1Eyes of Wakanda: Season 1
Animated anthology following Wakandan warriors across history recovering stolen vibranium.
Stream:Disney+
Best for a rewatch
MCU Chronological Order: Every Movie & Show in Story Order
All 81 MCU movies, Disney+ series and specials in the order the story happens, following Marvel Studios’ Disney+ timeline, with a few clearly labeled extras. Watching everything this way takes about 227h 26m.
Spoiler note. Chronological order shows you some things before the films that were meant to reveal them. Captain Marvel, for example, comes near the start but was made after Infinity War. If this is your first time through, release order is the safer choice.
This order follows the in-universe story rather than release dates. The backbone is Marvel Studios’ own timeline, the one Disney+ sorts its “Timeline order” by. Anything that isn’t a straight part of that timeline carries a label so you can skip it:
- Bonus short promo and bonus shorts (Team Thor, WHIH Newsfront, The Daily Bugle, Slingshot, Peter’s To-Do List) that aren’t on the Disney+ timeline. Where they sit is our placement, based on when their story happens.
- Multiverse What If...? and Marvel Zombies, which are set in alternate realities. Marvel places What If...? after Loki Season 1.
- Own universe X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Studios shows set in their own universes. They’re listed at the end and aren’t needed for the main story.
The quick list81 titlesShow allHide
- 1Eyes of Wakanda: Season 12025
- 2Captain America: The First Avenger2011
- 3Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter2013
- 4Captain Marvel2019
- 5Iron Man2008
- 6Iron Man 22010
- 7The Incredible Hulk2008
- 8Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer2011
- 9Thor2011
- 10Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant2011
- 11Marvel's The Avengers2012
- 12Marvel One-Shot: Item 472012
- 13Thor: The Dark World2013
- 14Iron Man 32013
- 15Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King2014
- 16Captain America: The Winter Soldier2014
- 17Guardians of the Galaxy2014
- 18Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22017
- 19I Am Groot: Season 12022
- 20I Am Groot: Season 22023
- 21Avengers: Age of Ultron2015
- 22WHIH Newsfront: Season 12015
- 23Ant-Man2015
- 24Captain America: Civil War2016
- 25Black Widow2021
- 26Black Panther2018
- 27Spider-Man: Homecoming2017
- 28WHIH Newsfront: Season 22016
- 29Marvel One-Shot: Team Thor2016
- 30Doctor Strange2016
- 31Marvel One-Shot: Team Thor, Part 22017
- 32Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot2016
- 33Marvel One-Shot: Team Darryl2018
- 34Thor: Ragnarok2017
- 35Ant-Man and the Wasp2018
- 36Avengers: Infinity War2018
- 37Avengers: Endgame2019
- 38Loki: Season 12021
- 39What If...?: Season 12021
- 40Marvel Zombies: Season 12025
- 41WandaVision: Season 12021
- 42Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2021
- 43The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 12021
- 44Spider-Man: Far From Home2019
- 45Peter's To-Do List2019
- 46The Daily Bugle: Season 12019
- 47Eternals2021
- 48Spider-Man: No Way Home2021
- 49The Daily Bugle: Season 22021
- 50Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness2022
- 51Hawkeye: Season 12021
- 52Moon Knight: Season 12022
- 53Black Panther: Wakanda Forever2022
- 54Echo: Season 12024
- 55She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season 12022
- 56Ms. Marvel: Season 12022
- 57Thor: Love and Thunder2022
- 58Ironheart: Season 12025
- 59Werewolf by Night2022
- 60The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special2022
- 61Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania2023
- 62Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 32023
- 63Secret Invasion: Season 12023
- 64The Marvels2023
- 65Loki: Season 22023
- 66What If...?: Season 22023
- 67Deadpool & Wolverine2024
- 68Agatha All Along: Season 12024
- 69What If...?: Season 32024
- 70Daredevil: Born Again: Season 12025
- 71Captain America: Brave New World2025
- 72Thunderbolts*2025
- 73The Fantastic Four: First Steps2025
- 74Wonder Man: Season 12026
- 75Daredevil: Born Again: Season 22026
- 76The Punisher: One Last Kill2026
- 77Spider-Man: Brand New Day2026
- 78VisionQuest: Season 12026
- 79X-Men '97: Season 12024
- 80X-Men '97: Season 22026
- 81Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 12025
MCU chronological order, with notes
Every title carries a tag so you can decide what to skip. Essential means the main story depends on it, Recommended adds a lot but you’ll follow without it, and Optional is safe to skip. Each entry also shows its release date and, where known, when the story is set.
