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How to watch the Marvel movies in order (release and chronological order)

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Here's how to watch the Marvel movies in order in 2026, including the complete MCU chronological order

Black Panther, Iron Man, Vision, War Machine, and Black Widow at the Berlin airport in Captain America: Civil War - part of our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
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Confident about watching the Marvel movies in order? Even if your MCU knowledge is bordering on the encyclopaedic, there might be gaps that can stop you enjoying the full picture, especially when we're on the cusp of an epic crossover in Avengers: Doomsday.

To help guide you through watching all Marvel movies, shows, and Disney Plus one-shots from start to finish, we've put together a complete guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. That includes the MCU release date order in an easy-to-read bullet point list you can refer back to again and again (so feel free to bookmark this page). There's even a Marvel timeline for those looking to binge the franchise chronologically.

How to watch the Marvel movies in order – release order

Robert Downey Jr. in his Iron Man suit during the 2008 movie, Iron Man

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The Marvel release date order is the best way for MCU newcomers and those who want to keep things simple and straightforward in their rewatches. We'll kick things off with 2008's Iron Man, and will cover every single phase in the Infinity Saga (phases 1-4) and the ongoing Multiverse Saga (phases 5-6).

Here is how to watch the Marvel movies and shows in release date order.

Marvel Phase 1

Marvel Phase 2

Marvel Phase 3

Marvel Phase 4

Marvel Phase 5

Marvel Phase 6

Need more context on watching the Marvel movies and shows in order? The MCU is split into Phases, with the end of a Phase typically indicating a natural end to a story arc. The beginning of a Phase, therefore, signals the introduction of new, important characters.

Phases 1-3 are often referred to as the Infinity Saga and feature the assembling of the OG Avengers, including Captain America, Hulk, and Iron Man.

Phases 4-5, meanwhile, form part of the new Multiverse Saga and are punctuated by the arrival of fresh characters, X-Men teases, and more experimental works.

Phase 6 has also kicked off in earnest, with the alternate-earth Fantastic Four rocking up.

As shown by the Thunderbolts ending, it's all leading to Phase 6's date with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

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How to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers AKA Captain America, holding up his iconic vibranium-lined shield.

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Below, you'll find the best way to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order.

For this list, we use Marvel's own 'Official Timeline' book as well as its own updated chronological order on the Marvel website and on Disney Plus. Both have eased many of our temporal-based headaches.

Better yet, this MCU chronological list will make you see the Marvel Studios releases in a different light, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger in the 1940s and working your way up to the MCU present day in (roughly) 2027. That now includes Netflix's Marvel shows and Marvel's One-Shots for the full picture. But feel free to ignore those if you aren't in a completionist mood.

  • Eyes of Wakanda (1260 BC-1896 AD)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (1943-1945)
  • One Shot: Agent Carter (1946)
  • Fantastic Four: First Steps (1960s - alternate universe)
  • Captain Marvel (1995)
  • Iron Man (2008)
  • Iron Man 2 (2010)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2010)
  • One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (2010)
  • Thor (2010)
  • One Shot: The Consultant (2011)
  • The Avengers (2012)
  • One Shot: Item 47 (2012)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)
  • One Shot: All Hail the King (2013)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2014)
  • I Am Groot seasons 1-2 (2014)
  • Daredevil season 1 (2014)
  • Jessica Jones season 1 (2015)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Ant-Man (2015)
  • Daredevil season 2 (2015)
  • Luke Cage season 1 (2015)
  • Iron Fist season 1 (2016)
  • Marvel's Defenders (2016)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  • Black Widow (2016)
  • Black Panther (2016)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
  • The Punisher season 1 (2016)
  • Doctor Strange (2016-17)
  • Jessica Jones season 2 (2017)
  • Luke Cage season 2 (2017)
  • Iron Fist season 2 (2017)
  • Daredevil season 3 (2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  • The Punisher season 2 (2017)
  • Jessica Jones season 3 (2017)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
  • Loki (outside of our conception of time, but around here!)
  • Loki season 2 (also outside of our conception of time!)
  • What If...? (multiverse)
  • WandaVision (2023)
  • Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2024)
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2024)
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
  • Eternals (2024)
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
  • Hawkeye (Christmas 2024)
  • Moon Knight (2025)
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
  • Echo (2025)
  • She-Hulk (2025)
  • Ms. Marvel (2025)
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
  • Ironheart (2025)
  • Werewolf By Night (2025)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2025)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2026)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (2026)
  • Secret Invasion (2026)
  • The Marvels (2026)
  • Deadpool and Wolverine (2026)
  • Agatha All Along (2026)
  • Daredevil: Born Again (2027)
  • Captain America: Brave New World (2027)
  • Thunderbolts (2027)
  • Wonder Man (ends in 2027)

