How to Watch All the Marvel Movies in Order Through 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'
You could watch 'em by release date or in chronological order.
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Like Ant-Man (sometimes), the MCU just keeps growing. Just when you think you've gotten a handle on all the Avengers, they come in with replacement Avengers (no offense, Sam Wilson). Then they fold in Spider-Man, who was kind of doing his own thing for a while. Then they absorb a few of the X-Men for good measure. Add in Inhumans, Defenders, Eternals and Thunderbolts, throw in some time travel and launch a whole bunch of TV series, and the whole thing gets a little unwieldy, to say the least.
Whether you're starting on your MCU journey or are looking for a refresher, here's how to watch all the Marvel MCU movies in order. Thankfully, they're almost all on Disney+ — we're down to only one big exception, for the moment — so the “how to” part is pretty easy. The order? Well, that depends on who you ask. The initial list here is movies only, listed in order of release — which is always the best way to watch things, in my opinion, at least to start. But then at the end, for completest and gluttons for punishment, there are lists that include both the movies and the TV series, in order of release and a rough chronological order. So, who are you starting with: Iron Man or Captain America?
Iron Man (2008)
The movie that kicks off the whole franchise begins with Tony Stark. And it starts with a bang: When weapons manufacturer Tony Stark is captured in enemy territory, he develops his own super-powered super-suit that sets him on the path to heroism, rather than war profiteering.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Even big Marvel fans tend to forget about or discount this one, because the star, Ed Norton, was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for the rest of the series. But yes, it is part of the MCU! And, after a long time of not being available on Disney+, it's finally there with the rest — at least for now.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
With Tony Stark living out in the open as Iron Man, he attracts some dangerous foes — like rival arms dealer Justin Hammer and Russian nemesis Whiplash. Better bring in reinforcements — hey, this movie has the first appearance of Black Widow!
Thor (2011)
Thor, who lives a godlike existence on Asgard, gets banished to Earth, where he's thrust into a fish-out-of-water love story among the humans. But when an ancient war is reignited and threatens his new home, he must learn how to protect it.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The MCU goes period with this movie, which mostly follows Steve Rogers as he helps the Allies during World War II — with the little help of a serum that makes him strong, fast and tough. Alan Menken, who's composed most of your favorite Disney songs, even wrote him a little wartime theme song.
The Avengers (2012)
Avengers, assemble! Once audiences were introduced to Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, and Thor, the stage was set for their first team-up. In The Avengers, the heroes unite to stop extra-terrestrial beings from destroying New York City. But can they learn to work together?
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Iron Man 3 (2013)
Shane Black, the screenwriter behind movies like Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad, switches to director-mode for the third installment in the Iron Man franchise, which pits Tony Stark against a threat known as "The Mandarin."
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
In Thor's second film, he battles Malekith the Dark Elf (remember him?), and has to forge an unexpected alliance with his brother, Loki (yay!), to defeat him.
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America (and a few friends) work to expose a plot at S.H.I.E.L.D., with far-flinging consequences for the rest of the series. The filmmakers say they were influenced by '70s conspiracy movies, like Three Days of the Condor (which also shares a star, Robert Redford, with this film).
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
A group of intergalactic misfits come together, led by Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord), to keep a powerful stone out of the wrong hands — all while listening to '70s Lite-FM tunes. When it came out, the soundtrack to this movie also hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes need to band together once again to stop an A.I. that's hell-bent on destroying all humanity — an A.I. that was created by Tony Stark. Along the way, they meet twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
Ant-Man (2015)
Petty thief Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man, who, with his ability to shrink, proves that big heroes can come in tiny packages.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
If your favorite thing about the MCU is seeing the match-ups between different superheroes and their powers, this movie — about the rift that forms between Captain America and Iron Man after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron — features one of the best, all-out superhero fights in the whole series. Bonus: It also has the introduction of Tom Holland's Spider-Man!
Doctor Strange (2016)
This film chronicles the transformation of a hotshot neurosurgeon into a mystical Sorcerer in a movie that sometimes looks like the inside of a blacklight poster from a college dorm.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
When Star-Lord and the rest of the gang — including a Baby Groot! — return for more space adventures, there's a reckoning about what it means to be a family.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Many a Spider-Man have come before (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield) but Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first Spider-Man movie that's officially a part of the MCU. He's briefly in Captain America: Civil War, but here he gets to star in a caper about what it's like to balance superhero duties with high school.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The God of Thunder heads to a planet where he encounters unexpected things — including his buddy, Hulk. But how will he get back to Asgard to defeat the villain Hela? It was directed by Taika Waititi, who was previously known for directing humorous indies like What We Do in the Shadows, and he gives Thor more of a comedic bent.
Black Panther (2018)
Director Ryan Coogler, who revitalized the Rocky franchise with Creed, hopped over to the MCU to create the country of Wakanda, a land that kept itself isolated until a world-spanning threat causes King T'Challa to step up and reach out beyond its borders.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos proves why he's the Big Bad villain of the franchise in an epic — and we mean epic — battle that pulls in characters from all corners of the MCU.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
The Ant-Man sequel, which follows his further adventures into the Quantum Realm, stays on the lighter side; director Peyton Reed says that one of its big inspirations was the delightful Barbra Streisand comedy What's Up, Doc?
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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