The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is easily one of the most ambitious pieces of cinematic work ever created – spanning thousands of years of fictional history told across films, television series, and one-off specials. The total picture is hard to keep track of, especially because many projects have dropped out of order – detailing different parts of the super-hero led world that combine to form a greater whole. 

With Phase Six set to wrap up with the dual release of 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, we’ve nailed down the entire MCU chronological order – starting all the way back in 1260 BC, and ending at the universe’s present. Here, we’ll list out every piece of media Marvel has launched that exists in its main series timeline – we’re not including any ‘What If’ stories, or alternative universes that haven’t yet been shown to cross-over with the ‘Sacred Timeline’. 

So, if the idea of taking a journey through 18 years’ worth of MCU goodness appeals, strap yourself in – this is a long one.

The Entire MCU in Chronological Order

1. Eyes of Wakanda

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 1260 BC – 1896
• Director: Todd Harris
• Cast: Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Larry Herron, Adam Gold

A short animated series following Wakandan warriors who are sent to recover lost vibranium artefacts throughout history, showing what impact such super-powered beings had throughout the pre-cinematic era of Marvel’s main timeline. 

2. Captain America: The First Avenger

• Release Year: 2011
• Timeline: 1943 – 1945
• Director: Joe Johnston
• Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell

The origin story of one of the MCU’s most influential heroes, The First Avenger showcases how Steve Rogers – the original Captain America – rose to prominence during the second World War, as well as how he ended up lost to time.

3. Agent Carter

• Release Year: 2015
• Timeline: 1946
• Director: Louis D’Esposito
• Cast: Hayley Atwell, Bradley Whitford, Dominic Cooper

Set a year after Captain America’s disappearance, his beau Peggy Carter has taken up a job as an agent of a pre-S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence agency, and has dealings with genius industry tycoon Howard Stark.

4. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 1964 (Earth-828)
• Director: Matt Shakman
• Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner

A reimagining of the Fantastic Four for the MCU, First Steps eschews the well-trodden origin story to instead tell of the coming of Galactus, the World-Eater, as well as its emissary The Silver Surfer to an alternate-dimension Earth. Plus, you might spy a little cameo by one Victor von Doom – he might be important later! 

5. Captain Marvel

• Release Year: 2019
• Timeline: 1995
• Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
• Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lee Pace, Jude Law

Captain Marvel details the first time S.H.I.E.L.D. commander Nick Fury meets a superhero, while also explaining the origins of The Avengers initiative. It also set up the threat of the Skrulls, an intergalactic race of shapeshifters who intend on making Earth their home – a story that plays a larger role in the MCU moving forward.

6. Iron Man

• Release Year: 2008
• Timeline: 2010
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow

The first MCU film to land in cinemas, Iron Man details the story of genius inventor Tony Stark and begins his transition from billionaire playboy to a mech-powered superhero.

7. Iron Man 2

• Release Year: 2010
• Timeline: 2011
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke

A direct follow-up to Iron Man, Stark’s identity as Iron Man is a known quantity, and while he becomes a celebrity for it, he also draws plenty of unwanted attention from those that want him dead. 

8. The Incredible Hulk

• Release Year: 2008
• Timeline: 2011
• Director: Louis Leterrier
• Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt

While Norton plays gamma-radiation-infused scientist Bruce Banner here, instead of Mark Ruffalo as in every appearance of the Hulk moving forward, this film is technically part of the MCU canon. It details how the Hulk came to be, as well as set up the big green man for heroics moving forward.

9. Thor

• Release Year: 2011
• Timeline: 2011
• Director: Kenneth Branagh
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins

After an attempt to keep the peace on his homeworld fails, Asgardian prince Thor is exiled to Earth for his hubris. While he attempts to figure out a way home, his brother, Loki, learns of his dark ancestry and begins a path of destruction.

10. Marvel’s The Avengers

• Release Year: 2012
• Timeline: 2012
• Director: Joss Whedon
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson

The first of the MCU’s major cross-over films, The Avengers finalises the story of Phase One of the MCU: An alive-but-embittered Loki brings his path of destruction to Earth, leaving a group of individualist superheroes no option but to work together under S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to keep the planet from certain doom.

