Marvel watch order
Two orders matter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Release order is how the saga was written to be seen: jokes, reveals and post-credit scenes assume it, and it is the right choice for a first watch. Story order rearranges the films by their in-universe timeline, which suits a rewatch.
The lists below carry every MCU film and Disney+ series, updated as new titles arrive. Series appear at the date their first season aired.
Release order, films and series
The default. Watch top to bottom and every reveal lands the way it was built to.
- Iron Man (2008) Film
- The Incredible Hulk (2008) Film
- Iron Man 2 (2010) Film
- Thor (2011) Film
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Film
- The Avengers (2012) Film
- Iron Man 3 (2013) Film
- Thor: The Dark World (2013) Film
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Film
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Film
- Ant-Man (2015) Film
- Captain America: Civil War (2016) Film
- Doctor Strange (2016) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Film
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Film
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Film
- Black Panther (2018) Film
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Film
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Film
- Captain Marvel (2019) Film
- Avengers: Endgame (2019) Film
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Film
- WandaVision (2021) Series
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) Series
- Loki (2021) Series
- Black Widow (2021) Film
- What If...? (2021) Series animated anthology, alternate universes
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Film
- Eternals (2021) Film
- Hawkeye (2021) Series
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Film
- Moon Knight (2022) Series
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Film
- Ms. Marvel (2022) Series
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Film
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) Series
- Werewolf by Night (2022) Special
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Film
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Special
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Film
- Secret Invasion (2023) Series
- The Marvels (2023) Film
- Echo (2024) Series
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Film
- Agatha All Along (2024) Series
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Film
- Daredevil: Born Again (2025) Series
- Thunderbolts* (2025) Film
- Ironheart (2025) Series
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Film set on a separate Earth
- Eyes of Wakanda (2025) Series
- Marvel Zombies (2025) Series animated, alternate universe
- Wonder Man (2026) Series
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Film
Story order, films
The films arranged by their in-universe timeline, for a rewatch. Alternate-universe entries and anthology series sit outside a single timeline, so this list keeps to the mainline films and specials.
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Film set in the 1940s
- Captain Marvel (2019) Film set in 1995
- Iron Man (2008) Film
- Iron Man 2 (2010) Film
- The Incredible Hulk (2008) Film
- Thor (2011) Film
- The Avengers (2012) Film
- Iron Man 3 (2013) Film
- Thor: The Dark World (2013) Film
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Film
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Film
- Ant-Man (2015) Film
- Captain America: Civil War (2016) Film
- Black Widow (2021) Film
- Black Panther (2018) Film
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Film
- Doctor Strange (2016) Film
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Film
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Film
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Film
- Avengers: Endgame (2019) Film
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Film
- Eternals (2021) Film
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Film
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Film
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Film
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Film
- Werewolf by Night (2022) Special
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Film
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) Special
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Film
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Film
- The Marvels (2023) Film
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Film
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Film
- Thunderbolts* (2025) Film
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Film
Keep your place
I Like Movies, the free Android app behind this page, carries a curated Marvel Cinematic Universe track: the same catalogue as above, in watch order, with your progress marked per film and per episode. Ratings and a watchlist come along for everything else you watch.
Questions people ask
What is the best order to watch the Marvel movies?
Release order, starting with Iron Man (2008). The saga was written to be seen in the order it came out: reveals, running jokes and post-credit scenes all assume it. Story order, which rearranges the films by their in-universe timeline, is better saved for a rewatch.
Do I need to watch the Disney+ series to follow the MCU films?
Mostly no, with exceptions. WandaVision sets up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Loki underpins the multiverse arc, and Ms. Marvel leads into The Marvels. The other series enrich the films rather than gate them, so a films-first watch works fine.
How many MCU movies and series are there?
As of 2026 the list above carries around forty films and specials and close to twenty Disney+ series, and it keeps growing. The count is exactly what renders on this page, which is updated as new titles arrive.
More watch orders: Star Wars, Middle-earth, Dune, Wizarding World, Fast & Furious, Alien, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Or browse every guide and comparison.