A Marvel Cinematic Universe watching order

Most MCU films have a mid- and/or a post-credit scene. Some of them are important, so stay until the end!

If you're not familiar with the MCU, you may choose to watch the material in the order it was released. This, however, is an in-universe chronological watching order. It works just as well if you’re new to the MCU, and even better for a rewatch!

Mid- and post-credit scenes are usually teasers set a while after the main story, sometimes after the next film or show. Because of that, each film or show’s placement is based on the last scene before the credits start to roll. 

The only exceptions to this rule are Black Widow, Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Black Widow mostly takes place during Captain America: Civil War's last act. Thus, despite its last scene taking place before Civil War's (pre-credits) epilogue, the story makes no sense if you watch it first. 

Loki literally takes place out of time, and we don't know when/if the characters will reintegrate the "main" timeline. Since Loki begins during Avengers: Endgame, we've placed it right after the latter for now, but this may change when we learn of the characters' fate. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place between the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home's last act and its (pre-credits) epilogue. Thus, despite its last scene taking place before No Way Home's last scene, the story makes little sense, from Doctor Strange's perspective, if you watch it first. 

Captain America: The First Avenger is placed first on most lists, and it's a respectable decision. However, while most of the film’s action takes place during World War 2, it is, in fact, a long flashback. The movie begins and ends in modern times, so we’ve placed it there.

Note that you will find slightly different timelines on other websites (and, sadly, on Disney+!), but these have been poorly researched. This list is based on the collaborative, extensive and evidence-based research made by the MCU Wiki's community. Their work is, by far, the most reliable source on the subject.  

Marvel Television (a now defunct branch of Marvel, separate from Marvel Studios) produced several TV shows that were set in the MCU: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, Iron Fist, The Defenders, Inhumans, The Punisher, Runaways, Cloak & Dagger and Helstrom. However, Marvel Studios purposedly remains ambiguous regarding these shows' present canonicity, and none of them ever had any impact on, or any clear recognition in Marvel Studios’ films and shows. So, whether or not they’re still canon, they do not contribute to the main narrative at all.

Marvel Comics also released a number of tie-in comic books and young readers books, but their canonicity is also disputed, as some have been contradicted by later films. 

We also didn't include "adjacent" films that were not produced by Marvel Studios and aren't part of the main MCU timeline, but were connected to the franchise by way of the multiverse. This mostly includes Sony Picture's Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius. Their viewing, while recommended, is irrelevant to the timeline (for as long as you watch the first 7 prior to Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Morbius after it). To fully appreciate Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's also better to be familiar with Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four film series, Saban's 1990's X-Men animated show and Marvel Television's aforementioned Inhumans show. But again, their viewing isn't essential at all.

Finally, Marvel Studios produced a few Team Thor short films, but they're parodic and were obviously never meant to be canon.

Because of all of the above, we’ve only included the official Marvel Studios canon. 

While the order featured in the list above is the most accurate you will find, things get more complicated when it comes to when some of the films and shows exactly take place, and how much time passes between each: there are occasional contradictory elements in the material itself (title cards, dialogues and onscreen texts), as well as in other sources of debatable canonicity, such as comic books, filmmakers interviews and promotional material, not to mention Marvel Television's shows. Things got somewhat more complicated with Phase 4, where some of the content is quite hard to place with much accuracy.

Marvel Comics has a tradition of allowing fans to solve continuity problems, so there's no shame in trying. Our solutions are a little far fetched at times, but they're acceptable. We must also thank the MCU Wiki's community, who did a lot of great research: they're by far the best authority on these matters, and most of the information below is based on their hard work. 

Before detailing each film and show's placement, let's first delve into the main problems to solve...

Problem #1: the impossible props

Throughout the franchise, dates on props such as clocks, computer or TV screens, newspapers, etc. occasionally contradict dialogue, title cards or each other. Typically, in Iron Man 3, a date on a newspaper is obviously completely wrong (both the month and year!) and a computer even gives a date that cannot possibly exist (31st of February, and again the wrong year!!). 

This is clearly due to negligence by Marvel Studios' staff, not anything done on purpose, so it's wiser to ignore them —or, at least, assume that computer clocks and news reports are full of typos in the MCU— when they cause too many problems. Some props will still be mentioned below for the sake of completeness, but in the end, most of the relevant information comes from title cards and dialogues. 

All sources agree on the fact that Marvel's The Avengers takes place in May 2012, and the dates and time frames given after that film are pretty consistant.

Problem #2: Phase One inconsistancies

The trickiest issues surround the earliest films: Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk (both released in 2008), Iron Man 2 (released in 2010) and Thor (released in 2011), as well as the series of in-universe promo clips titled Stark Expo 2010 (released that same year): various informations in early movies contradict each other.

