It started with 2008’s “Iron Man,” a movie that launched the world to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark with the trace that he might be a part of one thing larger. Over 30 movies later, the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be being advised, albeit with numerous tributaries and detours that introduce new characters and new worlds which will or could not cross paths sooner or later. Every movie within the MCU stands by itself to a point, however like constructing blocks, all of them join as a part of one interconnected universe. And in that method, watching the Marvel motion pictures so as tells one grand story.
There are a few other ways to observe the Marvel motion pictures so as, however beneath we run down how you can watch the MCU in chronological and launch date order. Certainly, some movies like “Captain Marvel” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” are full-on prequels set within the Nineteen Nineties and Nineteen Forties, respectively, and with such intricate storytelling all through the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, you may watch the movies chronologically and all of it continues to make sense.
However when you’re a purist, we’ve additionally included the discharge order checklist of MCU motion pictures, in addition to which Marvel movies you may stream on Disney+ proper now and the place all of the Marvel Disney+ exhibits slot in.
Marvel motion pictures in chronological order
Many of the Marvel motion pictures happen one proper after the opposite, however others chronicle occasions that happen concurrently with occasions from different movies. For example, the occasions of “Thor: Ragnarok” happen across the similar time because the occasions of “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” with each movies main as much as “Avengers: Infinity Warfare.”
The primary main MCU story is split up into three phases that make up The Infinity Saga, a narrative that begins with “Iron Man” and ends with “Avengers: Endgame.”
Section 4 started with the Disney+ sequence “WandaVision” and concluded with “Wakanda Eternally.” Section 5 started with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
2024’s launch “Deadpool & Wolverine” takes place at a barely indeterminate interval on the timeline, however it’s positively after “Loki” Season 2.
And “Thunderbolts*” presents the primary true lead-in to the subsequent main part of occasions within the MCU in its post-credits scenes.
Right here’s how you can watch the MCU motion pictures in chronological order of occasions:
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- The Unbelievable Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Darkish World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil Warfare
- Black Widow
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Black Panther
- Physician Unusual
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Infinity Warfare
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From House
- Eternals
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Spider-Man: No Method House
- Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- The Marvels
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Captain America: Courageous New World
- Thunderbolts*
Marvel motion pictures in launch order
Marvel Studios first started independently producing its personal movies with 2008’s “Iron Man,” and the primary few MCU motion pictures have been distributed by Paramount Photos (with Common distributing “The Unbelievable Hulk”) earlier than Disney purchased Marvel and launched each Marvel Studios film after “Captain America: The First Avenger.” The exceptions are, after all, the three standalone “Spider-Man” movies, which whereas official MCU canon, have been launched by Sony Photos.
So right here’s how you can watch all of the Marvel motion pictures so as of launch date:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Unbelievable Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Darkish World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil Warfare (2016)
- Physician Unusual (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity Warfare (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From House (2019)
- Black Widow (2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Method House (2021)
- Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally (2022)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
- The Marvels (2023)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- Captain America: Courageous New World (2025)
- Thunderbolts* (2025)
What’s one of the simplest ways to observe the MCU: Chronological order or launch order?
Whereas the general story is sensible both method, if it’s your first time within the MCU, it is best to most likely begin by watching all the flicks so as of launch date. Not solely is that the order during which the movies have been made, however you may as well chart the evolution and refinement of MCU storytelling as Marvel Studios labored out the kinks and perfected how you can make a Marvel film.
However when you’ve seen most or all the Marvel motion pictures, watching them in chronological order is a enjoyable expertise. It doesn’t change any of the story, and it’s positively bizarre to observe “Captain Marvel” so early after which wait 20 motion pictures for Brie Larson’s character to ever be talked about once more. But it surely means that you can respect how properly Marvel retrofitted its prequel motion pictures into the present timeline.
When do the Marvel Disney+ exhibits happen within the MCU timeline?
When Marvel Studios first began making its personal TV exhibits for Disney+, Kevin Feige promised that this might be a method for followers to benefit from the expanded mythology of the MCU. And whereas the primary few exhibits — particularly “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Loki” — have been closely related to occasions that have been going down in Marvel motion pictures, that connectivity turned much less pronounced because the exhibits wore on.
