Whether you have seen every Marvel movie as it was released, or are completely new to the Marvel Universe, watching the films in chronological order can help you better understand the overall story.
For those who are new to the franchise, fans in the past have chosen to watch the “Avengers” movies, or just the “Iron Man” films and have understood the themes. If you start from the very beginning though, you’ll be able to see how all the characters are connected to one another, and understand the heroes’ stories individually.
But where to begin? There’s some debate on how these movies should be watched chronologically, especially towards the end of the timeline, since there is some overlap between movies.
The timeline we have provided is straight from Marvel’s website. The only movie that is not included in Marvel’s timeline is “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” as that is the only movie that can’t be found on Disney+. All the other Marvel movies can be found, in chronological order, on the streaming service.
Also, bear in mind that this particular guide only pulls the movies that are part of the Marvel Universe. There have also been a number of TV shows released over the years that fall within this timeline.
Get started with this chronological Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie guide.
Your first introduction to the Marvel Universe will be with “Captain America: The First Avenger.” This movie came out in 2011 and features Chris Evans as the lead.
The film is set in the 1940s and dives into how Steve Rogers, a military soldier, became Captain America.
You’ll also learn about Peggy Carter in this movie, a character whose importance will be great down the line.
This movie is one of the newer Marvel movies in terms of release date, but one of the oldest in terms of the chronological timeline.
This movie jumps a bit in time from where we last left off with Captain America, as it is set in the 1990s, and provides nostalgia for fans from the time period.
“Iron Man” was released in 2008, and falls third in the Marvel timeline.
In this movie, viewers find out how the billionaire genius Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., becomes Iron Man.
In this movie, the very first Iron Man suit is made. Stark didn’t make the first suit to be the hero he became, he made it as a means to save his life.
Stick with Iron Man’s storyline in the follow up Marvel movie to “Iron Man.”
In “Iron Man 2”, Stark becomes much more of a public figure, as he struggles to ensure the powerful technology he created doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. A new villain is seeking to eliminate the hero in this film.
The events in “The Incredible Hulk” are similar to those in “Iron Man 2.” In this film, scientist Bruce Banner is desperate to cure the big green monster he becomes when his temper is out of control.
In this film, Edward Norton plays Banner. For the rest of Banner’s appearances in the franchise, he is played by Mark Ruffalo.
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The first of the “Thor” movies was released in 2011. This film provides background on the God of Thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth, starting with his banishment to Earth by his father, Odin.
In the film, Thor meets scientist Jane Foster, who is important in future movies within the franchise. Thor’s brother Loki, the God of Mischief, is also in this film.
The first time the world’s mightiest heroes officially work together as a team is in “The Avengers.”
In this movie, Loki continues with his mischief and is on a mission to rule Earth. The Avengers team up to stop him.
Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk and Thor are the original Avengers featured in this movie.
After “The Avengers,” “Thor: The Dark World,” perfectly fits in line.
This movie includes Thor and Loki once again, as well as Jane, who finds herself in trouble.
After “Thor: The Dark World,” the timeline, according to Marvel, suggests that “Iron Man 3” is up next.
This is not the last time audiences will see Iron Man, but it is the last movie solely based on the character.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” lets viewers in on what Captain America is up to after defeating Loki in the New York City battle of “The Avengers.”
In this movie, Captain America and Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, set out to defeat a threat known as The Winter Soldier.
As it turns out, the brainwashed assassin is someone important from Captain America’s past.
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“Guardians of the Galaxy” stars new, lovable characters, like a tree named Groot of very few words, and a sarcastic, comical, crime-fighting talking raccoon named Rocket.
The film also features the leader of the clan, Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt.
Before getting back into the story of the Avengers, stick with “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” takes place just a few short months after the last.
Marvel recommends hopping back into the “Avengers” movies at this point.
In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Stark and Banner work together to create a program they believe will help protect humanity from dangerous threats. The program, Ultron, has other plans in mind.
Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro are a very big part of this movie, as powerful beings recruited by the dangerous Ultron.
Scott Lang, also known as Ant-Man, is a con turned accidental hero.
Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, may be small, but he develops as an integral characters in the Marvel Universe.
After the Avengers’ messy battles, the government begins to push for more control over the heroes in “Captain America: Civil War.”