It is firmly established that Thor and The Incredible Hulk take place at about the same time as Iron Man 2 and Stark Expo 2010. Thanks to a spin-off comic book, these events are collectively referred to as "Fury's Big Week". For the sake of clarity, we'll use that term here. 

Most of the available information also implies that Iron Man spans about 9 months, between February and November of whichever year it's set in, and that "Fury's Big Week" takes place in late May/early June of whichever year it's set in.

What is unclear is whether Iron Man is set in 2008, 2009 or 2010, whether "Fury's Big Week" is set in 2009, 2010 or 2011, and how much time passes between both. However, as we will see below, the most likely conclusion is that Iron Man takes place in 2009 and that "Fury's Big Week" takes place about 6 months later, in 2010. This requires some inventive justifications to explain the facts that contradict such a timeline, but it's the conclusion that requires the least justifications (and the least the better).

A date on a TV screen in Iron Man sets the film in 2008. This could, however, be a simple error, since it's not uncommon for TV channels to have typos in their news banners.

In Captain America: Civil War (in a conversation set in June 2016), Vision states that it's been 8 years since the ending of Iron Man. This suggests 2008 (or even 2007, since it's not even been 8 full years since November 2008, but let's not go there...). However, we do not know how Vision counts. When he says "in the 8 years since...", he may have counted 2009-2016 as 8 full calendar years (people probably told him to approximate like humans do, in a way similar to how Data was sometimes scolded for being too specific with numbers in Star Trek: The Next Generation). So this could just as well set Iron Man in 2009.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, dates on some photographic and video archives consulted by Ultron suggest that Iron Man cannot have taken place after 2009, which could set the film in either 2008 or 2009.

In Iron Man 2, a title card at the beginning, as well as Justin Hammer in dialogue, state that Iron Man ended 6 months earlier. Pepper Potts also states that Tony Stark's night with Christine Everhart (at the beginning of Iron Man) took place "last year". Everything there seems to agree on a 6 months gap between both films. This being established, a computer screen in Iron Man 2 and dialogue in Stark Expo 2010 (not to mention the promo clips' series title itself) set "Fury's Big Week" in 2010. All these elements suggest that Iron Man took place in 2009.

In Marvel's The Avengers, Natasha Romanoff tells Bruce Banner that there hasn't been an incident "for more than a year". This suggests that "Fury's Big Week" took place in 2010.

However, later in that same film, Nick Fury says that the events in Thor took place "last year", which suggests that "Fury's Big Week" took place in 2011. Nick Fury being wrong by a whole year seems unlikely, but it could be a mere slip of the tongue. After all, the President of the European Commission once talked about "the leaders of other planets" when he meant "other countries", so crazier things have happened in real life ^^  

In Thor: The Dark World (set in November 2013), Darcy Lewis says that "last time", Thor was gone for "2 years". She seems to mean since the events depicted in Thor, which would set "Fury's Big Week" in 2011. But if we interpret it as "between the last time we saw him and the next time he returned to Earth", she could also mean between his first appearance in Thor and his return in Marvel's The Avengers, which would then set "Fury's Big Week" in 2010.

When all is said and done, we agree with the MCU Wiki's team, who decided that the most reasonable conclusion is to set Iron Man in 2009 and The Incredible Hulk, Stark Expo 2010, Iron Man 2 and Thor in 2010. One is free to disagree, of course, but either way, one will have to find ways to explain the elements that contradict one's conclusion.

Problem #3: Tony Stark's age

There are two in-dialogue contradictions about past events in Tony Stark's life and how old he was at the time (vs. his birthdate, which is established everywhere as 1970). One by a journalist in Iron Man, the other by Stark himself in Iron Man 3. Both are barely wrong by a year, so it can be assumed that both made a little mistake (it's not uncommon for journalists to make slight factual errors in TV reports, nor for people to get  slightly confused about their own timeline).

Problem #4: Steve Rogers' hibernation

Steve Rogers' disappearance at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger is clearly established as taking place in early 1945, and his return in late 2011, which means 66 years (almost 67, to be specific) in the ice. However, Nick Fury speaks of "almost 70 years" in Captain America: The First Avenger, and Rogers himself says "70 years" in Marvel's The Avengers, but "65 years" in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Given that it can be assumed that everyone speaks in approximation on that topic, as most people do in real life, there is no blatant contradiction there.

Problem #5: the Homecoming fiasco

One last, huge misstep happened with Spider-Man: Homecoming. A title card at the beginning, claiming the story takes place 8 years after Marvel's The Avengers, generated much confusion among fans, because it contradicted every other film (all agree on the fact that Spider-Man: Homecoming is set in 2016, 4 years after Marvel's The Avengers). Thankfully, Marvel Studios eventually acknowledged it as a mistake, so it's not canon anymore. 

