If you’re going to watch the Marvel movies, you should watch them in chronological order (that is, in the order that the events in the story unfold) or in release order.
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Where to watch Marvel movies
Most of the movies of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)) are available for streaming on Disney+; some are in amazon Prime and channel websites cable as FX.
If you don’t have one of those accounts, or a cable subscription, you can rent just about every movie on Marvel on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and other online movie rental services.
This article only covers theatrical releases of the MCU that are connected to the overall story of the Avengers, starting with Iron Man. Marvel movies prior to the MCU, such as Spider-Man (either the Toby McGuire version or the Andrew Garfield version) are not included, and neither are the Spider-Man spinoffs that don’t intersect with the MCU, like Venom.
How to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order
Do you want to see the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the order in which the story unfolds in the world of the characters? So this is the order you should follow.
| Film | Chronology | where to look | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain America the First Avenger | Takes place in the 1940s | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX | |
| captain marvel | takes place in 1995 | Disney+ | |
| Iron Man | takes place in 2010 | Disney+ | |
| iron man 2 | Unspecified time, but before the Avengers. | Amazon-Prime Disney+ | |
| The incredible Hulk | Unspecified time, but before the Avengers. | Amazon-Prime Voodoo | |
| Thor | It takes place 6 months before the Avengers. | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX | |
| the Avengers | takes place in 2012 | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX | |
| iron Man 3 | It takes place 6 months after Avengers. | Disney+ | |
| Thor: The Dark World | It takes place after Avengers, but before Age of Ultron. | Disney+ | |
| Captain America: Winter Soldier | It takes place after Avengers, but before Age of Ultron. | Disney+ | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | takes place in 2014 | Disney+ | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | It takes place after vol. 1 | Disney+ | |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | takes place in 2015 | Disney+ | |
| Ant Man | takes place in 2015 | Disney+ | |
| Captain America: Civil War | It takes place after Age of Ultron, but before Infinity War. | Disney+ TBS TNT | |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | Takes place after the Civil War | Amazon-Prime | |
| doctor strange | takes place in 2016 | Disney+ | |
| Black Panther | takes place in 2017 | Disney+ TBS TNT | |
| Thor: Ragnarök | It takes place after Age of Ultron, but before Infinity War. | Disney+ | |
| Avengers: Infinity War | takes place in 2017 | Disney+ TBS TNT | |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | It takes place before Endgame | Disney+ | |
| avengers endgame | Takes place in 2017 and 2022 | Disney+ | |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | It takes place after Endgame | Starz |
How to watch Marvel movies in order of release
Do you prefer to watch Marvel movies in release order, like those of us who went to the movies to see them? So this is the order you should follow.
MARVEL FILMS PHASE 1
| Film | Release date | where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | May 2008 | Disney+ |
| The incredible Hulk | June 2008 | not available |
| iron man 2 | May 2010 | Amazon-Prime Disney+ |
| Thor | May 2011 | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX |
| Captain America the First Avenger | July 2011 | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX |
| the Avengers | May 2012 | Amazon-Prime Disney+ EPIX |
MARVEL FILMS PHASE 2
| Film | Release date | where to look |
|---|---|---|
| iron Man 3 | May 2013 | Disney+ |
| Thor: The Dark World | November of 2013 | Disney+ |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | April 2014 | Disney+ |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | August 2014 | Disney+ fx |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | May 2015 | Disney+ |
| Ant Man | July 2015 | Disney+ |
MARVEL FILMS PHASE 3
| Film | Release date | where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Captain America: Civil War | May 2016 | Disney+ TBS TNT |
| doctor strange | November 2016 | Disney+ |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | May 2017 | Disney+ |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | July 2017 | fx |
| Thor: Ragnarök | November 2017 | Disney+ |
| Black Panther | February 2018 | Disney+ TBS TNT |
| Avengers: Infinity War | April 2018 | Disney+ TBS TNT |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | July 2018 | Disney+ |
| captain marvel | March 2019 | Disney+ |
| avengers endgame | April 2019 | Disney+ |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | July 2019 | Starz |
MARVEL FILMS PHASE 4
The next Marvel movie series, Phase 4, will expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in many ways. These titles are not yet available for streaming because they have not yet been released in theaters. COVID-19 may delay the release dates listed here.
| Film | Release date | where to look |
|---|---|---|
| black widow | November 2020 | not yet published |
| the eternals | February 2021 | not yet published |
| Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings | May 2021 | not yet published |
| Untitled Spider-Man movie | December 2021 | not yet published |
| Thor: love and thunder | February 2022 | not yet published |
| Doctor strange in the multiverse of madness | March 2022 | not yet published |
MARVEL MOVIES BEYOND PHASE 4
Marvel’s set of movies beyond Phase 4 is a bit confusing at the moment. There are only basic names and rough release dates, so a lot of this can change (especially due to COVID-19). We’ll update this as Marvel confirms more details.
| Film | Release date | where to look |
|---|---|---|
| black panther 2 | May 2022 | not yet published |
| Captain Marvel 2 | July 2022 | not yet published |
| Untitled Marvel movie | 2022 | not yet published |
| Sword | TBD | not yet published |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | TBD | not yet published |
| Untitled Fantastic Four movie | TBD | not yet published |
