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TAGGED AS: MARVEL, MARVEL STUDIOS, MCU, MOVIES,

SUPERHERO, SUPERHEROES

MARVEL MOVIES IN
ORDER: HOW TO WATCH
ALL MCU MOVIES AND
SERIES
CHRONOLOGICALLY
The latest: Disney has removed Blade from its slated
November 7, 2025 release date.

If you want to see the Marvel and Avengers movies in

order as they happened, starting with the World War II-
set Captain America: The First Avenger, we’ve listed all the
MCU movies and series in chronological order, in one
guide!

But first, if you just want an overview of the Marvel

Cinematic Universe by release date, we have that right
here, as split up by the separate Phases:

The Infinity Saga: Phase One (2008-2012)

Iron Man (May 2, 2008)

The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)
Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)
Thor (May 6, 2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011)
Marvel’s The First Avengers (May 4, 2012)

Phase Two (2013-2015)

Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)

Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)

Phase Three (2016-2019)

Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016)

Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017)
Black Panther (February 16, 2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)
Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019)
Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2, 2019)

The Multiverse Saga: Phase Four (2021-2022)

Black Widow (July 9, 2021)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten
Rings (September 3, 2021)
Eternals (November 5, 2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May
6, 2021)
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11,
2022)

Phase Five (2023-2024)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February

17, 2023)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
The Marvels (November 11, 2023)
Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26, 2024)
Captain America: New World Order (February 14,
2025)
Thunderbolts (May 5, 2025)

Phase Six (2025-2027)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025)

Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026)
Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)

You can check out our regular feature on all upcoming

Marvel movies with key details! Now, on to if you want to
watch the MCU chronologically in-universe. So while Iron
Man, set and released in 2008, can claim the banner as
the first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, within its
story, Chris Evans has got Robert Downey Jr. beat. That’s
because Evans’ origin story as Captain America in The
First Avenger takes action in 1942. There, we’re also first
fully introduced to the Tessarect, an energy cube that
initializes the Infinity Saga, climaxing in 2019’s Avengers:
Endgame.

The next movie set in the timeline is Captain Marvel, the

blockbuster with a Blockbuster, set in 1995 with Brie
Larson starring as the cosmic Carol Danvers. And then it’s
time to hit the start with Iron Man and RDJ’s world-
making turn as Tony Stark. The movies can be seen in
release order a!er that, except for 2021’s Black Widow,
which is set in the a!ermath of 2016’s Captain America:
Civil War.

Through the epic finale of Endgame (which essentially

completed the first 3 phases of the MCU), there was a
forward time jump of 5 years, placing most everything in
Phase 4 and onward in the near future. Phase 4 started at
the movies with Shang-Chi, and has been inviting its
lineup of series to really do some heavy li!ing, with Loki,
Wandavision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye
pushing the story forward. Then there was the gigantic
one-two Spider-Man punch with Far From Home and No
Way Home. Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness, and now Thor: Love and Thunder are all set
chronologically by release a!er that. And now, we’ve
added She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Ant-Man: Quantumania,
The Marvels, Echo and more.

So if you want to watch the MCU by release order, the list

above is your guide. But if you want to take an alternate
route and see the movies chronologically within its own
timeline (including the TV shows), check out our guide
below!

MARVEL CINEMATIC
UNIVERSE MOVIES AND
SHOWS IN
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

#1

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)

80%
Critics Consensus: With plenty of pulpy action, a
pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances,
Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster
entertainment.
Synopsis: It is 1941 and the world is in the throes of war.
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to do his [More]
Starring: Chris Evans , Hayley Atwell , Sebastian Stan ,
Tommy Lee Jones
Directed By: Joe Johnston

#2

CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019)

79%
Critics Consensus: Packed with action, humor, and visual
thrills, Captain Marvel introduces the MCU's latest hero
with an origin story that makes e"ective use of the
franchise's signature formula.
Synopsis: Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree
warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an
intergalactic battle between her [More]
Starring: Brie Larson , Samuel L. Jackson , Ben
Mendelsohn , Djimon Hounsou
Directed By: Anna Boden , Ryan Fleck

#3

IRON MAN (2008)

94%
Critics Consensus: Powered by Robert Downey Jr.'s
vibrant charm, Iron Man turbo-charges the superhero
genre with a de! intelligence and infectious sense of fun.
Synopsis: A billionaire industrialist and genius inventor,
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is conducting weapons
tests overseas, but terrorists kidnap him [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. , Terrence Howard , Gwyneth
Paltrow , Je" Bridges
Directed By: Jon Favreau

#4

IRON MAN 2 (2010)

72%
Critics Consensus: It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that
Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid
performances and an action-packed plot.
Synopsis: With the world now aware that he is Iron Man,
billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces
pressure from [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow , Don
Cheadle , Scarlett Johansson
Directed By: Jon Favreau

#5

THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)

