OrderToWatch

Marvel Cinematic Universe watch order

Marvel movies in order, release and chronological. Updated October 20, 2026.

Watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release order on a first pass, starting with Iron Man (2008): the films were written for audiences who had seen the previous release, so cameos, post-credit scenes and Infinity Stone reveals land as intended. Chronological order, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger, works better on a rewatch.

How to watch the Marvel movies in order: the full guide

All 69 films and series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, in release order and in chronological (story) order. The first in release order is Iron Man (2008); the first in chronological order is Eyes of Wakanda (set in Ancient Wakanda).

Release order

  1. Iron Man (Movie, 2008): Where the MCU starts: Tony Stark builds the suit, and the post-credits scene sets up the Avengers.
  2. The Incredible Hulk (Movie, 2008): The most standalone early film; it matters mainly for General Ross, who returns years later.
  3. Iron Man 2 (Movie, 2010): Introduces Black Widow and deepens S.H.I.E.L.D., laying groundwork for The Avengers.
  4. Thor (Movie, 2011): Brings in Asgard, Loki and the cosmic side of the universe.
  5. Captain America: The First Avenger (Movie, 2011): The earliest story in the timeline: Steve Rogers in World War II and the first Infinity Stone, the Tesseract.
  6. The Avengers (Movie, 2012): The first team-up pays off all five earlier films and introduces Thanos in the credits.
  7. Iron Man 3 (Movie, 2013): Tony deals with the fallout of New York; a self-contained Christmas story.
  8. Thor: The Dark World (Movie, 2013): Introduces the Aether, an Infinity Stone; a lighter entry many viewers skim.
  9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Movie, 2014): S.H.I.E.L.D. falls and Bucky returns; one of the most important Phase 2 films.
  10. Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie, 2014): The cosmic team debuts and the Power Stone appears; essential before Infinity War.
  11. Marvel's Daredevil (Series, 2015): The first Netflix Marvel series; optional, but it sets up Born Again.
  12. Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie, 2015): Wanda, Vision and the Mind Stone arrive, and the team starts to fracture.
  13. Ant-Man (Movie, 2015): A smaller heist story that introduces the Quantum Realm, which becomes crucial in Endgame.
  14. Marvel's Jessica Jones (Series, 2015): A Netflix noir series; optional for the main MCU.
  15. Captain America: Civil War (Movie, 2016): Splits the Avengers and introduces Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
  16. Marvel's Luke Cage (Series, 2016): Harlem's hero on Netflix; optional.
  17. Doctor Strange (Movie, 2016): Magic and the Time Stone enter the MCU; sets up Strange's role in the Infinity Saga.
  18. Marvel's Iron Fist (Series, 2017): The last solo origin before The Defenders; optional.
  19. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Movie, 2017): Mostly about the Guardians as a family; sets up Gamora and Nebula's arcs.
  20. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Movie, 2017): Peter Parker's first solo film, picking up right after Civil War.
  21. Marvel's The Defenders (Series, 2017): The Netflix heroes team up; optional.
  22. Thor: Ragnarok (Movie, 2017): Thor and Hulk on Sakaar; ends exactly where Infinity War begins.
  23. Marvel's The Punisher (Series, 2017): Frank Castle's Netflix series; optional.
  24. Black Panther (Movie, 2018): Wakanda's story; it sets the stage for the Infinity War battle.
  25. Avengers: Infinity War (Movie, 2018): Thanos collects the stones: the first half of the Infinity Saga finale.
  26. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Movie, 2018): Its credits scene ties into the Snap, and the Quantum Realm sets up Endgame.
  27. Captain Marvel (Movie, 2019): Set in 1995; introduces Carol Danvers right before Endgame.
  28. Avengers: Endgame (Movie, 2019): The Infinity Saga finale, built on everything before it; the MCU's biggest payoff.
  29. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie, 2019): The epilogue to Endgame and Phase 3; ends on a cliffhanger for No Way Home.
