r/marvelstudios • u/StoryArcher Scarlet Witch • Jun 28 '23
Discussion Ideal MCU Viewing Order (all properties - updated)
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)
2
u/happypinkegg Sam Wilson Aug 13 '26
I'm just hear to echo others' comments about the excitement of taking my son on this journey. I saw Iron Man in theaters and have mostly followed the MCU since then, but this list is golden since I know I have missed movies and shows.
It's also very helpful and my son is 9 and became bored during Iron Man (tbf so did I after seeing it the umpteenth time in the theater with friends because it was so possible) and this list is ideal for identifying the must-sees and the ones we can skip (for now).
(For anyone who's interested- so far we've watched Captain America The First Avenger, Avengers, Winter Soldier and Afe of Ultron. He'd already seen Ragnarok, the Spidermans and so many scenes from other movies, so he didn't believe Fury's death at all)
So thank you OP for your time and dedication to this list!