The two main ways to watch Marvel movies are by release order and by chronological order (the timeline of events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Watching Marvel Movies by Release Order (Recommended for Newcomers)

This is the order the movies were originally released in theaters and is the easiest to follow. It preserves the experience and reveals as intended by Marvel Studios.

Phase 1

• Iron Man (2008)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Thor (2011)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• The Avengers (2012)

Phase 2

• Iron Man 3 (2013)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Ant-Man (2015)

Phase 3 and beyond

Continue with movies like Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi, and so forth, following their theatrical release dates up to the latest films like Thunderbolts

Watching Marvel Movies in Chronological Order (By Story Timeline)

This order follows the timeline of events within the MCU universe, starting with the earliest events.

• Captain America: The First Avenger (set in 1942)
• Captain Marvel (set in 1995)
• Iron Man (2010)
• Iron Man 2 (2011)
• The Incredible Hulk (2011)
• Thor (2011)
• The Avengers (2012)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)
• Iron Man 3 (2012)
• 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 (2016)
• Black Panther (2016)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
• Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
• Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
• Avengers: Endgame (2017-2022)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2023)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
• Eternals (2023)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2025)
• Thor: Love and Thunder (2026)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2026)
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2026)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2026)
• The Marvels (2026)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2029-ish)

Note: Chronological order can spoil some plot reveals and is more complex to follow, so it is generally recommended for fans who have already seen the movies or want a new perspective on the timeline.

Summary

• For first-time viewers: Watch Marvel movies in their theatrical release order starting with Iron Man (2008).
• For experienced fans: Try watching in chronological order by the MCU timeline for a different experience.

Both methods cover all Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and provide a coherent storyline, but release order is simpler and preserves narrative surprises