How to Watch the Marvel Movies In Order
These days it seems like a new Marvel movie or TV show is coming out every day and it’s crazy to think about how this massive cinematic universe only got started in 2007.
By now, just about everybody has seen at least some of the MCU. How could anybody make it this far without seeing Iron Man, The Avengers, Infinity War, etc.? But have you seen the world’s most ambitious cinematic franchise all the way through?
You may think you have, but it can be easy to miss some chapters along the way, especially if you relied on the “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” option on Disney+. The official MCU streaming app didn’t come out for quite some time after the MCU was underway, and the rights to many of these movies and shows lay elsewhere.
Here’s my complete guide on how to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in order, including all of the movies and TV shows, and one-shot specials. I’ve also included a section with only the movies.
How to Watch the Marvel Movies in Order
Here’s the TL;DR list on how to watch JUST the movies in order. Scroll down for the full list including TV shows and one-shot specials. If you want to know my justification for where each movie/show is placed, as well as a synopsis of each, then scroll past the lists.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Thor (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (2017)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Black Widow (2021)
Black Panther (2018)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 (2023)
The Marvels (2023)
Captain America: New World Order (July 26, 2024)
Thunderbolts (December 20, 2024)
Blade (February 14, 2025)
Deadpool 3 (May 3, 2025)
Fantastic Four (May 2, 2025)
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 1, 2026)
Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)
MCU Watch Order with Movies and TV Shows
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Agent Carter (One-Shot)
Agent Carter: Seasons 1-2
Captain Marvel (2019)
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (One-Shot)
Thor (2011)
The Consultant (One-Shot)
The Avengers (2012)
Item 47 (One-Shot)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
All Hail the King (One-Shot)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 1: Episodes 1-7 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 1: Episodes 8-16 (2013-2014)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 1: Episodes 17-22 (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
I Am Groot
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (2017)
Daredevil: Season 1
Jessica Jones: Season 1
Agents of SHIELD: Season 2: Episodes 1-18
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 2: Episodes 19-22
Daredevil: Season 2: Episodes 1-11
Luke Cage: Season 1: Episodes 1-2
Daredevil: Season 2: Episodes 12-13
Luke Cage: Season 1: Episodes 3-13
Iron Fist: Season 1
Agents of SHIELD: Season 3: Episodes 1-19
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Black Widow (2021)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 3: Episodes 20-22
The Defenders: Season 1
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 1-6
Black Panther (2018)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 7-8
Agents of SHIELD: Slingshot: Episodes 1-6
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 9-22
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Inhumans: Season 1
The Punisher: Season 1
Runaways: Season 1
Agents of SHIELD: Season 5: Episodes 1-10
Jessica Jones: Season 2
Agents of SHIELD: Season 5: Episodes 11-18
Cloak & Dagger: Seasons 1-2
Luke Cage: Season 2
Iron Fist: Season 2
Daredevil: Season 3
Runaways: Season 2
Jessica Jones: Season 3
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Agents of SHIELD: Season 5: Episodes 19-22
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Agents of SHIELD: Seasons 6-7
Runaways: Season 3
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Loki Seasons 1-2
WandaVision
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
What If…?
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Hawkeye
Moon Knight
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Ms. Marvel
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Werewolf by Night
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 (2023)
Secret Invasion
The Marvels (2023)
Captain America: New World Order (July 26, 2024)
Thunderbolts (December 20, 2024)
Blade (February 14, 2025)
Deadpool 3 (May 3, 2025)
Fantastic Four (May 2, 2025)
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 1, 2026)
Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)
MCU Timeline
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Despite being titled “The First Avenger,” Captain America’s origin story was actually the fifth movie released in Phase One and tells of his rise from a scrawny kid from the Bronx to America’s first super soldier.
Technically this isn’t the first movie chronologically, because the overall bulk of the movie is purely a flashback from “Fury’s Big Week” in 2008 in which Iron Man 2, the Hulk, and Thor all took place. But that flashback does take place in midst of World War II and it sets the framework of saga to come.
Many movies in this franchise cover weeks, months, or even years, so when I place them it will be based on where the bulk of the film takes place, or where it makes the most sense to view it.
Where to Stream Captain America: Disney+.
