It's hard to believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for 15 years. No one could have guessed when "Iron Man" was first released in May 2008 that a studio that didn't even have the rights to Marvel's most iconic characters (we're looking at you, Spider-Man [1]) would build the biggest shared universe in modern pop culture. More than a decade later, we have a sprawling universe full of incredible characters, interweaving movies and TV shows, and the bonding experience of sharing wild theories across the internet.

There are numerous movies and TV shows in the Marvel family, with many more on the horizon as Marvel releases the movies and TV shows of Phase 5 [2]. And, of course, Phase 6 [3] is waiting in the wings. With so many great stories, it can be tricky to keep track of all of them — especially the ones that involve time travel, flashbacks, and the multiverse (we're talking about you, "Loki" [4]). Here's a handy list so you can decide on the "correct" watch order (either by release date or in-universe chronology) for your Marvel faves. While some movies and shows on this list involve significant scenes set in the past (e.g. prologues or interspersed flashbacks), we've organized each movie based on when the majority of the plot takes place.

With the Marvel universe continuing to grow, you definitely want to bookmark this list!

• Marvel Movies in Chronological Order [4]
• Marvel Movies in Release-Date Order [4]
• Marvel Shows in Chronological Order [4]
• Marvel Shows in Release-Date Order [4]
• Marvel Movies and Shows in Chronological Order [4]
• Marvel Movies and Shows in Release-Date Order [4]

Related:

19 Major MCU Couples, Ranked [5]

MCU Movies in Chronological Order

The MCU movies seem like they twist and turn throughout time, so we set them out in chronological order.

• "Captain America: The First Avenger"
• "Captain Marvel"
• "Iron Man"
• "The Incredible Hulk"
• "Iron Man 2"
• "Thor"
• "The Avengers"
• "Iron Man 3"
• "Thor: The Dark World"
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
• "Ant-Man"
• "Captain America: Civil War"
• "Black Widow"
• "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
• "Black Panther"
• "Doctor Strange"
• "Thor: Ragnarok"
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp"
• "Avengers: Infinity War"
• "Avengers: Endgame"
• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home"
• "Eternals"
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
• "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 [6]"

MCU Movies in Release-Date Order

The MCU release-date order is pretty similar to its chronological one — with some key differences, especially in the early years.

• "Iron Man" (2008)
• "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
• "Iron Man 2" (2010)
• "Thor" (2011)
• "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
• "The Avengers" (2012)
• "Iron Man 3" (2013)
• "Thor: The Dark World" (2013)
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
• "Ant-Man" (2015)
• "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
• "Doctor Strange" (2016)
• "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)
• "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019)
• "Black Widow" (2021)
• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021)
• "Eternals" (2021)
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021)
• "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022)
• "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022)
• "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022)
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (2023)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023)
• "The Marvels [7] (2023)"

MCU Shows in Chronological Order

The chronological order of MCU shows is a bit more complicated — especially with "Loki" in the mix.

• "Agent Carter"
• "Agents of SHIELD"
• "Daredevil"
• "Jessica Jones"
• "Luke Cage"
• "Iron Fist"
• "The Defenders"
• "The Punisher"
• "Inhumans"
• "Runaways"
• "Cloak & Dagger"
• "WandaVision"
• "Loki" seasons one and two
• "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"
• "Hawkeye"
• "What If?"
• "Moon Knight"
• "Ms. Marvel"
• "She-Hulk"
• "Secret Invasion"

MCU Shows in Release-Date Order

The release-date order of MCU shows is even more complicated because the series have been released across networks and streaming services.

• "Agents of SHIELD" (2013—2020)
• "Agent Carter" (2015—2016)
• "Daredevil" (2015—2018)
• "Jessica Jones" (2015—2019)
• "Luke Cage" (2016—2018)
• "Iron Fist" (2017—2018)
• "The Defenders" (2017)
• "The Punisher" (2017—2019)
• "Inhumans" (2017)
• "Runaways" (2017—2019)
• "Cloak & Dagger" (2018—2019)
• "WandaVision" (2021)
• "Loki" (2021—)
• "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021)
• "Hawkeye" (2021)
• "What If?" (2021—)
• "Moon Knight" (2022)
• "Ms. Marvel" (2022)
• "She-Hulk" (2022)
• "Secret Invasion" (2023)

