Many Wonder how to watch the Marvel movies in order because there are now over 33 movies and as a new comer it gets confused on where to start. We have outlined two basic approaches on watching the Marvel movies in order based on release date and chronological sequence. MCU which stands for Marvel Cinematic Universe have movies ranging from from Iron Man to Spider-Man.
If you have thorough grip on these movies then it is better to watch Marvel Movies In Chronological Order. But if you are newbie then it is preferable to watch Marvel movies in order of their release dates.
Although the story’s overall structure is logical in any case however, if this is your first time to experience the MCU you ought to start by going through the films in the order they were released. This is not only the order in which films were created however, you’ll also be able to observe the development and improvement of MCU storytelling as Marvel Studios worked out the problems and perfected the methods to create an Marvel film.
However, if you’ve watched most and all Marvel films watching them chronologically is an enjoyable experience. It doesn’t alter any aspect of the plot and it’s definitely a little odd when you watch “Captain Marvel” so early and then wait 20 minutes to wait for Brie Larson’s character to be seen ever again. It does allow you to be impressed by how Marvel retrofit its prequels to fit into the timeline of the present.
Marvel Movies In Chronological Order:
Let’s begin with the MCU films in chronological order. This means you will see the Marvel movies as they happen, in chronological order. The film will begin with Captain America’s story of his origin during World War II, and end with Spider-Man: No Way Home. Officially set in 1942, it takes place in 2023.
Eternals adds complexity to the matter by flashbacks to times that predate Captain America’s creation. To avoid confusion over where Eternals are located in the Marvel Cinematic Universe chronology we have placed them exactly before No Way Home.
Other dates and times are not known. Black Widow, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther all took place in the same time frame. Without an official Marvel timeline analysis, it’s hard to determine where these Marvel Cinematic Universe movies fall within the larger Marvel chronology. Based on the information we had, here’s what we were able to do.
We also include the Marvel television series that were rescheduled in time for Avengers: Endgame. WandaVision is set a few weeks after the events in Endgame. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier take place six months later, so these movies are both set before Spider-Man Far From Home. Loki is set in an alternate reality after the events of The Avengers. If you have the chance to see it, you should watch it after Avengers: Endgame.
Loki’s animated series, is very similar to Marvel’s animated series. Both have been seen on both the large and small screens, as it is set in an expanded universe. Hawkeye will be set one year after the events of Endgame.
S.No | Marvel movies in chronological order | Directed by |
1 | Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943) | Joe Johnston |
2 | Captain Marvel (1995) | Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck |
3 | Iron Man (2008) | Jon Favreau |
4 | Iron Man 2 (2010) | Jon Favreau |
5 | The Incredible Hulk (2011) | Louis Leterrier |
6 | Thor (2011) | Kenneth Branagh |
7 | The Avengers (2012) | Joss Whedon |
8 | Thor: The Dark World (2013) | Alan Taylor |
9 | Iron Man 3 (2013) | Shane Black |
10 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) | Anthony Russo, Joe Russo |
11 | Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) | James Gunn |
12 | Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2014) | James Gunn |
13 | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) | Joss Whedon |
14 | Ant-Man (2015) | Peyton Reed |
15 | Captain America: Civil War (2016) | Anthony Russo, Joe Russo |
16 | Black Widow (2021) | Cate Shortland |
17 | Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016) | Jon Watts |
18 | Black Panther (2017) | Ryan Coogler |
19 | Doctor Strange (2016-17) | Scott Derrickson |
20 | Thor: Ragnarok (2017) | Taika Waititi |
21 | Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017) | Peyton Reed |
22 | Avengers: Infinity War (2017) | Anthony Russo, Joe Russo |
23 | Avengers: Endgame (2019) | Anthony Russo, Joe Russo |
24 | Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) | Jon Watts |
25 | Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) | Jon Watts |
26 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) | Destin Daniel Cretton |
27 | Eternals (2021) | Chloé Zhao |
28 | Hawkeye (2021) | Kevin Feige |
29 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) | Kari Skogland |
30 | Moon Knight (2022) | Brad Winderbaum |
31 | Loki (2021) | Louis D’Esposito |
32 | What If? (2021) | Bryan Andrews |
33 | Wandavision (2021) | Jac Schaeffer, Kevin Feige |
34 | Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) | Sam Raimi |
Iron Man was released in 2008. However, it can’t claim to be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. But, Chris Evans has beaten Robert Downey Jr. within its story. Because Evans’ origin story in The First Avenger begins in 1942, Evans’s Captain America story. We are also introduced to the Tessarect (an energy cube that initializes Infinity Saga), at this point. It culminates in 2019’s Avengers Endgame.
Next up on the timeline is Captain Marvel. This blockbuster was released in 1995 and stars Brie Larson as the cosmic Carol Danvers. Then it’s time for Iron Man, and RDJ’s world-changing turn as Tony Stark. Except for 2021’s Black Widow which is set after 2016’s Captain America : Civil War, the movies can be viewed in order of release.
