Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - Watch Order: Release Order

2008 - 202536 Films78h 54m4.2 Average

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most ambitious shared universe project in cinema history, beginning with Iron Man in 2008 and building through multiple phases toward massive crossover events. This complete release order presents all MCU films as original audiences experienced them, with each movie building upon previous entries and setting up future storylines.

With its sheer amount of films, this full list can feel overwhelming for newcomers. Consider starting with individual Phase watch orders for a more manageable approach. Phase 1 introduces the core Avengers, Phase 2 expands the universe, and Phase 3 concludes the epic Infinity Saga. Phase 4 explores the aftermath and introduces the multiverse, while Phase 5 continues expanding the multiverse narrative.

For the complete interconnected experience as Marvel Studios designed it, this release order provides the full journey from Tony Stark's first suit to the ongoing Multiverse Saga.

1
Iron Man poster

Iron Man

20082h 6m4.6
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb

After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

ActionScience FictionAdventure
2
The Incredible Hulk poster

The Incredible Hulk

20081h 54m3.4
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson

Scientist Bruce Banner scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with a new, deadly foe.

Science FictionActionAdventure
3
Iron Man 2 poster

Iron Man 2

20102h 4m3.9
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.

AdventureActionScience Fiction
4
Thor poster

Thor

20111h 55m3.8
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård

Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

AdventureFantasyAction
5
Captain America: The First Avenger poster

Captain America: The First Avenger

20112h 4m4
Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving

During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
6
The Avengers poster

The Avengers

20122h 23m4.6
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson

When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!

Science FictionActionAdventure
7
Iron Man 3 poster

Iron Man 3

20132h 10m4
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall

When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
8
Thor: The Dark World poster

Thor: The Dark World

20131h 52m3.6
Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins

Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

ActionAdventureFantasy
9
Captain America: The Winter Soldier poster

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

20142h 16m4.6
Director: Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
10
Guardians of the Galaxy poster

Guardians of the Galaxy

20142h 1m4.8
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.

ActionScience FictionAdventure
11
Avengers: Age of Ultron poster

Avengers: Age of Ultron

20152h 21m4.3
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
12
Ant-Man poster

Ant-Man

20151h 57m4.1
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Science FictionActionAdventure
13
Captain America: Civil War poster

Captain America: Civil War

20162h 27m4.4
Director: Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie

Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.

AdventureActionScience Fiction
14
Doctor Strange poster

Doctor Strange

20161h 55m4.4
Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

ActionAdventureFantasy
15
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 poster

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

20172h 17m4.5
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage.

Science FictionAdventureAction
16
Spider-Man: Homecoming poster

Spider-Man: Homecoming

20172h 13m4.3
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.

ActionAdventureScience FictionDrama
17
Thor: Ragnarok poster

Thor: Ragnarok

20172h 11m4.5
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
18
Black Panther poster

Black Panther

20182h 15m4.3
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman

King T'Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader. However, T'Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne by factions within his own country as well as without. Using powers reserved to Wakandan kings, T'Challa assumes the Black Panther mantle to join with ex-girlfriend Nakia, the queen-mother, his princess-kid sister, members of the Dora Milaje (the Wakandan 'special forces') and an American secret agent, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
19
Avengers: Infinity War poster

Avengers: Infinity War

20182h 29m5
Director: Anthony Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

AdventureActionScience Fiction
20
Ant-Man and the Wasp poster

Ant-Man and the Wasp

20181h 59m4
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Hannah John-Kamen, Randall Park

Just when his time under house arrest is about to end, Scott Lang once again puts his freedom at risk to help Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym dive into the quantum realm and try to accomplish, against time and any chance of success, a very dangerous rescue mission.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
21
Captain Marvel poster

Captain Marvel

20192h 4m3.9
Director: Ryan Fleck
Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening

The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
22
Avengers: Endgame poster

Avengers: Endgame

20193h 1m5
Director: Anthony Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

AdventureScience FictionAction
23
Spider-Man: Far From Home poster

Spider-Man: Far From Home

20192h 9m4.4
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau

Peter Parker and his friends go on a summer trip to Europe. However, they will hardly be able to rest - Peter will have to agree to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of creatures that cause natural disasters and destruction throughout the continent.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
24
Black Widow poster

Black Widow

20212h 14m4.2
Director: Cate Shortland
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Ray Winstone

Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
25
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings poster

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

20212h 12m4.4
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Ben Kingsley, Meng'er Zhang

Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

ActionAdventureFantasy
26
Eternals poster

Eternals

20212h 36m3.9
Director: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek Pinault, Kumail Nanjiani

The Eternals are a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows, they are forced to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.

Science FictionActionAdventure
27
Spider-Man: No Way Home poster

Spider-Man: No Way Home

20212h 28m4.8
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau

Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
28
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness poster

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

20222h 6m4.3
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong

Doctor Strange, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.

FantasyActionAdventure
29
Thor: Love and Thunder poster

Thor: Love and Thunder

20221h 59m3.6
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

FantasyActionComedy
30
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever poster

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

20222h 42m4.1
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
31
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania poster

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

20232h 5m3.5
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors

Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, along with with Hope's parents Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym, and Scott's daughter Cassie Lang, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

ActionAdventureScience Fiction
32
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 poster

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

20232h 30m4.8
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Science FictionAdventureActionComedy
33
The Marvels poster

The Marvels

20231h 45m3.2
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton

When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.

Science FictionAdventureAction
34
Deadpool & Wolverine poster

Deadpool & Wolverine

20242h 8m4.5
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Dafne Keen

A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.

ActionComedyScience Fiction
35
Captain America: Brave New World poster

Captain America: Brave New World

20251h 59m3.3
Director: Julius Onah
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson

After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

ActionThrillerScience Fiction
36
Thunderbolts* poster

Thunderbolts*

20252h 7m4.4
Director: Jake Schreier
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

ActionScience FictionAdventure