Every Marvel movie in order – What to watch first and why

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has, undoubtedly, redefined contemporary blockbuster cinema. It stomps around, smashing records and gobbling up everyone’s attention. Kicked off with Iron Man in 2008, Marvel reversed the idea of a “shared universe” from nerd fantasy into mainstream reality.

And the roots go way back to the era of early comic books, when Marvel was still called Timely Comics. Ever since, the MCU just kept snowballing into dozens of movies, a whole buffet of TV shows, random web shorts, and comic tie-ins—all tangled together with storylines. Starting with solo movies and eventually jamming them together was indeed a gamble, but it did pay off. Iron Man to The Avengers, that run set the gold standard for every other cinematic universe, and now Marvel’s sitting on a mountain of cash–$30 billion-ish, as of 2025.

Notably, Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, probably the best deal since someone bought Manhattan for beads. After that, the MCU had bigger movies, crazy marketing, and an actual streaming empire.

Marvel’s big trick is breaking everything up into “Phases.” The first three phases are collectively known as the Infinity Saga—starting with Iron Man, the Avengers getting together, Thanos doing his snap, the Infinity Stones, and culminating with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Now we’re deep in the Multiverse Saga, where there are alternate universes, branching timelines, Disney+ shows, and all.

And let’s not forget Kevin Feige, the guy with the master plan. Thanks to Feige’s strategy, obscure characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy went from “huh?” to household names.

Culturally, the MCU is a total juggernaut. Black Panther snagged an Oscar nod for Best Picture, and the franchise keeps shifting with the times—listening to fans on social media, tweaking things when people get bored, and mashing up genres. The Disney+ shows aren’t just afterthoughts; now, you have to watch them to keep up with the movies. It’s genius and a little evil.

Right now, the MCU has 36 movies (and counting) as of July 2025. If you’re new and figuring out where to start, it's kind of an adventure since we have chronological, release, and machete orders. So, let’s help you dive in whichever way you want.

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Understanding the order: Chronological vs. release order

There’s something magical about watching these movies like everyone else, which is in release order. You get all the plot twists, surprise cameos, and those “wait, what?!” moments exactly how they were meant to land.

Now, sure, you could watch them chronologically—starting way back in WWII—if you want to see the story play out in Marvel’s internal timeline. That’s a whole different vibe, but you’ll lose the punch of certain reveals.

Both ways work, but for newbies, release order is the way to go. It’s built for maximum hype and payoffs, and this guide sticks to that.

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The films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: In order

MCU Phase 1

Iron Man (2008): Tony Stark, the ultimate billionaire playboy genius, gets kidnapped by miscreants. Instead of just sitting there, he whips up a cool metal suit, blasts his way out, and accidentally invents Iron Man. Little did he know, he just set the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe in motion.

The Incredible Hulk (2008): Scientist Bruce Banner is on the run from the military because he turns into a giant green rage monster if you poke him wrong. He’s desperate for a cure but ends up smashing it out with another hulking brute.

Iron Man 2 (2010): Tony is out in public as Iron Man now. So, everyone wants a piece, especially the government and some new villains with serious vendettas. Meanwhile, SHIELD starts poking around more.

Thor (2011): Thor, a literal Norse god with flowing locks and a hammer only he can lift, gets kicked out of Asgard. He lands on Earth, learns how to be a decent human, and his brother Loki starts causing cosmic mischief.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): Steve Rogers turns into America’s poster boy. Thanks to a sketchy government serum, fighting Nazis, duking it out with Red Skull, and then crashing a plane and getting frozen for decades, only to be revived in modern times.

The Avengers (2012): Nick Fury decides it’s time to pull together the dream team: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. Loki shows up with an alien army, chaos erupts, and the Avengers become Earth’s mightiest heroes.

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MCU Phase 2

Iron Man 3 (2013): Tony is falling apart after aliens trashed New York. He has PTSD, panic attacks, and insomnia, and then this Mandarin guy shows up to blow stuff up and make Tony’s life even messier.

Thor: The Dark World (2013): Thor is back swinging his hammer, trying to stop Dark Elves and their boss Malekith from wrecking reality with an ancient weapon called the Aether (Reality Stone).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): Steve Rogers uncovers Hydra hiding inside SHIELD, and his old friend Bucky is now a brainwashed assassin.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): A talking raccoon (Rocket), a walking tree (Groot), a green assassin (Gamora), a guy with serious issues (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), and a blue man (Drax the Destroyer) team up to stop Ronan from blowing up a planet with the Power Stone.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): Ultron, an AI gone rogue, wants to wipe out humanity, so the Avengers team up (again), plus we meet Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.

Ant-Man (2015): Scott Lang is a small-time thief who ends up as Ant-Man. He has to pull off a heist to save the world.

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MCU Phase 3

Captain America: Civil War (2016): The Avengers go from besties to frenemies because the government wants a say in their business. Internal drama explodes, friendships get messy, and Black Panther and Spider-Man show up for the first time.

