So I have a confession to make to you, I have not seen more than 5 Marvel Universe movies! I know, right?! Where have I been the last few years?! But recently, Disney + released a new television series called WandaVision and it is part of the Marvel Universe timeline. I heard so many great things about this show, from friends, social media and reviews, I figured ‘I need to watch this show.’ When I did, I found the show really interesting and fun to watch, but I didn’t understand everything that was going on and who all the characters were. This is when I decided it may be a great time to watch all the Marvel movies, in order, so I could completely understand what was happening.
I found in my research there are a few ways to watch all the current Marvel movies in order. But the two most common ways to watch are theatrical release or chronological order. If you are a newbie like me, it is recommended to watch in Theatrical release order as it is easier to follow the characters and storyline. (Spoiler Alert! I didn’t do it this way)
Update: (10/2022) Now that I have watched most of these movies, I can really see the benefit in watching these movies in theatrical release as a new MCU viewer. I enjoyed the chronological order, as I liked watching the story play out from the beginning to modern day but one thing that made it difficult was characters coming into the story, that I didn’t know, but I would have already been introduced to if watching them theatrically. Nick Fury for example. My recommendation is if you are new to the MCU Universe I would start watching by theater release date.
I decided to start watching in chronological order as I believe I will like the way the timeline, or storyline, will play out. Chronological in this sense is to watch the movies by the year they are set in. We start with Captain America, which takes place during World War II, and it moves us through to our current timeline ending in 2025. (article and lists updated 10/2022)
Chronological Order
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain Marvel
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk
Thor
The Avengers
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Avengers: The Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Black Widow
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Doctor Strange
Black Panther
Thor: Ragnarok
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Avenger: End Game
Spiderman: 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
Almost all of these movies can be found on Disney+ with the exceptions of both Spiderman movies and the Incredible Hulk. It also seems that a few of these movies are interchangeable. Such as you can watch Ant-Man and the Wasp before Infinity War or after. Or you can watch these movies in order of theatrical release. This puts the movies into Marvel Universe phases. (list updated 10/2022)
Theatrical Release Order
MCU Phase 1
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
Avengers
MCU Phase 2
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
MCU: Phase 3
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
Spiderman: Homecoming
Thor: Ragnarok
Black Panther
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man & the Wasp
Captain Marvel
Avengers: End Game
Spiderman: Far from Home
MCU: Phase 4
Black Widow
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
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Nov. 11, 2022
MCU: To Be Released (Phase 5 & 6)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Feb. 17, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 5, 2023
The Marvels – July 28, 2023
Blade – November 3, 2023
Captain America: New World Order – May 3, 2024
Thunderbolts – July 26, 2024
Fantastic Four – November 8, 2024
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – May 2, 2025
Avengers: Secret Wars – November 7, 2025
There is no right or wrong way to watch, it is all a matter of preference, but I do feel like there may be more of a flow with chronological order. There is also a Phase 4 of the Marvel Universe, which is the next set of movies to be released. Many of the movies were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will start with the release of Black Widow, due to come out May 7, 2021. Now with much of Phase 4 released (as of the date of this writing) I will list Phase 5 and some of Phase 6 with the release dates above.
I didn’t include the Disney+ series in the above lists, as they are a little more in depth and are not necessary to watch in order to understand the MCU timeline. Now, if you want to watch them integrated into the main MCU storyline the list to do this below! I will include both ways to watch below. (list updated 10/2022)
Chronological Order with Disney+ Series
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain Marvel
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk
Thor
The Avengers
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
I am Groot
Avengers: The Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Black Widow
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Doctor Strange
Black Panther
Thor: Ragnarok
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man & the Wasp
Avenger: End Game
Loki
What If…?
WandaVision
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spiderman: Far From Home
Eternals
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Moon Knight
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Hawkeye
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Ms. Marvel
Thor: Love and Thunder
I am not going to put the theatrical release in phases, instead I am just going to list them in order of release. (list updated 10/2022)
Theatrical Release Order with Disney+ Series
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Thor: Ragnarok
Black Panther
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Spider-Man: Far from Home
WandaVision
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Loki
Black Widow
What If…?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Eternals
Hawkeye
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Moon Knight
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Ms. Marvel
Thor: Love & Thunder
I am Groot
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
I am just beginning my journey into the MCU Universe and can't wait to learn more! What about you? Are you an avid fan rewatching your favorites or like me, just starting to enjoy the Universe? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and talk to you about your favorite movies, characters, and preferences in watching the Marvel movies! Until next time and I hope to see you again real soon!
Looking to book a Disney destination vacation? Fill out this simple form or contact me here!
Comments