In 2024, Marvel basically made a “mea culpa” and introduced that transferring ahead, the Marvel TV exhibits (now launched below the Marvel Tv banner) could be much less tied to the mythology of the MCU and would be capable of be loved on their very own. Which means exhibits like “Agatha All Alongside” and “Daredevil Born Once more” function extra like TV exhibits and fewer like extensions of the flicks — you don’t have to observe “WandaVision” to grasp/get pleasure from “Agatha” and so forth.
Marvel even additional goals to distance exhibits from MCU connectivity with the “Marvel Highlight” banner, which intends to inform viewers they don’t must know something concerning the MCU to benefit from the present. The primary sequence launched below this banner was “Echo.”
Regardless, right here’s how you can watch all of the Marvel TV exhibits in chronological order of occasions.
WandaVision
The primary Marvel Disney+ present takes place three weeks after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame” and is nestled between “Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From House.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” takes place six months after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame,” however earlier than the occasions of “Spider-Man: Far From House.”
Loki
“Loki” begins within the speedy wake of “Avengers: Endgame,” however it’s unclear when the MCU-altering occasions of the Season 1 finale happen. Season 2 of the sequence picks up instantly after the Season 1 finale, so the entire present is going down round roughly the identical level within the timeline.
Hawkeye
“Hawkeye” takes place at Christmastime in 2024, a few yr after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame,” and concurrent with the occasions of “Spider-Man: No Method House.”
Moon Knight
A particular timeline date for “Moon Knight” hasn’t been revealed apart from the truth that it takes place after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Ms. Marvel
The teenager-skewing “Ms. Marvel” clearly takes place after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame,” and it looks as if some important time has handed because the world was saved.
She-Hulk
“She-Hulk” takes place an indeterminate time frame after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Secret Invasion
“Secret Invasion” takes place after the occasions of “She-Hulk” and earlier than the occasions of “The Marvels.”
Echo
“Echo” was launched below the Marvel Highlight banner and is thus much less related to the general MCU, however takes place after the occasions of “Hawkeye.”
What If…?
The animated sequence “What If…?” takes place exterior the principle MCU continuity as a result of it exists virtually totally throughout the multiverse.
Agatha All Alongside
The “WandaVision” sequel sequence takes place three years after the occasions of “WandaVision” finish.
Your Pleasant Neighborhood Spider-Man
The animated Spider-Man sequence takes place in one other department of the multiverse and is ready across the time of “Captain America: Civil Warfare.”
Daredevil: Born Once more
The Disney+ “Daredevil” revival is ready after the occasions of “Echo.”
Ironheart
“Ironheart” takes place after the occasions of “Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally”
When does the Guardians of the Galaxy Vacation Particular happen?
The “Guardians of the Galaxy Vacation Particular” isn’t fairly a film and never fairly a TV present, so it will get its personal little part right here. Written and directed by James Gunn, the 44-minute particular is ready after the occasions of “Thor: Love and Thunder” — throughout which the Guardians dropped off Thor after the occasions of “Avengers: Endgame” — and earlier than the occasions of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” James Gunn shot the vacation particular through the manufacturing of “Vol. 3.”
Upcoming new Marvel motion pictures
And right here’s an inventory of what’s subsequent for the MCU when it comes to confirmed movies and their deliberate launch dates.
Upcoming new Marvel exhibits
And whereas much less related to the MCU, there are a slew of recent Marvel TV exhibits coming within the close to future.
- Eyes of Wakanda – August 6, 2025
- Marvel Zombies – October 3, 2025
- Surprise Man – December 2025
Which Marvel motion pictures are streaming on Disney+?
Each MCU film is streaming on Disney+ apart from “Spider-Man: No Method House,” which isn’t presently on a streaming service, and “Thunderbolts,” which continues to be in theaters.
Right here’s an entire checklist of all of the Marvel motion pictures streaming on Disney+ proper now:
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- The Unbelievable Hulk
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Darkish World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil Warfare
- Physician Unusual
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity Warfare
- Spider-Man: Far From House
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Black Widow
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- The Marvels
- Deadpool & Wolverine