11. Thor: The Dark World

• Release Year: 2013
• Timeline: 2013
• Director: Alan Taylor
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston

While a pretty average entry into the MCU, The Dark World does the franchise a service by taking Loki – well-loved character who’d largely filled the role of villain up until now – and putting him on the path to redemption.

12. Iron Man 3

• Release Year: 2013
• Timeline: 2013
• Director: Shane Black
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce

After saving the Earth, Tony Stark’s work-life balance is making a relationship with his girlfriend/assistant Pepper Potts difficult – and when a new terrorist plot threatens to destroy everything he’s built, Stark will need to decide what’s more important: the suit, or Potts.

13. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

• Release Year: 2014
• Timeline: 2014
• Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
• Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie

Marvel’s first attempt at a spy-thriller, The Winter Soldier is a more grounded superhero film than what had come before: taking Captain America into a world where he can’t trust anyone, and his decade-old enemies, Hydra, have resurfaced with a friendly face at the forefront.

14. Guardians of the Galaxy

• Release Year: 2014
• Timeline: 2014
• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

If The Avengers serves as the foundation for the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy serves as the roadmap – arguably the larger universe’s most well-known villain, Thanos, makes his first proper appearance here, alongside the titular Guardians and their galactic antics. 

15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2014
• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes a more personal stake in the story of Starlord – detailing his true heritage, and the strength his bloodline affords him. Beyond that, it’s just more Guardians, which isn’t a bad thing.

16. Daredevil: Season 1

• Release Year: 2015
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Steven S. DeKnight
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Vincent D’Onofrio

Detailing the work of the titular blind lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night superhero, Daredevil showcases how Matt Murdoch’s antics create the legend of the Daredevil throughout Hell’s Kitchen, as well as the beginning of his long-running feud with criminal mastermind Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.

17. Jessica Jones: Season 1

• Release Year: 2015
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Melissa Rosenberg
• Cast: Krysten Ritter, David Tennant

Jessica Jones deals with the post-heroic life of a former superhero and her new life as a detective. While the series appears as a neo-noir crime thriller, it also introduces quite a few of Marvel’s heroes and ties into newer storylines – namely, Daredevil: Born Again.

18. Avengers: Age of Ultron

• Release Year: 2015
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Joss Whedon
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

While not as influential as the Avengers films that preceded and succeeded it, Age of Ultron effectively sets up what the following five years of Marvel films would focus on: the desire to control the impact super-powered beings have on the world, as seen in Captain America: Civil War, as well as the forthcoming conflict with Thanos over the Infinity Stones.

19. Ant-Man

• Release Year: 2015
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Peyton Reed
• Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Michael Douglas

While not the most impactful film in the MCU timeline, Ant-Man nonetheless sets up Scott Lang as the titular subatomic superhero – a former criminal who is tapped to don the high-tech suit and help its creator stop a former protege from creating his own version of the dangerous technology.

20. Daredevil: Season 2

• Release Year: 2016
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Douglas Petrie, Marco Ramirez
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elodie Yung

Daredevil: Season 2 pits the Hell’s Kitchen-bound hero up against a fellow vigilante, The Punisher, who wages a deadly one-man war against the city’s organised crime. 

21. Luke Cage: Season 1

• Release Year: 2016
• Timeline: 2015
• Director: Cheo Hodari Coker
• Cast: Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Rosario Dawson, Alfre Woodard

After previously appearing in Jessica Jones, superhuman Luke Cage gets his own show – one that weaves social commentary on the lives of Black Americans alongside super-powered fist fights.

22. Iron Fist: Season 1

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Scott Buck
• Cast: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Tom Pelphrey

A Shaolin-inspired story of multidimensional importance, Iron Fist introduces Danny Rand – a man once thought dead, and who was taught the ancient ways of the Iron Fist in an alternate dimension. Now, he’s back to claim the billion-dollar company his family left behind.

23. The Defenders: Season 1

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Douglas Patrie, Marco Ramirez
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones

You’ve heard of the Avengers, but what about the Defenders? An alternate superhero group made up of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, The Defenders work together to take on ancient criminal syndicate The Hand.

24. Captain America: Civil War

• Release Year: 2016
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
• Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland

One of the bigger MCU crossover films that isn’t technically an Avengers film, Civil War instead pits a lot of our favourite superheroes against one another based on a proposed UN panel to control the actions of superheroes – with Iron Man supporting the idea after he accidentally created a supervillain in Ultron, and Captain America rejecting it, having seen what happens when governments control the use of super-powered soldiers. It’s one of the better Marvel films, and acted as the introduction of Spider-Man and Black Panther to the MCU proper.  

