Marvel Movies in Order: Every MCU Film by Release Date, Story Timeline and Phase

The Marvel Cinematic Universe now has 38 theatrical films, and the 39th, Avengers: Doomsday, arrives in December. This guide lists every MCU movie by release date and phase, then by story timeline, with an exact runtime for each one. If you only want to be ready for Doomsday, skip to the fast track, which gets you there in under 14 hours.

Marvel movies in release order

Marvel Studios groups its films into phases. Phases One to Three make up the Infinity Saga, which ends with Avengers: Endgame. Phases Four to Six form the Multiverse Saga, which Rotten Tomatoes’ MCU guide uses to organize its release list.

US release dates come from each film’s Rotten Tomatoes page. Runtimes are the BBFC’s timings for each film’s first UK cinema classification, rounded to the nearest minute. The BBFC’s home-entertainment timings for most of these films are a few minutes shorter.

Phase One (2008-2012)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
1	Iron Man	May 2, 2008	126
2	The Incredible Hulk	June 13, 2008	112
3	Iron Man 2	May 7, 2010	124
4	Thor	May 6, 2011	114
5	Captain America: The First Avenger	July 22, 2011	124
6	The Avengers	May 4, 2012	143

The Avengers was released in the UK as Avengers Assemble, which is the title on its BBFC page.

Phase Two (2013-2015)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
7	Iron Man 3	May 3, 2013	130
8	Thor: The Dark World	Nov 8, 2013	112
9	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	April 4, 2014	136
10	Guardians of the Galaxy	Aug 1, 2014	121
11	Avengers: Age of Ultron	May 1, 2015	141
12	Ant-Man	July 17, 2015	117

Phase Three (2016-2019)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
13	Captain America: Civil War	May 6, 2016	147
14	Doctor Strange	Nov 4, 2016	115
15	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	May 5, 2017	136
16	Spider-Man: Homecoming	July 7, 2017	133
17	Thor: Ragnarok	Nov 3, 2017	130
18	Black Panther	Feb 16, 2018	134
19	Avengers: Infinity War	April 27, 2018	149
20	Ant-Man and the Wasp	July 6, 2018	118
21	Captain Marvel	March 8, 2019	124
22	Avengers: Endgame	April 26, 2019	181
23	Spider-Man: Far From Home	July 2, 2019	129

Phase Four (2021-2022)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
24	Black Widow	July 9, 2021	134
25	Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	Sept 3, 2021	132
26	Eternals	Nov 5, 2021	156
27	Spider-Man: No Way Home	Dec 17, 2021	148
28	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	May 6, 2022	126
29	Thor: Love and Thunder	July 8, 2022	119
30	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Nov 11, 2022	161

Phase Five (2023-2025)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
31	Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	Feb 17, 2023	124
32	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	May 5, 2023	150
33	The Marvels	Nov 10, 2023	105
34	Deadpool & Wolverine	July 26, 2024	128
35	Captain America: Brave New World	Feb 14, 2025	118
36	Thunderbolts*	May 2, 2025	127

Phase Six (2025-2027)

#	Film	US release	Runtime (min)
37	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	July 25, 2025	114
38	Spider-Man: Brand New Day	July 31, 2026	145
39	Avengers: Doomsday	Scheduled for Dec 18, 2026	Not yet classified
40	Avengers: Secret Wars	Scheduled for Dec 17, 2027	Not yet classified

The two Avengers films have no BBFC running time yet. As of October 30, 2026, the BBFC page for Avengers: Doomsday lists only trailers, so its runtime cell stays blank until the feature is classified.

MCU phase summary: films and hours per phase

This is the table to use if you are planning a marathon one phase at a time. Totals add up the rounded BBFC runtimes above.

Phase	Saga	Films	Total runtime	Longest film
Phase One	Infinity Saga	6	743 min (12 hr 23 min)	The Avengers, 143 min
Phase Two	Infinity Saga	6	757 min (12 hr 37 min)	Age of Ultron, 141 min
Phase Three	Infinity Saga	11	1,496 min (24 hr 56 min)	Endgame, 181 min
Phase Four	Multiverse Saga	7	976 min (16 hr 16 min)	Wakanda Forever, 161 min
Phase Five	Multiverse Saga	6	752 min (12 hr 32 min)	Guardians Vol. 3, 150 min
Phase Six (so far)	Multiverse Saga	2	259 min (4 hr 19 min)	Brand New Day, 145 min
All released films		38	4,983 min (83 hr 3 min)

The Infinity Saga’s 23 films take just under 50 hours. The 15 Multiverse Saga films released so far add about 33 more. Phase Three is the heavy one: its 11 films are four more than any other phase, and it includes the three-hour Endgame.

Marvel movies in chronological (story) order

This order follows where each film’s main story falls in the MCU timeline, based on the chronological list in the Rotten Tomatoes MCU guide published October 14, 2026. That full list runs to 82 entries because it mixes in series, shorts and specials. Here it is cut down to the 38 films. Light spoilers follow for setups, not endings.

#	Film	Released	Runtime (min)	Why it goes here
1	Captain America: The First Avenger	2011	124	Set during World War II
2	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	2025	114	Retro-futuristic world modeled on the 1960s (see below)
3	Captain Marvel	2019	124	Set on Earth in 1995, with Nick Fury
4	Iron Man	2008	126	Tony Stark builds his first armored suit
5	Iron Man 2	2010	124	The world now knows Tony is Iron Man
6	The Incredible Hulk	2008	112	Bruce Banner on the run from Gen. Ross
7	Thor	2011	114	Odin banishes Thor to Earth
8	The Avengers	2012	143	Nick Fury assembles a team to stop Loki
9	Thor: The Dark World	2013	112	Jane Foster finds the Aether
10	Iron Man 3	2013	130	Tony struggles after saving New York
11	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	2014	136	Steve adjusts to modern times after New York
12	Guardians of the Galaxy	2014	121	Peter Quill steals an orb Ronan wants
13	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	2017	136	The Guardians on the run from the Sovereign
14	Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015	141	Tony’s peacekeeping program goes wrong
15	Ant-Man	2015	117	Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man
16	Captain America: Civil War	2016	147	The Avengers split over oversight
17	Black Widow	2021	134	Natasha confronts her past as a spy
18	Black Panther	2018	134	T’Challa returns home to become king
19	Spider-Man: Homecoming	2017	133	Peter returns home after his time with the Avengers
20	Doctor Strange	2016	115	Stephen Strange’s origin
21	Thor: Ragnarok	2017	130	Thor, the Hulk and Hela
22	Ant-Man and the Wasp	2018	118	Scott back in the suit beside the Wasp
23	Avengers: Infinity War	2018	149	Thanos collects the Infinity Stones
24	Avengers: Endgame	2019	181	The surviving Avengers face Thanos again
25	Deadpool & Wolverine	2024	128	The TVA, introduced in Loki, recruits Deadpool
26	Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	2021	132	Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings organization
27	Spider-Man: Far From Home	2019	129	Peter’s European vacation, Nick Fury and Mysterio
28	Eternals	2021	156	Set after the events of Endgame
29	Spider-Man: No Way Home	2021	148	Peter’s secret identity is out
30	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	2022	126	Strange travels the multiverse
31	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	2022	161	Wakanda after King T’Challa’s death
32	Thor: Love and Thunder	2022	119	Gorr interrupts Thor’s retirement
33	Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	2023	124	Scott’s family in the Quantum Realm
34	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	2023	150	Quill rallies the team after losing Gamora
35	The Marvels	2023	105	Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan
36	Captain America: Brave New World	2025	118	Sam Wilson as Captain America
37	Thunderbolts*	2025	127	Antiheroes caught in Valentina’s trap team up
38	Spider-Man: Brand New Day	2026	145	Peter in a world that has forgotten him

Why is The Fantastic Four: First Steps so early?

The Rotten Tomatoes list puts First Steps second among the films because of its period look: its synopsis places the team in a retro-futuristic world modeled on the 1960s. The film introduces a new team and does not lean on earlier MCU plots, so you can move it later without losing anything. For a story-order marathon that builds to Doomsday, watching it right after Thunderbolts* works just as well.

Where does Deadpool & Wolverine fit?

Right after Endgame. Its plot starts when the Time Variance Authority recruits Deadpool to help protect the multiverse, according to its Rotten Tomatoes synopsis. That agency first appeared in the opening episode of Loki season 1, which is set after Endgame.

Is Captain Marvel before Iron Man?

Yes. Carol Danvers’ film takes place on Earth in 1995, per Rotten Tomatoes, more than a decade before Tony Stark builds his first suit. That makes it the third film in story order, right after First Steps.

Which order should you watch the Marvel movies in?

Use release order for a first viewing. That is how audiences first saw the films, so the post-credit scenes and surprise appearances point forward to movies you are about to watch rather than ones you have already seen.

Story order is more interesting on a rewatch. Watching Captain Marvel early shows Nick Fury years before he recruits the Avengers, and moving Black Widow next to Civil War keeps Natasha’s story in one place. Neither order changes the films themselves, so pick the one that keeps you watching.

The Avengers: Doomsday fast track

Thirty-eight films is a lot of homework for one movie. This shorter path is built on the cast Marvel Studios announced during a livestream in March 2025, as Rolling Stone reported. That list includes Thor, Loki, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, the Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, Sentry, and Fantastic Four actors Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn. Robert Downey Jr. returns to the MCU as Doctor Doom.

#	Film	Runtime (min)	Why it is on the list
1	The Avengers	143	The original team and the stakes of a world-ending threat
2	Avengers: Infinity War	149	Thanos and the first half of the Infinity Saga finale
3	Avengers: Endgame	181	The ending every later film builds on
4	Captain America: Brave New World	118	Sam Wilson’s first film as the new Captain America, per its synopsis
5	Thunderbolts*	127	Yelena, Bucky, Red Guardian, Ghost and John Walker as a team
6	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	114	Introduces the new Fantastic Four; Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are in the announced Doomsday cast
	Total	832 min (13 hr 52 min)

Add Deadpool & Wolverine (128 minutes) if you want the multiverse rules and the TVA explained before Doomsday. The Doomsday synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes says heroes “from three distinct universes” collide, so that film’s multiverse setup matters more than most. With it, the fast track is exactly 16 hours.

For a longer route, add Thor: Ragnarok for Thor and Loki, Shang-Chi, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for Shuri, M’Baku and Namor, and Quantumania for Ant-Man. With Deadpool & Wolverine included, that extended path covers 11 films in about 25 hours.

Which Disney+ series matter for the movies?

The tables above leave out TV, but a few series feed directly into films. These four are the clearest links:

Series	Watch it before	Why
WandaVision	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Marvels	Wanda’s story continues in Multiverse of Madness, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) returns in The Marvels
Loki (season 1)	Deadpool & Wolverine	Introduces the Time Variance Authority
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier	Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*	Sam and Bucky team up; John Walker is named Captain America in episode 2 and returns in Thunderbolts*
Ms. Marvel	The Marvels	Kamala Khan’s origin; she is one of the three leads in The Marvels

You can follow every film without these shows. They mostly explain how a character got to where the next film finds them.

When is the next Marvel movie?

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for US theaters on December 18, 2026, as listed on its Rotten Tomatoes page. It was first set for May 1, 2026. Marvel and Disney pushed it back in May 2025, along with Avengers: Secret Wars, which moved from May 7, 2027 to December 17, 2027, according to Rolling Stone. Joe and Anthony Russo are directing.

Film	Status as of October 30, 2026	US date
Avengers: Doomsday	Scheduled; the next MCU film	Dec 18, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars	Scheduled	Dec 17, 2027

We will add runtimes for both once the BBFC classifies them.

More watch orders

For Tom Holland’s films plus every other Spider-Man movie, see our Spider-Man movies in order guide. Sci-fi fans can try the Avatar movies in order or the Maze Runner movies in order, and the Alien movies guide covers where to stream that franchise.