As you can imagine, this chronological order is a little less straightforward than the prior release date list. But we now have official confirmation of where most of the MCU stands.

Eyes of Wakanda is now the first MCU project chronologically, snaking through the centuries everywhere from the Bronze Age to the tail-end of the 19th Century in its anthology series.

The 20th Century side of the Marvel timeline only features Captain America's WW2 exploits, Captain Carter's post-war adventures, and Captain Marvel's blockbuster-era '90s origins. If you want to count Fantastic Four's retro-futuristic take on the 1960s on Earth-828, we won't say no. To wrap your head around it further, we've got a brief guide on where Fantastic Four takes place on the Marvel timeline.

From there, Iron Man takes place in 2008 before 'Fury's Big Week' in 2010, a bizarre period of time that sees several Marvel movies taking place in the same week. Other major milestones include 2012's Battle of New York (as seen in The Avengers), The Snap in 2018, and the Endgame time skip up to 2023.

We've now reached 2026 and 2027, with a handful of steps back in time in entries such as Deadpool and Wolverine (which takes place first in 2018) and the Steve Rogers teaser for Avengers: Doomsday (which appears to be set in the late 1940s or early 1950s). The most recent project chronologically is Wonder Man, which appears to end in 2027, some 12 months after the in-universe Wonder Man's production start date.

Upon its release, Avengers: Doomsday will be the most recent entry in terms of MCU chronology.

The latest release, Marvel Zombies, can't be pinned down to a specific year as it takes place in an alternate universe.

Kathryn Hahn as Agatha in Marvel TV series Agatha All Along

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Marvel has also revealed the exact months or rough windows of when things happened in the MCU, but honestly, that doesn't specifically matter if you're just planning to sit down and consume them without doing what amounts to homework.

All you need to know is everything is now officially correct above if you want to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order, even if Marvel Studios doesn't always take the best care with its timeline. Our advice? Try not to think too hard about it.

Upcoming Marvel movies and shows

Charlie Cox suits up in Daredevil: Born Again season 2

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)

What's next in the MCU? Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is released in March. On the big screen, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is swinging our way soon, coming to cinemas in July.

Below, there's a taste of the confirmed Marvel movies and shows coming out over the next few years; it's the perfect way to futureproof your upcoming MCU binge-watches.

Marvel Phase 6

TBA (unreleased):

  • Armor Wars – TBA
  • Black Panther 3 – TBA
  • Shang-Chi 2 – TBA
  • X-Men – TBA

Can I watch the Marvel movies in order on Disney Plus?

Madisynn and Wong in She-Hulk

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Yes, you can now watch the vast majority of the MCU on Disney Plus.

Up until very recently, multiple Marvel movies and shows (including the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies) weren't on the Disney streaming service. That still remains the case in some regions, sadly.