Agent Carter (One-Shot)
The fourth One-Shot was released on the Iron Man 3 DVD bonus features as part of Phase Two, and takes place about a year after WWII concluded. The 15-minute short film follows Peggy Carter as she adjusts to post-war life at the SSR, the precursor agency to SHIELD.
Where to stream Agent Carter: Disney+.
Agent Carter (2015-2016)
This ABC original series was the second TV show set in the MCU and was inspired by the One-Shot short film. It ran for two seasons, taking place in the late 1940s, before being canceled due to low TV ratings. With the growth of streaming networks and the creation of Disney+, my fingers are crossed that we’ll get a revival in the near future.
While this show is technically a sequel to the One-Shot, it’s honestly more of a remake. Don’t expect it to make sense as a sequel. It does, however, do an excellent job of setting up some of the subplots in Agents of SHIELD.
Where to stream Agent Carter: Disney+.
Captain Marvel (2019)
The 21st movie produced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second movie chronologically, and was used to introduce the powerful titular character who was desperately needed to bolster the Avengers roster in Endgame.
Most of this movie takes place in 1995, long after the world had forgotten about Captain America and long before Iron Man launched a superhero arms race around the globe. It also brings Phil Coulson back to the big screen for the first time since 2012’s The Avengers, but not in as big of a role as I would’ve liked.
Where to stream Captain Marvel: Disney+.
Iron Man (2008)
The most ambitious franchise in cinematic history all started here. This movie revolutionized the superhero genre and set the precedents that have now become formulaic for the Disney-lead super universe.
Where to stream Iron Man: Disney+.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The opening sequences of Iron Man 2 are concurrent to the final scene of the original film, and the bulk of the story takes place about six months after Tony Stark’s first super-suited escapades. The events of this movie take place during Fury’s Big Week, almost concurrent to Thor and Hulk.
Viewers are first introduced to Black Widow in this film, and James Rhodes is recast with Don Cheadle.
Where to stream Iron Man 2: Disney+.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The second installment of the MCU is an interesting one because it remains one of the least successful films in the entire franchise in terms of both gross and critical reception. Interestingly enough, it’s not an origin story. Due to how recently a previous Hulk movie had been released (2003) and the high levels of consumer awareness for the character, this movie jumps straight into Bruce Banner’s life post-transformation.
Starring Edward Norton as the titular character, prior to being recast for Avengers, this Hulk movie takes place in Fury’s Big Week and remains the only standalone Hulk film in the MCU at press time.
Where to stream The Incredible Hulk: HBO Max.
The Consultant (One-Shot)
The Consultant also takes place during Fury’s Big Week as a direct follow-up to both Iron Man 2 and The Hulk. This one-shot reunites us with Phil Coulson, Jasper Sitwell, General Ross, and Tony Stark.
Where to stream The Consultant: Disney+.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (One-Shot)
This fifteen-minute short film was included on the Captain America Blu-ray release and takes place during Fury’s Big Week, which, come to think of it, was also a pretty big week for Phil Coulson.
Where to stream A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer: Disney+.
Thor (2011)
The original Thor film finally brought this iconic comic book character to the big screen for the first time and also introduced several characters such as Hawkeye and Loki, who would go on to be huge MCU characters outside of the Thor franchise. Thor is arguably the most important origin story in setting up the Avengers and it co-stars my favorite Avenger, Phil Coulson.
Where to stream Thor: Disney+.
The Avengers (2012)
Taking place about a year after Fury’s Big Week, The Avengers was the most ambitious crossover event of all time until later MCU installments continued to up the ante. A direct sequel to Thor, the film catapulted Marvel into the spotlight and paved the way for the MCU to become the most successful franchise of all time just a few installments later. It also set the formula for all future MCU films.
Where to stream The Avengers: Disney+.
Item 47 (One-Shot)
Item 47 is a fun little micro-film starring two new characters in the weeks following the Avengers incident. It shows normal humans living in the wake of the Avengers era, and it’s a concept that I wish Marvel would explore more of. There’s no reason the MCU couldn’t include real human dramas in timelines such as the Blip, to show how the superheroes and villains impact very real people.
