In what order to watch the marvel movies

Are you planning on watching the Marvel movies in order over the festive period? You'll need a tour guide to help you out.

Luckily, you've come to the right place. Below, we outline the best ways to stream every Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and TV shows in order. Spoilers: you can watch them in chronological order or release date order – and we'll explain which method is best for first-time viewers, in case you're new to the franchise.

There's plenty more information in this MCU movies in order guide, too. From finding out how many Marvel films have been released in theaters, to learning where you can watch every movie and TV series to date (most are on Disney Plus), all your major MCU questions are answered below. We've even taken the liberty of listing every announced Marvel Phase 5 and Phase 6 movie, too!

Here, then, is how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Happy holidays!

In what order to watch the marvel movies
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What's the best order to watch the Marvel movies in for the first time?

In what order to watch the marvel movies

What's the best way to watch the Marvel movies as a newcomer? (Image credit: Disney Plus/Marvel Studios)

Are you watching the Marvel movies in order for the first time? You'll want to stick to the release date order method (more on this below).

Streaming some of the best superhero films ever in chronological order is great if you're an MCU veteran. It mixes things up so Marvel's ever expanding cinematic juggernaut doesn't become stale with repeat viewings.

However, it becomes messy from a Marvel timeline perspective. Based on the year they're set, events depicted in one film – 2010's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, for example – precede what happens in, say, 2008's Iron Man. But we're supposed to see some present days events in Iron Man play out before Cap's first solo movie. Watching the MCU films chronologically, then, can make things confusing.

So, if you're a newcomer to the franchise, stick with the release date order. For future movie marathons, you can try the chronological order instead.

How to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order

Best for: MCU veterans who want to try something new.

This is how to watch the Marvel movies in order of the year they're set, aka in chronological order. Below, you'll find every film and TV show listed in the order that they take place on the MCU timeline, with a quick rundown on why they're catalogued this way.

Thanks to Avengers: Endgame, things have become messier from an MCU timeline perspective. Without a definitive breakdown on where each movie and show sits in relation to each other, we've done our best with the information available to us.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the latest Marvel movie to land in theaters. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cap's first adventure was the fifth Marvel movie released in theaters. However, as it's set between 1942 and 1945, it's the first one you should watch from a chronological order standpoint.

Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers didn't burst onto the scene until Phase 3, but her story begins right at the start of the MCU timeline – Captain Marvel being set in 1995.

Iron Man

The film that kickstarted the MCU is technically the third film in order of chronology. Tony Stark's heel turn from weapons expert to superhero takes places in 2008.

Iron Man 2

Following swiftly on its predecessor's heels, Iron Man 2 is set in 2010.

The Incredible Hulk

And the Stark MCU appearances keep coming – this time, he makes a cameo at the end of the Hulk's first (and only) solo Marvel movie, which also takes place in 2010.

Thor

The god of thunder stormed his way into Marvel's cinematic juggernaut in 2011.

The Avengers

With all of the MCU's original major players established in the MCU, we finally got the  superhero movie of our dreams with The Avengers' official formation occurring in 2012.

Iron Man 3 kicked off Phase 2 of the MCU. (Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios)

Iron Man 3

Iron Man's third and final solo movie takes place around six months after The Avengers.

Thor: The Dark World

One of the most maligned MCU films of all-time, Thor's second cinematic adventure is set in 2013.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

The first of many MCU offerings set in 2014, Cap's second solo flick – one billed as a political/spy thriller – was the first Marvel film to explore genres outside of the superhero field.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1

Star-Lord's lovable ragtag crew were first introduced to a wider audience in spectacularly humorous and music-laced fashion in 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2

The Guardians' second movie is set around six months after their first movie.

I Am Groot

The first of the Marvel Disney Plus shows to appear in this list, I Am Groot's cute five-part miniseries takes place after Guardians Volume 2.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers, Assemble! The superhero ensemble reunited for another tentpole offering in 2015 – this time, taking down the menacing AI/superbot known as Ultron.

Ant-Man

Earth's mightiest miniature hero made his MCU debut in 2015, too.

