How To Watch Marvel Movies In Order: By Chronology And Release Time
Dhir Acharya - Mar 05, 2021
If you don't know how to watch Marvel movies in order, this post will help you out. Just follow the order here and you will not be confused with the MCU.
As of now, there are 23 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies released, all of which take place in the same universe and are connected by events, characters, and settings. So, for those who are new to MCU, it’s understandable that you are confused and don’t know where to start. In 2012, Marvel release The Avengers that brought disparate heroes together from their own individual movies into a team-up production. It then split them off again into their own sequels. This post will show you how to watch Marvel movies in order.
As the MCU is has been growing in quantity, its complexity is growing too. Some movies take place worlds away but simultaneously with events on Earth. Meanwhile, some movies take place in the past.
Table of Contents
How to watch the Marvel movies in order – chronological order of events
Captain America: The First Avenger
In terms of chronology, this film takes place the earliest in the MCU timeline. The origin story of Steve Roger begins in 1940 with Steve and Bucky Barnes enlisting and ends in 1945 as Steve’s plane crashes and he is frozen for the next 50 years.
Captain Marvel
After Captain America: The First Avenger, you can move on to watch Captain Marvel, which is one of the most recent films. However, its events happen before those of the main timeline in the MCU. The pilot character played by Brie Larson crashes her plane in 1989 and is then trained as a Kree before she returns to Earth in the year 1995 when most events of Captain Marvel happen.
Iron Man
While this is the first Marvel movie to be released, it is the third ie to watch if you wonder how to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order. According to the MCU timeline, the film happens in 2010, not 2008.
The Incredible Hulk
On the timeline, the events in this movie actually take place not long after Iron Man’s events.
Iron Man 2
This film takes place in 2011.
Thor
The events of this movie also happen in 2011, about the same time as those in Iron Man 2 though there are flashbacks to events taking place centuries ago.
The Avengers
The team-up takes place in 2012.
Iron Man 3
This underrated movie focuses on Tony Stark’s PTSD from what happens in The Avengers and is set in 2012.
Thor: The Dark World
The events in this movie take place in 2013.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The big fall of S.H.I.E.L.D happens a couple of years after the organization helped build The Avengers team, set in 2014.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The events in this film happen in 2014, about the same time as those in The Winter Soldier.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
This sequel of the Guardians of the Galaxy takes place a couple of months after its events.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The second team-up of the Avengers takes place as S.H.I.E.L.D dismantles in 2015.
Ant-Man
In the same year 2015, while the Avengers are busy fighting Ultron, Scott Lang is becoming Ant-Man.
Captain America: Civil War
The events of this movie happen in 2016 when additional characters appear to set the table for End Game and Infinity War. The film also includes flashbacks taking place between Iron Man and The First Avenger, which reveals the circumstances surrounding how Tony Stark’s parents died.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
This is the first Spider-Man movie by Marvel and its events happen the fall after Captain America: Civil War. In this movie, Peter Parker struggles to become his own hero.
Black Panther
This film also takes place in 2016 and set in Wakanda.
Doctor Strange
This film fills in the gap between 2016 and 2017 as it takes quite some time for Stephen Strange to transform into a superhero.
Thor: Ragnarok
The events in this movie happen in 2017, not long after Doctor Strange as Thor visits him on Erath with attempts to track down his father.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Though this movie came out after Infinity War, its events happen in 2018, before Thanos comes to Earth and the movie ends with the Thanos Snap. It includes flashbacks to Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne in the late 1980s as well.
Avenger: Infinity War
What happens in this movie is stacked within only 24-48 hours of the year 2018.
Avengers: Endgame
This movie starts shortly after the Thanos Snap, however, after Thor cuts off Thanos’ head, the movie flashes forward and is set in 2023 while the characters also travel back to previous years including 2014, 2013, 2012, and 1970.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
This is the most recent movie of the MCU, which takes place after the events in Endgame. Its events happen in 2023.
How to watch the Marvel movies in order of release
- Iron Man (Released May 2, 2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (Released June 13, 2008)
- Iron Man 2 (Released May 7, 2010)
- Thor (Released May 6, 2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (Released July 22, 2011)
- The Avengers (Released May 4, 2012)
- Iron Man 3 (Released May 2, 2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (Released November 8, 2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Released April 4, 2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Released August 1, 2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (Released May 1, 2015)
- Ant-Man (Released July 17, 2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (Released May 6, 2016)
- Doctor Strange (Released November 4, 2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (Released May 5, 2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (Released July 7, 2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (Released November 3, 2017)
- Black Panther (Released February 16, 2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (Released April 27, 2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (Released July 6, 2018)
- Captain Marvel (Released March 8, 2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)
- Spider-Man: Far from Home (Released July 2, 2019)
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