Marvel Timeline: The MCU Movies in Story Order

The Marvel timeline starts in 1942 with Captain America: The First Avenger and then jumps to 1995 for Captain Marvel (2019), so the two earliest stories were released in 2011 and 2019, long after the film that began the franchise.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), directed by Joe Johnston, is film one in story order. In 1942, Hydra leader Johann Schmidt takes the Tesseract from a church in occupied Norway, while frail Steve Rogers keeps being turned away by the Army until Dr. Erskine picks him for the super soldier program. Rogers goes on to lead the Howling Commandos against Hydra bases and crashes a giant bomber into the Arctic so it cannot reach American cities. He wakes in modern Times Square, where Nick Fury tells him he has been frozen for almost 70 years. His wartime partner Peggy Carter is part of that story too, and the Disney+ series Agent Carter is a mention only on this timeline.

Captain Marvel (2019), directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, is film two and is set in 1995. Vers, a member of the Kree team Starforce, has no memory of her past and crash lands in Los Angeles, where Fury and Phil Coulson are investigating. The story reveals that she is Carol Danvers, a human pilot presumed dead in 1989, and that the Skrulls are refugees rather than invaders. Fury later names the Avenger initiative after her Air Force call sign. A mid credit scene set in 2018 shows the Avengers watching the pager Fury gave her light up, which ties this early chapter to the later team films.

Films three to seven of the Marvel timeline are Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and The Avengers, which together cover the first heroes and their first team up.

Iron Man (2008), directed by Jon Favreau, is film three. Tony Stark builds an arc reactor and a prototype suit in a cave with Yinsen after the Ten Rings capture him in Afghanistan, then defeats Obadiah Stane and tells the press that he is Iron Man. A post credit scene has Nick Fury waiting in Tony's home to talk about the Avengers Initiative. Iron Man 2 (2010), also directed by Favreau, is film four: Stark's arc reactor is poisoning him, Ivan Vanko attacks him at the Monaco Grand Prix, and Natalie Rushman turns out to be the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff. Its post credit scene shows Coulson finding a huge hammer in a New Mexico crater.

The Incredible Hulk (2008), directed by Louis Leterrier, is film five even though it was released two years before Iron Man 2. Bruce Banner hides in Rio de Janeiro, General Ross hunts him, and Emil Blonsky becomes the Abomination in Harlem. In the closing scene Stark tells Ross that a team is being put together.

Thor (2011), directed by Kenneth Branagh, is film six. Odin banishes Thor to New Mexico, and Thor destroys the Bifrost bridge to stop Loki from wiping out the Frost Giants. The Avengers (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, is film seven: Loki takes the Tesseract, the Chitauri invade New York, and a credits scene shows the Other reporting to his master, Thanos.

After the Battle of New York, the Marvel timeline runs Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the first two swap places compared with release order.

Thor: The Dark World (2013), directed by Alan Taylor, is film eight. Jane Foster is infected by the Aether in London, the Dark Elf Malekith attacks Asgard, and Thor's mother Frigga is killed. The film ends with Loki, believed dead, sitting on Odin's throne. A mid credit scene sends the Aether to the Collector, who says he now wants the other Infinity Stones.

Iron Man 3 (2013), directed by Shane Black, is film nine, although it came out first. Stark is anxious and sleepless after the alien attack on New York, and he keeps building suits while the Mandarin's bombings frighten the public. He ends the film by destroying his armors and having the shrapnel removed from near his heart.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, is film ten and is set two years after the Battle of New York. Rogers learns that Hydra has been growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D., and he discovers that the Winter Soldier is his old friend Bucky Barnes. S.H.I.E.L.D. collapses, and a mid credit scene shows Baron von Strucker studying a glowing scepter and two test subjects with superhuman powers.

Films eleven to fourteen of the Marvel timeline are Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, and the second Guardians film arrives earlier here than it did in theaters.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), directed by James Gunn, is film eleven. Peter Quill is taken from Earth in 1988 and steals an orb on Morag in 2014, and the orb turns out to hold an Infinity Stone. Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot form a team to stop Ronan on Xandar. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), also directed by Gunn, is film twelve. Ego reveals himself as Quill's father, and Yondu gives his life to save Quill.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), directed by Joss Whedon, is film thirteen. Stark and Banner wake an artificial intelligence that becomes Ultron, the Avengers create Vision, and the Sokovian capital is lifted into the air before Stark and Thor shatter it. A mid credit scene shows Thanos putting on a gauntlet and saying he will go after the stones himself.

Ant-Man (2015), directed by Peyton Reed, is film fourteen. Hank Pym recruits the thief Scott Lang to stop Darren Cross and his Yellowjacket suit. A post credit scene shows Rogers and Sam Wilson holding Bucky Barnes in custody, with Wilson saying he knows someone who can help.

From Captain America: Civil War to Avengers: Infinity War, the Marvel timeline covers seven films, and Black Widow, a 2021 release, slots in near the start of the run.

Captain America: Civil War (2016), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, is film fifteen. World leaders demand oversight of the Avengers, the team splits, and Rogers leaves his shield behind. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), directed by Jon Watts, is one of the four Spider-Man films and follows Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in release order. It lives in the Spider-Man films section and is not retold here.

Black Widow (2021), directed by Cate Shortland, is film sixteen and is set in 2016, with Natasha Romanoff on the run after breaking the Sokovia Accords. Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler, is film seventeen. Doctor Strange (2016), directed by Scott Derrickson, is film eighteen, and its mid credit scene has Thor asking Strange to help him search for Odin. Thor: Ragnarok (2017), directed by Taika Waititi, is film nineteen, and Asgard is destroyed while its people survive on a ship.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), directed by Peyton Reed, is film twenty. Its mid credit scene shows Hank, Hope and Janet turning to dust while Scott is in the Quantum Realm, which matches the Blip. Avengers: Infinity War (2018), directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, is film twenty one: Thanos gathers all six stones, and half of all living things turn to dust.

Avengers: Endgame is film 22 on the Marvel timeline, and it is the point where the story jumps five years forward from the Snap.

Avengers: Endgame (2019), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, opens with the surviving Avengers grieving and scattered. Scott Lang returns from the Quantum Realm with a theory about time travel, Stark builds a machine, and the team goes back to collect the stones. Natasha Romanoff gives her life for the Soul Stone, Stark uses the stones to erase Thanos and his army, and he dies from the strain. Rogers returns the stones to their original times, chooses to stay in the past, and later hands his shield to Sam Wilson.

The film closes out the Infinity Saga, the run of Marvel Cinematic Universe stories that builds toward Thanos from Iron Man (2008) onward. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), directed by Jon Watts, follows with Peter Parker still grieving after the Avengers films. A mid credit scene reveals his identity to the public, and a post credit scene shows that Fury and Hill are actually the Skrulls Talos and Soren. Read it on the Spider-Man page.

The Marvel timeline after Avengers: Endgame begins with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals (2021), then reaches the multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and ends this stretch with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is film 23. Shang-Chi faces his father Wenwu, who leads the Ten Rings, and a mid credit scene has Wong introduce him and Katy to Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers. Eternals (2021), directed by Chloé Zhao, is film 24. The immortal Eternals learn that Earth is threatened by the birth of the Celestial Tiamut, and the team is split over what to do.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), directed by Jon Watts, picks up straight from the identity reveal and arrived in theaters after Eternals (2021). Peter asks Doctor Strange for a spell, visitors from other universes arrive, and the world ends up forgetting him. Its details are on the Spider-Man page.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), directed by Sam Raimi, is film 25. America Chavez can open doors between universes, and Wanda Maximoff uses the Darkhold to hunt her. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), directed by Ryan Coogler, is film 26. T'Challa has died, Shuri must lead, and Namor of Talokan threatens Wakanda.

