If you’re a Marvel fan and want to watch all the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), you might be wondering what order to watch them in. With so many movies, TV shows, and web series, it can be overwhelming to know where to start and how to continue. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
First things first, let’s talk about why watching the MCU in order is important. The MCU is a complex and interconnected universe with characters overlapping across different movies and TV shows. Watching them in order will help you understand how each character fits into the bigger picture.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the different orders you can watch the MCU.
1. Chronological Order
The most common way of watching the MCU is in chronological order according to the events that take place in each movie or TV show. This means starting with “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which takes place during World War II, and ending with “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which takes place after “Avengers: Endgame.” Here’s a complete list of movies and TV shows in chronological order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
- The Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Doctor Strange
- Black Panther
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and The Wasp
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
This order can be a bit confusing because some movies take place during the events of other movies. For example, “Captain America: The First Avenger” takes place during World War II, but it’s not until “Captain Marvel” that we learn more about the Tesseract and how it plays a role in the MCU.
2. Release Order
Another way to watch the MCU is in release order, which is how the movies and TV shows were originally released. This order might not make as much sense in terms of chronology, but it’s a good way to see how the MCU evolved over time and get a sense of how each movie or TV show fits into the larger universe. Here’s a list of movies and TV shows in release order:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and The Wasp(2018)
3. Hybrid Order
If you’re still not sure which order to watch the MCU in, you can also try a hybrid order that combines elements of both chronological and release orders. This order starts with “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” and then follows the release order for the rest of the movies. Here’s a list of movies and TV shows in hybrid order:
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron –>
Whichever order you choose, watching the MCU is an exciting journey that will take you through all sorts of adventures with your favorite superheroes. So grab some popcorn, get comfortable, and enjoy!