MCU Shows and Movies in Chronological Order

When all the movies and shows get put together, you have a full picture of the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• "Captain America: The First Avenger"
• "Agent Carter"
• "Captain Marvel"
• "Iron Man"
• "The Incredible Hulk"
• "Iron Man 2"
• "Thor"
• "The Avengers"
• "Iron Man 3"
• "Thor: The Dark World"
• "Agents of SHIELD"
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
• "Daredevil"
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
• "Ant-Man"
• "Jessica Jones"
• "Luke Cage"
• "Captain America: Civil War"
• "Black Widow"
• "Iron Fist"
• "The Defenders"
• "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
• "Black Panther"
• "The Punisher"
• "Doctor Strange"
• "Inhumans"
• "Runaways"
• "Cloak & Dagger"
• "Thor: Ragnarok"
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp"
• "Avengers: Infinity War"
• "Avengers: Endgame"
• "WandaVision"
• "Loki" seasons one and two
• "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"
• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home"
• "Eternals"
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
• "Hawkeye"
• "What If?"
• "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"
• "Moon Knight"
• "Thor: Love and Thunder"
• "Ms. Marvel"
• "She-Hulk"
• "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
• "Secret Invasion"
• "The Marvels [8]"

MCU Shows and Movies in Release-Date Order

The first MCU movie was released in 2008. Dozens of movies and TV shows later, here we are.

• "Iron Man" (2008)
• "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
• "Iron Man 2" (2010)
• "Thor" (2011)
• "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
• "The Avengers" (2012)
• "Iron Man 3" (2013)
• "Agents of SHIELD" (2013—2020)
• "Thor: The Dark World" (2013)
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)
• "Agent Carter" (2015—2016)
• "Daredevil" (2015—2018)
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
• "Ant-Man" (2015)
• "Jessica Jones" (2015—2019)
• "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
• "Doctor Strange" (2016)
• "Luke Cage" (2016—2018)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017)
• "Iron Fist" (2017—2018)
• "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)
• "The Defenders" (2017)
• "Inhumans" (2017)
• "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)
• "The Punisher" (2017—2019)
• "Cloak & Dagger" (2018—2019)
• "Black Panther" (2018)
• "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018)
• "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019)
• "Black Widow" (2021)
• "WandaVision" (2021)
• "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021)
• "Loki" (2021—)
• "What If?" (2021—)
• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021)
• "Eternals" (2021)
• "Hawkeye" (2021)
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021)
• "Moon Knight" (2022)
• "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022)
• "Ms. Marvel" (2022)
• "Thor: Love and Thunder"(2022)
• "She-Hulk" (2022)
• "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022)
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (2023)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023)
• "Secret Invasion" (2023)
• "The Marvels [9] (2023)"

Avengers Movies in Chronological Order

There have been four Avengers movies so far, with two more in the works.

• "The Avengers"
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
• "Avengers: Infinity War"
• "Avengers: Endgame"

Avengers Movies in Release-Date Order

The first four Avengers movies were released over the course of seven years.

• "The Avengers" (2012)
• "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
• "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)
• "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Iron Man Movies in Chronological Order

The three Iron Man films served as the anchor for the MCU stories for years.

• "Iron Man"
• "Iron Man 2"
• "Iron Man 3"

Iron Man Movies in Release-Date Order

The Iron Man film trilogy ended in 2013.

• "Iron Man" (2008)
• "Iron Man 2" (2010)
• "Iron Man 3" (2013)

Thor Movies in Chronological Order

Thor has headlined his own movie four times, telling a sprawling saga inspired by the comics and mythology.

• "Thor"
• "Thor: The Dark World"
• "Thor: Ragnarok"
• "Thor: Love and Thunder"

Thor Movies in Release-Date Order

The Thor movies have been released over the course of 11 years — and we could be getting more [10].

• "Thor" (2011)
• "Thor: The Dark World" (2013)
• "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)
• "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022)

Captain America Movies in Chronological Order

The Captain America movies cover the biggest stretch of years, from 1942 to 2016.

• "Captain America: The First Avenger"
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
• "Captain America: Civil War"

Captain America Movies in Release-Date Order

There have been three Captain America movies so far — with a fourth planned for Phase 5.

• "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
• "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Guardians of the Galaxy Movies in Chronological Order

The Guardians of the Galaxy films are organized in a simple trilogy.

• "Guardians of the Galaxy"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"

Guardians of the Galaxy Movies in Release-Date Order

The Guardians trilogy wrapped up in 2023.

• "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017)
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023)

Spider-Man Movies in Chronological Order

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" picks up after "Captain America: Civil War."

• "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home"
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Spider-Man Movies in Release-Date Order

Tom Holland [11] is rumored to return for a fourth Spider-Man film [12].

• "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)
• "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019)
• "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021)

Ant-Man Movies in Chronological Order

There have been three Ant-Man films so far.

• "Ant-Man"
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp"
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania"

Ant-Man Movies in Release-Date Order

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" kicked off Phase 5 in 2023.

• "Ant-Man" (2015)
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018)
• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (2023)

Doctor Strange Movies in Chronological Order

The two Doctor Strange movies feature a bit of time traveling and universe traversing.

• "Doctor Strange"
• "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

Doctor Strange Movies in Release-Date Order

Doctor Strange's two solo movies were released six years apart.

• "Doctor Strange" (2016)
• "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022)