Watch Order: The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
The other day, a friend told me that she had watched the four Avengers movies, but none of the other MCU movies. While I was internally shocked and appalled, I didn't want to be one of those superfans that turns people away from the franchise for "not having fun the right way." That wouldn't help anyone. And, to my friend's credit, it's an easy mistake to make: while the Avengers movies technically are not numbered, googling "what is Avengers 2" will bring up Avengers: Age of Ultron. And the same is true of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Over the past few weeks and the upcoming summer, my fiancée and I have been introducing her younger sister to the MCU. So I've been thinking a lot about the best order to show her all of the movies. Now, she's in it for the long haul, but there are plenty of would-be fans who don't want to dedicate themselves to watching 22 movies (26 by the end of this year), let alone all the TV shows across Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. So for someone who only wants to wet their toes, or is only really interested in the four Avengers movies, how should they approach the franchise?
Plenty of other people have made lists like these, but I want to throw my own two cents in. First, I'll offer a severely abbreviated list of the MCU movies for people that don't want to commit to a massive undertaking. Then I'll list out the movies in (mostly) chronological order, with a couple exceptions, for people that haven't seen the MCU before and want to go for the long haul. Finally, I'll discuss the TV shows and how or whether they should be added to the list of movies.
Over the past few weeks and the upcoming summer, my fiancée and I have been introducing her younger sister to the MCU. So I've been thinking a lot about the best order to show her all of the movies. Now, she's in it for the long haul, but there are plenty of would-be fans who don't want to dedicate themselves to watching 22 movies (26 by the end of this year), let alone all the TV shows across Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. So for someone who only wants to wet their toes, or is only really interested in the four Avengers movies, how should they approach the franchise?
Plenty of other people have made lists like these, but I want to throw my own two cents in. First, I'll offer a severely abbreviated list of the MCU movies for people that don't want to commit to a massive undertaking. Then I'll list out the movies in (mostly) chronological order, with a couple exceptions, for people that haven't seen the MCU before and want to go for the long haul. Finally, I'll discuss the TV shows and how or whether they should be added to the list of movies.
MCU Lite
The Avengers (2012). Start with the first major team-up movie. It does a good job of introducing six super-heroes and setting up their interpersonal dynamics for future movies. And it's very entertaining as a stand-alone.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). The sequel to The Avengers doesn't strictly require any of the knowledge presented in the three movies that take place between the first two Avengers movies.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). This movie is completely unrelated to either of the prior Avengers films, but introduces a lovable cast of interstellar scoundrels that show up in Infinity War.
Captain America: Civil War (2016). Lots and lots of movies take place between Age of Ultron and Infinity War, but you'll get most of the truly necessary background information from this film.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018). The first of a two-part epic conclusion to the MCU's first four phases, Infinity War is a culmination of all of the other movies you have (or haven't) seen so far.
Avengers: Endgame (2019). Endgame lives up to Infinity War and does justice to all the films building up to this moment.
After watching these 6 movies, if you're hooked, then go back and watch the full series in order.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). The sequel to The Avengers doesn't strictly require any of the knowledge presented in the three movies that take place between the first two Avengers movies.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). This movie is completely unrelated to either of the prior Avengers films, but introduces a lovable cast of interstellar scoundrels that show up in Infinity War.
Captain America: Civil War (2016). Lots and lots of movies take place between Age of Ultron and Infinity War, but you'll get most of the truly necessary background information from this film.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018). The first of a two-part epic conclusion to the MCU's first four phases, Infinity War is a culmination of all of the other movies you have (or haven't) seen so far.
Avengers: Endgame (2019). Endgame lives up to Infinity War and does justice to all the films building up to this moment.
After watching these 6 movies, if you're hooked, then go back and watch the full series in order.
MCU Movies in (Mostly) Chronological Order
As more and more MCU movies (and TV shows!) come out, I will add them to this list.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Set in the the early 1940s at the height of WWII, this film is a great place to start the superhero journey with one of the most morally upright characters in all fiction.
Iron Man (2008). In the early 2000s, billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark (the son of one of Captain America's friends) creates military-grade weapons that get into the wrong hands.
Iron Man 2 (2010). Shortly after the events of Iron Man, this film delivers a very typical, disappointing sequel. It's bigger, and badder, and more. It's entertaining enough, but you can skip it without missing anything important.
Thor (2011). Thor's debut film is action-packed, meaningful, and brilliantly comedic. It is also cosmically significant for the MCU.
The Avengers (2012). The first team-up film in the franchise is in all regards excellent!
Iron Man 3 (2013). I've found that this film is divisive among fans. Personally, I really enjoyed it, and I might even go so far as calling it the best of the Iron Man movies. But I know plenty of people who feel differently. It's worth watching even if it's not your favorite.
