With Spider-Man 4 and Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon this year, it’s time to get up to speed.

Marvel fans are buzzing after the release of the Spider-Man Brand New Day trailer last week. It has also left plenty of us feeling like it’s about time we caught up on everything Marvel.

Unfortunately, if you didn’t jump on the bandwagon back in 2008, there’s a bit to get through. We’ve gathered all the info in this article, so the next time you’re sick in bed or having a night-in, you’ve got everything you need to do a full Marvel watch.

And if you’re ready to lock in and watch (or rewatch) all of the Marvel movies, you can catch them all on Disney+ and get 16 per cent off with our student deal here.

What is the MCU?

The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)was established in 2008, and has released over 30 movies and 30 TV shows since. Put simply, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a universe of characters and stories based on Marvel comics, which are all interconnected.

The global box office returns for the MCU are over US$30 billion. According to Statista, as of 2025, the MCU is the most successful movie franchise worldwide. There’s even a Disneyland section for the MCU named Avengers Campus. According to Screen Rant, 14 MCU movies have seen Oscar nominations, with four wins by the two Black Panther movies.

Content within the MCU can be traced back to comics from 1939. Many of the iconic marvel characters you may know of originated from these stories, such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, X-Men and the Avengers.

Stan Lee, who passed in 2018, is said to be a prominent Marvel superheroes’ creator. During his time in the comic book industry, he created iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther. He then led MCU to the forefront of the blockbuster film industry. If you look closely while watching the movies, you might even spot him.

What’s the hype?

One thing that fans love is how the movies and shows fit together, weaved together by easter eggs and clues

On top of this, there are lots of different genres and story types across all the films, from light-hearted storylines to mind-bending adventures, as this source explains.

Lastly, there are constantly movies and shows in the pipeline. While we don’t know how much longer the MCU will continue (at least in film form), being up-to-speed and waiting for what’s next alongside fans worldwide sounds fun.

So, where should you begin?

It’s widely agreed that watching movies in release-order is better than watching chronologically, but some people argue the opposite.

With Marvel, we recommend release-order so that you see the easter eggs when intended and avoid getting spoiled. There are a few routes you can choose when going with release-order. You can watch the top 10 MCU movies to watch for the first time, to get an overall idea of the MCU and see the best, funniest and most impactful moments.

Or if you have FOMO, you can strap in for all 37 movies.

Lastly, if you really want to immerse yourself, you can add the 30+ TV series to the list, or refer to this list to watch the most important shows.

MCU Movies in Release Order.

The Infinity Saga

Phase One

Most of the movies in Phase One tell the origin stories of the core group of Avengers who team up in 2012’s The Avengers.

Iron Man (May 2008)
The Incredible Hulk (June 2008)
Iron Man 2 (April 2010)
Thor (April 2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (July 2011)
The Avengers (aka Avengers Assemble) (April 2012)

Phase Two

Phase Two consists of sequels and introduction of new characters. Captain America: The Winter Soldier becomes a central plot for the future of the MCU.

Iron Man 3 (April 2013)
Thor: The Dark World (November 2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (March 2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (July 2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (April 2015)
Ant-Man (July 2015)

Phase Three

Phase Three expands upon main characters in the MCU. It also consists of the two most popular MCU movies, Avengers Endgame and Avengers Infinity War.

Captain America: Civil War (April 2016)
Doctor Strange (October 2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (April 2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (October 2017)
Black Panther (February 2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (April 2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 2018)
Captain Marvel (March 2019)
Avengers: Endgame (April 2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2019)

The Multiverse Saga

Phase Four

Phase Four is heavily comprised of origin stories.

Black Widow (July 2021)
25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 2021)
26. Eternals (November 2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 2022)
29. Thor: Love and Thunder (July 2022)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 2022)

Phase Five

Phase Five consists of key chapters in the Multiverse saga.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (February 2023)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (May 2023)
The Marvels (November 2023)
Deadpool & Wolverine (July 2024)
Captain America: Brave New World (February 2025)
Thunderbolts (May 2025)

Phase Six

Phase Six is currently ongoing and is supposedly going to feature the climax and end of the Multiverse Saga.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 2025)

What’s Coming Up?

To keep ahead of the game, here are the MCU movies and TV shows we know are being released in 2026-27:

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 – 24 March 2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day – 31 July 2026

Avengers: Doomsday – 18 December 2026

Vision Quest – late 2026

Avengers: Secret Wars – 17 December 2027

That’s everything, right?

There you have it, the full release-order list for your next movie marathon!

Don't forget that Disney+ has all almost all of the MCU movies and sorted them for easy-watching, such as by Sagas or characters.

Enjoy 16 per cent off an annual Disney+ subscription with our student deal here.

Happy watching!

Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / 20th Century Fox

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Fallen Behind on the MCU? Here’s the Full Watch Order to Catch-Up