How To Watch The MCU Movies In Order

Has there ever been a film franchise as ubiquitous and culturally inescapable as the MCU? It seems almost impossible that such a sprawling commercial powerhouse, having grossed over $31 billion collectively at the box office, could have started from the humble beginnings of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, but 17 years later there’s simply no avoiding Marvel’s insurmountable presence. Regardless of your personal feelings on the films, the truth is that this has been Kevin Feige’s world for almost two decades and we’re just living in it.

It’s hard to imagine someone who has never been exposed to the MCU in some way, shape, or form, but there are people out there who have yet to take the plunge. Luckily, the trajectory of the next few years means that now is a pretty exciting time to jump on the bandwagon. Since the franchise reached its first climax with 2019’s unprecedented and massive Avengers: Endgame, the universe has expanded dramatically as a part of the new Multiverse Saga, which saw the introduction of alternate dimensions, in turn introducing new characters and a few familiar faces.

There’s certainly a lot to catch up on before the climax of the Multiverse Saga, which will be the two-part Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Thankfully, 34 out of 35 of the films are currently streaming on Disney+. There’s no particular “correct” way to watch the Marvel films — truthfully the best method is to dive into the characters that interest you — but with that being said, there are two main methods people use when watching all of them in order. For the sake of simplicity this list will be purely the films in the MCU, not counting any of the Netflix/ABC/Disney+ streaming shows.

How To Watch The MCU In Release Order

Release order would certainly be the easiest way to watch the MCU in its entirety, and what’s more important, it’s also the best way to avoid spoiling any of the overarching twists and reveals from the last 17 years. If you’re unfamiliar with the material it’s also worth considering that release order also preserves the intentional character arcs that these characters go on over the course of the 35 film saga, which makes certain conclusions such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feel incredibly satisfying.

Ultimately, release order is perhaps the best way to watch them because it truly conveys what an undertaking the MCU has been — even when it stumbles, it’s undeniable that it’s the biggest and most successful attempt at a shared cinematic universe. With countless more projects currently in development, there’s a charm to experiencing the saga the same way as the people who have been watching since the first release.

1. Iron Man (May 2, 2008)
2. The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)
3. Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)
4. Thor (May 6, 2011)
5. Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011)
6. The Avengers (May 4, 2012)
7. Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
8. Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013)
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
10. Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)
11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
12. Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)
13. Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016)
14. Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
17. Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017)
18. Black Panther (February 16, 2018)
19. Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018)
20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)
21. Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019)
22. Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)
23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2, 2019)
24. Black Widow (July 9, 2021)
25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021)
26. Eternals (November 5, 2021)
27. Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
28. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022)
29. Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022)
30. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022)
31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
32. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
33. The Marvels (November 10, 2023)
34. Deadpool and Wolverine (July 26, 2024)
35. Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025)

How To Watch The MCU In Chronological Order

Of course, for more seasoned fans, alongside release order there’s also the time-honored tradition of watching the films in chronological order, a staple of any franchise with sprawling installments like this one. The benefit is that instead of a focus on the story as it unfolds, you get an interesting perspective on the larger world itself — the history of the Norse pantheon, the larger cosmic mythos, even some 20th century U.S. history. It’s fascinating to look at the universe outside of the continuity of character arcs and instead look at how the larger corners of the MCU have developed over time in-universe.

Of course, the downside is that some of the storylines and character arcs will be chopped and screwed — certain reveals and connections might be spoiled early, some character appearances might not make sense if this is your first time watching through the series. A chronological watch certainly wouldn’t be the most satisfying way to experience the franchise for the first time, but it could possibly be very rewarding for a longtime fan. This chronological order listing is mostly sourced from The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, which was released in 2023, as well as factoring in dates and references within the films themselves.

1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1943 - 1945)
2. Captain Marvel (1995)
3. Iron Man (2010)
4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
5. Thor (2011)
6. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
7. The Avengers (2012)
8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
14. Ant-Man (2015)
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
16. Black Widow (2016)
17. Black Panther (2016)
18. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
19. Doctor Strange (2016)
20. Thor: Ragnarok (2018)
21. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
22. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
23. Avengers: Endgame (2023)
24. Deadpool and Wolverine (2024, but separate from the Sacred Timeline)
25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2024)
26. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)
27. Eternals (2024; opens in 5000 B.C.)
28. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
29. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
30. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025)
32. Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
33. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2026)
34. The Marvels (2026)
35. Captain America: Brave New World (2027)

Of course, Brave New World is not the end for the MCU, with Thunderbolts* slated for a release in May of this year, and Fantastic Four: First Steps following shortly in July. While there’s no way to know for sure, it seems like Thunderbolts* will be a contemporary release taking place in the MCU’s present day, and First Steps takes place outside of the Sacred Timeline in an alternative retro-futurist vision of the 1960s.

With almost two decades worth of projects in the vault (not even counting TV shows or properties that have retroactively been folded into the larger MCU multiverse), both release order and chronological order are incredibly unique ways to experience the massive saga, each contextualizing the universe’s larger story in different ways. Ultimately the decision comes down to your prior familiarity with the franchise and how willing you are to undertake such a massive task, but one thing is certain — with the series once again gearing up for another massive climax with the two-part Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there’s perhaps no better time to catch up with the franchise or even get in a rewatch, for both prospective fans and longtime die-hards.