Captain America: Civil War

Cap's third solo film was a mini-Avengers movie in all but name. It's set in 2016 and sees the group disband over the divisive Sokovia Accords, though it also introduced us to two of the most beloved MCU heroes in Spider-Man and Black Panther.

Black Widow

The first MCU Phase 4 flick to appear on this list, Black Widow was released in 2021 but is actually set in 2016 – just a few months after Civil War.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can! (Image credit: Sony Pictures / Marvel)

Spider-Man: Homecoming

After making his debut in Civil War, Spidey received his first MCU solo movie in 2016.

Doctor Strange

The fourth and final film set in 2016 introduced audiences to the Sorcerer Supreme. Or, rather, the former Sorcerer Supreme – Strange being replaced by Wong due to Infinity War's events. But more on that film later.

Black Panther

Marvel's first Best Picture Oscar nominee takes place in 2017, months before a single, golden-gloved finger snap altered the MCU forever.

Thor: Ragnarok

The last movie to launch in theaters before that Thanos moment, Thor: Ragnarok is similarly set in 2017.

Avengers: Infinity War

The Marvel movie that changed it all. We witnessed our heroes lose for a first and catastrophic time in the third Avengers movie, which also occurs in 2017.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Events in Ant-Man's second film run concurrent to Infinity War, i.e. in 2017.

Avengers: Endgame

This is where things get messy from a Marvel movies in chronological order perspective. Endgame begins in 2018 but ends in 2023 – thus beginning an era where we don't know where every film and show is really set. From now on, we're doing our best with the information we have about the Marvel timeline.

WandaVision was the first Marvel Disney Plus show to be released. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Loki

One of two Marvel TV shows that spans the entire Marvel multiverse, Loki is best watched after Avengers: Endgame.

What If...?

Like Loki, What If...? is a multiversal affair. As such, it isn't set in a particular year, so it's also best streamed after Endgame.

WandaVision

Set three weeks after Endgame in 2023.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Another 2023-based TV series, but one set six months after Endgame's, erm, end.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi's MCU debut contains flashbacks to his childhood, so it could be listed earlier. However, the bulk of the film is set in the MCU's present day, which places it around early 2024.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

She-Hulk's show appears to be set around the same time as Shang-Chi, i.e. early 2024. Head writer Jessica Gao has previously revealed it's set a "relatively short amount of time" after the MCU's first martial arts-style movie.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Set eight months after Endgame, we see Peter Parker dealing with Tony Stark's death (amid other issues) in mid-2024.

Eternals

This one could technically be the first entry in our Marvel movies in chronological order list as it begins 7,000 years before 2010's Captain America. Like Shang-Chi, though, it's mostly set in the MCU's present. And, according to Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore, it takes place around the same time as Far From Home, i.e. mid-2024.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Thanks to the Halloween and Christmas/Holiday season decorations seen throughout this movie, we know it's set in late 2024.

Hawkeye

Just like No Way Home, Hawkeye's first solo adventure occurs around the Holiday season, placing it in late 2024.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Strange's multiverse-spanning sequel takes place after Spider-Man: No Way Home, meaning it's set sometime in 2025.

Moon Knight

One of the best Disney Plus shows is one without a specified chronological date. However, it appears to take place in 2025, with Marvel's own timeline order (viewable on Disney Plus) placing it after Hawkeye. 

Ms. Marvel's MCU timeline placement is hard to pin down. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Ms Marvel

Ms Marvel producer Sana Amanat suggests it's set "one or two years" after Endgame, which puts it anywhere between 2024 and 2025. To make things easier, let's say 2025.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor's fourth solo movie is set in 2025. We know this as he tells former flame Jane Foster that it's been over eight years since they split up. Meanwhile, he tells Loki in 2017's Ragnarok that the pair mutually broke up. Add eight years to 2017 and you get 2025. Simple.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

You'd think this takes place in 2024, given its main events take place a year after T'Challa dies. T'Challa appeared in 2023's Endgame, so that would make sense. However, producer Nate Moore has confirmed it plays out alongside Thor: Love and Thunder, so it must be set in 2025.

