, so watch The Avengers first. Opens Phase Two. | 2013 | #7 (earlier) |
| 10 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spy-thriller sequel in which S.H.I.E.L.D. collapses and Bucky returns as the Winter Soldier. A turning point whose fallout ripples through the rest of the series. | 2014 | #9 (earlier) |
| 11 | Guardians of the Galaxy Opens the cosmic side of the MCU with Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot, plus the Power Stone. Largely standalone until Infinity War. | 2014 | #10 (earlier) |
| 12 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Picks up only a few months after the first Guardians film, which is why it sits early in the chronological order despite releasing in 2017. | 2017 | #15 (later) |
| 13 | Avengers: Age of Ultron Second Avengers team-up, introducing Wanda Maximoff and Vision. The Sokovia disaster here drives the conflict in Civil War. | 2015 | #11 (earlier) |
| 14 | Ant-Man Heist-style origin for Scott Lang, set after Age of Ultron and closing out Phase Two. Introduces the Quantum Realm, which becomes crucial in Endgame. | 2015 | #12 (earlier) |
| 15 | Captain America: Civil War The Avengers fracture over the Sokovia Accords, effectively an Avengers film. Introduces both Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man. | 2016 | #13 (earlier) |
| 16 | Black Widow Set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War even though it released after Endgame, the biggest release-vs-timeline jump on the list. Introduces Yelena Belova. | 2021 | #27 (later) |
| 17 | Black Panther T'Challa claims the throne of Wakanda shortly after the events of Civil War, so it sits earlier in the chronological order than its release date suggests. | 2018 | #18 (later) |
| 18 | Spider-Man: Homecoming Peter Parker's first solo MCU film, set right after his debut in Civil War, watch Civil War first. | 2017 | #16 (earlier) |
| 19 | Doctor Strange Stephen Strange's origin story, introducing the mystic arts and the Time Stone. Mostly self-contained, so its exact timeline placement matters little. | 2016 | #14 (earlier) |
| 20 | Thor: Ragnarok Reunites Thor with Hulk, missing since Age of Ultron. Its ending leads directly into the opening of Infinity War. | 2017 | #17 (earlier) |
| 21 | Ant-Man and the Wasp Set just before and during Infinity War; the mid-credits scene syncs up with that film's ending. Its Quantum Realm setup pays off in Endgame. | 2018 | #20 (earlier) |
| 22 | Avengers: Infinity War Thanos finally comes for the Infinity Stones in the first half of the saga's finale. Ends on a cliffhanger resolved in Endgame, so watch the two back-to-back. | 2018 | #19 (earlier) |
| 23 | Avengers: Endgame The conclusion of the Infinity Saga, picking up directly after Infinity War. A five-year time jump inside the film moves the MCU's present day to 2023. | 2019 | #22 (earlier) |
| 24 | Loki (Season 1) Spins straight out of Endgame's 2012 time heist, with the escaped Loki variant arrested by the TVA. Introduces the multiverse rules that underpin Multiverse of Madness and the whole Multiverse Saga. | 2021 | #26 (later) |
| 25 | WandaVision Set three weeks after Avengers: Endgame, following Wanda's grief and her turn into the Scarlet Witch. Required before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the launch point for Agatha All Along and VisionQuest. | 2021 | #24 (earlier) |
| 26 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Introduces Shang-Chi and the real Ten Rings organization, first glimpsed back in Iron Man. On the official Disney+ timeline it is the first movie after Endgame, ahead of Spider-Man: Far From Home. | 2021 | #28 (later) |
| 27 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Set about six months after Endgame's return of the Blipped; Sam Wilson takes up the Captain America mantle here, not in a movie. Captain America: Brave New World picks up directly from this series. | 2021 | #25 (earlier) |
| 28 | Spider-Man: Far From Home Set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and dealing directly with its fallout, so watch it right after Endgame. Closes out the Infinity Saga. | 2019 | #23 (earlier) |
| 29 | Eternals Introduces the Eternals, beings who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years; the main story is set after Endgame. Largely standalone from the other films. | 2021 | #29 |
| 30 | Spider-Man: No Way Home Follows directly from Far From Home's cliffhanger and cracks open the multiverse, bringing back characters from the pre-MCU Spider-Man film series. Watch the two earlier Holland films first. | 2021 | #31 (later) |
| 31 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Follows up both the first Doctor Strange and the multiverse events of No Way Home; Wanda's arc continues from the Disney+ series WandaVision. | 2022 | #33 (later) |
| 32 | Hawkeye Set at Christmas about a year after Endgame; introduces Kate Bishop and brings Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin into the Disney+ era. No movie requires it, but Echo and Daredevil: Born Again build on it. | 2021 | #30 (earlier) |
| 33 | Moon Knight Self-contained origin story for Marc Spector with no connections any later movie or show depends on. Marvel slots it in the timeline by its roughly 2025 present day. | 2022 | #32 (earlier) |
| 34 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Wakanda mourns T'Challa following the death of Chadwick Boseman; closes out Phase Four and introduces Namor. Despite releasing later, the official timeline places it before Thor: Love and Thunder. | 2022 | #37 (later) |
