Find your way through the multiverse
One armor test became a sprawling world of heroes, cosmic detours, and intersecting stories. Our films-only guide gives you a clear route through the MCU, with alternate universes kept in their own lanes.
Before you press play
Release order is the most reliable first watch. Introductions, team-ups, and end-credit scenes build on what audiences already knew. Begin with Iron Man and work forward; a historical setting does not always make a film the best starting point.
Our editorial story order follows each film’s main events, not every flashback or end-credit scene. Events can overlap, and later films revisit earlier periods. The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Deadpool & Wolverine are grouped separately because their alternate-universe stories do not fit neatly onto the main timeline.
The films / 38 theatrical releases
Release order · US theatrical dates where available. Story order is an editorial viewing suggestion.
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The MCU’s release-order starting point and Tony Stark’s introduction.
Directed by Jon Favreau
With Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
An early MCU chapter; the lead actor changes in later films.
Directed by Louis Leterrier
With Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
Continue Tony Stark’s story before the first Avengers team-up.
Directed by Jon Favreau
With Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
Introduces Asgard and broadens the series beyond Earth.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
With Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
Its main story begins decades before the other founding heroes.
Directed by Joe Johnston
With Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
The first major meeting point for the founding films.
Directed by Joss Whedon
With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
A more personal chapter after the first Avengers story.
Directed by Shane Black
With Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
The next Asgard chapter, with connections that matter later.
Directed by Alan Taylor
With Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
A political thriller that changes the shape of the shared world.
Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
With Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
A largely self-contained doorway into the cosmic side of Marvel.
Directed by James Gunn
With Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista
US theatrical release:
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The team reunites as new heroes enter the larger story.
Directed by Joss Whedon
With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
US theatrical release:
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A small-scale heist with a new hero and a lighter tone.
Directed by Peyton Reed
With Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly
US theatrical release:
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An ensemble turning point that works best after the earlier Avengers films.
Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
With Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
Introduces the MCU’s magical dimension and its new guardian.
Directed by Scott Derrickson
With Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
The main adventure follows shortly after the first Guardians film.
Directed by James Gunn
With Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista
US theatrical release:
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Peter Parker’s first solo MCU film, following his Civil War introduction.
Directed by Jon Watts
With Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
US theatrical release:
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A cosmic reset for Thor that leads toward Infinity War.
Directed by Taika Waititi
With Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston
US theatrical release:
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Visit Wakanda after its hero’s introduction in Civil War.
Directed by Ryan Coogler
With Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
US theatrical release:
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A major convergence; watch the preceding team and solo stories first.
Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth
US theatrical release:
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The main story fits before Infinity War; its credits assume more context.
Directed by Peyton Reed
With Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
US theatrical release:
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A 1990s-set origin whose release placement preserves later context.
Directed by Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
With Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn
US theatrical release:
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Watch immediately after Infinity War for the central saga’s payoff.
Directed by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
US theatrical release:
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A school-trip adventure that follows the consequences of Endgame.
Directed by Jon Watts
With Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson
US theatrical release:
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The main story follows Civil War; save the credits until after Endgame.
Directed by Cate Shortland
With Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz
US theatrical release:
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A new family story and a useful entry point into the post-Endgame era.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
With Simu Liu, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Awkwafina
US theatrical release:
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An ancient history told mostly through a contemporary ensemble story.
Directed by Chloé Zhao
With Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie
US theatrical release:
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Continues Far From Home; earlier Spider-Man series add context to its visitors.
Directed by Jon Watts
With Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch
US theatrical release:
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Builds on Strange’s earlier films and wider multiverse events.
Directed by Sam Raimi
With Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen
US theatrical release:
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The next Thor adventure after the Avengers’ largest conflict.
Directed by Taika Waititi
With Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale
US theatrical release:
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A return to Wakanda centered on loss, leadership, and its future.
Directed by Ryan Coogler
With Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Lupita Nyong'o
US theatrical release:
Check the film, disc format, included cuts, and US playback compatibility.
The third Ant-Man film explores the Quantum Realm.
Directed by Peyton Reed
With Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
US theatrical release:
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Completes the central Guardians trilogy; watch its earlier chapters first.
Directed by James Gunn
With Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista
US theatrical release:
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A Captain Marvel follow-up with heroes also introduced on television.
Directed by Nia DaCosta
With Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
US theatrical release:
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An adult-oriented multiverse crossover; its story draws on films outside the MCU.
Directed by Shawn Levy
With Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
US theatrical release:
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A new Captain America era with background also established on television.
Directed by Julius Onah
With Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez
US theatrical release:
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An ensemble of returning characters from several earlier stories.
Directed by Jake Schreier
With Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
US theatrical release:
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A retro-futurist alternate Earth, kept separate from the main timeline.
Directed by Matt Shakman
With Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
US theatrical release:
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The next solo MCU Spider-Man chapter after No Way Home.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
With Tom Holland, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo
US theatrical release:
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Editorial review: . Released theatrical features only; television, shorts, direct-to-video titles, and unreleased films are excluded. Story order follows each whole film’s main narrative. This guide is not a content rating or age recommendation.
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