The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest franchises of all time, making it hard to position the Marvel movies in order to watch. At this stage, rewatching the franchise in full requires some serious homework, so some may choose instead to stick to the best MCU movies and TV shows instead. That is particularly true when you consider how much Marvel Studios' creatives have tinkered with the timeline, retconning things along the way. Luckily though, anyone looking for how to watch the Marvel movies in order do have a road map provided by the films themselves.

Success in Hollywood leads to longevity, and as the billions trickled in, Marvel Studios went from a bold idea to a multi-stranded goliath. Inevitably, that expansion led to more complexity in the timeline, as Kevin Feige's team sought to keep hold of the unprecedented size of the shared universe. The scale of the franchise is awesome: the MCU has 6 Phases, planned right up to 2027, with numerous future MCU movies and TV shows yet to be revealed, and even before that, there are tens of movies and Disney+ shows to watch. Here's how to watch every Marvel movie in order from 2008's Iron Man to the Multiverse Saga...

Marvel Movies In Order Of Release Date

Back when the MCU was still young, Kevin Feige announced his plans for multiple Phases of stories, introducing new characters and stories after the first run of Marvel movies up to The Avengers in 2012. Here's every Marvel movie in order within that plan, broken down into Phases and the two Sagas - the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga. This is the best way to watch Marvel movies in order of release date...

The Infinity Saga

The Multiverse Saga

Marvel Studios changed the release dates of several Phase 5 and Phase 6 releases on November 10, 2023, after the conclusion of the Actors Strike, and a few smaller reshuffles have happened since.

Upcoming MCU Movies After Phase 6

How To Watch Marvel Movies In Timeline Order

While the MCU timeline kicked off officially with Iron Man's release in 2008, the actual order of events has been the subject of furious debate over the years. Thanks in part to Marvel Studios making mistakes (like Spider-Man: Homecoming's notorious "8 years later" mistake and other conscious decisions to mess with the timeline, the actual order of events wasn't approved until Marvel's own official explanation came in 2023.

This order is confirmed by Marvel's official timelines book, released in 2023.

1940s - 1990s

Captain America: The First Avenger (1943-1945)

The US army develops the super soldier serum to help fight the war with the Nazis, creating Steve Roger's Captain America (Chris Evans), and pitting him off against deadly HYDRA villain Red Skull. The first Infinity Stone, the Tesseract, debuts.

Captain Marvel (1989-1995)

Decades later, in 1989, Carol Danvers crashes her fighter jet before gaining superpowers, losing her memory, and entering the Kree/Skrull war that brings her back to Earth in 1995. 50 years after Peggy Carter helped create SHIELD, field agent Nick Fury investigates the alien invasion and teams up with the hero who becomes the inspiration for the Avengers Initiative.

Key Event: 1999 - Iron Man meets Aldrich Killian for the first time

2000s & 2010s

Iron Man (2008)

Billionaire tech mogul and problem child Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is kidnapped and creates the ultimate superhero armor, taking down terrorists and a threat to his family business. Nick Fury turns up to recruit him as an Avenger.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Struggling with the toll the arc reactor in his chest is taking on his body, Tony Stark begins his almost decade-long struggle to keep his technlogy out of the wrong hands, as another rival tries to take him down.

Key Event: Mid-2000s - Bruce Banner is involved in a laboratory accident that transforms him into the Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk (2010)

While it came out second, The Incredible Hulk - a new reset for the character after Ang Lee's Hulk (2003) - actually comes after the first Iron Man movies in the timeline. Brilliant scientist Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) is drawn back to the US after exiling himself, to find himself hunted by the military hell-bent on using his genetics as a weapon.

Thor (2010)

The MCU's first introduction to ancient civilization the Asgardians sees heir-apparent to Odin's throne, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), banished to Earth to work on his worthiness, as his brother Loki causes chaos at home.

