Marvel movies in order: How to watch in MCU chronological and release order
Everything you need to know.
It's been a busy – if somewhat up-and-down – year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and last week saw the franchise's third big-screen release of 2025.
The Fantastic Four: The First Steps arrived in cinemas at a vital time for the series, after the year's two prior films – Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* – had failed to truly ignite the box office in the same way as we're used to. But so far the new film seems to have done the job, opening to impressive figures after a wave of positive reviews.
Interestingly – if these kind of things tend to interest you, at least – the film is the first entry in Phase 6 of the franchise and also somewhat shakes up the MCU's chronological timeline.
Technically, the 1964 setting means it takes place earlier than all but one of the previous entries in the franchise, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, but this is slightly confused by the fact that this film actually occurs in a completely different continuity, on Earth-828 rather than Earth-616.
The film's central quartet – played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach – are set to go on to play a major role in the star-studded upcoming Avengers 5, now titled Doomsday, but it remains to be seen exactly how they'll stumble in to the existing continuity. We'll just have to wait and see for now, although the post-credits scene may give us a hint.
Of course, no Marvel fan wants to miss out on any in-jokes, references, Easter eggs or post-credits scenes – so where exactly do you need to start in the monumental MCU as it heads into its sixth phase?
Have no fear, RadioTimes.com has you covered in how to watch Marvel movies and TV shows in order – including both chronological and release date order. Sit back, relax and get ready for your Marvel marathon, because we could do this all day.
Or, if you're looking forward to what's coming next, check out what Marvel's head of TV had to say about the recent criticism the studio has been facing and the shows in development.
Marvel movies in chronological order
Looking at the Marvel series in chronological order, it's actually Captain America: The First Avenger that is set earliest, taking place during the Second World War, where a skinny Steve Rogers is first dosed with the incredible Super Soldier Serum.
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Some fans believe that this is the best way to watch the MCU movies as elements are introduced as the characters in the story encounter them – for instance, this method makes Nick Fury's Infinity War cameo more satisfying, as viewers will already have the context provided by Captain Marvel (released in cinemas the following year).
However, there are other cases in which this is a detriment, such as Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is largely set before the events of Infinity War, but its own post-credits scene spoils the ending to the epic crossover movie.
The following list of films and TV series are based on Disney+'s official viewing order.
Here are the Marvel movies in chronological viewing order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (1942)
- Fantastic Four: First Steps (1964*)
- Captain Marvel (1995)
- Iron Man (2010)
- Iron Man 2 (2011)
- The Incredible Hulk (2011)
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Iron Man 3 (2012)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Black Widow (2016, excluding post-credits scene)
- Black Panther (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
- Avengers: Endgame (2017-2022)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2023)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
- Eternals (2023, excluding flashbacks)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2025)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2026)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2026)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2026)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2026)
- The Marvels (2026)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2026)
- Captain America: Brave New World (2026-27)
- Thunderbolts* (2027)
Additionally, considering the complicated relationship with rights to the character, you may also need to check out our Spider-Man movies in order page.
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Marvel movies in release order
The easiest way to catch up on the MCU is to watch the Marvel movies in release date order, which also neatly categorises the MCU story into its distinct "phases".
In release date order, the MCU begins with 2008's Iron Man. It continues up to the present, including the MCU's TV shows, and then delves into future releases which have been announced, including hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday.
The Infinity Saga
Phase One
- Iron Man (May, 2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (June, 2008)
- Iron Man 2 (May, 2010)
- Thor (May, 2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011)
- Avengers Assemble (May 4, 2012)
Phase Two
- Iron Man 3 (May, 2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (November, 2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April, 2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (August, 2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (May, 2015)
- Ant-Man (July, 2015)
Phase Three
- Captain America: Civil War (May, 2016)
- Doctor Strange (November, 2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May, 2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (July, 2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (November, 2017)
- Black Panther (February, 2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (April, 2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (July, 2018)
- Captain Marvel (March, 2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (April, 2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (July, 2019)
The Multiverse Saga
Phase Four
- WandaVision (TV series) (January, 2021)
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TV series) (March, 2021)
- Loki season 1 (TV series) (June, 2021)
- Black Widow (9th July 2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (3rd September 2021)
- Eternals (5th November 2021)
- Hawkeye (24th November 2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (17th December 2021)
- Moon Knight (TV show -30th March 2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (5th May 2022)
- Ms Marvel (TV show - 8th June 2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (8th July 2022)
- She-Hulk (TV show - 18th August 2022)
- Werewolf By Night (TV special - 7th October 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (11th November 2022)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (TV special - 25th November 2022)
Phase Five
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (17th February 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (5th May 2023)
- Secret Invasion (TV show - 21st June 2023)
- Loki season 2 (TV show - 6th October 2023)
- The Marvels (10th November 2023)
- Echo (TV show - 9th January 2023)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (25th July 2024)
- Agatha All Along (TV show - 18th September 2024)
- Captain America: Brave New World (14th February 2025)
- Daredevil: Born Again (TV show - 5th March 2025)
- Thunderbolts* (2nd May 2025)
- Ironheart (TV show - 24th June 2025)
Phase Six
- Fantastic Four: First Steps (24th July 2025)
- Eyes of Wakanda (TV show - 1st August 2025)
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31st July 2026)
- Vision Quest (TV show - 2026)
- Avengers: Doomsday (18th December 2026)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (17th December 2027)
Future MCU movies and TV shows
- Blade (Movie - TBC)
- Armour Wars (Movie - TBC)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel (Movie - TBC)
- Wonder Man (TV show - TBC)
- Untitled X-Men movie (Movie - TBC)
So, we still have a wealth of Marvel series left to enjoy in the next few years - and beyond!
What Marvel movies are available on Disney Plus?
As Marvel is owned by Disney, you can watch most of the MCU movies whenever you like if you're a subscriber to the studio's very own streaming service: Disney Plus.
The following Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are available on Disney Plus.
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers (Avengers Assemble)
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Black Widow
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- The Marvels
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Captain America: Brave New World
There are a few movies missing from the platform at the time of writing, specifically Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The following MCU television series and specials are also available on Disney Plus:
- WandaVision
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Loki seasons 1 and 2
- What If...? season 1
- Hawkeye
- Moon Knight
- Ms Marvel
- I Am Groot seasons 1 and 2
- She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
- Werewolf By Night
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- Secret Invasion
- Echo
- Agatha All Along
- Daredevil: Born Again
- Ironheart
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How to download and watch Marvel movies
As we laid out above, most of the Marvel movies are available to stream on Disney Plus.
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However, you can also download the films from the service to watch on the go. Here's your step-by-step guide.
- Open your Disney Plus app (see how to download).
- At the home screen, search for the film you want to download to your device.
- Tap on the download arrow icon at the bottom menu of the Disney Plus app.
- To see and watch your downloaded titles, visit the “Downloads” tab on the app’s bottom menu.
You can download an unlimited number of movies from the Disney Plus mobile app. Your downloaded shows will only be able to watch so long as you’re a subscriber to the service.
You can also buy, rent and download each Marvel movie on Amazon (you do not need to be an Amazon Prime Video customer to do this).
Wondering what else you can watch on Disney Plus? Take a look at our best Disney Plus series guide or the best Disney Plus movies.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
For Marvel merch, head to our guide to the best Marvel gifts.
Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