Thor: The Dark World (2013). While this isn't Marvel's strongest movie, Thor: The Dark World is still an entertaining film full of Thor's brazen antics and Loki's mischievous shenanigans.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Captain America's second movie is politically astute, action-packed, and full of surprises that have major ramifications for both Cap and the MCU as a whole.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Technically, Guardians of the Galaxy was released first and is first in the chronology, but I'd recommend watching Age of Ultron before deviating from the Avengers crew. While it's my least-favorite of the four Avengers movies, it has a few incredible moments and mostly lives up to the first Avengers film.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Now that you've seen all of the movies up through Avengers: Age of Ultron, it's time to buckle up and dive into the numerous unrelated stories that will eventually converge in Infinity War. Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun, light-hearted, comedic space opera following a cast of new and lovable characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017). Another well-written sequel; comedic as the first, and deeply soulful in some moments, this film deepens the personalities and relationships established in the first movie.
Ant-Man (2015). A wonderful stand-alone superhero movie that can be watched and enjoyed without knowing anything else about the MCU, Ant-Man introduces a new hero to the scene. The "science" presented in this film is laughably unscientific, though.
Captain America: Civil War (2016). There are a few questionable plot elements in this film, and at times it feels like the writers shoehorned a few scenes in where they didn't quite feel natural, but even so this is one of my favorite additions to the MCU. With enough heroes that many people consider this movie to essentially be "Avengers 3", Civil War shows the parallel responses of Iron Man and Captain America to the political fallout of the events in Age of Ultron and The Winter Soldier... and what happens when those responses diverge and clash.
Black Widow (2021). Immediately following the events of Civil War, Black Widow faces the good and bad of her childhood and takes on a ruthless shadow dictator. [DO NOT WATCH THE END CREDIT SCENE UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN AVENGERS: ENDGAME]
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). The newest member of the heroic cast of the MCU gets a stand-alone film after his brief experience with Tony Stark in Civil War.
Doctor Strange (2016). An arrogant neurosurgeon turned occult sorcerer, Dr. Steven Strange struggles to find his place in a world that is suddenly much bigger than he first thought.
Black Panther (2018). The new King of Wakanda, T'Challa lost his father to a bombing in the events of Civil War. Now, he must maintain his birthright while trying to define Wakanda's place in the modern world.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Personally my least favorite of the Thor movies, it is nonetheless heralded by many fans as the best of the Thor series so far. Thor travels to another planet, where a dictator hosts gladiatorial arena fights. Thor must figure out how to get off of the planet and return to Asgard, where his sister Hela has taken over.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Finally, the big moment is here. All of the heroes have been introduced. Anticipation has built over Thanos's arrival. Now, it's time for the entire cast of the MCU to face off against their greatest threat.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Chronologically, the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp take place prior to Infinity War, but it was theatrically released after Infinity War and is best watched after. It offers a lighthearted adventure after the heavy events of the third Avengers movie.
Captain Marvel (2019). Captain Marvel is a flashback to the mid-90s, where we follow an Air Force pilot who was abducted by aliens and subsequently gets involved in a conspiracy with Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.
Avengers: Endgame (2019). The fourth (and, so far, the final) installment of the Avengers saga resolves the shocking events of Infinity War. If you must, you can skip Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel to jump straight to Endgame after watching Infinity War.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Far From Home is a great introduction to the MCU's new post-Endgame phase. Peter Parker grieves the loss of significant mentors and tries to find his place in the world. This film hints that a multiverse might exist, which could have major implications in upcoming releases.
WandaVision (2021). Wanda and Vision live in a sort of alternate reality modeled after 1950s-70s sitcoms, as a metaphor for grief.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson struggle to make sense of the new world they live in after the dramatic, universe-altering events of Avengers: Endgame.
Loki (2021-). Loki, Thor's half-brother and the god of mischief, is arrested for violating the sacred Timeline by doing things that he was not preordained to do. He subsequently goes on a mind-bending adventure through time and space, meeting himself from other timelines.
What If...? (2021-). A delightful 8-episode animated show that explores some of the previous MCU movies, but with small changes that create drastically different stories.
The Eternals (2021). A group of immortal superheroes that have been around since the times of ancient Mesopotamia go on a dull and meandering adventure.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). When Peter's actions jeopardize his high school friends' academic futures, he seeks out Doctor Strange to cast a spell that will fix things. It... doesn't. Instead, multiversal rifts bring old enemies of Spider-Man to the MCU from other universes.
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022). Summary forthcoming.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Set in the the early 1940s at the height of WWII, this film is a great place to start the superhero journey with one of the most morally upright characters in all fiction.
Iron Man (2008). In the early 2000s, billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark (the son of one of Captain America's friends) creates military-grade weapons that get into the wrong hands.