Where to stream Item 47: Disney+.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
The final chapter of the Iron Man trilogy takes place in December of 2012, seven months after the Battle of New York, and follows Tony’s struggles with PTSD while facing a terrorist threat. There’s a lot about this movie that I don’t like, but I’ll save that for another blog.
Where to stream Iron Man 3: Disney+.
All Hail The King (One-Shot)
This 15-minute follow-up to Iron Man 3 was included in the Thor: The Dark World DVD and features Trevor Slattery in prison. This one-shot successfully retcons the terrible Mandarin from Iron Man 3 and is crucial for setting up Shang Chi and the Ten Rings in Phase Four.
Where to stream All Hail the King: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD (Season 1: Episodes 1-7)
The original MCU television show wasn’t what I wanted or expected when it first came out. I was hoping for a show with Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Sharon Carter, etc. But what we got was even better: a whole slate of new beloved characters and a lot of behind-the-scenes looks at the world between movies.
This ABC series is the perfect in-between for explaining events going on in the buildup to and wake of the big screen events. The first seven episodes take place in the immediate aftermath of Iron Man 3 and continue to follow the Extremis storyline.
Where to stream Agents of SHIELD: Disney+.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The second Thor movie, in my opinion, serves as a sort of conclusion to a trilogy including Thor and The Avengers. After this movie, you won’t see Jane Foster again until the Love and Thunder.
Where to stream Thor: The Dark World: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD (Season 1: Episodes 8-16)
Episode 8 takes place immediately after The Dark World, though it doesn’t really affect the plot of SHIELD that much. From here on the show begins building towards The Winter Soldier and it does so fabulously.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
My absolute favorite MCU installment, the Hurt Locker of superhero movies, The Winter Soldier is the climax of Agents of SHIELD and fundamentally alters the future of the franchise.
Where to stream The Winter Soldier: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD (Season 1: Episodes 17-22)
The fallout from The Winter Soldier makes for the absolute best episodes of Agents of SHIELD. The end of season one is, in my opinion, more exciting and memorable than the majority of MCU movies.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians was a bit of a risk when it first came out, taking place almost entirely off Earth with few existing characters. It was an instant success, however, and builds on the infinity stone timeline setting up Infinity War.
Where to stream Guardians of the Galaxy: Disney+.
I Am Groot
This very skippable series of animated shorts takes place in between the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies and shows Groot’s childhood after his adult form was destroyed and reborn in the first Guardians film.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (2017)
The second Guardians installment can be watched immediately after its predecessor. It bears little relevance to the rest of the MCU, other than character development for the Guardians, but was still quite enjoyable.
Where to stream Guardians of the Galaxy: Disney+.
Daredevil (Season 1)
Daredevil marked a bold new direction for the MCU before it had fallen into many of the formulaic tropes it now follows. While Marvel had no interest in R-rated films, the producers had no interest in a watered-down version of the character. The decision was made to bundle Daredevil with some lesser-known characters in a Netflix-original series building up to a Defenders crossover event.
To this day, Daredevil remains one of the most brutal and gritty installments in the entire MCU.
Where to stream Daredevil: Disney+.
Jessica Jones (Season 1)
Speaking of the lesser-known characters introduced through Netflix. Jessica Jones takes place not long after Daredevil, though the only crossover between the two shows is the minor character of Claire Temple, and you don’t need to have seen Daredevil to keep up with Jones.
Where to stream Jessica Jones: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD (Season 2: Episodes 1-18)
Season Two picks up not long after the first season ends and they could be watched back-to-back without the interlude for Guardians of the Galaxy and the Netflix show. There’s no crossover, however, so do whatever order you prefer.
Season Two continues the fallout from Winter Soldier, as SHIELD takes the fight to HYDRA while the US government relentlessly pursues them. It also begins the buildup towards the Inhumans storyline and sets up Age of Ultron.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Age of Ultron is one of the more forgettable Avengers movies, despite being fairly good. Ultron introduces us to Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision, while sewing the seeds of discord that lead to Civil War.
Where to stream Age of Ultron: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD (Season 2: Episodes 19-22)
The final three episodes of Season Two wrap up the Ultron tie-ins while building to a dramatic showdown with the Inhumans and multiple exciting cliffhangers. The finale opens the doors to a much larger slate of superpowered characters in the near future.
