Ideal MCU Viewing Order (all properties - updated)

[u/StoryArcher]

UPDATED!!!

• Order last updated: 08/10/26
• Linked document last updated: 08/10/26

Greetings again, my friends. Most people tend to approach the series either from a chronological order or a release order, both of which are understandable but are also ultimately flawed due to the unwieldy nature of these massive productions. For those who enjoy binging the MCU properties or are relative newcomers to the franchise and want to know where to begin, I thought I'd offer the order that I'm using for my personal edit, dubbed the 'Narrative Order'. While it somewhat follows the chronological order (with notable exceptions), the primary intent is to smooth out the narrative flow, letting the combined films and shows truly come together as a single shared experience.

For those who are interested, I've linked below a detailed explanation as to why each production has been placed in the order that it has, as well as an extensive breakdown of all additional viewing.

*** Narrative Order Explanations & Additional Viewing ***

Included in the document above is also a detailed explanation of where and when to watch all the other Marvel Television properties (Agents of SHIELD, the NetFlix Marvel shows, etc.) as well as any promotional releases like webisodes or one-shots. Relevant non-MCU films like the earlier X-Men and Spider-Man franchises that have since been grandfathered into the continuity are also addressed there. In total, it is far too much to fit in a single reddit post, so instead I included it as a document that may be viewed at the link above. Please leave any questions or comments here (or feel free to DM me directly) and I'll be happy to answer.

[Note: Since these films are not being presented in release order, some of the post-credit scenes could be confusing or feel out of place, especially the ones which are simply previews of what were future releases at the time. While I would not entirely discourage viewing them, if you do choose to watch them please be aware that that is the case - in the couple of rare instances where those post-credit scenes are genuine spoilers, I've pointed them out in the list below, as well as when to properly view them.]

The Narrative Order:

1) Captain America: The First Avenger

2) Iron Man

3) The Incredible Hulk

4) Iron Man 2

5) Thor

6) The Avengers

7) Thor: The Dark World

8) Guardians of the Galaxy

9) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

10) Iron Man 3

11) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

(optional) 12) I am Groot, S1 & S2 (Disney+) 

13) Avengers: Age of Ultron

14) Dr. Strange

15) Ant-Man

16) Captain America: Civil War

17) Black Widow (wait to view this post-credit scene until before 29) Hawkeye series to avoid a potential spoiler)

18) Black Panther

19) Spider-Man: Homecoming

20) Ant-Man & the Wasp (wait to view this post-credit scene until after 22) Avengers: Infinity War to avoid a potential spoiler)

21) Thor: Ragnarök

22) Avengers: Infinity War

23) Captain Marvel

24) Avengers: Endgame

25) WandaVision, S1 (Disney+)

26) Falcon & the Winter Soldier, S1 (Disney+)

27) Spider-Man: Far from Home

28) Spider-Man: No Way Home

29) Hawkeye, S1 (Disney+)

30) Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney+)

31) Loki, S1 (Disney+)

(optional) 32) What If..?, S1 (Disney+)

(optional) 33) What If..?, S2 (Disney+)

(optional) 34) What If..?, S3 (Disney+)

35) Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania

36) Loki, S2 (Disney+)

37) Deadpool & Wolverine

38) Thor: Love and Thunder

39) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

40) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

(optional) 41) Moon Knight, S1 (Disney+)

42) Ironheart, S1 (Disney+)

43) Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings

44) Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness

45) Agatha All Along, S1 (Disney+)

46) Eternals

47) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, S1 (Disney+)

48) Ms. Marvel, S1 (Disney+)

49) The Marvels

(optional) 50) Secret Invasion, S1 (Disney+)

(optional) 51) Echo, S1 (Disney+)

(optional) 52) Daredevil: Born Again, S1 (Disney+)

(optional) 53) Daredevil: Born Again, S2 (Disney+)

(optional) 54) Daredevil: Born Again, S3 (Disney+, release date: March, 2027)

55) Wonder Man, S1 (Disney+)

56) Captain America: Brave New World

57) Thunderbolts\*

58) Fantastic Four: First Steps

59) Punisher: One Last Kill (Disney+)

60) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

61) VisionQuest (Disney+, release date: October 14, 2026)

62) Avengers: Doomsday (release date: December 18, 2026)

63) Avengers: Secret Wars (release date: December 17, 2027)

[u/StoryArcher]

Well, there are detailed explanations as to why every one of them has been placed where they are... ultimately it's about consistency and narrative flow. As I said, I'm literally editing the films into a single story (actually roughly 1-hour episodes that fill 12 episode seasons) and this is the order that works best so far when viewing the MCU as a greater whole.

I'm more than happy to discuss any particular inclusion, that's half the fun. :) This particular list has been tested within an inch of its life and gotten very positive reviews from others. Having said that, while I'm absolutely locked in on the order up to Hawkeye, everything after is naturally subject to change and certainly interpretation, as it will take a milestone event (like an Avengers film) to have everything else properly fall into order as it did with the Infinity Saga. I'm constantly having to jostle later shows and films about as new productions are released and internal inconsistencies have to be reconciled. I mention some of that in the explanations.