Doctor Strange (2016): Neurosurgeon Stephen Strange wrecks his hands in a car accident. He stumbles into the world of magic and ends up saving reality from threats.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): The Guardians keep bickering, but this time it’s all about family drama. Peter Quill is delving deeper into his origins, Gamora has sibling beef, and there’s a talking planet.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): Peter Parker tries not to flunk high school while moonlighting as Spider-Man. Also, Tony Stark mentors him.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017): Thor loses his hammer, hair, and everything except his sense of humor. He teams up with Hulk to stop his evil sister Hela from destroying Asgard.

Black Panther (2018): T’Challa steps up as Wakanda’s king, but Killmonger is not having it. The movie serves slick Afrofuturism, epic battles, and legit social commentary.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018): Every Marvel hero you can think of teams up to stop Thanos from snapping away half the universe.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): Scott Lang is back, this time with Hope (aka Wasp). They shrink, they grow, and they dive into the Quantum Realm. It set up even crazier stuff for later.

Captain Marvel (2019): Carol Danvers wakes up in the ‘90s and finds out she has alien powers. Turns out she’s one of the MCU’s biggest heavyweights. Also, Nick Fury has got two eyes!

Avengers: Endgame (2019): Time travel, broken heroes, and one last epic showdown with Thanos. The Avengers try to undo the universe’s worst day ever. We get tears, cheers, and some major goodbyes.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): Peter Parker goes on a Euro trip, but his vacation is ruined by Mysterio, master of illusions. Peter has got to step up, big time, and finally own being a hero.

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MCU Phase 4

Black Widow (2021): Natasha Romanoff finally gets her shot at some closure between Civil War and Infinity War, so she’s dodging the Avengers while dealing with the skeletons in her closet. This one’s all about tying up her story with an overdue emotional punch.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021): Shang-Chi has serious family drama. Also, he faces a mystical terrorist group.

Eternals (2021): So, immortal space gods have been hiding out on Earth this whole time. Suddenly, they gotta step up before humanity gets wrecked.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021): Old-school Spidey villains show up, turning Peter Parker’s life into a crossover event. If you ever wanted to see three generations of Spider-Men roast each other, this is the jackpot.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022): Doctor Strange jumps into trippy alternate realities, dragging Scarlet Witch along for the ride. You might need a flowchart to keep up, but it’s a blast.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): Thor is back at it, this time with a midlife crisis and a god-slayer named Gorr chasing him. There’s love, thunder (duh), goats screaming, and some existential questions. Also: Jane Foster with a hammer. (Enough said.)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022): T’Challa is gone, and Wakanda is trying to keep it together while the world (and Namor) circles like sharks. There’s grief, new heroes popping up (like Riri Williams), and a ton of heart. It’s emotional but also sets up a bunch of cool stuff for what’s next.

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MCU Phase 5 (till 2025)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023): This one dives into the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang and the fam are up against Kang. There’s also time travel, reality-bending chaos, and more.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023): The Guardians go all-in on Rocket Raccoon's past. The found-family stuff hits hard. It’s weird, hilarious, and has that James Gunn heart. Feels like the end of an era.

The Marvels (2023): Carol, Monica, and Kamala team up. Their powers get tangled (literally), so everything’s a cosmic mess. Feels like classic Marvel with a bit of new-school energy.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024): Deadpool finally shows up in the MCU, and he drags Wolverine along for his meta, fourth-wall-breaking shenanigans. Multiverse stuff, jokes that toe the line (or leap over it), and it raked in cash.

Captain America: Brave New World (2025): Now it’s Sam Wilson’s turn with the shield. Expect new political headaches, big threats, and a fresh spin on what Captain America even means.

Thunderbolts* (2025): It’s like Avengers, but everyone has got baggage. It’s the MCU exploring the gray areas and maybe blurring the moral lines for once.

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MCU Phase 6 and beyond (Announced, 2025+)

Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025): Marvel’s “First Family” is finally getting their MCU moment. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben are OGs. This one’s supposed to kick off Phase 6, and if they screw up Doctor Doom again, fans might riot.

Eyes of Wakanda (Animated) (2025): Here’s an animated deep dive into Wakanda’s old-school secrets and legends. Not just more Black Panther, but a look at the roots—the stuff Shuri probably reads about when she’s bored.

Marvel Zombies (Animated) (2025): Zombified superheroes are based on comic arcs, and this one’s set to deal with multiverse heroes and villains munching brains.

Wonder Man (2025): Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, who’s both a celebrity and a superhero. Fame plus brawn, with a lot of Hollywood satire thrown in.

Spider-Man 4 (2026): Tom Holland is back for a fourth swing. Nobody is talking plot yet. But after No Way Home, you just know they’re cooking up some wild multiversal shenanigans.

Avengers: Doomsday (2026): The gang gets back together to face a massive threat. Details are scarce, but if it’s called “Doomsday,” you know they’re not just fighting a bank robber. It’s probably some universe-ending madness.

Avengers: Secret Wars (2027): Secret Wars is like the endgame of endgames. Expect universes smashing together and probably more cameos. If Marvel sticks the landing, we’re in for a wild finale.

There’s more cooking, like Armor Wars, Black Panther 3, Shang-Chi 2, X-Men, Vision Quest, and more. No dates, no cast lists, just Marvel teasing us and making it crystal clear they’re not done milking this superhero machine anytime soon.