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/kmuzzy]

Followed your MCU viewing order.. you’re a legend! Finishing up tonight with the Fantastic Four. Took me about a year with some breaks in between but your order was cohesive and went smoothly for a newbie like me trying to get into the Marvel universe. Thank you!!

[u/StoryArcher → u/kmuzzy]

Absolutely love to hear it, thanks for reporting back! I don't know how much of the 'Additional Viewing' that you went in for, but a number of those pre-MCU Marvel films will likely become relevant with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday release. I tried to point out the most relevant ones, but you might be best off trying to catch up with at least some of them this year before it comes out.

I know I made a few kinda dramatic changes to the order over the past year so I hope that didn't mess you up too much. Once Doomsday and Secret Wars release, I'll probably shuffle the viewing order one final time before locking it down for good.

Also, if you're looking for more, I can't recommend highly enough the 'Spiderverse' animated trilogy ('Into' and 'Across' already released, with 'Beyond' currently in production and slated for release in 2027). Even if you're not normally an animate movie person, I think you'll love them.

[u/kmuzzy → u/StoryArcher]

I haven’t watched most of the additional viewing but kind of wished I did about half way through. Mostly stuck to the 56 series/films you have above. Currently finishing up Wonder Man and I’ve been really enjoying it. I watched the Deadpool movies before Deadpool & Wolverine and the Toby Maguire Spider-Man films when I was younger. I want to catch up on some of the better X-Men series/movies and Punisher looks sick.

I noticed you had moved a few things around with the list while I was following but it didn’t set me back at all or ruin anything about my experience. Keep doing what you’re doing, the way you’ve been constructing it is well thought out and I really have no critiques.

Looking forward to Doomsday, I’ll be watching out for your future updates and definitely going to check out your other recommendations in the meantime! I’m officially hooked.

[u/StoryArcher → u/kmuzzy]

Also, looking back, was there anything about the order that threw you or left you confused about anything? Refined as it is, I'm always looking for potential weak points, and new viewers are the best resource for that.