Marvel Movies in Order: Release Order and Chronological Order

The Marvel movies in release order begin with Iron Man (2008) and run through 38 theatrical films to Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), with Avengers: Doomsday scheduled for December 18, 2026. Release order is simply the order the studio put the films in front of audiences, so every cameo, team up and surprise lands the way it was designed to, and it is also the easiest list to remember. US theatrical release dates apply throughout, and UK and Australian openings can differ by days or even weeks (Thor (2011) opened in Australia on April 21, 2011, against May 6 in the US, and Ant-Man and the Wasp reached UK theaters on August 2, 2018, against July 6 in the US). The four Spider-Man films sit at their release slot, and each has its full write up in the Spider-Man films section. The Marvel movies hub covers the wider series.

The Infinity Saga covers Phases 1 to 3 and the Multiverse Saga covers Phases 4 to 6, so the release order is split that way.

Phase 1 (Infinity Saga)

1. Iron Man (2008), directed by Jon Favreau, released May 2, 2008. Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries, is captured by the Ten Rings and builds a crude armored suit to escape.
2. The Incredible Hulk (2008), directed by Louis Leterrier, released June 13, 2008. Bruce Banner hides in Rio de Janeiro while General Ross sends a special forces team after him.
3. Iron Man 2 (2010), directed by Jon Favreau, released May 7, 2010. Tony faces government pressure to hand over his technology, and Ivan Vanko attacks him at the Monaco Grand Prix.
4. Thor (2011), directed by Kenneth Branagh, released May 6, 2011. Odin strips his proud heir of his powers and sends him to Earth, and only someone worthy can lift Mjolnir.
5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), directed by Joe Johnston, released July 22, 2011. In 1942, the small and sickly Steve Rogers is picked for a secret super soldier program.
6. The Avengers (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, released May 4, 2012. Loki takes the Tesseract, and Nick Fury revives his plan to bring together a team of extraordinary people.

Phase 2 (Infinity Saga)

1. Iron Man 3 (2013), directed by Shane Black, released May 3, 2013. A sleepless Tony Stark publicly challenges a terrorist called the Mandarin.
2. Thor: The Dark World (2013), directed by Alan Taylor, released November 8, 2013. The Dark Elf Malekith goes after the Aether, a weapon that has taken hold of Jane Foster.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, released April 4, 2014. Steve Rogers works for S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington, D.C., and grows uneasy about Project Insight.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), directed by James Gunn, released August 1, 2014. Peter Quill steals a mysterious orb, and a band of misfits ends up in the Kyln prison.
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), directed by Joss Whedon, released May 1, 2015. The Avengers raid a Hydra base in Sokovia and recover Loki's scepter, then Tony Stark and Bruce Banner secretly try to use the AI inside it, and the experiment goes wrong.
6. Ant-Man (2015), directed by Peyton Reed, released July 17, 2015. Scott Lang, a thief fresh out of prison, is recruited by Hank Pym to wear a shrinking suit.

Phase 3 (Infinity Saga)

1. Captain America: Civil War (2016), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, released May 6, 2016. A bombing in Vienna pushes governments to demand oversight of the Avengers, and the team splits.
2. Doctor Strange (2016), directed by Scott Derrickson, released November 4, 2016. A neurosurgeon with ruined hands travels to Kathmandu and finds Kamar-Taj.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), directed by James Gunn, released May 5, 2017. A mysterious figure called Ego says he is Peter Quill's father.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), directed by Jon Watts, released July 7, 2017. Covered on Spider-Man: Homecoming in our Spider-Man section.
5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017), directed by Taika Waititi, released November 3, 2017. Thor is held prisoner by the fire demon Surtur, who says Asgard will fall.
6. Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler, released February 16, 2018. T'Challa returns to the hidden nation of Wakanda to be crowned king.
7. Avengers: Infinity War (2018), directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, released April 27, 2018. Thanos hunts the six Infinity Stones.
8. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), directed by Peyton Reed, released July 6, 2018. Scott Lang is on house arrest while Hope and Hank Pym build a tunnel into the Quantum Realm.
9. Captain Marvel (2019), directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, released March 8, 2019. In 1995, Vers serves on the Kree military team Starforce with no memory of her past.
10. Avengers: Endgame (2019), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, released April 26, 2019. The Infinity Saga finale, running 181 minutes.
11. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), directed by Jon Watts, released July 2, 2019. Covered on Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Phase 4 (Multiverse Saga)

1. Black Widow (2021), directed by Cate Shortland, released July 9, 2021. Natasha Romanoff is on the run after breaking the Sokovia Accords and learns the Red Room may still be active.
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, released September 3, 2021. A San Francisco valet driver is forced to reveal his past as the son of the warlord Wenwu.
3. Eternals (2021), directed by Chloé Zhao, released November 5, 2021. Ten immortal beings sent to Earth by Arishem reunite after thousands of years.
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), directed by Jon Watts, released December 17, 2021. Covered on Spider-Man: No Way Home.
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), directed by Sam Raimi, released May 6, 2022. A young girl named America Chavez, who can open doorways between universes, is hunted by a demon.
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), directed by Taika Waititi, released July 8, 2022. Gorr, a grieving father, takes up a sword that kills gods, while Jane Foster becomes the Mighty Thor.

