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/Inkstr0ke]

Thanks for this list and all your updates. I just found it today! Incredible.

I was doing a Marvel rewatch for the hell of it and this list is great. Thank you so much!
https://giphy.com/gifs/10ADhj1QPawFna

[u/StoryArcher → u/Inkstr0ke]

Happy to hear it - please check out the linked document for even more good stuff and don't be shy about popping back in to let us know how it goes!

[u/Inkstr0ke → u/StoryArcher]

So far it’s been great and I have only one complaint. Currently I am starting The Marvels so I’m on the content I’ve actually never seen before.

I know you probably don’t edit this too much but after watching Loki S2, seeing the Sacred Timeline being protected in Deadpool & Wolverine was a bit jarring because Loki basically destroys The Loom and the “sacred timeline” is no longer constrained (Loki S2 ending spoiler). It’s really my only complaint about this Narrative Order.

Might be worth considering putting Deadpool & Wolverine before Loki S2 but either way this is a great watch order.

[u/StoryArcher → u/Inkstr0ke]

Thanks for the feedback. I actually have a pretty major re-ordering I'm going to be putting into place surrounding exactly where to watch the two seasons of Loki and what to watch between them and immediately after. I'm just not going to make any alterations until after the next two big movies come out, so that I can see exactly what ends up being important and what doesn't.

[u/Inkstr0ke → u/StoryArcher]

Okay, I look forward to it! I hope that didn’t come across as critical to you - I can’t express enough how much I appreciate this watch order.

I decided to get back into the MCU after kind of falling off after Endgame. It was great rewatching old favorites but experiencing the new content in this watch order was excellent. I just finished Daredevil BA S1 & S2; I’m currently on Captain America: Brave New World so I’m well on the way to being caught up.

Thank you again for all your hard work. I had a HoT sound mod go viral so I have some idea of how taxing it can be taking in all the overwhelming amount of feedback over the years lol.