The epic finale of Endeavor, which essentially concluded the first three phases of the MCU, saw a 5 year forward time jump. This placed most of everything in Phase 4, and will continue to move in the near future. The movie with Shang-Chi started Phase 4. It has invited its series to do the heavy lifting with Loki and Wandavision as well as Falcon, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier pushing the story forward. There was also the huge one-two Spider-Man punch that included Far from Home and No way home. The latest episode is Moon Knight. It’s currently being aired in Spring 2024. This will be followed by Shang Chi, Falcon, and Winter Soldier. We reserve the rights to change Moon Knight at any time during its run. You have the chance to catch up on all 33 Marvel movies and series, or discover the MCU in a completely new way.
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Marvel Movies In Order of Release:
Here’s how you can watch Marvel movies in order of release. We should also note that Marvel movies are divided into Phases. The end of a Phase usually signals the end to a story arc. A Phase’s beginning signals the introduction or reintroduction of important characters. We will be going through the Phases 1 through 4 in order of release. Yes, this includes WandaVision/Falcon as well as The Winter Soldier/Loki. They aren’t technically movies but the MCU is rapidly changing, so the Disney Plus shows have become just as important.
The story of Captain America begins in World War II. However, by the time he wakes up in New York City, it is over. Nick Fury is his next encounter. This is not the first time that we see him as the head of SHIELD. He was seen in Iron Man (2008), which took place before the events of Captain America: Civil War.
We prefer to see Marvel movies in the order they were released, rather than in chronological order. Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will see them in their own way. Some may even include the TV episodes in marathon binge-watching sessions. We believe that the best way to view the Marvel movies is to binge-watch them in order.
Phase 1:
- 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 Avengers (May 4, 2012)
Phase 2:
- 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 3:
- 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)
Phase 4:
- Wandavision (TV series) (January, 2021)
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TV series) (March, 2021)
- Loki season 1 (TV series) (June, 2021)
- Black Widow (9th July 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (3rd September 2021)
- Eternals (5th November 2021)
- Hawkeye (24th November 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (17th December 2021)
- Moon Knight (TV show -30th March 2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (6th May 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (8th July 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (11th November 2022)
- She-Hulk (TV show – 2022)
- Ms Marvel (TV series- mid-2022)
- Secret Invasion (TV show – 2022)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (TV special – December 2022)
- The Marvels (17th February 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (5th May 2023)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (28th July 2023)
- Fantastic Four (Movie – TBA)
Phase Four (and beyond):
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – May 6, 2022
- Ms. Marvel – 2022 (Disney Plus series – June 8, 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder – July 8, 2022
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – November 11, 2022
- She Hulk – 2022 (Disney Plus series)
- The Marvels (AKA Captain Marvel 2) – February 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 5, 2023
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – July 28, 2023
- Blade (TBA)
- Captain America 4 (TBA)
- Fantastic Four (TBA)
- Untitled Mutants movie (TBA)
- Deadpool 3 (TBA)
The best Marvel movies are just waiting for you to binge watch them, so what are you waiting for? Almost all of them are on Disney Plus (sadly you’ll have to find the Spider-Man films and The Incredible Hulk elsewhere), so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy watching all the Marvel movies in chronological order. You’re welcome.
The streaming industry has been changed by Disney Plus. Disney Plus is a major competitor to Amazon Prime and Netflix. It brings together all of the classic Disney movies in one place. You can also find original series and most of the Marvel movies.
All Marvel movies are available on Disney Plus. The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man movies will not be available on Disney Plus. The reason is that the rights for Hulk are owned by Universal and the rights for Spider-Man belong to Sony. However, the Spidey movies will soon be available on Disney Plus or later thanks a deal. You can also watch Jessica Jones and Daredevil on Netflix’s streaming service. These Netflix Marvel series are in the same order as The Avengers.
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Which order is best to watch Marvel Movies?
The basic plot is the same regardless of how you view the films. However, it is important to start with the order they were released. This is the order that the films were released. It allows you to observe the evolution and refinement in the MCU narrative, as Marvel Studios worked through the problems and perfected the art of making Marvel movies.
If you have seen all the Marvel films, it is rewarding to watch them in order. Although no part of the movie has been altered, it’s still strange to see Captain Marvel so early and then have to wait 20 more movies for Brie Larson to address his character. It does help to appreciate how Marvel has restructured their prequel films into the established franchise canon.
Is Marvel planning a phase 5?
Phase 4 of Marvel Studios’ MCU is now open. Marvel Studios already has Phase 5 in mind and plans to expand the MCU with more than one Avengers team. Marvel Studios teased Phase 5’s Avengers team as Phase 4.
Marvel is made up of three phases. What are they?
In Phase 1, we learn more about each of The Avengers. The second phase focuses on the aftermath of The Avengers. Avengers: Age of Ultron (and introduction of new heroes), set the scene for the terrifying Avengers: Infinity War, which was followed by Avengers Endgame.
Spiderman in which phase of his life?
Initial plans had Ant-Man to be the first film in Phase Three. It was later changed to become the final film in Phase Two. Similar to Spider-Man: Far From Home, it was originally designated as the first film in Phase Four. However, it was later renamed to the last film in Phase Three.
What is the chance of an Avengers movie being made?
Kevin Feige claims that Avengers: Endgame will become the final Avengers movie. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has called Avengers: Endgame his last Avengers movie.
Will Black Widow’s sister join the Avengers?
Yelena (Florence Pugh), Yelena Belava (Hawkeye) will likely never be an Avenger, since she made clear her feelings about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. In New York City, Yelena declared her intent to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), in the Black Widow post credits scene.
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