Daredevil: Season 2: Episodes 1-11
The second season of Daredevil is, in my opinion, one of the more exciting installments in the Defenders saga due to the introduction of Punisher.
Luke Cage: Season 1: Episodes 1-2
There’s some slight overlap between Daredevil and Luke Cage, but it’s minimal and you have to really be paying attention to catch it. Hint, it’s Turk. But you can easily watch all of Daredevil Season 2 first before starting Luke Cage if you don’t want to break it up.
Where to stream Luke Cage: Disney+.
Daredevil: Season 2: Episodes 12-13
Luke Cage: Season 1: Episodes 3-13
Luke Cage is a show that’s almost entirely isolated from the rest of the MCU and easily stands alone, with the only real crossover being Claire Temple’s character.
Iron Fist: Season 1
Iron Fist, like Luke Cage, is another mostly standalone show, though its buildup to Defenders is more in line with Daredevil than Luke Cage.
Where to stream Daredevil: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 3: Episodes 1-16
Season 3 is Marvel at its best. We finally learn the true history and purpose of HYDRA, the Inhumans begin to take their place in the MCU, and we get a lot of new superpowered friends and enemies in this season.
Ant-Man (2015)
An exciting return to comedy after the many gritty events since Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man is an exciting origin story in the vein of Tales to Astonish. Not only do we get introduced to Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, but we also get the Wasp, Yellowjacket, as well as cameos from Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Falcon. Ant-Man takes place almost simultaneous to Civil War in its final scenes.
Where to stream Ant-Man: Disney+.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Civil War was an exciting and worthy successor to the gritty humanity of Winter Soldier but with a little more comedy from Ant-Man and the introduction of Spider-Man and Black Panther. Was it the grand epic that we got in the comic books? Not quite. More of a family feud than a civil war, but a great movie nonetheless.
Where to stream Captain America: Civil War: Disney+.
Black Widow (2021)
Black Widow wasn’t a very timely release since it didn’t come out till after Endgame, but fans of the original female Avenger finally got the standalone film they’d been waiting nearly a decade for. With the exception of some early flashbacks to her childhood, this film mostly focuses on the fallout from Civil War and Natasha’s time on the run, clearing out the skeletons in her closet.
Where to stream Captain America: Civil War: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 3: Episodes 20-22
After a brief Civil War break we return to Agents of SHIELD for the season finale and wrap up the Hive storyline while also introducing Season 4’s primary antagonist.
The Defenders (2017)
At long last, though with less fanfare than The Avengers, we finally get our second superhero team-up of the MCU. The Defenders awkwardly assembles Netflix’s mightiest heroes in an enjoyable miniseries event that ties up The Hand saga. This isn’t the last installment in the Netflix universe, but it is the only time we see them all teamed up.
Where to stream The Defenders: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 1-6
Back to SHIELD, we get some of the most exciting episodes of the series thanks to the introduction of an old familiar flaming face. Whether you prefer Robbie Reyes or Johnny Blaze, we can all agree the Ghost Rider is a badass no matter who he possesses. We also get a reordered SHIELD under a new director and a Quake on the run.
Black Panther (2018)
In the continuing wake of Civil War we get our first glance of Wakanda and the culture of the world’s most secret civilization. Black Panther feels a tad disconnected from the greater MCU, which is a good thing, and its only real tie-in is a cameo at the end of the film.
Where to stream Black Panther: Disney+.
Doctor Strange (2016)
An exciting new addition to the Avengers lineup, Doctor Strange is a taste of the chaotic multiversal madness to come. This movie introduces nothing but new characters, which is a breath of fresh air in the endlessly connected MCU.
Where to stream Doctor Strange: Disney+.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 7-8
Back to SHIELD we go just long enough to wrap up the Ghost Rider/Darkhold saga
Agents of SHIELD: Slingshot: Episodes 1-6
Now we take a brief pause on SHIELD for more SHIELD - this time in microdoses. During a brief midseason pause we get a YouTube special staring YoYo Rodriguez. The miniseries takes place during season 4’s timeline, but with frequent flashbacks to the time between seasons 3 and 4.
