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MCU watch order in release order

Watch the MCU in release order: start with Iron Man (2008) and work through all 64 movies, series and specials, finishing with Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Updated October 2026

Release order is how audiences first saw the stories, so every film builds on the ones you have already seen. Titles marked optional can be skipped without losing the thread. The tracker keeps your place and remembers what you have ticked.

Phase 1: First Sparks

  1. Iron Man (2008)Where it starts. Tony Stark builds a suit to escape captivity, then has to decide what to do with it.
  2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)Bruce Banner on the run from the military. Light on ties to the rest of the saga, so it is the easiest early film to rush.
  3. Iron Man 2 (2010)Tony deals with fame, a failing power source and a new rival. Brings in Black Widow and a wider look at S.H.I.E.L.D.
  4. Thor (2011)A cocky prince is stripped of his power and sent to Earth. Introduces Asgard, Loki and the cosmic side of the universe.
  5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)Steve Rogers goes from small-framed volunteer to wartime hero. Gives the Tesseract its backstory.
  6. The Avengers (2012)The first team-up. Loki invades, and the heroes have to stop arguing long enough to stop him.

Phase 2: Fault Lines

  1. Iron Man 3 (2013)Tony, still shaken by New York, faces a threat that cannot be solved with the suit alone. A personal, mostly standalone story.
  2. Thor: The Dark World (2013)An ancient enemy returns and Thor leans on Loki. Matters mainly for the Infinity Stones thread.
  3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)A spy thriller. Steve finds S.H.I.E.L.D. compromised and meets an old friend in a new role. Big consequences later.
  4. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)A band of misfits fights over a dangerous orb. The cosmic side of the MCU turns funny and loud.
  5. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)The team builds the AI that turns on them. Introduces Wanda, Pietro and Vision.
  6. Ant-Man (2015)A thief inherits a shrinking suit. A small-scale heist that opens the door to the Quantum Realm.

Phase 3: The Reckoning

  1. Captain America: Civil War (2016)The Avengers split over government oversight. Brings in Black Panther and a new Spider-Man.
  2. Doctor Strange (2016)A brilliant surgeon learns the mystic arts. Introduces magic and the Time Stone.
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)Peter meets his father and the team deals with family trouble. Heavy on character, lighter on plot.
  4. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)Peter Parker tries to prove himself as a young hero in Tony Stark's orbit.
  5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)Thor loses nearly everything and gains a lot of jokes. Changes Asgard's fate and feeds into Infinity War.
  6. Black Panther (2018)T'Challa becomes king of Wakanda and faces a challenger with a claim to the throne.
  7. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Thanos goes after all the Stones. Huge crossover and one of the hardest endings in the series.
  8. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)A lighter follow-up that digs into the Quantum Realm. Its last scene matters for Endgame.
  9. Captain Marvel (2019)Carol Danvers' origin, set in the 1990s. Sets her up for Endgame.
  10. Avengers: Endgame (2019)The team's answer to Infinity War. Closes out the Infinity Saga.
  11. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)Peter tries to take a school trip while the world adjusts to life after Endgame.