  30. WandaVision (Series, 2021): The first Disney+ series; Wanda's grief leads straight into Multiverse of Madness.
  31. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Series, 2021): Sam Wilson takes up the shield, setting up Captain America: Brave New World.
  32. Loki (Series, 2021): Introduces the TVA and the multiverse; essential for the Multiverse Saga.
  33. Black Widow (Movie, 2021): Set after Civil War; introduces Yelena Belova, who leads Thunderbolts*.
  34. What If…? (Series, 2021): Animated alternate-reality stories; optional, though a few characters return later.
  35. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Movie, 2021): A largely standalone origin story whose ten rings get a mysterious credits tease.
  36. Eternals (Movie, 2021): A standalone cosmic epic with little bearing on the main story so far.
  37. Hawkeye (Series, 2021): Introduces Kate Bishop and brings back Yelena and Kingpin.
  38. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie, 2021): Opens the multiverse: Spider-Men from earlier film series cross over.
  39. Moon Knight (Series, 2022): A self-contained series that a catch-up can skip.
  40. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Movie, 2022): Follows directly from WandaVision and No Way Home.
  41. Ms. Marvel (Series, 2022): Introduces Kamala Khan, who co-leads The Marvels.
  42. Thor: Love and Thunder (Movie, 2022): Thor's fourth film; light on wider-universe consequences.
  43. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Series, 2022): A comedy series; optional.
  44. Werewolf by Night (Series, 2022): A standalone Halloween special; optional.
  45. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Movie, 2022): Wakanda after T'Challa; introduces Namor and Riri Williams.
  46. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Series, 2022): A short Christmas special; optional, though it reveals one fact used in Vol. 3.
  47. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Movie, 2023): Introduces Kang the Conqueror, a variant of Loki's He Who Remains.
  48. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Movie, 2023): The Guardians' farewell; closes their trilogy.
  49. Secret Invasion (Series, 2023): Nick Fury and the Skrulls; mostly self-contained.
  50. Loki: Season 2 (Series, 2023): Concludes Loki's story and reshapes the multiverse.
  51. The Marvels (Movie, 2023): Carol, Monica and Kamala team up; its credits tease the X-Men.
  52. What If…? Season 2 (Series, 2023): More alternate-reality stories; optional.
  53. Echo (Series, 2024): A short street-level series following Hawkeye; optional.
  54. X-Men '97 (Series, 2024): Continues the 1990s X-Men cartoon in its own continuity; optional for the MCU.
  55. Deadpool & Wolverine (Movie, 2024): Brings Fox's Deadpool and Wolverine into the MCU and sets up the multiverse finale.
  56. Agatha All Along (Series, 2024): A WandaVision spin-off; optional.
  57. What If…? Season 3 (Series, 2024): The final season of the animated anthology; optional.
  58. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Series, 2025): An animated Spider-Man origin in its own continuity; optional.
  59. Captain America: Brave New World (Movie, 2025): Sam Wilson's first film as Captain America; follows The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  60. Daredevil: Born Again (Series, 2025): Brings Daredevil and Kingpin fully into the MCU; optional for the main story.
  61. Thunderbolts* (Movie, 2025): Yelena leads a team of antiheroes; key to the road to Doomsday.
  62. Ironheart (Series, 2025): Riri Williams' series after Wakanda Forever; optional.
  63. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Movie, 2025): Marvel's First Family in their own retro-future world; essential before Avengers: Doomsday.
  64. Eyes of Wakanda (Series, 2025): Animated Wakandan history; optional.
  65. Marvel Zombies (Series, 2025): An animated horror spin-off of What If...?; optional.
  66. Wonder Man (Series, 2026): A Hollywood satire series; optional.
  67. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Movie, 2026): Peter Parker's next chapter after No Way Home wiped the world's memory of him.
  68. VisionQuest (Series, 2026): The white Vision looks for who he is after WandaVision.
  69. Avengers: Doomsday (Movie, 2026): Victor Von Doom arrives and the Avengers assemble again.