Where to stream Agents of SHIELD: Slingshot: YouTube.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 4: Episodes 9-22
After our brief break from SHIELD we return to SHIELD from SHIELD. The remainder of SHIELD’s fourth season is a deep plunge into the not-so-distant future of lifelike androids and a brief detour into the Matrix itself.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Another direct sequel to Civil War, Homecoming actually starts off prior to Spidey’s scenes in Captain America, coasts through his POV during the airport battle, then strands him back in the mundane of friendly neighborhood crimefighting. We finally see The Vulture on the big screen and get to see a whole new world of Peter Parker - this time coexisting with a much larger universe than we saw in the previous series.
Where to stream Spider-Man: Homecoming: Disney+.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The perfect bridge film between Age of Ultron and Infinity War, Ragnarok is a true epic journey from Earth to Asgard with a few other realms along the way. Our titular hero is reunited with Loki and Hulk and also meets Doctor Strange along the way in a movie that’s by far one of the funniest and most upbeat apocalypses of all time.
Where to stream Thor: Ragnarok: Disney+.
Inhumans (2017)
Easily the most skippable installment in the entire MCU, Inhumans ran for only 8 episodes as a spinoff of Agents of SHIELD, but lacks any crossover whatsoever to the rest of the universe. Kind of. There’s one tiny tie-in to Doctor Strange 2, but it’s rather insignificant. This universally hated series was canceled after an abysmal first season, but if you’re a ride-or-die Marvel fan like I am then you’ve got to watch it.
Where to stream Inhumans: Disney+.
The Punisher: Season 1
In my opinion, one of the best installments in the entire MCU - The Punisher picks up where Daredevil left off for the titular character, hiding in plain sight under an assumed identity. But of course the past catches up with him. There’s not a whole lot of crossover from this show to the rest of the MCU, save for Karen Page making an appearance. That’s actually the beauty of it - it feels like a war hero drama, not a superhero show.
Where to stream The Punisher: Disney+.
Runaways: Season 1
Runaways may have been written for teen audiences but it honestly holds up a lot better than some of the adult shows. This Hulu-original series stands alone from the rest of the MCU and features a group of teens who discover their cult-member parents are performing human sacrifices, and several of the kids discover they also have powers.
Where to stream Runaways: The Runaways has been scrubbed from Disney+ and Hulu and can only be purchased or rented from YouTube, Prime Video, or Apple TV.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 5: Episodes 1-10
After season four’s cliffhanger ending we find our protagonists zipped off to a future where the Earth is destroyed and humanity clings to existence in a large space station run by Kree overlords. The SHIELD agents not only have to figure out how to return to their own time, but also must figure out how the Earth was destroyed and how they can prevent it.
Jessica Jones: Season 2
Back on Earth in the present timeline, Jessica Jones dives into her past and confronts the remnants of IGH and the doctor that gave her powers, while also learning more about what became of her family after their deaths.
Agents of SHIELD: Season 5: Episodes 11-18
The SHIELD team has returned to its proper timeline but now it has to work to prevent the apocalyptic future they escaped from.
Cloak & Dagger: Seasons 1-2
This Freeform original ran from 2018 to 2019 and follows a pair of teenagers in New Orleans who discover powers in the wake of a drilling incident. Cloak and Dagger was one of my favorite comic book titles growing up but I wasn’t too much of a fan of the show. Although there are some references to the rest of the MCU, Cloak and Dagger operates in a silo and doesn’t cross over with anything but Runaways Season 3.
Where to Stream Cloak & Dagger: Disney+.
Luke Cage: Season 2
Season Two of Luke Cage picks up right where the previous season left off, with Luke becoming a Harlem celebrity and continuing to battle with Mariah Dillard and Shades while also taking on a new threat in Bushmaster. Season 2 gives us some Heroes for Hire teasers and a guest appearance from Iron Fist, but ultimately goes in a surprising direction.
Iron Fist: Season 2
The second season of Iron Fist showcases Danny continuing to find his place in a foreign world while living with Colleen, trying to clean up Chinatown, and finding himself at odds with some former friends.
Daredevil: Season 3
The final season of Netflix’s Daredevil series follows in the wake of Defenders with Matt Murdock missing and presumed dead. Wilson Fisk claws his way back into power once again in some fresh and exciting new ways.
