So you’ve decided to watch all of the Marvel movies in order. Good luck with that.
Whether that’s because there’s a new movie coming out (oh hi Thor) or because you’re just a masochist (hey, you do you), you’ve got to have a strategy to tackle the 28 films. Which is almost a marathon. Finally, something we can medal in!
Since it’s no longer possible to watch all the films in a day unless you have Doctor Strange‘s superpowers, we put together a host of different approaches so you can blast through the entire MCU. Afterwards, if you need a palate cleanser, we recommend Booksmart or Parasite.
Our list consists only of movies and shows in the MCU. Which means the X-Men movies, Fantastic Four movies, and the earlier Spider-Man films aren’t in the list.
The Marvel Movies In Order
Iron Man was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be released. But, that doesn’t mean it’s the first in the timeline. That honor goes to America’s favorite ass: Captain America. If you want to follow the events of the MCU, one way to do that is by watching them in chronological order.
My Wife just said the hottest thing ever…
"Can we watch all the Marvel Movies in order on our Disney+ so I understand what's happening?"Yes..yes we can 😅 pic.twitter.com/iQAikxqnn6
— ZyoniK☕🌄 (@ZyoniK_) March 12, 2021
The Marvel Movies in Chronological Order
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Avengers
- Thor: The Dark World
- Iron Man 3
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Black Panther
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Black Widow
- Doctor Strange
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Eternals
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies and Shows in Chronological Order
This list consists of all MCU movies and shows including all the “Marvel Television” shows pre-Disney+.
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Marvel’s Agent Carter Season 1 (2015)
- Marvel’s Agent Carter Season 2 (2016)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Thor (2011)
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 1 (2013)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Daredevil Season 1 (2015)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 2 (2014)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Jessica Jones Season 1 (2015)
- Daredevil Season 2 (2016)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 3 (2015)
- Luke Cage Season 1 (2016)
- Black Widow (2021)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Iron Fist Season 1 (2017)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 4 (2016)
- The Defenders Season 1 (2017)
- The Inhumans Season 1 (2017)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- The Runaways Season 1 (2017)
- The Runaways Season 2 (2018)
- The Runaways Season 3 (2019)
- The Punisher Season 1 (2017)
- Jessica Jones Season 2 (2018)
- Luke Cage Season 2 (2018)
- Cloak and Dagger Season 1 (2018)
- Daredevil Season 3 (2018)
- The Punisher Season 2 (2019)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 5 (2017)
- Iron Fist Season 2 (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 6 (2019)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 7 (2020)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Avengers: Endgame essentially marked the end of the first of three phases of the MCU. Following Thanos’s finger snap, there was a forward leap of five years. Most of these films and shows taken place in Phase 4 which is in the near future.
- Loki (2021)
- What If…? (2021)
- WandaVision (2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Hawkeye (2021)
- Moon Knight (2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies by Release Date
If you’ve never caught up on the MCU and you want to experience it the way the OG fans did, then you can watch them in order of when they hit theaters.
Phase One
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
Phase Two
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
Phase Three
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spiderman: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spiderman: Far From Home
Phase Four
- Black Widow
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
I think it’s about time for my annual mcu marathon pic.twitter.com/gjx1om4Y9r
— chey ☁️ (@cheyrassic) July 6, 2022
How Long Would It Take to Watch Every Marvel Movie?
To watch the 28 Marvel movies, you’d need 61 hours and 51 minutes. If you also included the TV shows in the MCU, that would run a total of roughly 5,567 minutes or 93 hours.
Strategies to Watch All the Marvel Movies
1. No Sleep
Watch them all in order without sleeping breaks and lean into the madness. Based on calculations, this would take roughly 2.57 days. We did this in college with no problem, but we recommend checking with your doctor first.
2. All At Once
If for some weird reason you don’t want to stay up for that long to marathon the MCU, then just do it simultaneously. Simply get 28 screens, boot up all the movies on different Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+ accounts, and go. (This one may require friends.)
Might be time for the MCU movie marathon. pic.twitter.com/qYzQ5vkbzA
— C.L.C. Hasz (@life1ntroverted) February 8, 2021
3. Nightly Viewing
If you want an approach that might not make you swear off the Marvel universe for good, you could watch a film a night for 28 days straight or two a night for two weeks. This may also make you detest the entire MCU.
4. Weekend Warrior
For the least painful approach, watch two Marvel movies a weekend for seven weeks. Or, double it and knock them out in less than a month.
5. Marvel Drinking Game
We can’t promise the outcome of this will be positive either, but you can add another layer to the marathon by turning it into a drinking game. Whether you take a sip of White Claw every time Tony Stark eats or someone does a three-point landing, the choice is yours.
6. Skip Them Altogether
Go see an arthouse film and tell everyone you’re too good for the MCU. We’re sure there’s a new Wes Anderson film coming out any day now.
Ashley is a Nashville unicorn (born, raised, and based), queer, vegan, and dedicated to leaving a positive impact through her life, work, and her website, Wild Hearted.
When she's not writing, she's traveling, reading a book, trying not to kill her houseplants, worshiping her dog, or having an existential crisis. Follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, and LinkedIn
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