25. Black Widow

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Cate Shortland
• Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour

Scar-jo finally gets her own spin off! Set just after the events of Civil War, Black Widow is on the run after violating the UN’s Sokovia Accords, and finds herself in a head-on collision with her past as a Russian super soldier program, bringing old friends and enemies out of the woodwork – including Black Widows’ adopted sister, Yelena Belova, and Russia’s own patriotic super-soldier Red Guardian, both of whom return in Thunderbolts*.

26. Black Panther

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Ryan Coogler
• Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright

The new king of a secretive and highly-advanced African nation, Wakanda, is thrust into battle with a rogue anti-isolationist who wants to share Wakandan technology with people of African descent world-wide to break the cycle of oppression – with an unfortunate side of ‘world domination’. 

27. Spider-Man: Homecoming

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Jon Watts
• Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon

A new Spider-Man for a new time, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker takes up fighting crime in between classes after being bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining his signature superpowers. In his first major adventure following appearing in Civil War, Spider-Man is taking on the Vulture – a disgruntled salvager with a chip on his shoulder. It’s more compelling than it sounds, trust me.

28. The Punisher: Season 1

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2016
• Director: Steve Lightfoot
• Cast: Jon Bernthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Deborah Ann Woll

Jon Bernthal’s rendition of The Punisher – the vigilante anti-hero more than willing to kill his enemies, unlike many Marvel heroes – finally gets his own series. Here, the traumatised former marine ends up face-to-face with a former war buddy who may not be so excited to see him again.

29. Doctor Strange

• Release Year: 2016
• Timeline: 2016-2017
• Director: Scott Derrickson
• Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton

Marvel’s first real foray into multiverse shenanigans, Doctor Strange tells the story of a neurosurgeon-turned-mystic who utilises spells, rather than superpowers, to move through the MCU. While this is something of an origin story for the Doctor, it also continues the ongoing fight over the Infinity Stones and sets up the concept of different, diverging universes that we’ll be diving deep into soon enough.

30. Jessica Jones: Season 2

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2017
• Director: Melissa Rosenberg
• Cast: Krysten Ritter, Rachel Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville

After becoming known as a vigilante hero to the people of New York following her defeat of Kilgrave in season one, Jessica Jones starts to investigate the inhuman experiments that gave her – and others like her – superhuman abilities.

31. Luke Cage: Season 2

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2017
• Director: Cheo Hodari Coker
• Cast: Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi

Cage is also well known as a hero of New York following the events of The Defenders’ first season, which puts him in direct conflict with a number of gang leaders looking to stake their claim in Harlem – including one, known as Bushmaster, who is on his own quest for vengeance.

32. Iron Fist: Season 2

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2017
• Director: M. Raven Metzner
• Cast: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Simone Missick, Alice Eve

Billionaire-martial-artist Danny Rand, known as the Iron Fist, faces off against a childhood friend who, now, wishes to take the mantle of Iron Fist for himself. Throw in some more gang warfare, and a wild-card supervillain in the form of Typhoid Mary, and you’ve got yourself a good time.

33. Daredevil: Season 3

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2017
• Director: Erik Oleson
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Vincent D’Onofrio

After a near-death experience, Matt Murdoch decides he’d rather live on as The Daredevil and goes all-in on his vigilante crime-fighting ways. However, Wilson Fisk, now working alongside the FBI as an informant, manages to pull enough strings to make the hero of Hell’s Kitchen appear more like a supervillain than he really is.

34. Thor: Ragnarok

• Release Year: 2017
• Timeline: 2017
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum

While Ragnarok is a fun movie, it is also a bit like a Guardians of the Galaxy-lite. After Thor and Loki’s father Odin dies, the mythical endtimes, Ragnarok, is unleashed upon Asgard – alongside Odin’s firstborn, Hela (Blanchett).

Both Loki and Thor are thrown through space onto a garbage-laden planet, and Thor is thrown into a gladiatorial arena where he’ll inexplicably find himself face to face with The Hulk. The heroes will need to figure out a way back to Asgard to save his people from what appears to be certain destruction.