1
2Captain America: The First Avenger
A frail soldier becomes a super-soldier in WWII and takes the fight to Hydra's Red Skull.
Stream:Disney+
3Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter
Peggy Carter proves herself as a field agent in the SSR after WWII.
Stream:Disney+
4Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers discovers her past on Earth while caught in a war between alien races.
Stream:Disney+
5Iron Man
Weapons designer Tony Stark builds a powered suit to escape captivity and becomes a hero.
Stream:Disney+
6Iron Man 2
Tony Stark faces a vengeful rival engineer while SHIELD pulls him toward a bigger mission.
Stream:Hulu
7The Incredible Hulk
Bruce Banner searches for a cure for his gamma-fueled transformations while the military hunts him.
Stream:Disney+, Hulu
8Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer
Agent Coulson foils a gas-station robbery on his way to New Mexico.
Stream:Disney+
9Thor
The exiled god of thunder must prove himself worthy to return home and stop his brother Loki.
Stream:Hulu
10Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant
Agents Coulson and Sitwell scheme to keep Emil Blonsky out of the Avengers Initiative.
Stream:Disney+
11Marvel's The Avengers
Earth's mightiest heroes assemble to stop Loki and his alien army from conquering the planet.
Stream:Hulu
12Marvel One-Shot: Item 47
A couple finds a discarded Chitauri weapon and goes on a crime spree until SHIELD intervenes.
Stream:Disney+
13Thor: The Dark World
Thor must stop the dark elf Malekith from plunging the universe into darkness.
Stream:Disney+
14Iron Man 3
Tony Stark confronts the Mandarin's terror campaign without his armor and rebuilds himself.
Stream:Disney+
15Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King
Trevor Slattery's prison interview reveals the real Mandarin exists.
Stream:Disney+
16Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Steve Rogers uncovers Hydra's infiltration of SHIELD and faces a deadly assassin from his past.
Stream:Disney+
17Guardians of the Galaxy
A band of cosmic misfits must unite to stop a fanatic from seizing a powerful Infinity Stone.
Stream:Disney+
18Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The Guardians unravel the mystery of Star-Lord's parentage while facing a cosmic threat.
Stream:Disney+
19
20
21Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tony Stark's peacekeeping AI turns against humanity, forcing the Avengers to stop their own creation.
Stream:Disney+, Starz
22WHIH Newsfront: Season 1
In-universe news reports (5 episodes) covering the Avengers’ fallout, made as viral marketing for Ant-Man.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
23Ant-Man
A thief inherits a shrinking suit and must pull off a heist to stop a dangerous new weapon.
Stream:Disney+
24Captain America: Civil War
The Avengers split into rival factions over government oversight of superheroes.
Stream:Disney+
25Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff confronts her past in the Red Room between Civil War and Infinity War.
Stream:Disney+
26Black Panther
T'Challa returns to Wakanda to claim the throne and faces a rival with a claim of his own.
Stream:Hulu
27Spider-Man: Homecoming
Peter Parker balances high school with heroics and takes on the Vulture in Queens.
Stream:Disney+ · free with ads on Tubi
28WHIH Newsfront: Season 2
More in-universe news coverage (5 episodes), this time on the Sokovia Accords debate ahead of Civil War.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
29Marvel One-Shot: Team Thor
Taika Waititi’s mockumentary short: what was Thor doing during Captain America: Civil War? Living with Darryl in Australia.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
30Doctor Strange
A brilliant surgeon discovers the mystic arts and defends reality from otherworldly threats.
