Marvel Cinematic Universe

All MCU Movies

The Marvel Cinematic Universe spans 38+ films across six phases — from the humble beginnings of Iron Man (2008) to the epic conclusion of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Whether you want to watch Marvel movies in release order or MCU chronological order, this guide covers every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with official trailers, release dates, and synopses.

Phase 6 introduces Doctor Doom — played by Robert Downey Jr. — as the main villain in Avengers: Doomsday, premiering May 1, 2026. Directed by the Russo Brothers, this marks the beginning of the New Avengers era. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, also part of Phase 5, continues Peter Parker's story in a bold new direction for the MCU.

All Phases Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6

Phase 1

Iron Man

2008 dir. Jon Favreau

Billionaire inventor Tony Stark builds a powered armor suit and becomes Iron Man, the armored Avenger who kicks off the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Phase 1

The Incredible Hulk

2008 dir. Louis Leterrier

Bruce Banner, cursed by gamma radiation, struggles to control his monstrous alter ego the Hulk while being hunted by General Ross and the Abomination.

Phase 1

Iron Man 2

2010 dir. Jon Favreau

Tony Stark faces new enemies including Whiplash and the rival weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer, while dealing with the arc reactor poisoning his body.

Phase 1

Thor

2011 dir. Kenneth Branagh

The arrogant Asgardian prince Thor is banished to Earth, stripped of his powers and hammer, while his brother Loki plots to seize the throne of Asgard.

Phase 1

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011 dir. Joe Johnston

Steve Rogers, a frail young man from Brooklyn, is transformed into the super-soldier Captain America to fight the Red Skull and HYDRA during World War II.

Phase 1

The Avengers

2012 dir. Joss Whedon

Earth's mightiest heroes — Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye — unite for the first time to stop Loki and his alien army from conquering Earth.

Phase 2

Iron Man 3

2013 dir. Shane Black

Tony Stark faces the Mandarin and the deadly Extremis virus while battling anxiety after the Battle of New York. His greatest challenge: surviving without the Iron Man armor.

Phase 2

Thor: The Dark World

2013 dir. Alan Taylor

Thor must stop the Dark Elf Malekith from using the Aether to plunge the universe into darkness. An uneasy alliance with the imprisoned Loki is his only hope.

Phase 2

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2014 dir. Anthony

Steve Rogers uncovers a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. and must face a mysterious assassin — the Winter Soldier — who has a shocking connection to his past.

Phase 2

Guardians of the Galaxy

2014 dir. James Gunn

A ragtag group of space outlaws — Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot — team up to prevent the Infinity Stone-powered orb from falling into evil hands.

Phase 2

Avengers: Age of Ultron

2015 dir. Joss Whedon

Tony Stark's artificial intelligence experiment goes catastrophically wrong, creating Ultron — a sentient robot bent on human extinction and the Age of Ultron begins.

Phase 2

Ant-Man

2015 dir. Peyton Reed

Scott Lang dons the incredible Ant-Man suit to shrink in scale but grow in strength and pull off a heist that will save the world — alongside his mentor Hank Pym.

Phase 3

Captain America: Civil War

2016 dir. Anthony

Political pressure to regulate the Avengers tears the team apart. Captain America and Iron Man clash in a battle that forever changes the MCU, introducing Black Panther and Spider-Man.

Phase 3

Doctor Strange

2016 dir. Scott Derrickson

Brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange discovers the hidden world of magic and the Multiverse after a career-ending accident leads him to the Ancient One.

Phase 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

2017 dir. James Gunn

The Guardians struggle to keep their team together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's parentage — and confront a powerful celestial being who claims to be his father.

Phase 3

Spider Man: Homecoming

2017 dir. Jon Watts

Fifteen-year-old Peter Parker navigates high school while trying to prove himself as Spider-Man — balancing his secret life with his dream of joining the Avengers under Tony Stark's mentorship.

Phase 3

Thor: Ragnarok

2017 dir. Taika Waititi

Thor is trapped on the alien planet Sakaar and must escape before the prophesied Ragnarok — the destruction of Asgard — unleashed by the all-powerful goddess of death, Hela.

Phase 3

Black Panther

2018 dir. Ryan Coogler

T'Challa returns to Wakanda to take the throne as king, but his claim is challenged by the formidable Killmonger, who seeks to use Wakanda's vibranium to wage war on the world.

Phase 3

Avengers: Infinity War

2018 dir. Anthony

Thanos arrives on Earth with a single devastating goal: collect all six Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life in the universe. The Avengers' greatest battle begins.

