The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continues to expand, and the timeline of all the movies and shows can be tricky to understand. With new shows like “Agatha All Along” and “Daredevil: Born Again” and films like “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts*” being released to the Marvel universe, these are some guides to watching and understanding the MCU.
Chronological order
The release order of the movies and shows is not chronological, so many start with “Captain America: The First Avenger” instead of watching in theatrical release. This is because it was set during World War II, making it the first in the MCU timeline.
Starting with the first Captain America movie establishes the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.), which plays a significant role in the formation of the Avengers.
The list of TV shows and movies can be found here. Despite “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” being on the list, the show is not canon to the MCU, so it can be omitted from the watch list. The list also states that “X-Men ’97” and “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” are not essential to the main timeline and have been left off the list.
Tony Stark character arc order
Any Marvel fan knows how key Tony Stark’s character is to the entire MCU and the beginning of the Multiverse Saga. Many people enjoy watching the series of movies revolving around his character as a tribute. The watch order leaves out the Captain America, Thor, and Guardians of Galaxy trilogies and other films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
Phase order
In April 2014, President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige announced that the additional storylines of the MCU were planned until 2028. All the new TV shows may be overwhelming for new viewers, so an easier way of understanding the timeline is breaking it into the phases of movies they were released. These phases and their titles are often introduced during the San Diego Comic-Con.
Phase one
The first phase starts with the iconic “Iron Man” (2008) and introduces the character Tony Stark. This movie is often credited as the movie that began the rise of Marvel. It is followed by “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), “Iron Man 2” (2010), “Thor” (2011), “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), and finally “The Avengers” (2012), which takes these characters and builds them into an unlikely band of heroes.
Phase two
“Iron Man 3” (2013) begins phase three, highlighting the struggles of saving the world. “Thor: The Dark World” (2013) comes after, along with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), and “Ant-Man” (2015).
Phase three
“Captain America: Civil War” (2016) takes these heroes and pushes them to question their “heroic” actions by giving them real-life consequences. Then, “Doctor Strange” (2016) is introduced to the MCU and develops the space and time concepts. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017), “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), “Black Panther” (2018), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018), “Captain Marvel” (2019), “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), and finally, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) mark the end of this long phase.
Phase four
Highlighting what happens before the snap, “Black Widow” (2021) follows Natasha Romanoff before the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Next is “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021), marking the first Asian superhero in the MCU. “Eternals” (2021), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022), “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022), and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022) come shortly after.
Phase five
The third Ant-Man movie, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), begins the fifth phase. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (2023), “The Marvels” (2023), “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024), and “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025) end this short phase.
Phase six
Phase six is set to begin in mid-2025 with “Fantastic Four: First Steps” releasing this summer. Other titles announced are “Avengers: Doomsday” (2026), “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (2026), and “Avengers: Secret Wars” (2027).
Marvel fans and those looking to dive into the MCU can enjoy the movies and TV shows in many unique ways. From the complete order of carefully matched shows and films corresponding to the MCU timeline to simply watching the movies as is, entertainment is found in the unique ways viewers choose to watch.