Stream:Disney+
31Marvel One-Shot: Team Thor, Part 2
Thor continues his Australian sabbatical, now with a new roommate and a plan to form Team Thor.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
32Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
A 6-episode digital series following Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez on a secret mission before Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4.
Stream:Not available right now
33Marvel One-Shot: Team Darryl
With Thor off-world, Darryl takes in a new Asgardian roommate: the Grandmaster.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
34Thor: Ragnarok
Thor must escape the planet Sakaar and stop Hela from destroying Asgard.
Stream:Disney+
35Ant-Man and the Wasp
Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne team up to rescue the original Wasp from the Quantum Realm.
Stream:Disney+
36Avengers: Infinity War
The Avengers and Guardians race to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones.
Stream:Disney+
37
38Loki: Season 1
A variant of Loki helps the TVA hunt a dangerous rogue variant across time.
Stream:Disney+
39What If...?: Season 1
The Watcher observes alternate realities where key MCU moments unfolded differently.
Stream:Disney+
40Marvel Zombies: Season 1
Surviving heroes fight through a universe overrun by zombie superheroes.
Stream:Disney+
41WandaVision: Season 1
Wanda Maximoff and Vision live an idyllic sitcom life in Westview, but something is very wrong.
Stream:Disney+, Hulu
42Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi confronts his father, the leader of the Ten Rings, to protect the world.
Stream:Disney+
43The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 1
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up to stop the Flag Smashers in a post-Blip world.
Stream:Disney+
44Spider-Man: Far From Home
Peter Parker's European vacation becomes a battle against the illusionist Mysterio.
Stream:Disney+ · free with ads on Tubi
45Peter's To-Do List
A Far From Home home-media short: Peter runs errands across New York before his school trip.
46The Daily Bugle: Season 1
J. Jonah Jameson’s viral news show (6 episodes) spinning the events of Far From Home.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
47Eternals
Ancient cosmic beings reunite to stop the emergence of a Celestial that would destroy Earth.
Stream:Disney+
48Spider-Man: No Way Home
A botched spell opens the multiverse, bringing villains, and other Spider-Men, into Peter's world.
Stream:Disney+, Starz
49The Daily Bugle: Season 2
The Bugle returns (19 episodes) covering the multiverse chaos of No Way Home, with Betty Brant reporting.
Stream:Free with ads on YouTube
50Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange travels the multiverse to protect America Chavez from the Scarlet Witch.
Stream:Disney+
51Hawkeye: Season 1
Clint Barton mentors Kate Bishop while confronting ghosts from his Ronin past at Christmas.
Stream:Disney+
52Moon Knight: Season 1
A man with dissociative identity disorder becomes the avatar of the Egyptian god Khonshu.
Stream:Disney+
53Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Wakanda defends itself from world powers and the underwater kingdom of Talokan.
Stream:Disney+
54Echo: Season 1
Maya Lopez returns to Oklahoma to confront her past and Kingpin's shadow.
Stream:Disney+
55She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season 1
Lawyer Jennifer Walters juggles superhuman cases and her new life as She-Hulk.
Stream:Disney+
56Ms. Marvel: Season 1
Teenager Kamala Khan discovers cosmic bangles that unlock her powers as Ms. Marvel.
Stream:Disney+
57Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor teams up with a mighty new Thor to stop Gorr the God Butcher.
Stream:Disney+
58Ironheart: Season 1
Riri Williams returns to Chicago and clashes with the mystical villain the Hood.
Stream:Disney+
59Werewolf by Night
On a dark night, monster hunters compete for a powerful relic, and one of them hides a beast within.
Stream:Disney+
60The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians travel to Earth to give Star-Lord the perfect Christmas.
Stream:Disney+
61Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The Ant-Man family is trapped in the Quantum Realm and faces the conqueror Kang.
Stream:Disney+
62Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Guardians rally to save Rocket and confront his creator, the High Evolutionary.