Iron Man 2 (2010). Shortly after the events of Iron Man, this film delivers a very typical, disappointing sequel. It's bigger, and badder, and more. It's entertaining enough, but you can skip it without missing anything important.
Thor (2011). Thor's debut film is action-packed, meaningful, and brilliantly comedic. It is also cosmically significant for the MCU.
The Avengers (2012). The first team-up film in the franchise is in all regards excellent!
Iron Man 3 (2013). I've found that this film is divisive among fans. Personally, I really enjoyed it, and I might even go so far as calling it the best of the Iron Man movies. But I know plenty of people who feel differently. It's worth watching even if it's not your favorite.
Thor: The Dark World (2013). While this isn't Marvel's strongest movie, Thor: The Dark World is still an entertaining film full of Thor's brazen antics and Loki's mischievous shenanigans.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Captain America's second movie is politically astute, action-packed, and full of surprises that have major ramifications for both Cap and the MCU as a whole.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Technically, Guardians of the Galaxy was released first and is first in the chronology, but I'd recommend watching Age of Ultron before deviating from the Avengers crew. While it's my least-favorite of the four Avengers movies, it has a few incredible moments and mostly lives up to the first Avengers film.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Now that you've seen all of the movies up through Avengers: Age of Ultron, it's time to buckle up and dive into the numerous unrelated stories that will eventually converge in Infinity War. Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun, light-hearted, comedic space opera following a cast of new and lovable characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017). Another well-written sequel; comedic as the first, and deeply soulful in some moments, this film deepens the personalities and relationships established in the first movie.
Ant-Man (2015). A wonderful stand-alone superhero movie that can be watched and enjoyed without knowing anything else about the MCU, Ant-Man introduces a new hero to the scene. The "science" presented in this film is laughably unscientific, though.
Captain America: Civil War (2016). There are a few questionable plot elements in this film, and at times it feels like the writers shoehorned a few scenes in where they didn't quite feel natural, but even so this is one of my favorite additions to the MCU. With enough heroes that many people consider this movie to essentially be "Avengers 3", Civil War shows the parallel responses of Iron Man and Captain America to the political fallout of the events in Age of Ultron and The Winter Soldier... and what happens when those responses diverge and clash.
Black Widow (2021). Immediately following the events of Civil War, Black Widow faces the good and bad of her childhood and takes on a ruthless shadow dictator. [DO NOT WATCH THE END CREDIT SCENE UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN AVENGERS: ENDGAME]
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). The newest member of the heroic cast of the MCU gets a stand-alone film after his brief experience with Tony Stark in Civil War.
Doctor Strange (2016). An arrogant neurosurgeon turned occult sorcerer, Dr. Steven Strange struggles to find his place in a world that is suddenly much bigger than he first thought.
Black Panther (2018). The new King of Wakanda, T'Challa lost his father to a bombing in the events of Civil War. Now, he must maintain his birthright while trying to define Wakanda's place in the modern world.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Personally my least favorite of the Thor movies, it is nonetheless heralded by many fans as the best of the Thor series so far. Thor travels to another planet, where a dictator hosts gladiatorial arena fights. Thor must figure out how to get off of the planet and return to Asgard, where his sister Hela has taken over.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Finally, the big moment is here. All of the heroes have been introduced. Anticipation has built over Thanos's arrival. Now, it's time for the entire cast of the MCU to face off against their greatest threat.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Chronologically, the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp take place prior to Infinity War, but it was theatrically released after Infinity War and is best watched after. It offers a lighthearted adventure after the heavy events of the third Avengers movie.
Captain Marvel (2019). Captain Marvel is a flashback to the mid-90s, where we follow an Air Force pilot who was abducted by aliens and subsequently gets involved in a conspiracy with Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.
Avengers: Endgame (2019). The fourth (and, so far, the final) installment of the Avengers saga resolves the shocking events of Infinity War. If you must, you can skip Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel to jump straight to Endgame after watching Infinity War.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Far From Home is a great introduction to the MCU's new post-Endgame phase. Peter Parker grieves the loss of significant mentors and tries to find his place in the world. This film hints that a multiverse might exist, which could have major implications in upcoming releases.
WandaVision (2021). Wanda and Vision live in a sort of alternate reality modeled after 1950s-70s sitcoms, as a metaphor for grief.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson struggle to make sense of the new world they live in after the dramatic, universe-altering events of Avengers: Endgame.
Loki (2021-). Loki, Thor's half-brother and the god of mischief, is arrested for violating the sacred Timeline by doing things that he was not preordained to do. He subsequently goes on a mind-bending adventure through time and space, meeting himself from other timelines.
What If...? (2021-). A delightful 8-episode animated show that explores some of the previous MCU movies, but with small changes that create drastically different stories.
