Marvel Movies in Order: The Best (and Right) Way to Watch the Entire MCU (2024)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, in just over a decade, has blown up in terms of content thanks to its massive success and consistency in releasing many projects in a given year. While the franchise has undoubtedly had its ups and downs, there's no denying the strength of its staying power. But ever since the first film, the order of release and placement of films was never set in stone. For example, while Iron Man took place in 2008, Captain America: The First Avenger, the fifth film in the MCU, is set primarily in the 1940s. But things only got more messy with the inclusion of shows like Daredevil and The Punisher because most of them lasted 2 to 3 seasons and were set at different points in the franchise.

It wasn't until The Multiverse Saga that the franchise really expanded, making past movies like Spider-Man and Deadpool semi-canon, for better or worse. Now, the question of how to watch the franchise can't be ignored, and with Disney+ offering a legitimate timeline, there are even more ways that the series can be explored. While the release order of things is always a way to watch the franchise, the narrative takes on a totally new and exciting direction when explored through chronological order. Similar to series like Star Wars, it's far more impactful and entertaining to watch the MCU in chronological order, paying careful attention to what is and isn't considered canon, barring outlying shows like Runaways, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Inhumans.

Chronological Order Gives the Story Much More Weight

Part of the reason why Star Wars works so well in chronological order is because it offers a definitive take on characters like Darth Vader, showing the tragedy of his fall from grace and redemption. The same could be said for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it allows for the passage of time to feel more impactful. One of the best examples of this is Captain Marvel. In chronological order, her film is technically the third on the list, and she isn't seen again until the start of Avengers: Endgame. Her hair is longer, her suit is different, and after seeing the events that happened between her first and last appearance, it becomes clear why some people were so angry that she stayed away from Earth for so long. Then, by the time Monica Rambeau appears in WandaVision, fans can understand why she was angry at Carol for being gone as long as she was.

The timeline order also adds more importance to characters that seemingly appear haphazardly when in re-release order. For example, Black Widow was always an important player, but the prequel following her death was fun, and it also came too late. However, when watched in the appropriate timeline following Captain America: Civil War, it helps reignite her need to be with her found family, and when she's shown taking the Quinjet to Captain America, it makes everything that came after feel better because she's doing it with a newfound love for her family that ultimately drives her to sacrifice herself to save them. Family also plays a key role in the Guardians of the Galaxy because, in the timeline, everything from Guardians of the Galaxy, I Am Groot, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all happen around the same time. So, by the next time they appear in Avengers: Infinity War, their time as a team feels much longer, and their bond feels even greater. Chronological order may seem confusing on the surface for the MCU, but it's clear that as time goes on, it's the best order to showcase the characterizations of its heroes.

The Shorts and TV Shows Work Better in Chronological Order

One of the things that helped fill the gaps between the early MCU movies were shorts like The Consultant and Agent Carter. These shorts, for the most part, barely impacted the larger narrative but were important because they helped explain things like how Peggy Carter became a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. or why Tony Stark was best shown in the Trevor Slattery short, All Hail the King, which not only continued the story of the false Mandarin but also confirmed that the real one is still out there and wouldn't be seen again until much later in the franchise.

While the shorts were key in connecting small elements in the MCU, the Netflix TV shows served two key purposes. The first was to set up the larger universe with street-level heroes. While Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist have yet to return in the MCU, Kingpin, Daredevil, and the Punisher are just some of the faces that are returning to the larger universe come Daredevil: Born Again. Needless to say, while Spider-Man is THE street-level hero, having the more serious characters fill the gap helps show just how large the universe is while displaying the many different types of heroes and villains are out there.

The other purpose the Netflix shows have in the timeline is to set up the amount of time that has passed between movies. Without the shows, it's the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Captain America: Civil War. Yet when watching these movies in order, it's explained that these characters have been a team for some time before their team-up movies. With the Netflix shows buffering the space, fans can assume that the Avengers have been working all that time, and with there being no real-time space between releases, the shows help separate the films. Thus, the Avengers feel more like a team because, as fans have been watching Matt Murdock, the Avengers have been hard at work looking for Loki's scepter or going on secret missions around the world. This event continues in the lead-up to Infinity War, proving that the fallout between Cap and Iron Man really was a long time.

The Multiverse Opens the Door to Even More Movies

With the Season 1 finale of Loki and the first season of What If, there's a chance to take a break from the MCU proper and explore the past. Mainly movies that play a key role in the larger MCU going forward. As a result, this is a chance to revisit all of the Spider-Man movies, Spider-Verse movies, Venom, Deadpool, the X-Men (specifically Logan), Blade, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil movies. While it may not be required to view them all, there's no denying how this changes the MCU going forward; branching out right after What If Season 1 gives the opportunity to really feel the vastness and risk of the Multiverse and shows that while everything is canon, it makes things somewhat more messy, in a good way. While the Spider-Man and Deadpool movies and Logan may feel like the most important viewings, most other properties can be viewed at the discretion of who is watching. But by the time one returns to the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Loki, What If Season 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine all feel more important as the movies that were watched early get to finally pay off. All the while, the Sacred Timeline gets to expand and address retcons such as the return of the Mandarin in the form of Wenwu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or Hawkeye and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law bringing Daredevil and the Kingpin back.

While there's no hard and fast rule for how the MCU should be viewed, those who want a comprehensive revisit of the series would do well to revisit the series in chronological order. The movies themselves are amazing, but exploring the franchise in the way it was intended offers a chance for new perspectives, new concepts of the passage of time, and how certain events are altered because one film was watched before another. Long story short, Disney+ has a foolproof layout for how to watch the series and while certain seasons to shows may not take place consecutively, it's worth spreading them out accordingly to get the full effect. What results is a world that feels lived in and timeless and makes its characters feel more real than ever. The only drawback is that it, admittedly, would take quite a bit of time to complete, though the results and satisfaction at the end are more than worth it.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Created by Marvel Studios, the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows heroes across the galaxy and across realities as they defend the universe from evil.

First Film

Iron Man

Latest Film

The Marvels

First TV Show

WandaVision

Latest TV Show

Loki

Character(s)

Iron Man , Captain America , The Hulk , Ms. Marvel , Hawkeye , Black Widow , Thor , Loki , Captain Marvel , Falcon , Black Panther , Monica Rambeau , Scarlet Witch