Stream:Disney+
63Secret Invasion: Season 1
Nick Fury uncovers a Skrull infiltration threatening Earth's governments.
Stream:Disney+
64The Marvels
Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau swap places across space in a cosmic adventure.
Stream:Disney+
65Loki: Season 2
Loki and Mobius fight to save the TVA, and the multiverse, from temporal collapse.
Stream:Disney+
66What If...?: Season 2
The Watcher returns with more alternate-reality stories, including new hero Kahhori.
Stream:Disney+
67Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool recruits a variant Wolverine to save his universe from TVA erasure.
Stream:Disney+
68Agatha All Along: Season 1
Agatha Harkness walks the Witches' Road with a coven to reclaim her power.
Stream:Disney+
69What If...?: Season 3
The Watcher's final season of multiverse stories, closing the animated anthology.
Stream:Disney+
70Daredevil: Born Again: Season 1
Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk collide again as Fisk rises to political power in New York.
Stream:Disney+, Hulu
71Captain America: Brave New World
Sam Wilson's Captain America uncovers a global conspiracy tied to adamantium and the Red Hulk.
Stream:Disney+
72Thunderbolts*
A team of antiheroes and ex-villains is thrown together for a deadly mission, and becomes the New Avengers.
Stream:Disney+
73The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel's First Family defends a retro-futuristic 1960s Earth-828 from Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Stream:Disney+
74Wonder Man: Season 1
Struggling actor Simon Williams auditions for a superhero role, unaware the studio hides a darker agenda.
Stream:Disney+
75Daredevil: Born Again: Season 2
Matt Murdock builds a resistance against Mayor Fisk's anti-vigilante crackdown in New York.
Stream:Disney+, Hulu
76The Punisher: One Last Kill
Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge until an old enemy's family pulls him back into the fight.
Stream:Disney+
77Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Peter Parker starts over, unknown to the world, and faces street-level threats with the Punisher and Hulk in his orbit.
Rent or buy:Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home
78VisionQuest: Season 1
White Vision searches for identity and purpose while Ultron returns from the shadows.
Stream:Disney+
79X-Men '97: Season 1
The animated X-Men continue their 90s saga as a new era dawns in Professor X's absence.
Stream:Disney+
80X-Men '97: Season 2
The X-Men are scattered across time and must survive the past and future to face Apocalypse.
Stream:Disney+
81Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 1
In an alternate timeline, Norman Osborn mentors a young Peter Parker as he becomes Spider-Man.
Stream:Disney+
How the MCU timeline works
Most of the MCU moves forward in a straight line, but a handful of titles jump back, and those are what make chronological order interesting:
- The 1940s: The First Avenger and the Agent Carter One-Shot come first.
- 1995: Captain Marvel introduces a young Nick Fury and explains where the Avengers Initiative got its name.
- Phase One overlaps: Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk and Thor all happen in roughly the same week, which is why Marvel’s order puts them close together.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes place a few months after the first film, so it moves up to sit right after Vol. 1.
- Black Widow is a flashback to 2016, between Civil War and Infinity War.
- After Endgame, things get looser. Loki happens outside time at the TVA, and the Blip-era shows overlap with each other.
For exact in-universe years, see the MCU timeline by year. For how this compares to the way Disney+ sorts things, see Disney+ timeline order compared.
Placements people argue about
- Eyes of Wakanda first. Its stories start in Bronze Age Wakanda, so Marvel’s timeline puts it at #1. It’s an optional animated anthology; if you’d rather start with live action, begin at Captain America: The First Avenger.
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s set in a retro 1960s, but on a different Earth (Earth-828). Some lists put it early because of the decade; Marvel puts it after Thunderbolts*, when the Fantastic Four cross into the main universe. We follow Marvel.
- Captain Marvel. Set in 1995, so it comes right after The First Avenger and the Agent Carter One-Shot. A few guides move it to just before Endgame to avoid spoilers; that’s a fair choice on a first watch.