The Avengers (2012)

Loki returns to wage war on Earth, with a Chitauri army borrowed from Thanos in tow. Nick Fury revives the Avengers Initiative (after scrapping it off-screen) to bring together Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The second Infinity Stone debuts, in Loki's scepter

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

In Fall 2013, reunited with his brother Loki (despite his universal crimes), Thor faces down another threat to the Nine Realms, as the Dark Elves seek to regain control of the third Infinity Stone (within their ancient weapon the Aether) which infects Jane Foster.

Iron Man 3 (2013-2014)

Tony Stark struggles to come to terms with the Battle of New York, developing PTSD just as an old business associate, Aldrich Killian re-emerges at the same time as a terrorist, The Mandarin vows to kill Iron Man after launching a series of attacks in Winter 2013.

Key Event: Early 2014 - Iron Man's arc reactor is removed.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Steve Rogers is confronted with an unexpected face from his past as he battles mysterious HYDRA assassin The Winter Soldier and investigates a huge SHIELD betrayal. Sam Wilson debuts, becoming side-kick Falcon.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

In the Summer of 2014, immediately after the events of The Winter Soldier, the universe's other premium superhero team - the far more grubby, far less morally perfect Guardians of the Galaxy - are thrown together. The fourth Infinity Stone, the Power Stone, plays a key part in bringing the anti-heroes together.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)

Almost immediately after the end of the first movie (in Fall 2024), the Guardians are once more faced with a universe-threatening villain, this time in the shape of Kurt Russell's charming Ego. Baby Groot dances.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Back on Earth, Tony Stark's obsession with saving Earth from every conceivable threat leads to the accidental creation of his own nemesis, warmongering robot Ultron (James Spader). The Avengers gain some new members, including Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch.

Ant-Man (2015)

Still set in Marvel's Phase 2, but after the events of Age Of Ultron, Ant-Man sees Paul Rudd's Scott Lang recruited for a heist by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The smallest (and biggest) Avenger's origin story.

Key Event: February 2016 - Doctor Stephen Strange survives a car crash that irreparably damages his hands, ending his career as a surgeon.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Don't call it an Avengers movie, but Captain America: Civil War is notable for including basically the whole Avengers cast, and bulking it out with the recruitment of both Ant-Man and Tom Holland's brand new Spider-Man. The Avengers struggle with superhero registration, taking sides and ultimately fighting it out as dark secrets from the past threaten the oldest alliance.

Black Widow (2016)

Set in part in 1995 when Natasha is a child, Black Widow picks up after Captain America: Civil War, with Nat on the run and hunted. At the same time, she confronts her past and her dark origin story. Though released after Avengers: Endgame, it precedes its events by several years (apart from Black Widow's post-credits scene).

Black Panther (2016)

After being introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa returns home to Wakanda to face his destiny and duty as king, unaware that a challenge from a familiar face greets him.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)

Spider-Man's MCU origin begins, skipping the usual part about the spider bite and the dead uncle. Homecoming kicks off immediately after the events of Civil War's big battle in Germany.

Doctor Strange (2016-2017)

Prodigious surgeon Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seeks to overcome the effects of a devastating car crash, desperately turning to the Masters of the Mystic Arts. The fifth Infinity Stone, the Time Stone, debuts.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

4 years after the critical disappointment of The Dark World, Chris Hemsworth's Thor returns for a somewhat unexpected third solo outing. With Odin's reign ending, Thor and Loki must prevent the destruction of Asgard after Loki's mischief threatened everything.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Rudd's Ant-Man and newly ascended hero Hope Van Dyne (the Wasp, played by Evangeline Lily) team up to rescue Hope's mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm. Though released after Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp precedes it (not just with its 1980s flashbacks), before the two crossover at the end.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

After the slow build of the Infinity Stones' introduction across the Infinity Saga, Thanos dials things up, looking to combine the Stones to wipe out half of the universe's living life. The shortest MCU movie in terms of time passing, Infinity War happens over only a matter of days. The final Infinity Stone - the Soul Stone - completes the collection.

2020s