Chronological order

  1. Eyes of Wakanda (set in Ancient Wakanda): Animated Wakandan history; optional.
  2. Captain America: The First Avenger (set in 1943–1945): The earliest story in the timeline: Steve Rogers in World War II and the first Infinity Stone, the Tesseract.
  3. Captain Marvel (set in 1995): Set in 1995; introduces Carol Danvers right before Endgame.
  4. Iron Man (set in 2010): Where the MCU starts: Tony Stark builds the suit, and the post-credits scene sets up the Avengers.
  5. The Incredible Hulk (set in 2011): The most standalone early film; it matters mainly for General Ross, who returns years later.
  6. Iron Man 2 (set in 2011): Introduces Black Widow and deepens S.H.I.E.L.D., laying groundwork for The Avengers.
  7. Thor (set in 2011): Brings in Asgard, Loki and the cosmic side of the universe.
  8. The Avengers (set in 2012): The first team-up pays off all five earlier films and introduces Thanos in the credits.
  9. Iron Man 3 (set in 2012): Tony deals with the fallout of New York; a self-contained Christmas story.
  10. Thor: The Dark World (set in 2013): Introduces the Aether, an Infinity Stone; a lighter entry many viewers skim.
  11. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (set in 2014): S.H.I.E.L.D. falls and Bucky returns; one of the most important Phase 2 films.
  12. Guardians of the Galaxy (set in 2014): The cosmic team debuts and the Power Stone appears; essential before Infinity War.
  13. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (set in 2014): Mostly about the Guardians as a family; sets up Gamora and Nebula's arcs.
  14. Avengers: Age of Ultron (set in 2015): Wanda, Vision and the Mind Stone arrive, and the team starts to fracture.
  15. Ant-Man (set in 2015): A smaller heist story that introduces the Quantum Realm, which becomes crucial in Endgame.
  16. Captain America: Civil War (set in 2016): Splits the Avengers and introduces Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
  17. Black Widow (set in 2016): Set after Civil War; introduces Yelena Belova, who leads Thunderbolts*.
  18. Doctor Strange (set in 2016–2017): Magic and the Time Stone enter the MCU; sets up Strange's role in the Infinity Saga.
  19. Black Panther (set in 2017): Wakanda's story; it sets the stage for the Infinity War battle.
  20. Spider-Man: Homecoming (set in 2017): Peter Parker's first solo film, picking up right after Civil War.
  21. Thor: Ragnarok (set in 2017): Thor and Hulk on Sakaar; ends exactly where Infinity War begins.
  22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (set in 2018): Its credits scene ties into the Snap, and the Quantum Realm sets up Endgame.
  23. Avengers: Infinity War (set in 2018): Thanos collects the stones: the first half of the Infinity Saga finale.
  24. Avengers: Endgame (set in 2018 & 2023): The Infinity Saga finale, built on everything before it; the MCU's biggest payoff.
  25. Loki (set in The TVA): Introduces the TVA and the multiverse; essential for the Multiverse Saga.
  26. Loki: Season 2 (set in The TVA): Concludes Loki's story and reshapes the multiverse.
  27. Deadpool & Wolverine (set in 2024, The Void): Brings Fox's Deadpool and Wolverine into the MCU and sets up the multiverse finale.
  28. What If…? (set in Multiversal): Animated alternate-reality stories; optional, though a few characters return later.
  29. What If…? Season 2 (set in Multiversal): More alternate-reality stories; optional.
  30. What If…? Season 3 (set in Multiversal): The final season of the animated anthology; optional.
  31. X-Men '97 (set in Alternate universe): Continues the 1990s X-Men cartoon in its own continuity; optional for the MCU.
  32. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (set in Alternate universe): An animated Spider-Man origin in its own continuity; optional.
  33. Marvel Zombies (set in Alternate universe): An animated horror spin-off of What If...?; optional.
  34. WandaVision (set in 2023): The first Disney+ series; Wanda's grief leads straight into Multiverse of Madness.
  35. Spider-Man: Far From Home (set in 2024): The epilogue to Endgame and Phase 3; ends on a cliffhanger for No Way Home.
  36. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (set in 2024): Sam Wilson takes up the shield, setting up Captain America: Brave New World.
  37. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (set in 2024): A largely standalone origin story whose ten rings get a mysterious credits tease.
  38. Eternals (set in 2024): A standalone cosmic epic with little bearing on the main story so far.
  39. Spider-Man: No Way Home (set in 2024): Opens the multiverse: Spider-Men from earlier film series cross over.
  40. Hawkeye (set in 2024): Introduces Kate Bishop and brings back Yelena and Kingpin.
  41. Echo (set in 2025): A short street-level series following Hawkeye; optional.
  42. Ms. Marvel (set in 2025): Introduces Kamala Khan, who co-leads The Marvels.
  43. Moon Knight (set in 2025): A self-contained series that a catch-up can skip.
  44. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (set in 2025): Follows directly from WandaVision and No Way Home.
  45. Thor: Love and Thunder (set in 2025): Thor's fourth film; light on wider-universe consequences.
  46. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (set in 2025): A comedy series; optional.
  47. Werewolf by Night (set in 2025): A standalone Halloween special; optional.
  48. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (set in 2025): Wakanda after T'Challa; introduces Namor and Riri Williams.
  49. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (set in 2025): A short Christmas special; optional, though it reveals one fact used in Vol. 3.
  50. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (set in 2026): Introduces Kang the Conqueror, a variant of Loki's He Who Remains.
  51. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (set in 2026): The Guardians' farewell; closes their trilogy.
  52. Secret Invasion (set in 2026): Nick Fury and the Skrulls; mostly self-contained.
  53. The Marvels (set in 2026): Carol, Monica and Kamala team up; its credits tease the X-Men.
  54. Agatha All Along (set in 2026): A WandaVision spin-off; optional.
  55. Ironheart (set in 2026): Riri Williams' series after Wakanda Forever; optional.
  56. Daredevil: Born Again (set in 2026): Brings Daredevil and Kingpin fully into the MCU; optional for the main story.
  57. Captain America: Brave New World (set in 2027): Sam Wilson's first film as Captain America; follows The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  58. Thunderbolts* (set in 2027): Yelena leads a team of antiheroes; key to the road to Doomsday.
  59. Wonder Man (set in 2027): A Hollywood satire series; optional.
  60. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (set in Earth-828, 1960s): Marvel's First Family in their own retro-future world; essential before Avengers: Doomsday.
  61. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (set in 2027): Peter Parker's next chapter after No Way Home wiped the world's memory of him.
  62. VisionQuest (set in 2027): The white Vision looks for who he is after WandaVision.
  63. Avengers: Doomsday (set in 2027): Victor Von Doom arrives and the Avengers assemble again.
  64. Marvel's Daredevil (set in Hell's Kitchen): The first Netflix Marvel series; optional, but it sets up Born Again.
  65. Marvel's Jessica Jones (set in Hell's Kitchen): A Netflix noir series; optional for the main MCU.
  66. Marvel's Luke Cage (set in Harlem): Harlem's hero on Netflix; optional.
  67. Marvel's Iron Fist (set in New York & K'un-Lun): The last solo origin before The Defenders; optional.
  68. Marvel's The Defenders (set in New York): The Netflix heroes team up; optional.
  69. Marvel's The Punisher (set in New York): Frank Castle's Netflix series; optional.

Coming next

Common questions

What order should I watch the Marvel movies in?

Watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release order on a first pass, starting with Iron Man (2008): the films were written for audiences who had seen the previous release, so cameos, post-credit scenes and Infinity Stone reveals land as intended. Chronological order, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger, works better on a rewatch.

How many Marvel movies and shows are there?

There are 69 titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise: 39 films and 30 series, released from 2008 to 2026. 3 more are announced: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 2, Avengers: Secret Wars, and Black Panther 3.

How long does it take to watch all the Marvel movies?

About 346 hours for all 69 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (44 titles) take about 117 hours.

What is the first Marvel title in chronological order?

Eyes of Wakanda, set in Ancient Wakanda. In release order the first is Iron Man (2008).

Which Marvel titles can I skip?

The Incredible Hulk, What If…?, Eternals, Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Werewolf by Night, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Secret Invasion, What If…? Season 2, Echo, X-Men '97, Agatha All Along, What If…? Season 3, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's Iron Fist, Marvel's The Defenders, and Marvel's The Punisher. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.

What is the next Marvel release?

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 2, out January 13, 2027.