Marvel Movies

How to Watch The Marvel Movies in Order?

The Marvel realm hasn’t lost its spark yet. Marvel movies are still the apple of every fan’s eye while also persisting the tradition of attracting new viewers. If you are a diehard fan, longing to re-watch the Marvel Movies in order, or a recent watcher striving to know the Marvel movies order, this is the right place for you. 

Our guide has got all the latest MCU movies in order, presented chronologically as well as according to their airing dates, making sure you don’t miss out on a single second of Marvel action. 

The chronological order of Marvel movies embarks with the 1940s setting’s Captain America: The First Avengers. Whereas the release order begins with Iron Man (2008). The former is the order Marvel productions planned to follow. However, both of them have benefits for a different type of viewer. 

Here, then, is how to watch the Marvel movies in both orders.

Marvel Movies in Chronological Order

For all fans who can’t give up on their love for Marvel movies and want to get more into the depths of the Marvel world, following the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline is the best strategy. 

To do this, you need to follow the chronological order that starts with Captain America’s showing up in World War 2 to Peter Parker’s Italy tour in the latest Marvel-produced Spider-Man: Far From Home. 

This order to watch Marvel Movies will help you better understand how every epic action and event came about canonically. However, things might get a bit complicated down the road as you finally reach the bottom of the order. 

For example, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, and Black Panther all revolve around the setting at approximately the same time. We have enlisted Black Widow (2021) first of this lot, though, because it more clearly portrays the immediate consequences of the Civil War than others. 

Here’s the chronological Marvel movies order:

  • Captain America: The First Avenger (Comes about during World War 2)
  • Captain Marvel (Comes about in 1995)
  • Iron Man (Occurs in 2010)
  • Iron Man 2 (Occurs after Iron Man)
  • The Incredible Hulk (Time not specified clearly, most probably before Avengers)
  • Thor (Happens six months before Avengers)
  • The Avengers (Takes place in 2012)
  • Iron Man 3 (Occurs six months after The Avengers)
  • Captain America: Winter Soldier (After Avengers, Before Ultron)
  • Thor: Dark World (After Avengers, Before Ultron, Same time as Captain America: Winter Soldier)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (Takes Place in 2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Post-Guardians)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (Happens in 2015)
  • Ant-Man (Happens in 2015)
  • Captain America: Civil War (After Ultron, Before Infinity War)
  • Black Widow (Happens immediately after Civil War)
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (After Civil War, Before Infinity War)
  • Doctor Strange (Happens in 2016)
  • Black Panther (Happens in 2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (After Ultron, Before Infinity War)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (Happens in 2017)
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp (Not clear, but fits perfectly between Infinity War and Endgame)
  • Avengers: Endgame (Begins in 2017, Ends in 2022)
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home (Eight months after Endgame)

Marvel Movies in Release Order

Are you a recent Marvel viewer? If yes, then following the chronological path will be a little too hard to digest. We recommend you follow the release order instead. Enjoying the Marvel movies in this order is how Marvel studio wanted the spectators to watch their story play out.

The order is fantastic in case you want to relish experiencing how more extensive and better the series evolved with each new release over the years. Moreover, if that’s the order adopted by the billion-dollar franchise itself, there’s definitely some solid reason for it to be like that.

In the list below, we have also included an overview of each movie to assist the new viewers and a few future Marvel Movies with probable release dates.

Phase I

Iron Man (May 2008)

IRON MAN (MAY 2008)

Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, doesn’t let his skills go in vain even in captivity. Instead, he makes a high-tech armored suit to escape and later uses it to combat evil forces to save the earth.

The Incredible Hulk (June 2008)

THE INCREDIBLE HULK (JUNE 2008)

Severe amounts of gamma radiation subject Dr. Bruce Banner, forcing him to transform into a colossal green thing, the Hulk, whenever he undergoes anger.

Iron Man 2 (April 2010)

IRON MAN 2 (APRIL 2010)

Iron man gets pressured by multiple authorities to share his invention with them. He must think of a solution to resist them while also handling evil forces.

Thor (May 2011)

THOR (MAY 2011)

The king of Asgard, Odin, exiles his son Thor to the Earth to abide amongst the mortals, where he soon evolves to be one of their best defenders.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 2011)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (JULY 2011)

During WW2, Steve volunteers in a body-transforming attempt and ends up being a super-strong man with powers beyond expectations. To defend his nation, he must now fight a confidential Nazi organization.

Marvel’s The Avengers (May 2012)

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS (MAY 2012)

As Thor’s brother Loki presents a threat to planet earth, the famous Marvel Comic character Nick Fury is forced to start the Avengers initiative. His squad of Marvel superheroes combines their skills to perform the mission.

Phase II

Iron Man 3 (May 2013)

IRON MAN 3 (MAY 2013)

The genius Tony Stark is back confronting a dangerous enemy, Mandarin. After failing to overthrow his foe, Iron Man begins on a quest of self-discovering as he battles in opposition to the formidable Mandarin.

Thor: The Dark World (November 2013)

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (NOVEMBER 2013)

When the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith returns to Asgard to regain a destructive weapon and accomplish his intention of demolishing the nine realms, Thor comes to action and sets on the journey to defeat him.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (March 2014)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (MARCH 2014)

As Steve adjusts to the complexities of a modern world, he joins Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff in his quest to reveal the mystery behind a mysterious, deadly killer.

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 2014)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (AUGUST 2014)

Peter breaks out from the Morag globe along with a precious orb that the accuser Ronan wants. He ultimately joins hands with a group of space criminals to stop Ronan with agendas to erase the universe.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (April 2015)

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (APRIL 2015)

With the help of Dr. Bruce Banner (Hulk), Tony Stark designs an artificial intelligence system called Ultron. Things don’t turn out to be good as expected, compelling the Avengers to combat Ultron before it wipes out the human race.

Ant-Man (July 2015)

ANT-MAN (JULY 2015)

Equipped with a powerful suite with the mind-blowing shrinking power that reduces body size but increases strength, Scott Lang, the cat burglar plans and pulls off an Earth-saving heist with his mentor.

Phase III

Captain America: Civil War (May 2016)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (MAY 2016)

Conflict occurs between the Marvel superheroes squad when one group favors the government’s ruling to enforce a law to govern their exceptional powers while the other rejects it, especially causing a rift between Iron Man and Captain America.

Doctor Strange (October 2016)

DOCTOR STRANGE (OCTOBER 2016)

The famous neurosurgeon Stephan Strange loses the potential to use his hands in an unexpected event. To heal himself, Mr. Strange visits the mysterious Ancient One and ends up becoming an extraordinary sorcerer under her coaching.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (April 2017)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (APRIL 2017)

Soon after their victorious quest against Ronan, Peter and his squad of space defenders meet a guy named Ego, confessing to being Quill’s father. However, things don’t go smoothly, especially when there are so many disturbing facts to know about.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (June 2017)

While Peter Parker strives to manage his life like all other same-aged college students, evil forces keep on knocking him off track. This time he is seen trying to prevent the vulture from selling advanced Chitauri technology-made weapons.

Thor: Ragnarok (October 2017)

THOR: RAGNAROK (OCTOBER 2017)

Though not accompanied by his super-powerful hammer Mjolnir this time, Thor still has to defend his home Asgard from the goddess of death, Hela.

Black Panther (January 2018)

T’Challa, successor to the mysterious but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, doesn’t get a sweet welcome on his act to inherit the throne. He faces severe opposition from a foe threatening to destroy the entire nation. 

Avengers: Infinity War (April 2018)

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (APRIL 2018)

Thanos is more than ever determined to work according to his plan of capturing the infinity stone. Fortunately,  Avengers have yet again joined hands to stop the intergalactic warlord from doing so.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (June 2018)

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (JUNE 2018)

Though Scott Lang is facing house arrest, he somehow manages to escape with the wasp to accompany Dr. Hank Pym to the Quantum realm. The mission is not easy and throws at them new, more formidable enemies as they proceed.

Captain Marvel (February 2019)

CAPTAIN MARVEL (FEBRUARY 2019)

In the middle of a galactic quest, the Kree warrior, Vers gets separated from her squad and is abandoned on earth. The circumstances make her one of the planet’s most potent fighters when the World is in the middle of a space conflict between two alien species.

Avengers: Endgame (April 2019)

CAPTAIN MARVEL (FEBRUARY 2019)

The Avengers reassemble and unite again to rebuild balance and rejuvenate their alliance against the intergalactic warlord Thanos, who has once again stood up to disintegrate the universe.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (June 2019)

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (JUNE 2019)

While the amazing superhero, Spider-Man is busy enjoying his trip to Europe, things on his shoulder don’t get any lighter. This time Peter Parker faces four deadly monsters. Thanks to the mysterious help by the fellow hero, Mysterio, Peter teaches them well.

Phase IV

Black Widow (June 2021)

BLACK WIDOW (JUNE 2021)

Black Widow or Natasha from Captain America: The Winter Soldier story meets the darker sides of her ledger when a severe affair with links to her early life comes up. While battling the forces that can do anything to bring her down, the Black Widow must deal with her past.

  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 2021)

Not Released Yet.

  • The Eternals (November 2021)

Not Released Yet 

  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 2021)

Not Released Yet 

  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March  2022) 

Not Released Yet 

  • Thor: Love and Thunder (May  2022)

Not Released Yet.

  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 2022)

Not Released Yet 

  • The Marvels (November 2022)

Not Released Yet 

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantum Mania (February 2023)

Not Released Yet 

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (May 2023)

Not Released Yet 

Final Word

Whether it’s your first or hundredth time, that was all on how to watch the popular Marvel movies in order. While the first order will prove beneficial if you are planning a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) marathon in 2021, the second order holds charms for new fans.

Though Marvel Studios took a considerable pandemic-forced break in 2020, Phase VI discussed above clearly shows them taking a big kick-off in 2021, especially with the recent launch of Black Widow with 10 more upcoming releases.

So, what’s stopping you now? Grab your snacks and start streaming the 24 fantastic Marvel movies as soon as you can, and also gear up for the forthcoming.

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Abdul Wahab is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech geek by nature. Having been associated with the tech industry for the last five years, he has covered a wide range of Tech topics and produced well-researched and engaging content. You will mostly find him reviewing tech products and writing blog posts. Binge-watching tech reviews and endlessly reading tech blogs are his favorite hobbies.