35. The Punisher: Season 2

• Release Year: 2019
• Timeline: 2018
• Director: Steve Lightfoot
• Cast: Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Amber Rose Revah, Jason R. Moore

Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, finds himself stuck between protecting a mysterious girl on the run after witnessing a murder, and the religious zealot blackmailed into tracking Castle and his new ward down.

36. Jessica Jones: Season 3

• Release Year: 2019
• Timeline: 2018
• Director: Melissa Rosenberg, Scott Reynolds
• Cast: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eke Darville, Carrie-Ann Moss

The third (and final) season of Jessica Jones picks up right where season two ended, with Jones’ adoptive sister Trish Walker awakening to her own superpowers. Deciding to embark on her own, far more violent vigilante crusade, Walker and Jones inevitably collide.

37. Ant-Man and The Wasp

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2018
• Director: Peyton Reed
• Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglass, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne

Here, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man must work with Hank Pym – the original Ant-Man – to enter the Quantum Realm to track down Pym’s missing wife, Janet van Dyne aka Wasp, alongside his daughter Hope, who is also known as Wasp. If that’s not confusing enough, there’s also a quantumly-unstable ghost following them around. 

38. Avengers: Infinity War

• Release Year: 2018
• Timeline: 2018
• Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland

Finally, Thanos is here! After multiple teases the Mad Titan arrives on Earth, manages to bring together the powerful Infinity Stones and – spoilers, if you have somehow missed this – manages to wipe out half of all existence in the blink of an eye. While it all seems pretty hopeless at the end of Infinity War, there’s still Endgame to come.

39. Avengers: Endgame

• Release Year: 2019
• Timeline: 2023
• Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth

Five years after ‘the Blip’, what remains of The Avengers work to create a better future by changing the past – going back in time to restore the destroyed Infinity Stones in an attempt to undo Thanos’ work. Of course, things are never simple, and while you can rest assured the good guys will win this time, some of our heroes won’t make it out alive. 

40. Wandavision

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2023
• Director: Matt Shakman
• Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany

A fascinating story of chaos and grief, Wandavision is one of the more creative ideas in the entirety of the MCU. Here, Wanda Maximoff uses her powerful magic to effectively take a town hostage by way of turning reality into a sitcom – creating a more comfortable world for her to live in, rather than face the things she lost. A fellow witch, Agatha Harkness, makes her way into the town to try to siphon Wanda of her strength. 

41. Loki: Season 1

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: Yes
• Director: Michael Waldron
• Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku. Tara Strong, Owen Wilson

While much of Loki takes place outside of chronological time, it relies on Endgame having happened – hence its placement here. The Asgardian god of mischief finds himself separated from reality by the Time Variance Authority to help them stop the larger multi-verse from collapsing, and pits him up against a version of himself.

42. Loki: Season 2

• Release Year: 2023
• Timeline: Also Yes
• Director: Michael Waldron
• Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Sophia De Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, Owen Wilson

Following the end of season one, Loki sets his sights firmly on confronting the dangerous He Who Remains – a powerful being who stands at the centre of the multiverse. While the majority of this series takes place outside of the main timeline, it sets up a greater role for Loki moving forward as the MCU moves further into multiverse shenanigans.

43. Deadpool & Wolverine

• Release Year: 2024
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Shawn Levy
• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney

Another film that hops between dimensions and timelines, Deadpool & Wolverine brings together the two titular heroes in an effort to save Deadpool’s universe from collapsing – while also connecting the classic X-Men movie franchise to the modern MCU, something that will be important heading into The Avengers: Doomsday. 

44. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
• Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Benedict Wong

After abandoning the Ten Rings terrorist organisation, Shang-Chi settled in San Francisco to live a normal life. Unfortunately, the Ten Rings’ leader, his father Wenwu, is on the warpath and needs his son’s magic pendant. 

45. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Kari Skogland
• Cast: Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Don Cheadle

Following on from the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, this series follows The Falcon and Winter Soldier as they navigate a post-Captain America world, teaming up to take on an anti-patriotist terrorist group looking to return things to how they were during the Blip. All the while, The Falcon must step up to the plate to take his new identity as Captain America, while the Winter Soldier suffers from having lived a life of violence.

