Marvel movies in order: chronological and release order, and where to watch

If it's your first time, start with Iron Man (2008) and follow release order: it's the order the films were planned to be seen in, with the twists and post-credits scenes in the right place. Chronological order, which begins with Captain America: The First Avenger, pays off more on a second marathon. Through October 2026, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has 38 films released in theaters. Below are both full lists, the phases and sagas, what to watch before Avengers: Doomsday and where to stream them.

What are the Marvel movies in release order?

The list follows the US theatrical release date, checked against Box Office Mojo, and is split into the phases Marvel itself uses to organize the universe:

• Phase 1: Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Avengers (2012).
• Phase 2: 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) and Ant-Man (2015).
• Phase 3: 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) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
• Phase 4: Black Widow (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
• Phase 5: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), The Marvels (2023), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025).
• Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

The most recent release is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which reached US theaters on July 31, 2026. Next in line is Avengers: Doomsday, in December 2026.

What is the chronological order of the Marvel movies?

Chronological order follows the story's timeline, not the release date. The reference here is the official list Marvel published on June 2, 2026 on Marvel.com, the same one behind the timeline collections on Disney+. Films only, in that order:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Captain Marvel
3. Iron Man
4. Iron Man 2
5. The Incredible Hulk
6. Thor
7. The Avengers
8. Thor: The Dark World
9. Iron Man 3
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
11. Guardians of the Galaxy
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron
14. Ant-Man
15. Captain America: Civil War
16. Black Widow
17. Black Panther
18. Spider-Man: Homecoming
19. Doctor Strange
20. Thor: Ragnarok
21. Ant-Man and the Wasp
22. Avengers: Infinity War
23. Avengers: Endgame
24. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
25. Spider-Man: Far From Home
26. Eternals
27. Spider-Man: No Way Home
28. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
29. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
30. Thor: Love and Thunder
31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
32. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
33. The Marvels
34. Deadpool & Wolverine
35. Captain America: Brave New World
36. Thunderbolts*
37. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Two caveats. The official list predates Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and through October 2026 we found no Marvel version that includes it, so it is left out above. And guides on other sites sometimes move titles around: The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set in another reality, sits near the top of an October 2026 list by Brazil's Omelete, while Marvel places it last. Here, the official order wins.

Which order is best for a first watch?

The rule is simple: a newcomer should get information in the order the writers planned the reveals. That is why release order wins the first time, for three reasons:

• Post-credits scenes point to the next film on the release calendar, not on the timeline. Out of that order, many of them stop making sense.
• Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s but came out in 2019, and it assumes a viewer who already knows that universe. Watched second, it answers questions you haven't asked yet.
• Phases and sagas follow release dates. In that order, everything you read about the MCU (Phase 4, the Multiverse Saga) is easy to place.

Chronological order is worth it on a second marathon, to see how the stories fit together. Short on time? The Disney+ shortlist for Doomsday, further down, is a good shortcut.

Marvel phases and sagas: what they mean

Marvel groups the films into phases and the phases into sagas. The Infinity Saga covers Phases 1 to 3, from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home, and revolves around the Infinity Stones and the villain Thanos. The Multiverse Saga covers Phases 4 to 6, starts in 2021, explores parallel realities and is set to end with Avengers: Secret Wars, dated December 17, 2027 in the US. Phase 5 closed with Thunderbolts*, and Phase 6 opened with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in 2025.

What to watch before Avengers: Doomsday

In the US, Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, 2026, a date set in May 2025 when the film moved from May to December, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Other markets get it a day earlier: Spain on December 17, according to Vandal and AVPasión in October 2026; Latin America on Thursday, December 17, according to Infobae in July 2026; and Brazil, where it is titled Vingadores: Doutor Destino, also on December 17, according to Omelete and Exame. Anthony and Joe Russo direct, and Robert Downey Jr. plays Doctor Doom.

In August 2026, Disney+ published a list of 15 titles to get ready, according to /Film:

• From the Infinity Saga: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
• From the Multiverse Saga: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
• One series: Loki.
• Two films from outside the MCU, from the days when the X-Men belonged to Fox: X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003).

Beyond that list and the official marketing material, what circulates about the plot is speculation, so it stays out of this guide.

Where to watch the Marvel movies

The official home is Disney+. According to Marvel.com, the service gathers the timeline into two collections: one with the films only and another with films and series, each season in its place.

The exception is the films Disney did not distribute. The four Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland (Homecoming, Far From Home, No Way Home and Brand New Day) were released by Sony Pictures, and The Incredible Hulk by Universal, according to Box Office Mojo. Whether they are on Disney+ depends on deals that vary by country and change over time. In Brazil, for example, Disney announced in June 2022 that Homecoming and other Spider-Man films were coming to the service. For Brand New Day, we found no official streaming date through October 2026.

Do you need to watch the Disney+ series to understand the movies?

It isn't required, but three series tie directly into films on the list:

• Loki: the only series on the official Disney+ list for Doomsday, and the one that deals with the multiverse, the central theme of the current saga.
• WandaVision: it is Wanda's road to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Elizabeth Olsen, who plays her, described the film as a transition from the show to the big screen.
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: this is where Sam Wilson takes up Captain America's shield, the role he debuts on the big screen in Captain America: Brave New World.

For the full experience, the Disney+ collection with films and series slots each season into Marvel's official order.