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How to Watch the Marvel Movies in Chronological Order

How to catch up ahead of the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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Marvel

Welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you’re here, then it’s more than likely because you want to catch up on everything going on in the MCU before it becomes even more daunting than what it is, and we’re to help with a list of all the MCU movies in chronological order. My fellow future Marvel fans, I was just in this position back in October. While I had already seen certain Marvel movies at the time of their release such as Iron Man and Black Panther, I realized that I was struggling to understand certain elements and storylines because unfortunately everything in the MCU connects. So last year I decided to commit to watching every single film in the MCU to be caught up in time for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

It only took me three weeks (I was watching one movie a day on the weekdays, and two to three on weekends). Now you might want to get caught up by the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes out on May 5th, so get to watching. That said, what exactly is the beast called the MCU, and how did we get here?

RELATED: The 12 Most Underrated Marvel Characters

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Marvel Studios

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. Its roots date back to the origination of the comics launched in 1939, with the film series starting in 2008 with Iron Man. Some have chosen to gain their knowledge through the comics, and while that still is an option, the easiest way in our opinion is to watch the movies. And while you might consider yourselves late to the party, you actually have an advantage from those that started in 08 because back then the story wasn’t being told in chronological order. 

The Marvel Movies in Chronological Order:

  • Captain America: The First Avenger
  • Captain Marvel
  • Iron Man
  • Iron Man 2
  • The Incredible Hulk
  • Thor
  • The Avengers
  • Thor: The Dark World
  • Iron Man 3
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Guardians of the Galaxy 2
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Ant-Man
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Black Widow
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming
  • Black Panther
  • Doctor Strange
  • Thor: Ragnarok
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • Eternals
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
  • Thor: Love and Thunder

Marvel Movies in Release Order

 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 (Mat 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 (July 28, 2023)
  • Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
  • Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
  • Blade (September 6, 2024)

Phase Six (2024-2026)

  • Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)
  • Fantastic Four (February 14, 2025)
  • Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)
  • Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)

Is it Better to Watch the Marvel Movies in Chronological Order or Release Order?

Like I said earlier. If you’re starting the MCU now, then you actually have an advantage because you don’t have to bounce around. For example, if you started with the first two Iron Man movies like everybody else in 2008 and 2010, then you had to remember everything from those two movies to go back in time with the first Captain America and Thor in 2011. There was a lot of bouncing around and memorizing those first several years of the MCU, so I think newcomers have less of a headache with now being able to go in chronological order. So let’s get into these movies now shall we?

The Marvel Movies in Chronological Order:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger

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2. Captain Marvel

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3. Iron Man

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4. Iron Man 2

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5. The Incredible Hulk

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6. Thor

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7. Marvel’s The Avengers

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8. Thor: The Dark World

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9. Iron Man 3

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10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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11. Guardians of the Galaxy

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12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

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13. Avengers: Age of Ultron

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14. Ant-Man

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15. Captain America: Civil War

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16. Black Widow

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17. Spider-Man: Homecoming

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18. Black Panther

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19. Doctor Strange

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20. Thor: Ragnarok

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21. Ant-Man and the Wasp

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22. Avengers Infinity War

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23. Avengers: Endgame

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24. Spider-Man: Far From Home

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25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

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26. Eternals

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27. Spider-Man: No Way Home

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28. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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29. Thor: Love and Thunder

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30. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

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31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

32. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

When do the Disney+ Shows Take Place in the MCU Timeline?

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Disney+
  • WandaVision - Alright, WandaVision is set roughly three to four weeks after Avengers: Endgame in 2023. Most of the show's timeline can be found in episode 4 just as a guideline.
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is also set about three weeks after Endgame, but just a little bit later than Wandavision.
  • Loki: The events of Loki right after 2012's The Avengers, which roughly 11 years before Endgame.
  • Hawkeye: Hawkeye takes place around Christmas 2024, which is roughly a year after Endgame, and concurs with the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
  • Ms. Marvel: Ms. Marvel is set roughly two to three years after Endgame.
  • She-Hulk: And the time period of She-Hulk is undetermined.

Upcoming Marvel Movies:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 May 5, 2023
The Marvels Nov. 10, 2023
Captain America: New World Order – May 3, 2024
Thunderbolts – July 26, 2024
Blade – Sept. 6, 2024
Deadpool 3 – Nov. 8, 2024
Fantastic Four – Feb. 14, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – May 2, 2025
Avengers: Secret Wars – May 1, 2026

Ready to catch up on the MCU? We hope this guide was helpful. Make sure to keep up with us for more entertainment updates and content. 

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