46. Spider-Man: Far From Home

• Release Year: 2019
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Jon Watts
• Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jake Gyllenhaal

Following the death of his mentor, Tony Stark, Peter Parker is still in mourning. However, a new threat – master of illusions, Mysterio – begins to use Stark’s technology to fool people into thinking he is a hero, causing Spider-Man to step up to try and save the day. 

47. Eternals

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Chloe Zhao
• Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry

The Eternals – a group of immortal beings living on Earth – are thrust into a battle for their new home when the burgeoning population of the planet makes it fertile ground for the birth of a powerful Celestial being, Tiamat, growing in the planet’s core. 

48. Spider-Man: No Way Home

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Jon Watts
• Cast: Tom Holland, Tobey Macgurire, Andrew Garfield, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Fox, Alfred Molina

Following Far From Home, the world knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Working with Dr. Strange to fix his rapidly unraveling life, a spell-gone-wrong causes several Spider-related multiverses to converge, bringing more Spider-Men, and their enemies, to town.

49. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Sam Raimi
• Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong

A follow-up to the excellent Wandavision, this film sees the mystic Doctor Strange pitted against the sorcerous Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff. With Wanda aiming to use forbidden magic to travel the multiverse in an effort to find a way to reunite with the children she never had, risking a universe-ending “incursion” by doing so, Strange must step up to find a way to stop the witch from destroying everything. 

50. Hawkeye

• Release Year: 2021
• Timeline: 2024
• Director: Jonathan Igla
• Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Tony Dalton, Florence Pugh, Vincent D’Onofrio

Following the events of Endgame, Hawkeye follows former Avenger Clint Barton as he tackles organised crime syndicates under the name Ronin. However, when a new protege appears, Burton will need to step up to teach her how to be a hero while also grappling with some familiar faces from his past.

51. Moon Knight

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Jeremy Slater, Mohamed Diab
• Cast: Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, Karim El Hakim, Ethan Hawke

A surprisingly one-and-done affair from Marvel, Moon Knight came out at a time where interest in the MCU was starting to wane a bit – which is a shame, because it’s pretty good: Oscar Isaac plays three dissociated identities trapped in the same body who must overcome an ancient Egyptian cult using the spirit of an ancient god. 

52. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Ryan Coogler
• Cast: Letita Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke

Following the off-screen death of actor Chadwick Boseman, the second Black Panther film focuses instead on a new Black Panther, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, who uses her new powers to navigate an uneasy tension between Wakanda, the CIA, and an underwater city inhabited by superpowered mermen.

53. Echo

• Release Year: 2024
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Sydney Freeland
• Cast: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio

A follow-up to 2021’s Hawkeye, Echo follows Maya Lopez as she continues to run from Wilson Fisk – also known as Kingpin. During her adventure, she’ll connect to her Native American heritage to draw the strength she needs to deal with her adopted uncle.

54. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Kat Coiro
• Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga, Mark Ruffalo

After accidentally getting cross-contaminated with the blood of her cousin, Bruce Banner (the Hulk), attorney Jennifer Walters finds herself undergoing her own superpowered transformation into She-Hulk. It’s a bit cringe, and doesn’t do a lot for the broader universe, but isn’t the worst thing on this list.

55. Ms. Marvel

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah
• Cast: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff

Something of a Spider-Man-esque story, Ms. Marvel follows 16-year-old student Kamala Khan who is obsessed with superheroes, notably Captain Marvel, but ends up finding her own powers – gaining the attention of the Department of Damage Control in the process.

56. Thor: Love and Thunder

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman

Still recovering from the events of The Avengers: Endgame, Thor (Hemsworth), Valkyrie (Thompson), Korg (Waititi) and Mighty Thor (Portman) must defeat Gorr, the God Butcher, who perhaps unsurprisingly wants to butcher all gods after being corrupted by the ancient Necrosword (which happens to be the first symbiote, IYKYK). 

57. Werewolf by Night

• Release Year: 2022
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Michael Giacchino
• Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris

An unexpected side-story, Werewolf by Night is a black-and-white hokey horror sendup of the 30s and 40s that follows a group of monster hunters as they battle for a powerful relic, the Bloodstone, while also contending with the release of a dangerous and vicious monster. It’s bloody, and a lot of fun, but you should probably wait to watch it closer to Halloween.

