I. Introduction
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has taken the world by storm, captivating audiences with thrilling stories, memorable characters, and breathtaking action sequences. As of this writing, the MCU consists of 23 movies featuring superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Avengers. Many Marvel fans enjoy watching these movies in order to follow the interconnected and evolving narrative, but with so many movies to choose from, it can be challenging to determine the best order to watch them in. In this article, we explore the different orders to watch the Marvel movies in, so you can decide which one works best for you.
II. Chronological Order
Watching the Marvel movies in chronological order is one way to experience the MCU storyline in the order the events occurred, regardless of when each movie was released. Here is the complete list of the 23 movies in chronological order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Each movie adds to the overall narrative of the MCU, providing vital information and character development. Here is a brief description of each movie:
- Captain America: The First Avenger: Steve Rogers becomes Captain America and battles Hydra in World War II.
- Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel and helps the Kree fight against the Skrulls.
- Iron Man: Billionaire Tony Stark becomes Iron Man and battles his business partner Obadiah Stane.
- The Incredible Hulk: Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk and is hunted by the military and the Abomination.
- Iron Man 2: Tony Stark battles Ivan Vanko, the son of his father’s former partner, and faces pressure from the government to give them his technology.
- Thor: Thor is banished to Earth and learns humility while battling his brother Loki.
- The Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye team up to stop Loki and the Chitauri invasion.
- Iron Man 3: Tony Stark battles the Mandarin and a corrupt businessman named Aldrich Killian.
- Thor: The Dark World: Thor battles Malekith and the Dark Elves and reunites with Jane Foster.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Captain America battles HYDRA and the Winter Soldier, who turns out to be his old friend Bucky Barnes.
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot team up to stop Ronan from using an Infinity Stone to destroy Xandar.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: The Guardians battle Ego, who is revealed to be Peter’s father.
- The Avengers: Age of Ultron: The Avengers battle Ultron, a rogue artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
- Ant-Man: Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man and helps Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne stop Pym’s ex-protege Darren Cross from using the Yellowjacket suit.
- Captain America: Civil War: Team Cap and Team Iron Man fight over the Sokovia Accords and the Winter Soldier, who is accused of a terrorist attack.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: Peter Parker tries to balance school life with being Spider-Man and battles the Vulture.
- Doctor Strange: Doctor Stephen Strange learns the mystical arts and battles Kaecilius and Dormammu.
- Thor: Ragnarok: Thor battles his sister Hela and teams up with Hulk, Valkyrie, and Loki to save Asgard.
- Black Panther: T’Challa becomes king of Wakanda and battles his cousin Killmonger over the throne.
- Avengers: Infinity War: The Avengers team up with Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos from collecting all the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Scott Lang teams up with Hope and Hank to rescue Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm while evading a gangster named Sonny Burch and a ghost named Ava Starr.
- Avengers: Endgame: The surviving Avengers, joined by Captain Marvel, try to undo the damage caused by Thanos’s snap.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe and battles Mysterio.
III. Release Order
An alternate way of watching the Marvel movies is in the order they were released in theaters. This method allows you to experience the movies in the order fans saw them and may provide a natural progression in the evolution of the MCU. Here is the release 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)
Watching in this order allows you to see the development of the MCU as it was released to the public. Here is a brief overview of each movie:
- Iron Man: Billionaire Tony Stark becomes Iron Man and battles his business partner Obadiah Stane.
- The Incredible Hulk: Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk and is hunted by the military and the Abomination.
- Iron Man 2: Tony Stark battles Ivan Vanko, the son of his father’s former partner, and faces pressure from the government to give them his technology.
- Thor: Thor is banished to Earth and learns humility while battling his brother Loki.
- Captain America: The First Avenger: Steve Rogers becomes Captain America and battles Hydra in World War II.
- The Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye team up to stop Loki and the Chitauri invasion.
- Iron Man 3: Tony Stark battles the Mandarin and a corrupt businessman named Aldrich Killian.
- Thor: The Dark World: Thor battles Malekith and the Dark Elves and reunites with Jane Foster.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Captain America battles HYDRA and the Winter Soldier, who turns out to be his old friend Bucky Barnes.
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot team up to stop Ronan from using an Infinity Stone to destroy Xandar.
- Avengers: Age of Ultron: The Avengers battle Ultron, a rogue artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
- Ant-Man: Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man and helps Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne stop Pym’s ex-protege Darren Cross from using the Yellowjacket suit.
- Captain America: Civil War: Team Cap and Team Iron Man fight over the Sokovia Accords and the Winter Soldier, who is accused of a terrorist attack.
- Doctor Strange: Doctor Stephen Strange learns the mystical arts and battles Kaecilius and Dormammu.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: The Guardians battle Ego, who is revealed to be Peter’s father.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: Peter Parker tries to balance school life with being Spider-Man and battles the Vulture.
- Thor: Ragnarok: Thor battles his sister Hela and teams up with Hulk, Valkyrie, and Loki to save Asgard.
- Black Panther: T’Challa becomes king of Wakanda and battles his cousin Killmonger over the throne.
- Avengers: Infinity War: The Avengers team up with Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos from collecting all the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Scott Lang teams up with Hope and Hank to rescue Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm while evading a gangster named Sonny Burch and a ghost named Ava Starr.
- Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel and helps the Kree fight against the Skrulls.
- Avengers: Endgame: The surviving Avengers, joined by Captain Marvel, try to undo the damage caused by Thanos’s snap.
- Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe and battles Mysterio.
Watching the Marvel movies in this order is recommended because it ensures that you experience the evolution of the MCU in the order it was intended to be seen.
IV. Thematic Order
Another way to watch the Marvel movies is in a thematic order. This order isn’t based on chronology or release dates but rather on common themes and storylines that connect the movies. Here are some characteristics and themes to consider:
- Origins and Introductions: This category includes the first movies that introduce each hero and their origin stories: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Incredible Hulk.
- Lone Heroes: These movies primarily focus on one hero and their individual storylines: Iron Man 2, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
- Team Building: These movies show the formation of the Avengers and highlight the importance of teamwork: The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Endgame.
- Cosmic Adventures: These movies explore the more cosmic side of the MCU and feature the Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
- The Captain America Quadrilogy: This is a subset of the chronological order and includes Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Endgame.