| 35 | Echo Spins out of Hawkeye and explains how Wilson Fisk survives into Daredevil: Born Again. Skippable for a movies-only run but useful background before Born Again. | 2024 | #43 (later) |
| 36 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Standalone legal comedy set after Shang-Chi, whose fight-club cameo leads to Emil Blonsky's parole case, and before Daredevil: Born Again, with Matt Murdock appearing. No released movie requires it. | 2022 | #36 |
| 37 | Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan's origin, including the bangle and her light powers, is told only here. The Marvels continues directly from its mid-credits scene and treats her as an established character. | 2022 | #34 (earlier) |
| 38 | Thor: Love and Thunder Fourth Thor film; it opens with Thor traveling alongside the Guardians after the events of Endgame. The official Disney+ timeline slots it after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, later than its release position suggests. | 2022 | #35 (earlier) |
| 39 | Ironheart Follows Riri Williams back to Chicago after she builds her suit in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and introduces Mephisto in its finale. That reveal has no confirmed payoff yet, so the series is optional. | 2025 | #49 (later) |
| 40 | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Third Ant-Man film, set largely inside the Quantum Realm, and the opener of Phase Five. Introduces Kang the Conqueror. | 2023 | #38 (earlier) |
| 41 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 The send-off for this Guardians lineup, centered on Rocket's backstory. Set after the team settles on Knowhere following Endgame. | 2023 | #39 (earlier) |
| 42 | Secret Invasion Nick Fury fights a Skrull conspiracy on Earth shortly before The Marvels, which picks up his status quo but works without it. Widely treated as optional. | 2023 | #40 (earlier) |
| 43 | The Marvels Direct sequel to Captain Marvel that teams Carol Danvers with Monica Rambeau, first seen as a child in Captain Marvel and grown up in WandaVision, and Kamala Khan from the Ms. Marvel series. | 2023 | #42 (earlier) |
| 44 | Loki (Season 2) Continues season 1's cliffhanger; Marvel's written timeline places it around The Marvels and just before Deadpool & Wolverine, whose TVA plot follows these events. Ends with Loki holding the multiverse together. | 2023 | #41 (earlier) |
| 45 | Deadpool & Wolverine Brings Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine from the Fox X-Men films, into the MCU. The earlier Deadpool movies are helpful background but not required. | 2024 | #44 (earlier) |
| 46 | Agatha All Along Direct WandaVision spinoff set three years later, revealing Billy Maximoff's return as Wiccan. Optional unless you are following the WandaVision thread into VisionQuest. | 2024 | #45 (earlier) |
| 47 | Daredevil: Born Again (Season 1) Continues the Netflix Daredevil series with Fisk as New York mayor, building on Hawkeye and Echo. Sits on the official timeline just before Captain America: Brave New World. | 2025 | #47 |
| 48 | Captain America: Brave New World Sam Wilson's first film as Captain America, after taking up the shield in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Picks up threads from The Incredible Hulk, with Harrison Ford now playing President Thaddeus Ross. | 2025 | #46 (earlier) |
| 49 | Thunderbolts* A team of antiheroes, including Yelena Belova from Black Widow and Bucky Barnes, is thrown together by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Closes out Phase Five. | 2025 | #48 (earlier) |
| 50 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps The 37th MCU film and the first of Phase Six, set in a retro-futuristic 1960s on Earth-828, an alternate universe separate from the main timeline. That's why it stays in release order here rather than sorting to the 1940s-60s start; its cast joins the main story in Avengers: Doomsday. | 2025 | #50 |
| 51 | Wonder Man Standalone Hollywood satire starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, with Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi. Marvel's timeline places it between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. | 2026 | #51 |
| 52 | Daredevil: Born Again (Season 2) Picks up six months after Fisk's martial law declaration; Marvel's timeline places it after Wonder Man, with the three 2025 films falling in the gap between the two seasons. Its street-level story leads into Spider-Man: Brand New Day. | 2026 | #52 |
| 53 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day Released July 31, 2026, Tom Holland's fourth solo Spider-Man film. Set in 2028, it is currently the furthest-forward point on the MCU timeline. | 2026 | #53 |
| 54 | VisionQuest Releases October 14, 2026. Follows White Vision after WandaVision as he tries to recover his memory and humanity, with James Spader returning as Ultron. Marvel has not placed it on the official timeline yet; Paul Bettany has said it is set about a year after WandaVision, so it may move earlier once it airs. | 2026 | #54 |
| 55 | Avengers: Doomsday Releases December 18, 2026, with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, the Phase Six Avengers team-up. | 2026 | #55 |
| 56 | Avengers: Secret Wars Releases December 17, 2027, a year after Avengers: Doomsday, with the Russo brothers directing and Robert Downey Jr. returning as Doctor Doom. | 2027 | #56 |
Track Marvel Cinematic Universe in this order → The guide's tracker follows whichever order you pick, mcu timeline included.