The political interference at play sends Iron Man and Captain America to different sides of the aisle. All the heroes wind up picking sides, leading to a battle within themselves.
By the time “Black Widow” hit theaters, Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow, was already a huge part of the Marvel Universe, but not much of her backstory had been told up to this point.
This movie welcomes a new set of characters to the Marvel Universe, as we learn more about Black Widow and her past.
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Even though the Black Panther takes part in the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” he is a semi-new character and not much is known about him at the time.
“Black Panther” gives fans a look into Wakanda, where T’Challa, or Black Panther, is meant to rise as king after his father’s death, until his cousin arrives and challenges him for the throne.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” takes place shortly after Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, was recruited by Stark to fight during the battle that ensued in “Captain America: Civil War.”
In this movie, fans meet Parker’s best friend Ned, who calls himself “The Guy in the Chair,” as the behind the scenes’ sidekick of Spider-Man.
Michelle “MJ” Jones, who later becomes a love interest of Parker’s, has a much smaller role in this film than future ones.
When a brain surgeon named Stephen Strange damages his hands in a car accident, he begins a search for a cure, which leads him into a world of power.
After “Doctor Strange” was released, the doctor maintains a large presence in the Marvel Universe.
In “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor and Loki come to realize they are not the only powerful siblings in their family.
There’s also the evil Hela, who wreaks havoc in this movie.
In “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” Ant-Man is back, and this time, the Wasp, Hope van Dyne, is here to help.
This character is also in the previous “Ant-Man” movie, but this film is where she emerges as the crime-fighting sidekick, the Wasp.
At this point in the timeline, you’ll watch the last two “Avengers” movies back-to-back, beginning with “Avengers: Infinity War” and then “Avengers: Endgame.” The events of these movies changed the Marvel Universe forever.
In this movie, the powerful villain Thanos is on the hunt for the Infinity Stones. The Avengers must stop him. If they don’t, he’ll wipe out half the universe with just a snap of his fingers.
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Five years later, with half the universe gone, including many powerful heroes, “Avengers: Endgame” begins.
The heroes left alive find a risky way to bring back all they’ve lost, but they have just one shot to make it happen.
The next few Marvel movies get a little murky with their order, since they are all post “Endgame” at similar times. But, according to Marvel’s timeline, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” comes next.
This movie is unique in the sense that it focuses on a brand-new hero that was not part of the franchise previously.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” kicks off right after the events of “Endgame.”
After what takes place in “Endgame,” the young Peter Parker is forced to step up and take on new threats.
This movie is the only film Marvel doesn’t include in their official timeline, being that it cannot be found on Disney+. This movie does take place right after the previous “Spider-Man” film, so it makes sense to continue with this story.
When villains from other multiverses begin to arrive in Parker’s world, more than one Spider-Man is needed to stop them.
Even though the heroes in the movie have been secretly protecting Earth for thousands of years, their first appearance in the MCU follows the events of “Endgame.”
In “Eternals,” there is a new group of heroes to get to know.
In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” a new character becomes part of the story. Her name is America Chavez, and she has the power to travel across multiverses.
The events of this movie take place shortly after “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” T’Challa died. The actor who played the character in previous Marvel films passed away in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer.
Marvel chose not to recast Chadwick Boseman’s role, and instead, focused more on the women of Wakanda, specifically T’Challa’s sister Shuri.
After the events that unfolded in “Avengers: Endgame,” Thor has seemingly retired from superhero life and focused on finding peace within himself in “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
When a dangerous villain threatens his existence, Thor, with the help of other heroes, must work together to stop him.
In “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Ant-Man and the Wasp, continue with their superhero duties. Cassie, Lang’s daughter, who is now a teenager, is a main character in this movie.
In “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” fans will learn a lot more about Rocket, the talking raccoon part of the team.
Even though this movie falls towards the end of the timeline based on where the present events take place, it includes a lot of flashbacks about Rocket, and how he became the powerful raccoon that he is.
The newest Marvel movie, “The Marvels,” also falls last in the timeline.
Once you’ve completed this superhero film, you’ve made it through all the Marvel movies in chronological order to date. Of course, there are many more Marvel movies on the way that will fall into this timeline, but watching all the way through will give you a big picture of the Marvel Universe and the characters within it.