- Black Widow. Set between Civil War and Infinity War. Its post-credit scene jumps ahead to after Endgame, so watch the scene later if you’re strict about chronology.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home. Set eight months after Endgame, so it lands after the early Phase Four shows rather than right after Endgame.
- X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Both take place in their own universes, so we list them at the end rather than forcing them into the timeline.
Post-credit scenes to save for later
Watching in story order moves a few films earlier than they were released, and their extra scenes don’t move with them. These three jump ahead in the story, and in story order they show you things before the films that set them up. Skip the scene when you watch the film, then come back to it at the point below:
| Film | Which scene | Watch it after |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Marvel | Mid-credits scene | Avengers: Infinity War |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | Mid-credits scene | Avengers: Infinity War |
| Black Widow | Post-credits scene | Avengers: Endgame (it leads into Hawkeye) |
Every other credits scene can be watched where it falls. The full list, spoiler-free, is on the post-credit scenes page.
Where the Netflix shows fit
Marvel added the Netflix series to its official timeline in 2024. They aren’t in the list above because most viewers treat them as optional, but here’s where each one slots in if you want to include them:
| Series | Watch after |
|---|---|
| Daredevil: Season 1 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 |
| Jessica Jones: Season 1 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 |
| Daredevil: Season 2 | Ant-Man |
| Luke Cage: Season 1 | Ant-Man |
| Iron Fist: Season 1 | Ant-Man |
| The Defenders: Season 1 | Ant-Man |
| The Punisher: Season 1 | Spider-Man: Homecoming |
| Jessica Jones: Season 2 | Doctor Strange |
| Luke Cage: Season 2 | Doctor Strange |
| Iron Fist: Season 2 | Doctor Strange |
| Daredevil: Season 3 | Doctor Strange |
| The Punisher: Season 2 | Thor: Ragnarok |
| Jessica Jones: Season 3 | Thor: Ragnarok |
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter aren’t on Marvel’s timeline at all, which is the most common question we get about this list. If you want them anyway, the S.H.I.E.L.D. + MCU episode order splits every season around the films it ties into. One rule of thumb: watch Iron Man 3 before the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot, which mentions Extremis. See also is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. canon? and Marvel TV outside the MCU.
Chronological or release order?
We’d pick release order for a first watch. Marvel wrote each film assuming you’d seen the ones released before it, so post-credit scenes and reveals land properly. Chronological order is the better rewatch: you get to see how the pieces connect, and the jump from Captain America straight into Captain Marvel is a fun way to start. There’s a fuller breakdown in chronological vs release order.
Shortcuts
- Tick the Show essentials only box above to hide optional titles.
- Use the tracker to keep your place, or plan it with the marathon planner.
- Just catching up for December? Start from the Avengers: Doomsday prep guide.
More ways to plan your watch
For how the phases group into bigger stories, see the three MCU sagas. Before you commit, check how many Marvel movies there are and how long the whole MCU takes. First time through? The beginner watch order is shorter, and our ranking of the best MCU movies shows which films are worth the time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to watch in MCU chronological order?
Marvel’s official timeline starts with Eyes of Wakanda, an animated anthology whose stories begin centuries ago. The first live-action film is Captain America: The First Avenger, set mostly in 1942–45.
Should I watch the MCU in chronological order?
It works best as a rewatch. On a first watch it gives away twists in prequels like Captain Marvel and Black Widow, and it puts the older, rougher Phase One films next to newer ones.
Where does Captain Marvel go in the timeline?
Early; it’s set in 1995, so it comes right after The First Avenger and the Agent Carter One-Shot, even though it was released in 2019.
Where does Black Widow fit?
Between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It’s set in 2016 while Natasha is on the run.
Are the Netflix shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in this order?
No. This list follows the main MCU timeline. Daredevil, the other Netflix shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are in our Marvel Television archive, with notes on where they fit.
Where do X-Men ’97 and What If...? go?
What If...? sits where Marvel places it, after Loki Season 1. X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man take place in their own universes, so they’re listed at the end.