Films 27 to 29 on the Marvel timeline are Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with two Disney+ specials sitting alongside them as context.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), directed by Taika Waititi, is film 27. Gorr takes up the Necrosword to kill gods, Jane Foster becomes the Mighty Thor, and Thor ends up adopting Gorr's daughter Love. Werewolf by Night (2022), directed by Michael Giacchino and released on Disney+ on October 7, 2022, is a standalone special that follows it in release order. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), directed by James Gunn, follows Wakanda Forever. Neither has a film page here.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), directed by Peyton Reed, is film 28. The Lang and Pym family is pulled into the Quantum Realm, where Kang the Conqueror rules. Its mid credit scene shows many Kang variants led by Immortus, and its post credit scene shows Loki and Mobius meeting Victor Timely at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, using footage from the Loki series.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed by James Gunn, is film 29. Rocket's origin under the High Evolutionary drives the story, and Quill steps down so that Rocket can lead a new team.

The latest films on the Marvel timeline are The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic 4: First Steps, which are films 30 to 34, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day released in 2026.

The Marvels (2023), directed by Nia DaCosta, is film 30. Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan swap places whenever their light based powers are used together, and Dar-Benn's use of Quantum Bands leaves Monica stranded in a parallel universe. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), directed by Shawn Levy, is film 31. The Time Variance Authority tells Wade Wilson that his timeline will be erased, and he recruits a Wolverine from another timeline.

Captain America: Brave New World (2025), directed by Julius Onah, is film 32. Sam Wilson works for President Ross, and Ross becomes the Red Hulk. Thunderbolts\* (2025), directed by Jake Schreier, is film 33. Yelena Belova's misfit team faces Bob and his dark alter ego the Void, and Valentina presents the group as the New Avengers. Its post credit scene shows a spacecraft with a Fantastic Four style emblem.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025), directed by Matt Shakman, is film 34 and is set on Earth-828, an alternate reality with a retro futuristic 1960s look. Galactus comes for Earth, and a mid credit scene shows Doctor Doom standing beside Franklin Richards. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is set four years after the spell that made the world forget Peter Parker. It is covered on the Spider-Man page.

Avengers: Doomsday is the next entry after film 34 on the Marvel timeline, and Disney lists it for theaters only on December 18, 2026.

It has no film number yet, because a story order can only be fixed once a film is out. What the released films do is point toward it. The mid credit scene of The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025) jumps four years past the main story and shows a cloaked figure with his mask removed beside Franklin Richards, clearly Doctor Doom. The post credit scene of Thunderbolts* (2025) ends with the Watchtower picking up an unidentified spacecraft marked with a Fantastic Four style emblem. In my opinion, those two scenes are the clearest signs of where the story is heading.

TheWrap reported in May 2025 that the film had slid from an earlier May 2026 slot, and that Avengers: Secret Wars would follow on December 17, 2027. That puts the two films a year apart. For cast news and the sourced rumors table, see Avengers: Doomsday, and for footage see the Avengers: Doomsday trailer page.

In my opinion, the release order is the better first watch and the Marvel timeline in story order is the better second watch, because several surprises only land if you have not seen the earlier chapters.

Here is a concrete example. Nick Fury appears in the final scene of Captain America: The First Avenger and again in Captain Marvel (2019), so by the time Iron Man (2008) ends with Fury waiting in Tony's home, the reveal has already been spent. The story order also changes how the early chapters land, since Rogers wakes up in film one and the Tesseract is already in play before Tony builds his first suit.

The story order swaps several neighbors. Iron Man 3 came out before Thor: The Dark World but sits after it as film nine. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (film 12) comes before Avengers: Age of Ultron (film 13) even though it was released two years later. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (film 26) precedes Thor: Love and Thunder (film 27) although release order ran the other way. Ant-Man and the Wasp (film 20) sits before Avengers: Infinity War, which makes sense because its final beat takes place during the Blip. As such, treat the numbers as a guide rather than a law, and note that The Fantastic 4: First Steps happens on Earth-828, so it is the one film where a number sits uneasily on a single line.

What about the multiverse labels? Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe 616 or 1999999, and which timeline is real? The films name only one universe number on screen, Earth-828. The closest thing to a real timeline is the one the Time Variance Authority protects: in Deadpool & Wolverine, Mr. Paradox says Wade's timeline will be erased because its anchor, Logan, has died. Disney+ series such as Loki and Agent Carter are mentioned but not placed, since the numbering covers theatrical films only.

If you are new to all of this, start with the Marvel movies in order guide, and keep this timeline open for a rewatch. Before December 18, 2026, check Avengers: Doomsday for the latest dates.