Marvel Movies in Release Order (2026)

By Rafael Ortega · Updated October 21, 2026

Our full list also slots every series and special in by premiere. It is the order audiences lived through, so every teaser and reveal lands exactly where Marvel meant it to.

All Marvel movies in release order, phase by phase

The table below keeps to the films so it stays readable. Series and specials appear in the full list on this page, in the spot where each one premiered.

Count from Iron Man through The Fantastic 4: First Steps and you get 37 films, which is the number most people have in mind when they ask for the full list. The three titles after it carry the story toward the end of the Multiverse Saga.

Why watch Marvel movies in order of release

Marvel built its universe one premiere at a time. A post-credits scene was written to tease the next release, not the next event on the timeline. Watch in premiere order and those hints pay off in the film that follows, the way they did for audiences in theaters.

It also protects surprises. Some films are set decades in the past but were made later, and they assume you already know certain characters. Captain Marvel is the classic example. It takes place in the nineties, yet it came out between Infinity War and Endgame, and a few of its moments only work if you know where its characters end up.

There is a craft reason, too. Effects, pacing and humor change a lot across these phases. Going in premiere order lets you watch the franchise grow up, instead of jumping between eras every other night.

Marvel movies release dates in order: what the years tell you

Glance down the years and the rhythm of the MCU becomes clear. The early phases moved at one or two films a year. Phase 3 sped up, with three films landing in 2017 and three more in 2018 as everything built toward the big crossover.

Then comes a gap. No Marvel Studios film arrived in 2020, and the only title from that year on our list is the Hulu series Helstrom. When the films came back in 2021, Disney+ series came with them, and from that point the shows and movies share the same story. That is why the list gets so busy after WandaVision.

The newest stretch is the Multiverse Saga's final run. Each film page on the site carries its own details, so open any title for more than the year.

How release order differs from story order

The biggest differences show up early. Story order begins in the Second World War with Captain America: The First Avenger. Release order begins with Tony Stark building his first suit in Iron Man, which is where the whole project started.

After that, the gaps are smaller. Captain Marvel moves back to the nineties, and a few titles trade places by one or two spots. From WandaVision onward the two orders line up fairly closely. If you want the alternative laid out in full, the MCU chronological order page follows the in-universe timeline.

Where the TV shows fit

This list includes older Marvel TV, and that is where release order gets crowded. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered soon after The Avengers and ran for years alongside the films. The Netflix shows, beginning with Daredevil, and series like Runaways and Cloak & Dagger also land in the middle of the Infinity Saga.

Those shows were made with loose links to the films, and the movies almost never refer back to them. A practical approach:

• Use the films as your backbone, in release order.
• Treat the pre-Disney+ series as side trips you can take any time.
• From WandaVision on, include the series, because the films start depending on them.

For the series on their own, with the Netflix block in a sensible order, see our guide to Marvel shows in order.

Who should pick release order

First-time viewers get the most out of it. You see each twist with the same information the original audience had, and nothing is spoiled by watching a prequel too early.

Rewatchers who already know the twists often prefer story order, because it puts events in a tidier sequence. Neither choice is wrong. If you only want the films without any series at all, our list of all Marvel movies in order is the cleaner starting point.

Pacing a release-order marathon

Forty films plus dozens of series is not a weekend project. Break it into chunks with natural endings:

1. Iron Man to The Avengers: the first team-up, and a satisfying place to pause.
2. Iron Man 3 to Ant-Man: the world after the Battle of New York.
3. Civil War to Endgame: the long climb through Avengers: Infinity War and its follow-up.
4. Far From Home onward: the Multiverse Saga, with the Disney+ series woven in.

Our Marvel marathon plan turns those chunks into a day-by-day schedule, so you can see how long the whole run takes at your pace.

Mistakes to avoid

Trying to interleave every TV episode by air date. It is possible, but exhausting, and it slows the films to a crawl. Few people finish that way.

Skipping the post-credits scenes. In release order they are a big part of the payoff. Keep watching until the credits end.

Thinking release order means watching everything. You can follow premiere order and still skip titles. The essential Marvel movies and shows list marks what you can leave out without losing the plot.

Losing your place. Seventy-plus titles is a lot to keep in your head. Marking each one as watched lets you pick up exactly where you stopped, even months later.