58. Ironheart: Season 1

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Chinaka Hodge
• Cast: Dominique Thorne, Lyric Ross, Manny Montana, Sacha Baron Cohen

A spin-off of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart follows MIT student Riri Williams, who created an Iron-Man-esque suit of armour (inhabited by an AI-recreated of her deceased best friend) to become Ironheart. Here, she gets wrapped up in a plot involving her family, ancient magic, and timeless demons. 

59. Wonder Man: Season 1

• Release Year: 2026
• Timeline: 2025
• Director: Andrew Guest
• Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, X Mayo, Zlatko Buric, Ben Kingsley

Wonder Man follows actor Simon Williams’ attempt to get cast in the new ‘Wonder-Man’ film – a fictional superhero that exists within the MCU – while also being trailed by the Department of Damage Control, who believe him to be superpowered and unstable.

60. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

• Release Year: 2023
• Timeline: 2026
• Director: Peyton Reed
• Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas

Another trip into the quantum realm, Quantamania sees Ant-Man and co. pitted against the realm’s ruler, Kang, and his subordinate M.O.D.O.K, as they seek to escape their quantum prison to destroy the entire multiverse. This storyline got dropped after Majors was found guilty of assault and harassment, leading Marvel to rework the rest of the ‘Multiverse Saga’ to remove Kang from the story.

61. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

• Release Year: 2023
• Timeline: 2026
• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

Something of an origin story for Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes the group into the depths of Orgocorp, the galactic super-corporation that created him, in an effort to save the little guy’s life. 

62. Secret Invasion

• Release Year: 2023
• Timeline: 2026
• Director: Ali Selim
• Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Christopher McDonald

Nick Fury finally gets his own story, working alongside extraterrestrial Talos to stop an impending invasion by the shapeshifting Skrulls. The series’ heavy subject matter, however, turned a lot of viewers off – though at least the performances were pretty good.

63. The Marvels

• Release Year: 2023
• Timeline: 2026
• Director: Nia DaCosta
• Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani

A follow-up to both Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel, The Marvels follows the three individual ‘Marvels’ as they seek to stop the war-like Kree Empire from harvesting Earth’s sun, while suffering from a ‘quantum entanglement’ that causes them to trade places whenever they use their powers at the same time. 

64. Agatha All Along: Season 1

• Release Year: 2024
• Timeline: 2026
• Director: Jac Schaeffer
• Cast: Kathrun Hahn, Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza

Following the events of Wandavision, Agatha Harkness forms a new coven of witches in an effort to regain her lost magic, while powerful members of Agatha’s past reappear – including Death herself.

65. Daredevil: Born Again: Season 1

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 2027
• Director: Dario Scardapane
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal

A continuation of a number of Marvel’s TV series, Born Again pits lawyer Matt Murdoch, having given up his Daredevil ways, up against Wilson Fisk – Kingpin – as he takes up the position of New York City’s mayor, with a clear goal to eradicate vigilantes. However, when a group begins using the symbol of The Punisher to kill vigilantes, Murdoch picks up his costume and takes to the streets.

66. Captain America: Brave New World

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 2027
• Director: Julius Onah
• Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Harrison Ford

After Sam Wilson takes up the mantle of Captain America, he witnesses an attempt on the President’s life which, after some digging, leads to the uncovering of a vast conspiracy of revenge which ultimately leads to the birth of the Red Hulk.

67. Thunderbolts*

• Release Year: 2025
• Timeline: 2027
• Director: Jake Schreier
• Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman

Thunderbolts* details what happens when superpowers and politics collide, with CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine impeached for human testing to create a new state-controlled superhero, and the chaotic group of superpowered misfits, the ‘Thunderbolts’ caught up in the resulting fallout. 

68. Daredevil: Born Again: Season 2

• Release Year: 2026
• Timeline: 2027
• Director: Dario Scardapane
• Cast: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Matthew Lillard

Matt Murdoch fights against the wrath of New York’s deranged mayor, Kingpin – both as the vigilante Daredevil, and as an attorney in the courts, fighting against Fisk’s ‘Safer Streets Initiative’. And, with the CIA involved in Kingpin’s rise to power, things start getting messy quickly.

69. The Punisher: One Last Kill

• Release Year: 2026
• Timeline: 2027
• Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
• Cast: Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll, Jason R. Moore, Judith Light

One Last Kill sees Frank Castle – The Punisher – haunted by his past. After achieving his revenge against the Gnucci crime family, who murdered his wife and daughter, he finds himself aimless and despondent. However, when a surviving Gnucci puts a hit out on him, Castle must fight to protect himself, as well as the innocent people caught in the crossfire.

How to Watch the MCU: Chronological vs Release Order

There are two ways to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the right one depends on what you want from it. The guide above runs in chronological order, following events as they unfold inside the MCU’s timeline, from the ancient history of Wakanda through to the multiversal threats building toward Avengers: Doomsday. It is the most immersive way to experience the saga as a single, continuous story.

Release order, by contrast, follows the films and series in the sequence Marvel actually put them out, starting with Iron Man in 2008. This is how audiences first experienced the MCU, and many fans argue it is the better introduction: the storytelling, scale and visual effects evolve in real time, and the big reveals land with the impact they were designed to have.

Our take: first-time viewers are generally best served by release order, which preserves the surprises and lets the universe grow as intended. Returning fans, or anyone revisiting ahead of Doomsday, will get more from the chronological order above, which rewards knowledge of the wider story with a richer sense of cause and effect. Man of Many has tracked the MCU since its earliest entries, and we update this guide with every new release.

The Complete MCU in Release Order

Here is every film and series in this guide in the order Marvel released it, from Iron Man in 2008 to the projects leading into Avengers: Doomsday.

#	Title	Release Date	Type
1	Iron Man	30 April 2008	Film
2	The Incredible Hulk	12 June 2008	Film
3	Iron Man 2	7 May 2010	Film
4	Thor	28 April 2011	Film
5	Captain America: The First Avenger	22 July 2011	Film
6	Marvel’s The Avengers	26 April 2012	Film
7	Iron Man 3	3 May 2013	Film
8	Thor: The Dark World	8 November 2013	Film
9	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	4 April 2014	Film
10	Guardians of the Galaxy	1 August 2014	Film
11	Agent Carter: Season 1	6 January 2015	Series
12	Avengers: Age of Ultron	1 May 2015	Film
13	Ant-Man	15 July 2015	Film
14	Captain America: Civil War	5 May 2016	Film
15	Doctor Strange	4 November 2016	Film
16	Iron Fist: Season 1	17 March 2017	Series
17	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	5 May 2017	Film
18	Spider-Man: Homecoming	7 July 2017	Film
19	The Defenders: Season 1	18 August 2017	Series
20	Thor: Ragnarok	3 November 2017	Film
21	Black Panther	16 February 2018	Film
22	Avengers: Infinity War	25 April 2018	Film
23	Luke Cage: Season 1	22 June 2015	Series
24	Luke Cage: Season 2	22 June 2018	Series
25	Ant-Man and the Wasp	6 July 2018	Film
26	Iron Fist: Season 2	7 September 2018	Series
27	Daredevil: Season 1	19 October 2015	Series
28	Daredevil: Season 2	19 October 2016	Series
29	Daredevil: Season 3	19 October 2018	Series
30	The Punisher: Season 1	18 January 2019	Series
31	The Punisher: Season 2	18 January 2019	Series
32	Captain Marvel	8 March 2019	Film
33	Avengers: Endgame	24 April 2019	Film
34	Jessica Jones: Season 1	14 June 2015	Series
35	Jessica Jones: Season 2	14 June 2018	Series
36	Jessica Jones: Season 3	14 June 2019	Series
37	Spider-Man: Far From Home	2 July 2019	Film
38	Wandavision	15 January 2021	Series
39	The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 1	19 March 2021	Series
40	Loki: Season 1	9 June 2021	Series
41	Black Widow	9 July 2021	Film
42	Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	3 September 2021	Film
43	Eternals	5 November 2021	Film
44	Hawkeye: Season 1	24 November 2021	Series
45	Moon Knight: Season 1	30 March 2022	Series
46	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	6 May 2022	Film
47	Ms. Marvel: Season 1	13 July 2022	Series
48	Thor: Love and Thunder	21 July 2022	Film
49	She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season 1	18 August 2022	Series
50	Spider-Man: No Way Home	8 September 2022	Film
51	Werewolf by Night	25 September 2022	Film
52	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	11 November 2022	Film
53	Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	17 February 2023	Film
54	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	5 May 2023	Film
55	Secret Invasion: Season 1	21 June 2023	Series
56	Loki: Season 2	5 October 2023	Series
57	The Marvels	10 November 2023	Film
58	Echo: Season 1	9 January 2024	Series
59	Deadpool & Wolverine	25 July 2024	Film
60	Agatha All Along: Season 1	30 October 2024	Series
61	Captain America: Brave New World	13 February 2025	Film
62	Daredevil: Born Again: Season 1	4 March 2025	Series
63	Daredevil: Born Again: Season 2	4 March 2025	Series
64	Thunderbolts*	1 May 2025	Film
65	Ironheart: Season 1	24 June 2025	Series
66	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	24 July 2025	Film
67	Eyes of Wakanda	27 August 2025	Series
68	Wonder Man: Season 1	27 January 2026	Series
69	The Punisher: One Last Kill	12 May 2026	Film

