Marvel Movies in Chronological Order: Film-Only Watchlist
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Marvel Movies in Chronological Order: Film-Only Watchlist

Marvel Movies in Chronological Order: The MCU Film-Only Watchlist

Key takeaways

  • This guide covers released Marvel Cinematic Universe feature films only; it leaves out Disney+ series, specials, and shorts.
  • The list below is a practical film-only version of Marvel’s timeline.
  • Chronological order is a good choice if you’ve already seen the films and want to revisit the MCU as a story unfolding across time.
  • Release order is often easier for a first-time viewer.
  • Neither approach is universally best.

Table of contents

MCU movies in chronological order

If you want to watch Marvel movies in chronological order, start with Captain America: The First Avenger and follow the MCU’s in-universe story sequence—not the films’ theatrical release dates. This guide covers released Marvel Cinematic Universe feature films only; it leaves out Disney+ series, specials, and shorts, which appear in Marvel’s broader official MCU timeline.

The list below is a practical film-only version of Marvel’s timeline. Some stories overlap, and multiverse films don’t fit neatly into a single calendar sequence, so treat this as a viewing guide rather than a scene-by-scene chronology.

  1. Captain America: The First Avenger
  2. Captain Marvel
  3. Iron Man
  4. Iron Man 2
  5. The Incredible Hulk
  6. Thor
  7. The Avengers
  8. Thor: The Dark World
  9. Iron Man 3
  10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  11. Guardians of the Galaxy
  12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  13. Avengers: Age of Ultron
  14. Ant-Man
  15. Captain America: Civil War
  16. Black Widow
  17. Black Panther
  18. Spider-Man: Homecoming
  19. Doctor Strange
  20. Thor: Ragnarok
  21. Ant-Man and the Wasp
  22. Avengers: Infinity War
  23. Avengers: Endgame
  24. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  25. Eternals
  26. Spider-Man: Far From Home
  27. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  28. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
  29. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
  30. Thor: Love and Thunder
  31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
  32. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
  33. The Marvels
  34. Deadpool & Wolverine
  35. Captain America: Brave New World
  36. Thunderbolts*
  37. The Fantastic Four: First Steps — an optional multiverse-era entry, not a straightforward continuation of the main MCU timeline

Marvel’s official timeline is the best reference for the franchise’s overall sequence, but it includes more than films. This list removes the shows and specials while keeping the feature-film placements as clear as possible. Marvel’s timeline overview also helps explain why chronological order differs from release order.

What to know about the trickiest placements

The early MCU films overlap

The first six films don’t all unfold one after another. Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor take place around the same general period, leading into The Avengers. Their placement in a numbered list is a useful way to watch them, not a claim that every event happens in a perfectly tidy sequence.

Ant-Man and the Wasp connects to Infinity War

Watch Ant-Man and the Wasp before Avengers: Infinity War for its main story. However, its post-credits scene connects directly to the events at the end of Infinity War. If you want to avoid a premature spoiler, save that scene until after watching Infinity War.

Black Widow has a post-credits jump

The main story of Black Widow fits after Captain America: Civil War. Its post-credits scene takes place later, so the film’s ending doesn’t stay entirely within its main chronological slot. As with other MCU films, you can save the credits until you’ve reached the later story they point toward.

Fantastic Four doesn’t have a simple place in the main timeline

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a distinct world, so putting it after Thunderbolts* is a convenient franchise watchlist choice—not a statement that its events happen next in the main MCU’s calendar. Marvel’s wider timeline includes multiverse stories that don’t follow one continuous chronology.

Chronological order or release order: which should you choose?

Chronological order is a good choice if you’ve already seen the films and want to revisit the MCU as a story unfolding across time. It brings the World War II-era setting of Captain America: The First Avenger and the 1990s setting of Captain Marvel to the front, despite both films arriving in theaters much later.

Release order is often easier for a first-time viewer. It follows the way audiences originally encountered the characters, connections, and post-credits scenes. That can make certain reveals land as intended, without requiring you to pause or rearrange a film to account for a later-set scene. Disney’s release-order guide lays out the distinction between theatrical order and the MCU’s in-universe timeline.

Neither approach is universally best. Choose chronological order for a timeline-focused rewatch; choose release order if you’re starting the franchise for the first time.

Does this list include every Marvel movie?

No. “Marvel movies” can refer to many films based on Marvel characters, not just Marvel Studios’ MCU films. This guide uses “Marvel movies” to mean released MCU feature films.

It doesn’t include older X-Men or Blade films, or standalone Sony Spider-Man films such as Venom. Those productions belong to separate film series or continuities, even when later MCU stories bring multiverse connections into play. Marvel’s full timeline also includes television seasons, specials, and short films, which are omitted here to keep the list focused on movies.

Frequently asked questions

Should I watch Black Widow before Black Panther?

Yes, for the main story’s chronological placement: watch Black Widow after Captain America: Civil War and before Black Panther. Keep in mind that Black Widow’s post-credits scene takes place later than its central story.

Are the MCU movies in chronological order on Disney+?

Marvel publishes an official MCU timeline for Disney+, but that timeline includes series, specials, and shorts as well as films. The numbered list above filters those out to give you a feature-film-only watch order.

Where does The Fantastic Four: First Steps fit?

It belongs to the wider multiverse-era MCU lineup, but its separate-world setting means it doesn’t slot neatly into the main MCU’s linear chronology. Treat it as a related watch rather than the next chapter in a single, continuous timeline.

The simplest way to watch

For a film-only chronological run, begin with Captain America: The First Avenger, follow the numbered list, and treat The Fantastic Four: First Steps as a separate-world entry. If this is your first MCU watch, release order is the simpler option; if you’re revisiting the franchise, chronological order offers a different view of how its stories connect.