There's also one in-dialogue reference to “8 years”, but it can easily be explained away if we admit that Adrian Toomes was already dealing in stolen goods before the events in Marvel's The Avengers affected the nature of his activities. Indeed, in the real world, there exists a black market involving copper cables, optic fiber and other raw materials stolen from abandoned factories, construction sites, etc.

Apart from the above, it's all pretty tight. Below is some more detailed informations for each film and show. Please note that some information may be subject to slight changes when it comes to the most recent releases, about which research is ongoing. 

Mid- and post-credit scenes, as well as flashbacks (including intros set years or decades before the main action), won't be mentioned unless necessary.

Since exact dates would —not always, but often— be educated guesses, we avoided being unnecessarily specific (but you can find such dates on the MCU Wiki's timeline). Thus, "early + year" means some point between January and April, "mid- + year" means some point between May and August, and "late + year" means some point between September and December.

Also note that when it is said that something takes place [X time] after something else, it means it begins [X time] after the ending of that something else.

Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter

Released in 2013 on the Iron Man 3 Blu-Ray, this short film is set in 1946. It may be easier to understand if you watch it right after Captain America: The First Avenger. But if you choose to begin with it, just pay attention to the names, organizations and characters mentioned: all shall be explained very soon.

Stark Expo 1974

Short in-universe promo clip, released online in 2010. Set in late 1973.

Captain Marvel

Released in 2019, and set in 1995. Captain Marvel spans a few days, most likely in mid-1995.

Iron Man

Released in 2008, Iron Man kicked off the MCU. Little did we know, then, that it would become the most successful movie franchise ever. The film spans about 9 months, most likely in early to late 2009.

Stark Expo 2010

Short series of in-universe promo clips, released online in 2010. Set shortly before Iron Man 2.

Iron Man 2

Released in 2010, and set about 6 months after Iron Man, Iron Man 2 spans about 3 weeks, most likely in mid-2010.

Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer

Released in 2011 on the Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-Ray, this short film is set at the very end of Iron Man 2. It shows what happens to one of the characters between his last appearance in Iron Man 2 and his first appearance in Thor.

Thor

Released in 2011, and set during and immediately after Iron Man 2, Thor spans a few days, most likely in mid-2010.

The Incredible Hulk

Released in 2008, and set shortly before, during and immediately after Iron Man 2 and Thor, The Incredible Hulk spans about 3 months, most likely in early to mid-2010.

Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant

Released in 2011 on the Thor Blu-Ray, this short film is set immediately after The Incredible Hulk.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Released in 2011, and set about 15 months after The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger spans a few days, though the bulk of the action is a long flashback spanning the years 1943-1945. The beginning and ending most likely take place in late 2011.

Marvel's The Avengers

Released in 2012, and set about 6 months after Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel's The Avengers spans a few days, most likely in mid-2012.

Marvel One-Shot: Item 47

Released in 2012 on the Marvel's The Avengers Blu-Ray, this short film is set immediately after the movie.

Iron Man 3

Released in 2013, and set about 6 months after Marvel's The Avenger, Iron Man 3 spans a few days, most likely in late 2012.

Thor: The Dark World

Released in 2013, and beginning immediately after Marvel's The Avengers (with the bulk of the action spanning about a week, nearly a year after Iron Man 3), Thor: The Dark World spans about a year and a half, most likely ending in late 2013.

Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King

Released in 2014 on the Thor: The Dark World Blu-Ray, this short film is set about a month after the movie.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Released in 2014, and set about 2 months after Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier spans about a week, most likely in early 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Released in 2014, and set about 8 months after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy spans about a week, most likely in mid-2014.

I am Groot #1

Released in 2022 on Disney+, this short film is set between Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Released in 2017, and set about 2 months after Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 spans about a week, most likely in late 2014.

I am Groot #2-5

Released in 2022 on Disney+, these short films are set in the weeks following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Released in 2015, and set about 7 months after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron spans about a week, most likely in mid-2015.

WHIH Newsfront – Ant-Man

Short series of in-universe promo clips, released online in 2015. Set immediately before Ant-Man.

Ant-Man

Released in 2015, and set about 2 months after Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man spans about 2 weeks, most likely in mid-2015.

WHIH Newsfront – Captain America: Civil War

Short series of in-universe promo clips, released online in 2016. Set immediately before, and at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America: Civil War

Released in 2016, and set about 9 months after Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War spans about 6 weeks, most likely in mid-2016.

Black Widow

Released in 2021, and set during the final act of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow spans about 3 weeks, most likely in mid-2016.

Black Panther

Released in 2018, and beginning immediately after Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther spans about 3 weeks, most likely in mid-2016.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Released in 2017, and set about a month and a half after Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming spans about 3 weeks, most likely in late 2016. 