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Marvel Movies & Series Chronological Order: Quick Reference

Prefer the at-a-glance version? Here is the full chronological watch order. Every title is available to stream on Disney+ in Australia.

#	Title	Year	Where to Watch
1	Eyes of Wakanda	2025	Disney+
2	Captain America: The First Avenger	2011	Disney+
3	Agent Carter: Season 1	2015	Disney+
4	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	2025	Disney+
5	Captain Marvel	2019	Disney+
6	Iron Man	2008	Disney+
7	Iron Man 2	2010	Disney+
8	The Incredible Hulk	2008	Disney+
9	Thor	2011	Disney+
10	Marvel’s The Avengers	2012	Disney+
11	Thor: The Dark World	2013	Disney+
12	Iron Man 3	2013	Disney+
13	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	2014	Disney+
14	Guardians of the Galaxy	2014	Disney+
15	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	2017	Disney+
16	Daredevil: Season 1	2015	Disney+
17	Jessica Jones: Season 1	2015	Disney+
18	Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015	Disney+
19	Ant-Man	2015	Disney+
20	Daredevil: Season 2	2016	Disney+
21	Luke Cage: Season 1	2016	Disney+
22	Iron Fist: Season 1	2017	Disney+
23	The Defenders: Season 1	2017	Disney+
24	Captain America: Civil War	2016	Disney+
25	Black Widow	2021	Disney+
26	Black Panther	2018	Disney+
27	Spider-Man: Homecoming	2017	Disney+
28	The Punisher: Season 1	2017	Disney+
29	Doctor Strange	2016	Disney+
30	Jessica Jones: Season 2	2018	Disney+
31	Luke Cage: Season 2	2018	Disney+
32	Iron Fist: Season 2	2018	Disney+
33	Daredevil: Season 3	2018	Disney+
34	Thor: Ragnarok	2017	Disney+
35	The Punisher: Season 2	2019	Disney+
36	Jessica Jones: Season 3	2019	Disney+
37	Ant-Man and the Wasp	2018	Disney+
38	Avengers: Infinity War	2018	Disney+
39	Avengers: Endgame	2019	Disney+
40	Wandavision	2021	Disney+
41	Loki: Season 1	2021	Disney+
42	Loki: Season 2	2023	Disney+
43	Deadpool & Wolverine	2024	Disney+
44	Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	2021	Disney+
45	The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 1	2021	Disney+
46	Spider-Man: Far From Home	2019	Disney+
47	Eternals	2021	Disney+
48	Spider-Man: No Way Home	2021	Disney+
49	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	2022	Disney+
50	Hawkeye: Season 1	2021	Disney+
51	Moon Knight: Season 1	2022	Disney+
52	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	2022	Disney+
53	Echo: Season 1	2024	Disney+
54	She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season 1	2022	Disney+
55	Ms. Marvel: Season 1	2022	Disney+
56	Thor: Love and Thunder	2022	Disney+
57	Werewolf by Night	2022	Disney+
58	Ironheart: Season 1	2025	Disney+
59	Wonder Man: Season 1	2026	Disney+
60	Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	2023	Disney+
61	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	2023	Disney+
62	Secret Invasion: Season 1	2023	Disney+
63	The Marvels	2023	Disney+
64	Agatha All Along: Season 1	2024	Disney+
65	Daredevil: Born Again: Season 1	2025	Disney+
66	Captain America: Brave New World	2025	Disney+
67	Thunderbolts*	2025	Disney+
68	Daredevil: Born Again: Season 2	2026	Disney+
69	The Punisher: One Last Kill	2026	Disney+

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Marvel Cinematic Universe