Context line: Werewolf by Night, directed by Michael Giacchino, arrived on Disney+ on October 7, 2022 as Marvel's first Special Presentation. It is a 55 minute special, so it has no film page, and it sits between Thor: Love and Thunder and the next film.

1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), directed by Ryan Coogler, released November 11, 2022. Wakanda is under pressure from other nations after King T'Challa's death, and Namor warns of an attack.

Context line: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, written and directed by James Gunn, reached Disney+ on November 25, 2022. It is a 45 minute special with no film page of its own.

Phase 5 (Multiverse Saga)

1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), directed by Peyton Reed, released February 17, 2023. The Lang and Pym families are dragged into the Quantum Realm.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed by James Gunn, released May 5, 2023. Rocket is gravely wounded, and his memories show how he was made.
3. The Marvels (2023), directed by Nia DaCosta, released November 10, 2023. Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan trade places whenever their powers are used together.
4. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), directed by Shawn Levy, released July 26, 2024. The Time Variance Authority recruits Wade Wilson, and the film carries an R rating in the US.
5. Captain America: Brave New World (2025), directed by Julius Onah, released February 14, 2025. Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, is drawn into an international crisis around President Ross.
6. Thunderbolts* (2025), directed by Jake Schreier, released May 2, 2025. Yelena Belova and a group of government assassins find themselves in what looks like a trap.

Phase 6 (Multiverse Saga)

1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), directed by Matt Shakman, released July 25, 2025. It takes place on Earth-828, an alternate reality with a retro futuristic 1960s look.
2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, released July 31, 2026. Covered on Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Next in release order is Avengers: Doomsday, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, which Disney lists for theaters on December 18, 2026. It was originally set for May 1, 2026 before Variety reported the move on May 23, 2025, and TheWrap reported that Avengers: Secret Wars moved at the same time, to December 17, 2027. Trailers and release updates for the film are at Avengers: Doomsday trailer.

In my opinion, the best place to start is Iron Man (2008) in release order, because that is the order the studio built the Infinity Saga to be seen in. It could be argued that a newcomer gains nothing from beginning with Captain America: The First Avenger, since the best surprises in the first six films, such as the Tesseract and Nick Fury assembling a team, land harder when you meet them in the order the audience did. Think of it like a television drama: you can watch the flashback episodes first, but you lose the reveal the writers planned.

Which order should you pick? For a first watch, release order. For a rewatch, chronological order is a good change of pace, since it reframes how the saga fits together and puts Captain Marvel (2019) ahead of Iron Man (2008). If you only have time for part of the run, release order still works better, because each film assumes you saw the ones before it. And, if you are tracking the series spin-offs, the Marvel timeline covers the Disney+ shows, which fall outside a list of theatrical films, so the question of which Marvel series to watch, and in what order, is answered there.

How should you catch up before Avengers: Doomsday? Disney's official announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, confirms a very large ensemble, and the cast list points to the films that matter most. This shortcut is my opinion, not an official Marvel guide. Disney has not published character names for most of the cast, so I am following the actors, not guessing their roles.

• Robert Downey Jr. is announced as Victor von Doom, so Iron Man (2008) and The Avengers (2012) are where his Tony Stark run begins.
• Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie all appear in the cast, so Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: Brave New World cover their history.
• Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth return, so Thor: Ragnarok is a sensible stop.
• Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Tenoch Huerta Mejia feature in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
• Simu Liu headlines Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
• Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman are all in Thunderbolts*.
• Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn star in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set on Earth-828.
• Patrick Stewart appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Channing Tatum plays Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine.

That being said, nobody can say how much of this will matter on screen until Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, 2026, and TheWrap reports that Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027. If you are short on time, I would keep Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in the plan, because they close the Infinity Saga that the Multiverse Saga builds on. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the newest film in the list, and it is not yet on Disney+ in the US, where it is available to rent or buy. Current streaming services by country are in where to watch Marvel, and the next film's cast and status are at Avengers: Doomsday.