WATCH ORDER
Marvel Cinematic Universe Watch Order (Every Film, 2026)
Marvel Cinematic Universe · Updated Sep 14, 2026
The MCU is 36 films deep and still growing, so "just watch them in order" needs a definition of "order." Release order below is the one we recommend — it's how Marvel actually built the tension (you meet Iron Man before you meet the team he assembles), and it avoids spoiling later reveals the way a strict in-universe timeline can. If you want the in-universe chronological order instead (Captain Marvel's WWII prologue before Iron Man, Black Widow slotted between Civil War and Infinity War), the TMDB IDs below still work — just re-sort by story date.
Phase 1 — Origins
1.
Iron Man (2008) — TMDB 1726
2.
The Incredible Hulk (2008) — TMDB 1724
3.
Iron Man 2 (2010) — TMDB 10138
4.
Thor (2011) — TMDB 10195
5.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) — TMDB 1771
6.
The Avengers (2012) — TMDB 24428
Phase 2 — Team-ups
1.
Iron Man 3 (2013) — TMDB 68721
2.
Thor: The Dark World (2013) — TMDB 76338
3.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) — TMDB 100402
4.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) — TMDB 118340
5.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) — TMDB 99861
6.
Ant-Man (2015) — TMDB 102899
Phase 3 — Infinity Saga climax
1.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) — TMDB 271110
2.
Doctor Strange (2016) — TMDB 284052
3.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) — TMDB 283995
4.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — TMDB 315635
5.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — TMDB 284053
6.
Black Panther (2018) — TMDB 284054
7.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — TMDB 299536
8.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) — TMDB 363088
9.
Captain Marvel (2019) — TMDB 299537
10.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) — TMDB 299534
11.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) — TMDB 429617
Phase 4 — Multiverse Saga begins
1.
Black Widow (2021) — TMDB 497698
2.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) — TMDB 566525
3.
Eternals (2021) — TMDB 524434
4.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — TMDB 634649
5.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) — TMDB 453395
6.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) — TMDB 616037
7.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) — TMDB 505642
Phase 5 — Present day
1.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) — TMDB 640146
2.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) — TMDB 447365
3.
The Marvels (2023) — TMDB 609681
4.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) — TMDB 533535
5.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) — TMDB 822119
6.
Thunderbolts* (2025) — TMDB 986056
Where to start if you only have a weekend
Skip straight to Iron Man → The Avengers → Avengers: Infinity War → Avengers: Endgame. You'll miss a lot of character texture, but you'll understand the big four-film arc that made the MCU a cultural event.