MCU Chronological Order: Every Marvel Movie and Show in the Order the Story Happens
From 1942 to Doomsday. Two lists: movies and specials only, or with every Disney+ series placed by its in-story date, with notes on the spots people argue about.
This is the MCU in the order the story happens, not the order the movies came out. It starts in 1942 with The First Avenger, jumps to 1995 for Captain Marvel, and runs through to Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026). Where a title's place is debated, the note under it says why it's where it is. If this is your first time through the MCU, use the release-order watch list instead; chronological order spoils a few reveals, and it's a better second watch than a first one.
Every MCU movie and special in the order the story happens. 42 titles.
1 Captain America: The First Avenger
2 Captain Marvel
3 Iron Man
4 Iron Man 2
5 The Incredible Hulk
6 Thor
7 The Avengers
8 Iron Man 3
9 Thor: The Dark World
10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
11 Guardians of the Galaxy
12 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
13 Avengers: Age of Ultron
14 Ant-Man
15 Captain America: Civil War
16 Black Widow
17 Black Panther
18 Spider-Man: Homecoming
19 Doctor Strange
20 Thor: Ragnarok
21 Ant-Man and the Wasp
22 Avengers: Infinity War
23 Avengers: Endgame
24 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
25 Eternals
26 Spider-Man: Far From Home
27 Spider-Man: No Way Home
28 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
29 Thor: Love and Thunder
30 Werewolf by Night
31 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
32 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
33 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
34 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
35 The Marvels
36 Deadpool & Wolverine
37 Captain America: Brave New World
38 Thunderbolts*
39 The Fantastic Four: First Steps
40 The Punisher: One Last Kill
41 Spider-Man: Brand New Day
42 Avengers: Doomsday
Movies, specials, and every Disney+ series placed by when they happen in the story. 63 titles.
1 Captain America: The First Avenger
2 Captain Marvel
3 Iron Man
4 Iron Man 2
5 The Incredible Hulk
6 Thor
7 The Avengers
8 Iron Man 3
9 Thor: The Dark World
10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
11 Guardians of the Galaxy
12 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
13 Avengers: Age of Ultron
14 Ant-Man
15 Captain America: Civil War
16 Black Widow
17 Black Panther
18 Spider-Man: Homecoming
19 Doctor Strange
20 Thor: Ragnarok
21 Ant-Man and the Wasp
22 Avengers: Infinity War
23 Avengers: Endgame
24 Loki, Season 1
25 What If...?, Season 1
26 WandaVision
27 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
28 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
29 Eternals
30 Spider-Man: Far From Home
31 Spider-Man: No Way Home
32 Hawkeye
33 Moon Knight
34 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
35 Ms. Marvel
36 Thor: Love and Thunder
37 She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
38 Werewolf by Night
39 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
40 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
41 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
42 Secret Invasion
43 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
44 Loki, Season 2
45 What If...?, Season 2
46 Echo
47 The Marvels
48 What If...?, Season 3
49 Marvel Zombies
50 Deadpool & Wolverine
51 Agatha All Along
52 Captain America: Brave New World
53 Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1
54 Thunderbolts*
55 Ironheart
56 Eyes of Wakanda
57 The Fantastic Four: First Steps
58 Wonder Man
59 Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2
60 The Punisher: One Last Kill
61 Spider-Man: Brand New Day
62 VisionQuest
63 Avengers: Doomsday
The placements people argue about
- Iron Man 3 before The Dark World. Iron Man 3 is Christmas 2012; The Dark World is the following autumn. Release order has them the other way round.
- Black Widow, Black Panther, and Homecoming all right after Civil War. All three happen within a few months of the airport fight. Homecoming's "eight years later" title card is a famous mistake; Marvel's own timeline ignores it.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp's post-credits scene. It happens during Infinity War's snap, so in this order you watch the whole movie, scene included, then Infinity War.
- Loki and What If...? after Endgame. Loki's 2012 variant escapes during Endgame, but his show happens outside time, and the multiverse stories after it only make sense once you've seen it. Marvel's timeline puts both right after Endgame.
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It's set in a 1960s that isn't ours (Earth-828), so it has no date on this timeline. It's placed just before the Doomsday run-up because its post-credits scene is the start of that story. Watching it first works too.
- Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies. One is an anthology across centuries of Wakandan history; the other is an alternate universe. Neither has a real slot. They sit where Marvel placed them, and skipping them changes nothing.
Release order or chronological?
Release order for a first watch, chronological for a rewatch. The movies were written to be seen in release order: Captain Marvel explains the pager you've already been wondering about for a year, Black Widow hits harder when you already know how Natasha's story ends, and Loki is a better show when you've met every version of him first. Once you've been through it all, chronological order is the one that makes the universe feel like one long story, and that's what this page is for.
Caught up and ready for Doomsday? Start with the Doomsday guide, then see who fans think dies.
Questions
- What is the MCU in chronological order?
- Captain America: The First Avenger (1940s), Captain Marvel (1995), then Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and on through Endgame's 2023 time jump to Avengers: Doomsday. The full list with every title is on this page.
- Where does Loki fit in the MCU timeline?
- Right after Avengers: Endgame. The Loki in the show escapes during Endgame's 2012 heist, and the TVA exists outside normal time, so Marvel's official timeline places both seasons after Endgame and before WandaVision.
- Where does The Fantastic Four: First Steps fit in the timeline?
- It doesn't, strictly: it's set in the 1960s of a different universe, Earth-828. Its post-credits scene connects to Avengers: Doomsday, so this list places it just before the Doomsday run-up.
- Is Spider-Man: Far From Home before or after WandaVision?
- After. WandaVision is set three weeks after Endgame; Far From Home is the following summer, eight months after the Blip.
- Should I watch the MCU in chronological order?
- Not for a first watch. The movies were written for release order and chronological order spoils some reveals. It's the best order for a rewatch, when you want the whole thing to read as one story.
- When does Avengers: Doomsday come out?
- December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027.