There are many debates across the Disney universe. However, there is one argument that tends to surface every time a new Marvel Cinematic Universe film is about to release: Just what is the proper viewing order to watch the movies?
There are two prevailing schools of thought when it comes to the order in which you should watch the films. The first would be in chronological order. It makes sense, right? Start with the movie that is set further back in the timeline and then make your way to the present. While this is a good idea in theory, the chronological approach is complicated by one key factor: the post-credits scenes.
The simplest answer (and the answer we suggest) is just to watch them in the order they were released. While yes, it may seem odd to jump back and forth from decade to decade, there is much more to the story than just timeline. The MCU is all about storytelling! In order to get the full story, you have to watch each film and every post-credits (and some mid-credits) sequence in release order for it to make sense. In case you need a refresher, this is the release order:
Phase One:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
Phase Two:
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
Phase Three:
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Once we see the release of Black Widow, we will become our journey into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now that you know the proper order, you can begin your binge! Due to contracts and licensing not all of the films can be found on Disney+. Avengers: Infanaty War and Ant-Man and the Wasp can be found on Netflix, The Incredible Hulk is available for rent on Amazon Prime, and Spider-Man: Homecoming is available on Hulu with Live TV or on Amazon Prime for rent.
In what order do you prefer to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe?