I. Introduction
Watching the Marvel movies out of order can be a confusing and frustrating experience, especially for newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). With 23 films and counting, it’s hard to know where to start or what order to follow. In this article, we’ll provide several options for watching the Marvel movies in order, from chronological to character arcs, so you can choose the one that suits your needs.
II. Chronological Guide
The chronological order of watching the Marvel movies follows the events in the MCU timeline, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger set in the 1940s. Here’s the complete list of movies in order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1945)
- Captain Marvel (1995)
- Iron Man (2010)
- Iron Man 2 (2011)
- The Incredible Hulk (2011)
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
- Black Panther (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
- Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
III. Release Order
The release order of watching the Marvel movies follows the order in which the movies were released to the public. Here are the pros and cons of watching the MCU movies in release order:
- Pros: This order allows viewers to experience the movies in the order they were released and get a sense of how the MCU evolved over time.
- Cons: Some movies may contain spoilers for earlier films set in a different timeline.
Here’s the complete list of movies in 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)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
IV. Phase Order
The MCU movies are divided into “phases”, which represent different chapters or storylines in the larger MCU narrative. Here’s the order of watching the Marvel movies by phase:
Phase One:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
Phase Two:
- 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)
Phase Three:
- 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)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Each phase has its own overarching storyline and contributions to the MCU’s overall narrative. Make sure you are familiar with each before you watch the next film.
V. Character Arcs
If you’re interested in watching the Marvel movies in order based on each character’s arc, you’re in luck. Here’s a list of movies in order by character arc:
Captain America:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Iron Man:
- Iron Man (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Thor:
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
VI. Crossover Events
Crossover events are a hallmark of the Marvel movies, bringing together different characters and storylines in exciting and unexpected ways. Here are the movies in order by crossover event:
The Avengers:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
Thanos Saga:
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Make sure you don’t miss any of the key moments and plot twists in these crossover events by watching them in order.
VII. Skipping Films
If you’re short on time or don’t want to watch all 23 Marvel movies, here’s a condensed watchlist of the essential films to watch:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
While this list skips over some of the lesser-known characters and storylines, it still provides a good sense of the overall narrative of the MCU.
VIII. Conclusion
There’s no one “correct” way to watch the Marvel movies in order. You can choose the chronological, release, phase, character arc, or crossover event method depending on your preferences and goals for watching the films. Whether you’re a die-hard Marvel fan or a newcomer to the MCU, these options will help you watch the films in the order that works best for you.