If you want a clear way to watch all Marvel MCU films in a coherent order, there are two popular approaches: release-date order and chronological (timeline) order. I’ll lay out both, plus a simple recommendation based on typical viewing experiences. Direct answer

• Best starting point for most newcomers: watch by release date to catch key reveal moments, character introductions, and the evolving storytelling as intended by the studios.
• If you already know the story timeline and want a linear narrative flow, watch in chronological order (timeline order). This rearranges films to events as they happen in-universe, which can feel smoother for some viewers.

Release-date order (recommended for first-timers)

• Iron Man (2008)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Thor (2011)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• The Avengers (2012)
• Iron Man 3 (2013)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Ant-Man (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Black Widow (2021, but set around the events after Civil War)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
• Doctor Strange (2016)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
• Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
• Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
• The Marvels (2023)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• Captain America: Brave New World (2024–2025)
• Thunderbolts (2024)

Chronological (timeline) order

• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Captain Marvel
• Iron Man
• Iron Man 2
• The Incredible Hulk
• Thor
• The Avengers
• Iron Man 3
• Thor: The Dark World
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Ant-Man
• Captain America: Civil War
• Black Widow
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Doctor Strange
• Black Panther
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Avengers: Endgame
• Spider-Man: Far From Home
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Eternals
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Thor: Love and Thunder
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
• The Marvels
• Deadpool & Wolverine
• Captain America: Brave New World
• Thunderbolts

Notes and tips

• If you plan to watch everything including series, you can substitute or insert MCU TV shows around relevant film events (e.g., WandaVision after Endgame for some characters, Loki around the Multiverse Saga, etc.), but many fans prefer sticking to films for a movie-night rhythm.
• If you want a concise starting point for just the films, start with Iron Man (2008) and go forward in release order. If you’re curious about the in-universe chronology, you can try the timeline order after you’ve seen a few films to see how the events line up.
• Some entries listed as future or upcoming (e.g., Brave New World, Thunderbolts) have release windows that can shift; check current release schedules as needed.

If you’d like, I can tailor a personalized watching plan based on how many you want to watch per session, available time, and whether you care most about spoilers, reveals, or character arcs.