Werewolf by Night

The first MCU Special Presentation is the most difficult production to pin down in this Marvel movies in order of chronology list. Director Michael Giacchino says no discussions were held about its timeline placement, so it could play out in the past or present. Our opinion? It's set in modern day, which puts it in 2025.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Given this film takes place prior to Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, we think it occurs in 2025, making it the last entry in our Marvel movies in chronological order list. For now, anyway.

How to watch the Marvel movies in release date order

Werewolf by Night is Marvel Studios's first Special Presentation. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Best for: first-time viewers.

Want to watch the Marvel movies in order of their release dates? Try this list instead. You'll start with 2008's Iron Man and end with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which was released in November 2022.

It's an easier blueprint to follow than streaming every MCU production chronologically, so Marvel newcomers should stick to this release date order guide.

  • Iron Man (2008)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  • Iron Man 2 (2010)
  • Thor (2011)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
  • The Avengers (2012)
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Ant-Man (2015)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  • Doctor Strange (2016)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  • Black Panther (2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
  • Captain Marvel (2019)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
  • WandaVision (TV show, 2021)
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV show, 2021)
  • Loki (TV show, 2021)
  • Black Widow (2021)
  • What If...? (TV show, 2021)
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
  • Eternals (2021)
  • Hawkeye (TV show, 2021)
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
  • Moon Knight (TV show, 2022)
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
  • Ms Marvel (TV show, 2022)
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
  • I Am Groot (TV show, 2022)
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV show, 2022)
  • Werewolf by Night (TV special, 2022)
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (TV special, 2022)

How to watch the Avengers movies in order

There are four Avengers movies so far. (Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios)

Best for: fans who only want to watch the Avengers movies.

We already covered the best way to stream the Avengers films in the sections above. If you only want to stream these specific Marvel movies in order, though, this is how to do so in release date order.

  • Avengers Assemble (2012)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019)

How to watch the Netflix Marvel TV shows in order

Netflix's Daredevil series is seemingly canon in the MCU. (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)

Best for: viewers who want to understand Daredevil's MCU arrival.

She-Hulk episode 8 confirmed Netflix's Daredevil TV show is canon in the MCU. That's because Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil is the same version of the character who appeared in Netflix's Marvel universe between 2015 and 2019.

If Daredevil's Netflix series is canon, all the others must be, too, so we've listed them in release date order. Every Netflix Marvel TV show is available to stream on Disney Plus, so you can catch up on these characters and their stories over there.

  • Daredevil season 1 (April 2015)
  • Jessica Jones season 1 (November 2015)
  • Daredevil season 2 (March 2016)
  • Luke Cage season 1 (September 2016)
  • Iron Fist season 1 (March 2017)
  • The Defenders (August 2017)
  • The Punisher season 1 (November 2017)
  • Jessica Jones season 2 (March 2018)
  • Luke Cage season 2 (June 2018)
  • Iron Fist season 2 (September 2018)
  • Daredevil season 3 (October 2018)
  • The Punisher season 2 (January 2019)
  • Jessica Jones season 3 (June 2019)

What Marvel movies are coming in 2023 and beyond?

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the next MCU movie. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Here's a list of every upcoming Marvel movie and TV show:

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023) 
  • What If...? season 2 (TV show, early 2023) 
  • Secret Invasion (TV show, early 2023) 
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
  • Echo (TV show, mid-2023) 
  • Loki season 2 (TV show, mid-2023)
  • The Marvels (July 28, 2023) 
  • Ironheart (TV show, late 2023) 
  • X-Men 97 (animated TV show, late 2023) 
  • Agatha: Coven of Chaos (TV show, late 2023) 
  • Daredevil: Born Again (TV show, early 2024) 
  • Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024) 
  • Marvel Zombies (animated TV show, mid-2024) 
  • Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024) 
  • Spider-Man: Freshman Year (animated TV show, 2024) 
  • Blade (September 6, 2024)
  • Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024) 
  • Fantastic Four (February 14, 2025) 
  • Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025) 
  • Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)
  • Armor Wars (TBA)

How many Marvel movies are there?

Avengers: Endgame is largely responsible for the messy MCU timeline. (Image credit: Walt Disney/Marvel Studios)

30 MCU movies have been released so far. By the end of 2026, there'll be 41 movies (at least) to fit on the MCU timeline.