Phase 4: Time Gets Loose

  1. WandaVision (2021)Wanda is living inside a sitcom she did not mean to make. A grief story in disguise, and a link to Doctor Strange 2.
  2. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)Sam and Bucky wrestle with Steve's shield and with who should carry it.
  3. Loki, Season 1 (2021)A Loki variant is pulled out of time and into the TVA. The multiverse becomes a plot driver.
  4. Black Widow (2021)Natasha's own story, set between Civil War and Infinity War. That is why it sits after Civil War in story order.
  5. What If...? (2021)Optional. Animated alternate-reality tales. Fun, but safe to skip if you want to stay on the main line.
  6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)A martial arts story that links back to the Ten Rings organisation from Iron Man.
  7. Eternals (2021)Immortal heroes who have quietly watched over Earth for centuries. Widens the cosmic history.
  8. Hawkeye (2021)Clint passes the bow to Kate Bishop over the holidays. A lower-stakes series.
  9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)The multiverse breaks open around Peter. Works best if you have seen Far From Home.
  10. Moon Knight (2022)Optional. A man with several identities and an Egyptian god problem. Mostly stands alone.
  11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Strange and a young traveller cross universes to escape a threat. Best after WandaVision.
  12. Ms. Marvel (2022)A teenage fan becomes a hero in Jersey City. Connects to Captain Marvel and sets up The Marvels.
  13. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Thor tries to find his place while a god-killer hunts the gods. A comic, mostly standalone chapter.
  14. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)A lawyer with Hulk powers who talks to the audience. A comedy that touches the Hulk's wider story.
  15. Werewolf by Night (2022)A black-and-white monster special. Short, self-contained and easy to fit in.
  16. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)Wakanda mourns its king and faces a new underwater nation.
  17. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)Optional. A short seasonal special with the Guardians. Pure fun, safe to skip.

Phase 5: Cracks Widen

  1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Scott Lang and family are pulled into the Quantum Realm, where Kang is introduced.
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)The Guardians' story reaches its emotional end, with Rocket's past at the centre.
  3. Secret Invasion (2023)Nick Fury and the Skrulls in a spy thriller about who can be trusted.
  4. Loki, Season 2 (2023)Loki fights to keep the timeline from collapsing. Wraps up his arc.
  5. The Marvels (2023)Carol, Monica and Kamala swap places whenever they use their powers. Follows Ms. Marvel and WandaVision threads.
  6. What If...?, Season 2 (2023)Optional. More animated alternate-reality tales. Optional, and safe to skip if you want to stay on the main line.
  7. Echo (2024)Maya Lopez returns to her roots in a grounded, street-level story linked to Hawkeye.
  8. X-Men '97 (2024)Optional. A revival of the 1990s animated X-Men. Optional for the main story.
  9. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)Wade Wilson meets the TVA in a big crossover that nods to the earlier X-Men films.
  10. Agatha All Along (2024)Agatha Harkness walks a witch's road with a new coven. A follow-up to WandaVision.
  11. What If...?, Season 3 (2024)Optional. The animated what-if series wraps up. Optional.
  12. Captain America: Brave New World (2025)Sam Wilson takes up the shield and deals with a new global crisis.
  13. Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1 (2025)Matt Murdock returns, with Wilson Fisk now in politics. Continues the characters from the earlier Netflix era.
  14. Thunderbolts* (2025)A team of antiheroes is pushed together. Picks up threads from Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  15. Ironheart (2025)Riri Williams builds her own armour. Follows on from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Phase 6: Road to Doomsday

  1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)Marvel's first family arrives in a retro-futuristic world. More of a fresh start than a continuation.
  2. Eyes of Wakanda (2025)An animated look at Wakanda's hidden defenders across history. It is the ancient-history opener in story order.
  3. Marvel Zombies (2025)Optional. An animated horror spin-off. Optional.
  4. Wonder Man (2026)A Hollywood-set series about an actor with powers.
  5. Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2 (2026)Matt and Fisk's story continues after Season 1.
  6. The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)A special centred on Frank Castle, best watched around Born Again.
  7. X-Men '97, Season 2 (2026)Optional. More of the animated revival. Optional for the main story.
  8. VisionQuest (2026)Vision's story continues, building on WandaVision. Premieres on Disney+ on 14 October 2026.
  9. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)The finish line of this list: Peter's next chapter before Doomsday.

Quick answers

Should I watch the MCU in release order or story order?

Release order is the safest first pass, because the films were written for audiences who had seen the earlier ones. Story order is a fun second pass once you know the characters.

Do I have to watch every MCU series?

Most of them add context, but the ones marked optional in the tracker can be skipped without losing the main thread.

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