MCU Movies in Order — Complete Watch Guide Before Avengers: Doomsday

There are more than thirty MCU films and you do not have to watch all of them. Here's the full order, plus an honest shortcut if you've got a weekend rather than a month.

Release Order vs Timeline Order — Which Is Better?

Watch in release order. This is not a close call.

The MCU was made in release order, so reveals land the way they were designed to. Timeline order spoils things — it puts origin stories after films that reference them, and it front-loads the two period films in a way that makes the early run feel disjointed.

Release order also lets you watch the filmmaking improve, which is genuinely part of the experience. The 2008 films look and feel different from the 2019 ones.

Timeline order is a fun rewatch experiment once you've already seen everything. It's a bad first watch.

The Infinity Saga — Phases 1 to 3

Phase 1 — building to the first team-up:

1. Iron Man (2008)
2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
3. Iron Man 2 (2010)
4. Thor (2011)
5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
6. The Avengers (2012)

Phase 2 — expanding the universe:

7. Iron Man 3 (2013)
8. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
12. Ant-Man (2015)

Phase 3 — the run to Thanos:

13. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
14. Doctor Strange (2016)
15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
17. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
18. Black Panther (2018)
19. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
21. Captain Marvel (2019)
22. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Endgame holds an 8.4 IMDb rating and remains the emotional peak of the franchise. If you watch nothing else from this list, Infinity War and Endgame are the two.

The Multiverse Saga — Phases 4 Onward

This is where it gets messier, because essential material is split between films and Disney+ series.

The films that carry the multiverse thread:

• Spider-Man: No Way Home — first big multiverse collision
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — universe-hopping and incursions
• Deadpool & Wolverine — the Fox X-Men universe folded in

And one series you genuinely cannot skip:

• Loki (Disney+, 2 seasons) — creates the multiverse and sets every rule that follows

The other Phase 4 and 5 entries are worth watching on their own terms but aren't load-bearing for the main plot.

The Weekend Shortcut

If Avengers: Doomsday is close and you have limited time, this is the honest minimum:

1. Avengers: Infinity War — establishes the team and the scale
2. Avengers: Endgame — where the previous saga lands
3. Loki Season 1 — the multiverse begins
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home — multiverse in practice
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — incursions explained
6. Deadpool & Wolverine — how other universes' characters fit

Roughly 14 hours. That covers every concept Doomsday depends on.

Where to Watch

Nearly the entire MCU streams on Disney+ in most regions, including all the Disney+ original series. A handful of titles have complicated rights histories and occasionally sit elsewhere — The Incredible Hulk and the Spider-Man films in particular rotate between services depending on region.

Availability changes, so check your local Disney+ listing before planning a marathon.

📺 Primary platform: Disney+ · Films: 30+ · Start with: Iron Man (2008)

For a focused path, read why Loki is essential and our Multiverse Saga explainer. For the film itself, see our Avengers: Doomsday guide and which X-Men actors are reportedly returning. Following Spider-Man specifically? Our Spider-Man watch order guide covers all three eras.

How far through your rewatch are you? Let us know in the comments.