The Eternals (2021). A group of immortal superheroes that have been around since the times of ancient Mesopotamia go on a dull and meandering adventure.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). When Peter's actions jeopardize his high school friends' academic futures, he seeks out Doctor Strange to cast a spell that will fix things. It... doesn't. Instead, multiversal rifts bring old enemies of Spider-Man to the MCU from other universes.
Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022). Summary forthcoming.
Marvel TV (non-MCU)
There are some really fantastic Marvel TV shows out there. Prior to the creation of Disney+, these shows were mostly detached from the MCU. There might be subtle mentions of events in the movies (such as a framed newspaper clipping detailing the Battle of New York from The Avengers in the background of Karen Page's office), but for the most part you can watch and enjoy these shows without any knowledge of the movies.
The Immortals (1 season). A special breed of superheroes were feared by mankind, so now they live on the moon. There's an adorable space-dog named Lockjaw, and a great villainous performance from Iwan Rheon, but otherwise this 1-season TV show was mediocre.
Runaways (3 seasons). Former friends, a handful of high schoolers hailing from different cliques are reunited against their will through a variety of circumstances. They stumble upon their parents performing a human sacrifice. Both the teens and the parents have some varying degrees of low-grade superpowers, but the show really shines in its interpersonal dynamics. There are also cameos from the titular superpowered duo of the Cloak and Dagger series.
Cloak and Dagger (2 seasons). I haven't actually seen this show yet, so I'll refrain from speculation.
Agents of Shield (7 seasons). While all 7 seasons of this show are entertaining, I think that seasons 1, 2, and 4 are the only really good ones. The cast is enjoyable and they have good synergy. This series does deal more directly with some of the events of the MCU, so I'd recommend watching it after you've seen Avengers and The Winter Soldier.
The Defenders Series (13 seasons total across 6 interrelated shows)
You don't need to watch the MCU to appreciate the Defenders series. It is rated TV-MA, so it's a lot grittier, darker, and more profane than the PG-13 MCU franchise. While many critics and fans will disparage all of the shows except for Daredevil and The Punisher, I personally think that they're all well-written and enjoyable. Here's the order I would recommend watching them:
Daredevil (season 1)
Jessica Jones (season 1)
Daredevil (season 2)
Luke Cage (season 1)
Iron Fist (season 1)
The Defenders (limited series)
The Punisher (season 1)
Jessica Jones (season 2)
Luke Cage (season 2)
Iron Fist (season 2)
The Punisher (season 2)
Jessica Jones (season 3)
Daredevil (season 3) - Others would say to watch this season between seasons 2 of Iron Fist and The Punisher, but season 3 of Daredevil is so incredibly, stupendously, ridiculously amazing that if you're going to watch all 13 seasons of these shows, then do yourself a favor and save the best for last. It won't affect your enjoyment of The Punisher or Jessica Jones.
The Immortals (1 season). A special breed of superheroes were feared by mankind, so now they live on the moon. There's an adorable space-dog named Lockjaw, and a great villainous performance from Iwan Rheon, but otherwise this 1-season TV show was mediocre.
Runaways (3 seasons). Former friends, a handful of high schoolers hailing from different cliques are reunited against their will through a variety of circumstances. They stumble upon their parents performing a human sacrifice. Both the teens and the parents have some varying degrees of low-grade superpowers, but the show really shines in its interpersonal dynamics. There are also cameos from the titular superpowered duo of the Cloak and Dagger series.
Cloak and Dagger (2 seasons). I haven't actually seen this show yet, so I'll refrain from speculation.
Agents of Shield (7 seasons). While all 7 seasons of this show are entertaining, I think that seasons 1, 2, and 4 are the only really good ones. The cast is enjoyable and they have good synergy. This series does deal more directly with some of the events of the MCU, so I'd recommend watching it after you've seen Avengers and The Winter Soldier.
The Defenders Series (13 seasons total across 6 interrelated shows)
You don't need to watch the MCU to appreciate the Defenders series. It is rated TV-MA, so it's a lot grittier, darker, and more profane than the PG-13 MCU franchise. While many critics and fans will disparage all of the shows except for Daredevil and The Punisher, I personally think that they're all well-written and enjoyable. Here's the order I would recommend watching them:
Daredevil (season 1)
Jessica Jones (season 1)
Daredevil (season 2)
Luke Cage (season 1)
Iron Fist (season 1)
The Defenders (limited series)
The Punisher (season 1)
Jessica Jones (season 2)
Luke Cage (season 2)
Iron Fist (season 2)
The Punisher (season 2)
Jessica Jones (season 3)
Daredevil (season 3) - Others would say to watch this season between seasons 2 of Iron Fist and The Punisher, but season 3 of Daredevil is so incredibly, stupendously, ridiculously amazing that if you're going to watch all 13 seasons of these shows, then do yourself a favor and save the best for last. It won't affect your enjoyment of The Punisher or Jessica Jones.