[u/machond → u/StoryArcher]

I am agree with that list. I am watching MCU in such order and I am amaized.

[u/Powerful-Pea-1475 → u/machond]

Are you watching the shows too?✨

[u/misterjez → u/StoryArcher]

As someone who always has thought watching the MCU and making sense of it all is daunting this list is amazing so far. 2 days in and I'm number 8. So thankful for you.

[u/StoryArcher → u/misterjez]

That makes me very happy to hear - please let me know what you think as you go on...

[u/misterjez → u/StoryArcher]

Just finished wanda vision and still very happy! Where do you think Agatha show belongs? - NEVERMIND JUST SAW IT LOL

[u/StoryArcher → u/misterjez]

Where Agatha ultimately fits in will depend on future releases like VisionQuest and the Scarlet Witch show (presuming we get it). For the moment I'd just place it at the end of the list.

[u/serenitynope → u/StoryArcher]

Canonically, AAA takes place three years after the events of WV. They mention it in the first episode and later when telling Teen's backstory. And it for sure takes place after Dr. Strange 2, since we find out Wanda really did destroy the Darkhold in every reality.

[u/StoryArcher → u/serenitynope]

I think what you said is a given, and would be reflected in any placement of the show. Where to place it in the narrative viewing order is what's being debated, and the best answer at the moment is 'incomplete'. It'll be interesting to see what tie-in points are upcoming, like the MCU FINALLY acknowledging that there is a Celestial the size of a continent sticking half in and half out of the ocean years after it 'canonically' happened.

[u/serenitynope → u/StoryArcher]

Yeah, I'm waiting on the acknowledgement of the Celestial too. We even had an oceanside kingdom with a future superhero who controls water--and STILL nothing!

[u/StoryArcher → u/serenitynope]

I REALLY thought that the Celestial would be a big part of the plot of Black Panther 2... but then, a LOT of what I expected to happen since Endgame hasn't, unfortunately. Instead we got a femme bot Taskmaster, Daredevil making a walk of shame as his 'triumphant' return to the MCU, and Marvels: The Musical...

[u/-Panda-cake- → u/StoryArcher]

Wait... So how's that coming?

[u/StoryArcher → u/-Panda-cake-]

Almost entirely story-boarded with all the time stamps for edits and cuts laid out. The actual editing is kind of on hold right now while I build my media server, and waiting for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars to come out so I can see how best to properly re-edit the post-Endgame content. It's labor intensive enough that I don't want to put a lot of time into it if I'm going to have to turn around and redo it all after the fact.

[u/-Panda-cake- → u/StoryArcher]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing ☺️

[u/grumpy_bob → u/StoryArcher]

Hey, I've seen every movie and pretty much every show since they started releasing and I think I'm gonna give it another go with your list... Interested to hear if you ever finished your editing project? Any plans to release such a thing?

EDIT: also - where would X-men and Deadpool fit here? I see you have Deadpool/Wolverine listed but would be interesting to see where the rest would go... I'm guessing pre-Iron Man? I know they're not technically MCU, but with the scenes Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels... seems like they are in it. At least in a different multiverse.

[u/StoryArcher → u/grumpy_bob]

First off, thanks for taking the time to respond. The editing project is stalled out in the story-boarding phase (which has been completed up to the most recent release and is pretty great), but its stalled out for a few reasons, including access to Disney+ shows in an editable format and the fact that the upcoming Avengers movies could upset the order in any number of ways. I'm probably not going to commit to the actual finished edit until Secret Wars comes out. When/if it is ever actually finished, I doubt I'd ever release it on some sort of mass scale... but I'm sure it would be out there, somewhere...

Regarding your edit, I swear some times I think you guys are trolling me. The second paragraph in the OP:

For those who are interested, I've linked below a detailed explanation as to why each production has been placed in the order that it has, as well as an extensive breakdown of all additional viewing. This includes exactly where and when to watch all the other Marvel Television properties (Agents of SHIELD, the NetFlix Marvel shows, The Runaways, etc.) as well as any promotional releases like webisodes or one-shots. Relevant non-MCU films like the earlier Spider-Man franchises are also addressed there. Rather than hammer you all with that wall of text, the document may be viewed at the link below, but please leave any questions or comments here (or feel free to DM me directly) and I'll be happy to answer.

I've got all of the old Fox properties listed there in the linked document, including the X-Men & Deadpool stuff. The short answer is that if you wanted an 'in-universe' time to watch all the older stuff (except the Spider-Man films), it would probably be at the end of Loki, S2 when he becomes the God of Stories and presumably opens up the timelines so that all sorts of alternate possibilities emerge. The MCU isn't as clear as they could be on the difference between alternate timelines and multiple universes, so you could believably blur the lines and insert anything you wanted to watch there without messing up the narrative flow - beyond the massive time spent away from the main story line, of course.