Marvel movies in order: How to watch the MCU in release, chronological, and other orders

Want to know how to watch every MCU movie and show in order? The MCU has become a cinematic juggernaut, rising to become the biggest movie franchise in history. It has broken records, redefined the modern blockbuster, and, with so many movies and shows, become quite confusing to follow. If you’re looking to start watching the MCU or simply figure out the best order before starting another rewatch, we’re here to help.

Below, we’ll explain how to watch the MCU in chronological and release order, covering the main differences between the two so that you can choose your preferred experience. As for how to watch these shows and movies, most of the MCU can be found on Disney+, with a couple exceptions. If you don't have Disney+, we will be linking to what is available on Amazon, in the cases where the shows and movies are available for rent and purchase.

If you're looking ahead to the future, we have a guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the horizon.

How to watch the MCU in release order

Watching the MCU in release order allows you to follow the events as they occurred in theatres, and it’s the best order for new fans. This is largely due to the post-credit scenes, which often tease upcoming movies regardless of their position in the timeline. You could just avoid the post-credit scenes, of course, but they often include crucial details that tie into future appearances of your favourite characters.

Below, we’ll list how to watch the MCU in release order, including all of the movies and Disney+ series in each phase:

Phase One

1. Iron Man (2008)
2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
3. Iron Man 2 (2010)
4. Thor (2011)
5. Marvel One Shot: The Consultant (2011)
6. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
7. Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (2011)
8. The Avengers (2012)
9. Marvel One Shot: Item 47 (2012)

Phase Two

1. Iron Man 3 (2013)
2. Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
3. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 1-7 (2013)
4. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
5. Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King (2013)
6. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 8-16 (2014)
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
8. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 17-22 (2014)
9. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
10. Agent Carter Season 1 (2015)
11. Daredevil Season 1 (2015)
12. Agents Of Shield Season 2, episodes 1-19 (2015)
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
14. Agents Of Shield Season 2, episodes 20-22 (2015)
15. Ant-Man (2015)
16. Jessica Jones Season 1 (2015)
17. Agent Carter Season 2 (2016)

Phase Three

1. Daredevil Season 2 (2016)
2. Agents Of Shield Season 3 episodes 1-19 (2016)
3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
4. Team Thor Part 1 (2016)
5. Agents Of Shield Season 3 episodes 20-22 (2016)
6. Luke Cage Season 1 (2016)
7. Doctor Strange (2016)
8. Team Thor Part 2 (2016)
9. Agents Of Shield: Slingshot web series (2016)
10. Agents Of Shield Season 4 (2016-2017)
11. Iron Fist Season 1 (2017)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (2017)
13. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
14. The Defenders (2017)
15. Inhumans (2017)
16. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
17. Team Darryl (2017)
18. The Punisher Season 1 (2017)
19. Runaways Season 1 (2017-2018)
20. Agents Of Shield Season 5 (2017-2018)
21. Black Panther (2018)
22. Jessica Jones Season 2 (2018)
23. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
24. Cloak and Dagger Season 1 (2018)
25. Luke Cage Season 2 (2018)
26. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
27. Iron Fist Season 2 (2018)
28. Daredevil Season 3 (2018)
29. Runaways Season 2 (2018)
30. The Punisher Season 2 (2019)
31. Captain Marvel (2019)
32. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
33. Cloak and Dagger Season 2 (2019)
34. Agents Of Shield Season 6 (2019)
35. Jessica Jones Season 3 (2019)
36. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
37. Runaways Season 3 (2019)
38. Agents Of Shield Season 7 (2020)

Phase Four

1. Wandavision (2021)
2. Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
3. Loki (2021)
4. Black Widow (2021)
5. What If…? (2021)
6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
7. Eternals (2021)
8. Hawkeye (2021)
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
10. Moon Knight (2022)
11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
12. Ms Marvel (2022)
13. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
14. She-Hulk (2022)
15. Werewolf By Night (2022)
16. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
17. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

Phase Five

1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

How to watch the MCU in chronological order 2023

The Marvel Cinematic Universe started in 2008, but it has since explored both the distant past and the future while covering a range of intertwining storylines. While it may all seem a bit tricky to follow, watching the MCU in chronological order makes it easy to map the official timeline. It’s a great way for fans to understand how the various movies fit together, and makes for a fun rewatch if you’re after something to do while getting excited for the next movie.