Phase 3

Ant Man and The Wasp

2018 dir. Peyton Reed

Scott Lang joins forces with Hope van Dyne as the Wasp on a mission to rescue her mother from the quantum realm — while dealing with the deadly ghost Ava Starr.

Phase 3

Captain Marvel

2019 dir. Anna Boden

Former Air Force pilot Carol Danvers discovers she has extraordinary powers and a secret alien past — and must stop a Skrull invasion of Earth in the 1990s.

Phase 3

Avengers: Endgame

2019 dir. Anthony

After Thanos' devastating snap, the remaining Avengers assemble one last time for the ultimate mission — to undo the destruction and restore the universe. 'Whatever it takes.'

Phase 3

Spider Man: Far From Home

2019 dir. Jon Watts

Peter Parker takes a school trip to Europe but finds himself recruited by Nick Fury to face the Elementals — alongside the mysterious Mysterio, who may not be what he seems.

Phase 4

Black Widow

2021 dir. Cate Shortland

Natasha Romanoff confronts her past as a Soviet spy and the Red Room program that made her, joining forces with her sister Yelena Belova to take down the Widow program.

Phase 4

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

2021 dir. Destin Daniel Cretton

Shang-Chi is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization and must face his father Xu Wenwu — the immortal wielder of the ten mystical rings — to protect his family.

Phase 4

Eternals

2021 dir. Chloé Zhao

The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who arrived on Earth thousands of years ago, reunite to protect humanity from the monstrous Deviants.

Phase 4

Spiderman: No Way Home

2021 dir. Jon Watts

Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange to make the world forget he is Spider-Man, but the spell goes wrong — pulling in villains and Spider-Men from across the Multiverse.

Phase 4

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

2022 dir. Sam Raimi

Doctor Strange travels across the Multiverse with America Chavez, hunted by the Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff in one of the MCU's most terrifying and mind-bending adventures.

Phase 4

Thor: Love and Thunder

2022 dir. Taika Waititi

Thor embarks on a quest for inner peace but is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods — and by the return of Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor.

Phase 4

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

2022 dir. Ryan Coogler

The Wakandans fight to protect their nation in the wake of King T'Challa's death while facing Namor and the powerful underwater kingdom of Talocan.

Phase 5

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

2023 dir. Peyton Reed

Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne are pulled into the Quantum Realm, where they must face the fearsome Kang the Conqueror — a time-traveling villain who threatens the entire Multiverse.

Phase 5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

2023 dir. James Gunn

The Guardians embark on a mission to protect Rocket's dark secret past from the Sovereign and the High Evolutionary — a dangerous villain who believes he can perfect all life.

Phase 5

The Marvels

2023 dir. Nia DaCosta

Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau find their powers entangled, forcing them to work together to stop a Kree revolutionary from destroying the universe.

Phase 5

Deadpool & Wolverine

2024 dir. Shawn Levy

The irreverent mercenary Deadpool teams up with a reluctant Wolverine on a mission through the multiverse — bringing the X-Men into the MCU with maximum violence and humor.

Phase 5

New

Captain America: Brave New World

2025 dir. Julius Onah

Sam Wilson takes on the mantle of Captain America and faces a global conspiracy — uncovering the truth behind the Red Hulk and a plot that could trigger World War III.

Phase 5

New

Thunderbolts*

2025 dir. Jake Schreier

A ragtag group of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Ghost, Taskmaster, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent — are recruited for a covert mission that forces them to become something more.

Phase 5

New

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2025 dir. Destin Daniel Cretton

Peter Parker starts fresh in a brand new chapter of Spider-Man's story — facing new enemies, forging new alliances, and swinging into an exciting new era of the MCU.

Phase 6

2026

Avengers: Doomsday

2026 dir. Anthony

The Avengers face their most powerful adversary yet: Victor Von Doom, the all-knowing Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. The beginning of the end of the Multiverse Saga.

How to Watch MCU Movies in Order

Release Order

The most recommended way to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in release order — the order films were released in theaters. Starting with Iron Man (2008) and following through each phase, you experience the story exactly as Marvel intended, with each film building on the previous.

Chronological Order

MCU chronological order follows the in-universe timeline. Captain America: The First Avenger (set in WWII) comes first, followed by Captain Marvel (set in the 1990s), then the modern-day films. This provides a different perspective on the MCU's overarching story.

Phase 6 — What's Next?

Phase 6 begins with Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026), directed by the Russo Brothers and starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. This is followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, which will serve as the grand finale of the entire Multiverse Saga.

Upcoming Marvel Movies 2026–2027

Upcoming Marvel movies include Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). These two films conclude the Multiverse Saga, bringing together heroes from across the MCU — including returning faces from previous phases and multiversal variants.