Doctor Strange

Released in 2016, with its last act set about 4 months after Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange spans about a year, most likely from early 2016 to early 2017.

Thor: Ragnarok

Released in 2017, and set about 10 months after Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok spans a few days, most likely in late 2017.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Released in 2018, and set about 5 months after Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp spans about 3 weeks, most likely in mid-2018.

Avengers: Infinity War

Released in 2018, and set about a week after Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War spans a few days, most likely in mid-2018.

Avengers: Endgame

Released in 2019, and beginning immediately after Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame spans about 5 years, most likely ending in late 2023.

Loki

Released in 2021, and beginning during Avengers: Endgame's third act, this 6 episodes mini-series is literally set both out of time and at different points in the timeline, and it's unclear how much "time" passes for the lead character. Until Loki reappears, possibily later, in the timeline, it is safe to place it right after Avengers: Endgame, which is where Marvel declared it should be anyway.

What If...?

Released in 2021, this 9 episodes mini-series is difficult to place, for it is unclear when both the Watcher's whole narrative and the finale's action exactly take place, nor how much time passes between episodes. However, no event described in the show goes past Avengers: Endgame, and Marvel declared the show is set right after Loki, so we'll have to take their word for it. 

WandaVision

Released in 2021, and set about a week after Avengers: Endgame, this 9 episodes mini-series spans a few days, most likely in late 2023.

Eternals

Released in 2021, and set about a month after WandaVision, Eternals spans about three weeks, most likely in late 2023 (entry subject to change due to ongoing research).

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Released in 2021, and set about 4 months and a half after WandaVision, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings spans about 2 weeks, most likely in early 2024. 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Released in 2021, and set about a week after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, this 6 episodes mini-series spans about a month, most likely in early to mid-2024.

Peter's To-Do List

Released in 2019 on the Spider-Man: Far From Home Blu-Ray. This short film is set at the beginning of the movie.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Released in 2019, and set about a month after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Spider-Man: Far From Home spans about 3 weeks, most likely in mid-2024.

The Daily Bugle – Spider-Man: Far From Home

Short series of in-universe promo clips, released on YouTube in 2019. Set at the very end of Spider-Man: Far From Home.

The Daily Bugle – Spider-Man: No Way Home

Short series of in-universe promo clips, released on TikTok in 2021. Set during the first act of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Released in 2021, and beginning immediately after Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home spans about 5 months, most likely from mid to late 2024. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Released in 2022, and set between the last act and epilogue of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness spans about a week, most likely in late 2025. 

Hawkeye

Released in 2021, and set about 2 weeks after the epilogue of Spider-Man: No Way Home, this 6 episodes mini-series spans about a week, most likely in late 2024.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Released in 2022, and set some time after Hawkeye, Thor: Love and Thunder spans nearly a year, though the bulk of the action is a long flashback set in mid-2024. The epilogue most likely takes place in early 2025 (this is literally impossible to say for sure, but it appears at least six months have passed since the end of the main events).

Moon Knight

Released in 2022, and set about 4 months after the epilogue of Spider-Man: No Way Home, this 6 episodes mini-series spans about two weeks, most likely in mid-2025.

Ms. Marvel

Released in 2022, and set immediately after Moon Knight, this 6 episodes mini-series spans about seven weeks, most likely in mid-2025.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Released in 2022, and set soon before, during and a few months after Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, this 9 episodes mini-series spans about five months, most likely from early to mid-2025. It is, however, difficult to place all individual episode, so it can be watched as a whole after Ms. Marvel. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Released in 2022, and most likely set soon after the end of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is most likely set in late 2025 (more details TBA).

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Released in 2022, and set about three months after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, this special spans about two days, most likely in late 2025.

Werewolf by Night

Released in 2022, and set immediately after The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, this special spans about two days, most likely in late 2025.

The following films and shows have been announced. Their exact placement in the chronology remains uncertain. Next to each entry is its planned release date. This page will be updated with each new release.

• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)

• Secret Invasion (Early 2023)

• What If...?, Season 2 (Early 2023) 

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

• Loki, Season 2 (Mid-2023) 

• The Marvels (July 28, 2023) 

• Echo (Late 2023)

• Ironheart (Late 2023)

• Agatha: Coven of Chaos (Late 2023)

• Daredevil: Born Again (Early 2024)

• Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)

• Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)

• Blade (September 6, 2024)

• Deadpool 3 (November 8, 2024)

• Fantastic 4 (February 14,2025)

• Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 3, 2025)

• Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)

• Armor Wars 

• Untitled Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel

• Untitled Wakanda/Okoye show 

• Marvel Zombies

• Wonder Man

• Nova

• Vision Quest