We’ve included everything from Iron Man to the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, along with the various One Shots, Netflix series, and all seasons of Agents Of Shield. While the question remains whether the various series are included in the main MCU canon, we’ve opted to include them to give fans the biggest possible picture.

Below, we’ll list how to watch the MCU in chronological order, including every movie and series, along with the year in which they take place:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1945)
2. Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter (1946)
3. Agent Carter Season 1 & Season 2 (1946)
4. Captain Marvel (1995)
5. Iron Man (2010)
6. Iron Man 2 (2011)
7. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
8. Marvel One Shot: The Consultant (2011)
9. Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (2011)
10. Thor (2011)
11. The Avengers (2012)
12. Marvel One Shot: Item 47 (2012)
13. Iron Man 3 (2012)
14. Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King (2012)
15. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 1-7 (2013)
16. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
17. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 8-16 (2014)
18. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
19. Agents Of Shield Season 1, episodes 17-22 (2014)
20. Daredevil Season 1 (2014)
21. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
22. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (2014)
23. Agents Of Shield Season 2, episodes 1-19 (2015)
24. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
25. Agents Of Shield Season 2, episodes 20-22 (2015)
26. Ant-Man (2015)
27. Jessica Jones Season 1 (2015)
28. Daredevil Season 2 (2015)
29. Luke Cage Season 1 (2015)
30. Agents Of Shield Season 3 episodes 1-19 (2015)
31. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
32. Team Thor Part 1 & Part 2 (2016)
33. Agents Of Shield Season 3 episodes 20-22 (2016)
34. Agents of Shield: Slingshot web series (2016)
35. Agents Of Shield Season 4 (2016)
36. Black Widow (2016)
37. Black Panther (2016)
38. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016 - beware that the “8 years later” card shown after the intro is a mistake, and was later retconned to be 4 years to match the series of events presented in this list.)
39. Iron Fist Season 1 (2016)
40. The Defenders (2016)
41. The Punisher Season 1 (2016)
42. Doctor Strange (2016)
43. Inhumans (2017)
44. Cloak and Dagger Season 1 (2017)
45. Jessica Jones Season 2 (2017)
46. Luke Cage Season 2 (2017)
47. Iron Fist Season 2 (2017)
48. Daredevil Season 3 (2017)
49. Runaways Season 1, 2, & 3 (2017)
50. The Punisher Season 2 (2017)
51. Jessica Jones Season 3 (2017)
52. Cloak and Dagger Season 2 (2017)
53. Agents Of Shield Season 5 episodes 1-11 (2017)
54. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
55. Team Darryl (2017)
56. Agents Of Shield Season 5 episodes 12-22 (2018)
57. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
58. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
59. Agents Of Shield Season 6-7 (2018 - these Seasons do not connect to the events of Infinity War, and seem to represent a major dent in Agents of Shield’s questionable status as part of the MCU canon.)
60. Avengers: Endgame (2023)
61. Loki (2012/2023/void at the end of time/time travel is messy)
62. What If…? (different timelines, but the events depicted throughout the series follow the Loki finale)
63. Wandavision (2023)
64. Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2023)
65. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
66. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2023)
67. Eternals (2023)
68. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
69. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
70. Hawkeye (2024)
71. Moon Knight (2025)
72. She-Hulk (2025)
73. Ms Marvel (2025)
74. Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
75. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
76. Werewolf By Night (2025)
77. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2025)
78. Ant-Man and the WAsp: Quantumania

However, be aware that watching the MCU in chronological order probably isn’t best for new fans. Most movies have a post-credits scene, and these often spoil content that would have followed in the release order. Captain Marvel, for example, takes place in 1995, but the post-credit scene ties into Avengers: Endgame and contains major spoilers for Infinity War. Chronological watches can be useful for keeping track of the events, but get ready for some confusing spoilers if you haven’t already watched through the MCU before.