MCU Phases: Every Phase, Film and Saga in Order

Phase 3 runs eleven films in release order, from Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016) to Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2, 2019). The order is Captain America: Civil War directed by the Russo brothers, Doctor Strange (2016) directed by Scott Derrickson (November 4, 2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017), Thor: Ragnarok directed by Taika Waititi (November 3, 2017), Black Panther (2018) directed by Ryan Coogler (February 16, 2018), Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018), Captain Marvel (2019) directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (March 8, 2019), Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019) and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

The two Spider-Man entries are covered in the Spider-Man franchise: see Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

This is the Infinity Saga payoff. Civil War splits the Avengers, Infinity War ends with Thanos snapping half of all life away, and Endgame reverses it, with Tony Stark dying after using the stones and Steve Rogers handing his shield to Sam Wilson. Box Office Mojo lists Endgame at about $2.94 billion worldwide, a figure that includes a later re-release. Far From Home then works as an epilogue, closing the saga with Mysterio's fake attack and a mid credits unmasking of Peter Parker.

Phase 4 holds seven films from Black Widow (2021) on July 9, 2021 to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11, 2022. The order is Black Widow (2021) directed by Cate Shortland, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (September 3, 2021), Eternals (2021) directed by Chloé Zhao (November 5, 2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness directed by Sam Raimi (May 6, 2022), Thor: Love and Thunder directed by Taika Waititi (July 8, 2022) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever directed by Ryan Coogler.

The Spider-Man entry is Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which visitors from other universes who know Peter Parker's secret identity arrive in his world.

Two Disney+ specials sit inside the phase as context only: Werewolf by Night (October 7, 2022), directed by Michael Giacchino, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (November 25, 2022). Phase 4 also leans on Disney+ series such as Loki, whose characters Loki and Mobius turn up in the Quantumania credits.

The phase is a reset. Black Widow (2021) is a prequel set before Infinity War, Wakanda Forever deals with the loss of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa, and Multiverse of Madness ends with Wanda Maximoff's story and a mid credits scene where Clea pulls Strange toward the Dark Dimension.

Phase 5 holds six films, from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023) to Thunderbolts* (May 2, 2025), and Thunderbolts* is the last Phase 5 film. The order is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania directed by Peyton Reed, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 directed by James Gunn (May 5, 2023), The Marvels directed by Nia DaCosta (November 10, 2023), Deadpool & Wolverine directed by Shawn Levy (July 26, 2024), Captain America: Brave New World directed by Julius Onah (February 14, 2025) and Thunderbolts* directed by Jake Schreier.

Quantumania introduces Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, and its mid credits scene gathers a crowd of Kang variants led by Immortus. Deadpool & Wolverine brings the Time Variance Authority and the Fox era characters into the story, and Brave New World puts Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the title role and ends with Samuel Sterns warning of threats from other worlds. Thunderbolts* closes the phase with a new team presented to the public as the New Avengers, and a credits scene where the Watchtower detects a spacecraft with a Fantastic Four style emblem.

Phase 6 is the current phase, and two films have been released: The Fantastic 4: First Steps (July 25, 2025) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31, 2026). The Fantastic 4: First Steps, directed by Matt Shakman, is set on Earth-828 and brings Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the screen. Its mid credits scene shows Doctor Doom beside Franklin Richards four years after the main story, which sets him up for Avengers: Doomsday.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is covered at Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Box Office Mojo and The Numbers both put its worldwide gross at about $2.5 billion.

The road ahead has two dates. Disney lists Avengers: Doomsday for December 18, 2026, and TheWrap reported in May 2025 that Avengers: Secret Wars moved to December 17, 2027, so the Multiverse Saga is building toward that second film. Anything else on the Phase 6 slate has not been confirmed by a studio or trade source, so it stays off the list until it is.

In my opinion, the groupings are most useful as a map of tone, and the cleanest split is Phase 3 against everything after it. Phase 3 is the only phase that ends on a story the audience has been following for eleven years, from the post credits scene in Iron Man (2008) to Tony Stark's final snap in Endgame. Phases 4 and 5 spend much of their time setting up a threat, Kang the Conqueror, whom Quantumania leaves apparently destroyed while its mid credits scene gathers many Kang variants, so the later films are the less tidy of the two stretches. It could be argued that this is their main problem, although Doom's appearance in The Fantastic 4: First Steps gives Doomsday a clearer villain than Phase 5 ever had.

The labels also clash with the story order. Black Widow (2021) is a Phase 4 release, yet the Disney+ chronological order puts it at 16, between Civil War and Black Panther, and its ending leads into Infinity War. Captain Marvel is Phase 3 but sits second in chronological order, behind The First Avenger, because it takes place in 1995. The Disney+ order also places Wakanda Forever ahead of Love and Thunder, the reverse of release order, and puts Ant-Man and the Wasp right before Infinity War, even though its mid credits scene happens during the Blip. For first time viewers, release order is the safer choice.

So, if you are new to this, start Phase 1 with Iron Man (2008) and read each phase as a season. Then use the Marvel timeline when you want the Disney+ order.