If you want to watch all of the Marvel movies in order, you'll need to set aside 3,973 minutes – that's over 66 hours or 2.75 total days. Add in the TV shows and specials, and it'll take a whopping 6,182 minutes (103 hours or 4.29 days) to watch them all.

Where to watch the Marvel movies

Disney Plus is the best place to watch Marvel Studios' productions. (Image credit: Disney Plus)

You can stream the Marvel movies in order, as well as the TV shows, on Disney Plus (read our Disney Plus review while you're here). You can watch them in chronological order or release date order, too.

However, there's a slight catch. Some, including The Incredible Hulk and select Spider-Man movies, aren't available on Disney Plus as Universal and Sony hold their distribution rights. The Incredible Hulk is on HBO Max in nations where the streamer is available. Meanwhile, a new deal between Marvel and Sony means that certain Spider-Man flicks are now on Disney Plus. 

The Tobey Maguire-starring films, Andrew Garfield-led flicks, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and animated flick Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are all available on Disney Plus. Spider-Man 3 and Into the Spider-Verse are also on Disney's streamer in the UK. US fans can watch that duo on Netflix instead.

It's unclear if Sony's Spider-Man spin-off films, such as Venom and Morbius, will also come to Disney Plus. Stick with TechRadar for future updates on whether they'll be added to our Marvel movies in order guide.

Marvel movies in order: all MCU films ranked

Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the less highly-rated Marvel movies. (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

For us, the Avengers movies are the best MCU films but the whole thing is subjective. You can check our best Marvel movies piece for our full thoughts on the matter.

We've also ranked the Marvel movies and shows based on their IMDb (opens in new tab) user scores. Now that the Netflix Marvel shows are apparently canon, we've added them to the list. However, we haven't included Sony's Spider-Man spin-off films. Until Marvel and Sony confirm they're officially part in the MCU (outside of what we saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, anyway), we've left them out.

  • Daredevil (2015 - 2018) – Rating: 8.6
  • The Punisher (2017 - 2019) – Rating: 8.5
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – Rating: 8.4
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019) – Rating: 8.4
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – Rating: 8.3
  • Loki (2021) – Rating: 8.2
  • The Avengers (2012) – Rating: 8.0
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – Rating: 8.0
  • Iron Man (2008) – Rating: 7.9
  • Jessica Jones (2015 - 2019) – Rating: 7.9
  • Agent Carter (2015 - 2016) – Rating: 7.9
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – Rating: 7.9
  • WandaVision (2021) – Rating: 7.9
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – Rating: 7.8
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016) – Rating: 7.8
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – Rating: 7.6
  • Hawkeye (2021) – Rating: 7.5
  • Doctor Strange (2016) – Rating: 7.5
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – Rating: 7.4
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) – Rating: 7.4
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – Rating: 7.4
  • Ant-Man (2015) – Rating: 7.3 
  • Moon Knight (2022) – Rating: 7.3
  • Black Panther (2018) – Rating: 7.3
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – Rating: 7.3
  • Luke Cage (2016 - 2018) – Rating: 7.3
  • Werewolf by Night (2022) – Rating: 7.2
  • The Defenders (2017) – Rating: 7.2
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) – Rating: 7.2
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) – Rating: 7.2
  • Iron Man 3 (2013) – Rating: 7.1
  • Thor (2011) – Rating: 7.0 
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) – Rating: 7.0
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) – Rating: 7.0
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – Rating: 6.9
  • Iron Man 2 (2010) – Rating: 6.9
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) – Rating: 6.9
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013) – Rating: 6.8
  • Captain Marvel (2019) – Rating: 6.8
  • I Am Groot (2022) – Rating: 6.7
  • Black Widow (2021) – Rating: 6.7
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008) – Rating: 6.6
  • Iron Fist (2017 - 2018) – Rating: 6.4
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – Rating: 6.3
  • Eternals (2021) – Rating: 6.3
  • Ms Marvel (2022) – 6.2
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) – 5.2

For more Marvel content, find out how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order. Alternatively, read up on how to stream the X-Men movies in order or check out our Marvel villains ranked list.