68%
Critics Consensus: The Incredible Hulk may not be quite
the smashing success that fans of Marvel's raging
behemoth might hope for, but it o"ers more than enough
big green action to make up for its occasionally puny
narrative.
Synopsis: Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton)
desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that
contaminated his cells and turned him [More]
Starring: Edward Norton , Liv Tyler , Tim Roth , William
Hurt
Directed By: Louis Leterrier

#6

THOR (2011)
77%
Critics Consensus: A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its
sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor
is mighty Marvel entertainment.
Synopsis: As the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of
the Norse gods, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will soon inherit
the throne [More]
Starring: Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Anthony
Hopkins , Tom Hiddleston
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

#7

MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (2012)

91%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a script that emphasizes its
heroes' humanity and a wealth of superpowered set
pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype and raises the bar
for Marvel at the movies.
Synopsis: When Thor's evil brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston),
gains access to the unlimited power of the energy cube
called the Tesseract, [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Mark Ru"alo ,
Chris Hemsworth
Directed By: Joss Whedon

#8

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)

67%
Critics Consensus: It may not be the finest film to come
from the Marvel Universe, but Thor: The Dark World still
o"ers plenty of the humor and high-stakes action that fans
have come to expect.
Synopsis: In ancient times, the gods of Asgard fought and
won a war against an evil race known as the Dark [More]
Starring: Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Tom
Hiddleston , Stellan Skarsgård
Directed By: Alan Taylor

#9

IRON MAN 3 (2013)

79%
Critics Consensus: With the help of its charismatic lead,
some impressive action sequences, and even a few
surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and
a strong addition to the Marvel canon.
Synopsis: Plagued with worry and insomnia since saving
New York from destruction, Tony Stark (Robert Downey
Jr.), now, is more dependent [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow , Don
Cheadle , Guy Pearce
Directed By: Shane Black

#10

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)

90%
Critics Consensus: Suspenseful and politically astute,
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior entry in
the Avengers canon and is sure to thrill Marvel diehards.
Synopsis: A!er the cataclysmic events in New York with
his fellow Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America
(Chris Evans), lives in [More]
Starring: Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Samuel L.
Jackson , Sebastian Stan
Directed By: Anthony Russo , Joe Russo

#11

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)

92%
Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy is just as
irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic
would expect -- as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and
packed with visual splendor.
Synopsis: Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt)
finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters a!er
he steals an orb [More]
Starring: Chris Pratt , Zoe Saldaña , Dave Bautista , Vin
Diesel
Directed By: James Gunn

#12

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017)

85%
Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's action-
packed plot, dazzling visuals, and irreverent humor add up
to a sequel that's almost as fun -- if not quite as thrillingly
fresh -- as its predecessor.
Synopsis: Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by
a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their
precious batteries [More]
Starring: Chris Pratt , Zoe Saldaña , Bradley Cooper , Dave
Bautista
Directed By: James Gunn

#13

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

76%
Critics Consensus: Exuberant and eye-popping, Avengers:
Age of Ultron serves as an overstu"ed but mostly satisfying
sequel, reuniting its predecessor's unwieldy cast with a
few new additions and a worthy foe.
Synopsis: When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jump-
starts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go terribly
awry, forcing him, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Hemsworth , Mark
Ru"alo , Chris Evans
Directed By: Joss Whedon

#14

ANT-MAN (2015)
83%
Critics Consensus: Led by a charming performance from
Paul Rudd, Ant-Man o"ers Marvel thrills on an
appropriately smaller scale -- albeit not as smoothly as its
most successful predecessors.
Synopsis: Forced out of his own company by former
protégé Darren Cross, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)
recruits the talents of [More]
Starring: Paul Rudd , Michael Douglas , Evangeline Lilly ,
Corey Stoll
Directed By: Peyton Reed

#15

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)

90%
Critics Consensus: Captain America: Civil War begins the
next wave of Marvel movies with an action-packed
superhero blockbuster boasting a decidedly non-
cartoonish plot and the courage to explore thought-
provoking themes.
Synopsis: Political pressure mounts to install a system of
accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to
collateral damage. The [More]
Starring: Chris Evans , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett
Johansson , Sebastian Stan
Directed By: Anthony Russo , Joe Russo

#16

BLACK WIDOW (2021)

79%
Critics Consensus: Black Widow's deeper themes are
drowned out in all the action, but it remains a solidly
entertaining standalone adventure that's rounded out by a
stellar supporting cast.
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios' action-packed spy thriller
"Black Widow," Natasha Romano" aka Black Widow
confronts the darker parts of her ledger [More]
Starring: Scarlett Johansson , Florence Pugh , David
Harbour , Rachel Weisz
Directed By: Cate Shortland

#17

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017)

92%
Critics Consensus: Spider-Man: Homecoming does
whatever a second reboot can, delivering a colorful, fun
adventure that fits snugly in the sprawling MCU without
getting bogged down in franchise-building.
Synopsis: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers,