What order to watch Netflix Marvel shows?

Over the next couple of years, Marvel has a number of series and movies set to debut, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiering in November. We have answers for questions like where that movie fits in, how the latest Moon Knight Disney+ series fits in, and which movies you should watch before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Here is your go-to watch guide if you simply want to refresh your memory as Marvel enters the multiverse.

Although we've put everything in chronological order below, if you want to mix it up, there are other viewing orders at the end of this guide. This guide is only for those who wish to watch the Marvel movies and TV shows in the proper order, so sorry, comic book nerds.

Marvel filmography in chronological order

You can't watch the Marvel movies and TV episodes in the order they were released if you want to keep up with the MCU's happenings. They need to be in order.

As a result, we're displaying the events in a different order, in chronological order. Iron Man marked the formal beginning of the MCU in 2008, but there are other Marvel movies you should see. Captain America: The First Avenger is a good place to start. It was published in 2011 and is Marvel Studios' fifth movie. Beginning decades before Iron Man, in 1942.

We highlight the Marvel feature films and the new Disney+ programming in this chronological order. Some spoilers will be revealed. If you wish to avoid it, you may find a list of every Marvel film and television program at the bottom of this guide. In addition to that list, we have more.

Add Block

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011 - movie)

Iron Man, The Hulk, and Thor had movies before Captain America, making Captain America the sixth movie from Marvel Studios. However, the fact that the events occur first—during World War II—makes it the first movie on our list.

We witness the development of Chris Evans' super-soldier and his initial conflict with Hydra and Red Skull. The Tesseract, one of the potent stones known as the Infinity Stones that have the capacity to alter reality, is also introduced in the movie.

Captain Marvel (2019 - movie)

In 2019, the second movie on our list was released. In the 1995 film Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson, the title character Carol Danvers falls to Earth and starts a search for the shape-shifting Skrull aliens. Scenes with Blockbuster stores and even dial-up internet add to the action and bring back memories, especially for 90s kids.

Add Block

Iron Man (2008 - movie)

The events of Iron Man took place in 2010, according to the canonical Marvel timeline. Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, a genius scientist, philanthropist, and playboy, is the center of the story. He is taken prisoner by a terrorist group whose leader is after the newest Stark-designed weaponry system. Stark creates the first Iron Man suit, which is significantly more potent, to aid in his escape.

Add Block

Iron Man 2(2010 - movie)

Where the first left off, the second Iron Man picks up with Tony Stark struggling with the revelation of his identity as Iron Man. When Stark refuses to give the government the technology that powers his suit, another weapons maker demonstrates his willingness to do whatever it takes to obtain it. The Black Widow and War Machine, two other Avengers, are also introduced in this movie.

The Incredible Hulk (2008 - movie)

Bruce Banner is pursued by The Incredible Hulk as he escapes from General Thunderbolt Ross and the US Military. Ross chooses to use another soldier to transform into the Hulk after realizing he will never be able to contain or control the Hulk. However, he swiftly loses control. Edward Norton is the star of The Incredible Hulk, but Mark Ruffalo took over as the big green guy in 2012 and has remained so ever since.

Add Block

Thor (2011 - movie)

Because of Loki's deception, his father, Odin, has exiled the God of Lightning from Asgard to Earth. Chris Hemsworth's Thor must establish his worthiness in order to regain his powers and master his hammer. Fortunately, he runs into a kind Earth scientist, Natalie Portman, who can assist him in putting things right before Loki takes full control of Asgard.

Add Block

The Avengers (2012 - movie)

The Avengers represents the conclusion of the MCU's "Phase One." Finding something intimidating enough to make them cooperate was the real issue after introducing all the major heroes.

These superheroes were able to become friends off the battlefield and in real life, thanks to the combined power of Loki, the Tesseract, and an alien invasion of New York City.

Iron Man 3(2013 - movie)

Six months have passed since the massive battle in New York City when the third and final standalone Iron Man movie takes place. Tony Stark is struggling with the recollections of the conflict that occurred (and nearly killed him). He creates an army of Iron Man suits as a result of the memories so he can be ready at all times.

Add Block

Thor: The Dark World (2013 - movie)

After the invasion of New York City by Loki, the second Thor movie shows the title character returning to Asgard. But he doesn't have long to rest, for the old Dark Elves are coming again. His grandpa once vanquished them, and they were believed to be extinct. Now that they're returned, they're looking for the Aether, a potent weapon that turns out to be one of the MCU's six powerful gems or an Infinity Stone.

Add Block

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014 - movie)

Since the events of The Avengers, Captain America has been employed by Shield, a unique government group; nevertheless, as he learns more about the organization's strategies, he begins to have doubts about its intentions.

On top of it, Sebastian Stan's character as the Winter Soldier, his best friend who had died, comes back to life and becomes an enemy. The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, is also made public in this movie.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014 - movie)

Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, a renegade scavenger who discovers an Infinity Stone buried in the wreckage of an extraterrestrial world. He gathers a motley crew of misfits, including a talking raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot the talking tree, and others, in a race against time. They must work together to prevent Ronan, the Accuser, from using the Infinity Stone.

Add Block

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017 - movie)

This follow-up begins a few months after the first. Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, is winning Peter Quill over more and more. In addition, he is forced to face his previous secrets when he encounters Kurt Russell's portrayal of Ego, a godlike being. The fact that they all seem to take place in space and are standalone movies adds to the difficulty of integrating these Guardian of the Galaxy movies into the MCU Timeline.

Add Block

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015 - movie)

The Avengers come together once more to take on James Spader's AI Ultron, which was a mistake made by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Ultron can carry on attacking the Avengers if just one robotic Ultron is left. The Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olson), Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and Vision are also introduced in this movie as new Avengers (played by Paul Bettany).

Ant-Man (2015 - movie)

In the movie Ant-Man, Paul Rudd plays a cat thief who is chosen by Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas, to don the Ant-Man suit and prevent the technology from being turned into a weapon. The technology has been duplicated by Pym's erstwhile prodigy (Corey Stoll), and Ant-Man must battle him and ultimately save the day on the tiniest scale possible.

Add Block

Captain America: Civil War (2016 - movie)

Despite being a Captain America movie, Civil War includes nearly every Avenger as well as two additional powerful characters, Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther and Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Due to Captain America's desire to save his friend Bucky Barnes, who seems to be responsible for the bombing of a UN meeting, the Avengers have unfortunately split into various factions.

Add Block

Spiderman: Homecoming (2017 - movie)

The wall-climbing web-slinger makes his solo debut in this movie, as he battles Michael Keaton's Vulture, a former construction foreman who has turned to dealing in illegal weaponry after obtaining equipment from the first Avengers movie's conflict in New York City. Peter Parker is also coping with all the typical issues that come with being a high school freshman on top of everything else.

Doctor Strange (2016 - movie)

The character of Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a very skilled surgeon who is aware of it. Almost everyone who interacts with Strange finds him to be intolerable, but that is until a catastrophic accident renders his hands useless. Then Strange sets out to explore the globe in pursuit of a treatment that will allow him to regain the use of his hands. Strange eventually discovers a solution in the form of some ancient magic.

Add Block

Black Panther (2018 - movie)

T'Challa must go back to Wakanda and take the throne as king following the UN bombing in Captain America: The Civil War. When he arrives, he is met with the ongoing policy of isolation that has aided in safeguarding Wakanda. In the guise of Michael B. Jordan's Eric Killmonger, who is arguably the best villain in any Marvel movie, he also confronts a mistake from his father's past.

Add Block

Thor: Ragnarok (2017 - movie)

In his third solo movie, Thor is launched into space after his father is killed and his long-lost sister, Hella, played by Cate Blanchett, destroys his hammer. The Hulk, who hasn't been seen since the Avengers destroyed Ultron, is his opponent in the gladiator matches that he keeps getting thrown into. Thor, Hulk, Loki, and Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie work together to defeat Hella.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018 - movie)

Scott Lang has returned, but due to his involvement in the Civil War and his support of Captain America, he is now under house arrest. Hank Pym and Hope Pym, Pym's daughter, have been distant from him. However, he begrudgingly decides to assist them because he believes Pym might be able to rescue Hope's mother from the Quantum Realm. (Warning: Hold off on watching the post-credits scene until you've seen Infinity War.)

Add Block

Black Widow (2021 - movie)

Unfortunately, Black Widow's death in Endgame was necessary for her to receive a standalone film.

Black Widow nevertheless follows Natasha Romanov, played by Scarlett Johansson, as she goes into exile. Before Infinity War and the Snap, it occurs after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

It's being developed as a prequel to shed light on Black Widow's origin story. As she looks into her history, we get to witness some of her former acquaintances and relatives, including a fatherly figure who is portrayed by David Harbour and is referred to as the Red Guardian.

He is essentially Captain America's counterpart for the Soviet Union. But the most significant development for the MCU's future is Yelena, another Black Widow played by Florence Pugh.

Add Block

Avengers: Infinity War (2018 - movie)

Thanos (Josh Brolin's voice) has chosen to go for the Infinity Stones personally after years of planning events from behind the scenes to locate them all. The Avengers, dispersed around the universe, is the only thing blocking his path. The fact that Thanos' sole motivation for obtaining the power of the stones is to eradicate half of all life in the cosmos raises the stakes even higher.

Avengers: Endgame (2019 - movie)

The Avengers must attempt to restore order after Thanos took away half of all life, putting the universe in complete anarchy. After five years, there is a remote possibility that they may undo everything, but in order for that to happen, Tony Stark and Captain America must reconcile, and the Avengers must come together once more.

Add Block

Loki (2021 - Disney+ TV show)

Understanding Loki's position inside the MCU is a difficult task.

The show alternates between Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD and an end-of-the-world hurricane striking Alabama in 2050. As we observe the TVA's internal operations, it also appears to occur outside of the time frame itself.

It's here because it marks a turning point for the MCU. Everything that occurred prior to this was predetermined by the TVA, or more particularly, "He Who Remains" alias Kang, the antagonist of the television series. Each movie before this brought the MCU one step closer to a scenario where a multiversal conflict was avoided, but Kang was neatly placed in the power of all of reality.

The barriers between universes get blurred since the TVA isn't around to restore order in each successive movie and series.

Add Block

What If...? (2022 - Disney+ animated TV show)

The first animated program based on the MCU is titled What If...? It stars Jeffery Wright as the Watcher, a powerful deity that keeps watching over everything happening across the MCU's several parallel universes.

Wright tells the narrative of one MCU question in each episode. For instance, "What If Captain Carter Was the First Avenger?" is the title of episode 1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness must be watched before the episode that provides the answer to that question.

WandaVision (2021 - Disney+ TV show)

Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, has unquestionably been one of the MCU's most tragic figures. She was trapped in a mound of rubble with her brother for days after losing her family in a bombing. Then, during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, her brother passed away.

When she ultimately fell in love with Paul Bettany's Vision, she was compelled to murder him in order to save Thanos from obtaining the Mind Stone. Oh, and after he was dead, Thanos turned back time and killed Vision once more in front of her. All of this has led to Wandavision, the first live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe program on Disney+, in which the main heroine takes control of a small New Jersey town in order to create a more fulfilling version of her own life.

Of all the phase four Marvel content, Wandavision takes place the closest to Endgame, picking up almost right away after Wanda's return from the Snap.

Add Block

Spiderman: Far From Home (2019 - movie)

The final film in Marvel's "Phase Three," Far From Home, gives us our first glimpse of the MCU after Infinity War as we witness everyone who was snapped by Thanos five years earlier come back to life. Peter Parker, who was recently freed from captivity, is on a field trip to Europe when he is unexpectedly interrupted by Nick Fury and Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio. They require his assistance in battling enemies called Elementals.

In "The Blip," after The Avengers bring back everyone who had been snapped in Endgame, the events of this movie take place roughly six months later.

Conclusion

Over the next few years, Marvel has a number of series and movies set to debut. Here is your go-to watch guide if you simply want to refresh your memory as Marvel enters the multiverse. Everything is in chronological order below, but there are other viewing orders at the end of this guide. This guide is only for those who wish to watch Marvel movies and TV shows in the proper order.  Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Thor: The Dark World are all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In Iron Man, Tony Stark is struggling with the recollections of the conflict in New York City that nearly killed him. In Captain America, Sebastian Stan's character as the Winter Soldier comes back to life and becomes an enemy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Vol 3 and Vol 4 all seem to take place in space and are standalone movies. The fact that they are standalone adds to the difficulty of integrating them into the MCU Timeline. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, a renegade scavenger who discovers an Infinity Stone buried in the wreckage of an extraterrestrial world.