Things got even better when Netflix's Defenders series, including Daredevil, were also added to Disney Plus. On top of that, Fantastic Four: First Steps is now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • Iron Man
  • The Incredible Hulk
  • Thor
  • Iron Man 2
  • Captain America: The First Avenger
  • The Avengers
  • Iron Man 3
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Thor: The Dark World
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Ant-Man
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Doctor Strange
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  • Thor: Ragnarok
  • Black Panther
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Captain Marvel
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home
  • WandaVision
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
  • Loki
  • Black Widow
  • What If...? seasons 1-3
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • Eternals
  • Hawkeye
  • Moon Knight
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
  • Ms. Marvel
  • She-Hulk
  • Thor: Love and Thunder
  • Werewolf By Night
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
  • Secret Invasion
  • Guardians of the Galaxy 3
  • Loki season 2
  • Echo
  • The Marvels
  • Deadpool and Wolverine
  • Agatha All Along
  • Daredevil: Born Again
  • Captain America: Brave New World
  • Thunderbolts
  • Ironheart
  • Eyes of Wakanda
  • Marvel Zombies
  • Fantastic Four: The First Steps
  • Wonder Man

Are Spider-Man, X-Men, and Daredevil canon in the MCU?

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Then there's the complicated question of how X-Men, Spider-Man, and Netflix's Defenders series (Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones) fit into the Sacred Timeline.

As of 2026, the Marvel Netflix shows are officially canon. Daredevil: Born Again is the latest entry, and continues the story of Charlie Cox's Man Without Fear. A second season is on the way in March.

If you're short on time (and interest), everything here is technically skippable if you're only focusing on the MCU, though we'd certainly recommend the mainline Daredevil series on Disney Plus (formerly Netflix) before moving on to Born Again.

If you want to tackle Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher, then you're going to want to know the watch order. Luckily, we have exactly the piece you're after: how to watch The Defenders Saga in order. The list is also below:

X-Men, meanwhile, exist completely outside of the MCU as part of (formerly) Fox's X-Men cinematic universe on Earth-10005. But things are getting complicated when it comes to mutants thanks to Hugh Jackman’s recent return as Wolverine – as well as if the events of The Marvels post-credits scene head where we think they're heading.

Deadpool and Wolverine firmly places the Fox X-Men movies outside of the MCU – but only after we see how they directly affect the Sacred Timeline and how the TVA is aware of their existence. A Deadpool and Wolverine deleted scene has also made reference to the Sacred Timeline being the universe to focus on in the MCU. That (confusingly) makes those X-Men movies canon in the wider multiverse of the MCU before removing them as a concern entirely. To complicate matters further, several X-Men legacy actors will return in Avengers: Doomsday, though presumably their appearances will fall outside of the mainline MCU.

Basically, the door on the Fox X-Men movies is closed for now, and they exist on the outskirts of the MCU instead of firmly within it. Only time will tell us how mutants will factor into the cinematic universe going forward. For now, you can watch them separately with our guide on how to watch the X-Men movies in order. The list is also below.

  • X-Men
  • X2: X-Men United
  • X-Men: The Last Stand
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  • X-Men: First Class
  • The Wolverine
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past
  • Deadpool
  • X-Men: Apocalypse
  • Logan
  • Deadpool 2
  • X-Men: Dark Phoenix
  • New Mutants
  • Deadpool & Wolverine

Finally, how does Spider-Man fit into the Marvel movies order? The simple answer is only Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are in the MCU, as well as Tom Holland's appearances in other Marvel films such as Avengers: Infinity War.

Spider-Man-centric properties such as the Venom trilogy or Kraven are part of Sony's Spider-Man universe and should be treated as a separate entity, even if there is some occasional crossover.

Now we're getting to the confusing bit: the multiverse. Thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home, we have had various Spider-Man villains from throughout the multiverse travel into the MCU. To fully understand everyone's motives and intentions in No Way Home, you need to have watched a fair few older Spider-Man movies.

These take place on alternate timelines: one where Tobey Maguire is Spider-Man, and another where Andrew Garfield is Spidey. For a full deep dive into watching these movies, then check out our guide to how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order.

Long story, short: Tom Holland's Spider-Man currently exists in the MCU, with the other Sony Spider-Man movies existing (broadly speaking) in the multiverse and aren't a concern for this watch order. Don't expect them to appear again into the main Marvel universe anytime soon, though.

Need more? Here are the best movies on Disney Plus and the best shows on Disney Plus. For more watch guides, be sure to dive into how to watch Demon Slayer in order and how to watch Jujutsu Kaisen in order.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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