Most of us thought that Marvel Studios bid adieu to one of its most-loved timelines with Avengers: Endgame, but they still had one little treat left to give out to fans. Spider-Man: Far From Home released in Indian theatres in 2019, and served as the final offering from The Infinity Saga—comprising a total of 23 films from Phase One, Two, and Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If you grew to be a fan much later on in the series, or haven’t really watched every single film, you may be a little confused about the final acts. Endgame brought everybody in the MCU together for one big, bad battle against Thanos, and we won’t blame you if you found it difficult to put a name to every face on celluloid in the ending scenes. And most recently, Far From Home took you forwards and onwards from the characters you grew up loving, setting up a future that’s unlike any you’ve known before.
Looking forward to watching all the Marvel movies in order but don’t know where to begin? Skip the order of release—it’ll probably leave you confused by flitting you across timelines—and follow the chronological timeline for the best viewing order. Here’s the one we recommend.
1) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Something of an introduction to MCU, Captain America: The First Avenger is set largely in the 1940s, and acquaints viewers with the SSR, which later goes on to become S.H.E.I.L.D. We spotted the first Infinity Stone here—the Tesseract (Space Stone) was hidden on Earth for centuries, in a church in Tonsberg, Norway, before Red Skull (the film’s antagonist) stole it in 1942. It later ended up with S.H.I.E.L.D.
2) Captain Marvel (2019)
Another origin story, Captain Marvel takes us to the mid-90s to focus on an important stage of Nick Fury’s career, and an update of S.H.E.I.L.D.’s priorities—the establishment of the Avengers Initiative. It also sets up the Kree, an alien race that is later seen in Guardians of the Galaxy.
3) Iron Man (2008)
Though Iron Man was technically the first (released) MCU movie, chronologically it fits better at spot number three. By the time you watch this, you’ll already know who Howard Stark is because of The First Avenger, and thus will be better placed to get introduced to his son (who is sure to become one of your most loved Marvel characters), Tony Stark. This feature also lets viewers in on the modern-day iteration of S.H.E.I.L.D.
4) Iron Man 2 (2010)
Continuing with Howard Stark’s legacy to tie the narrative threads together, Iron Man 2 dives deep into the functioning of the fictional agency, featuring Nick Fury in a more significant role to get the audiences to know him better.
5) The Incredible Hulk (2008)
According to Marvel’s timeline, The Incredible Hulk, which reveals Bruce Banner’s origin story, takes place at the same time as Iron Man 2, but the post-credits sequence shows Stark having a ‘consultant’ role with S.H.E.I.L.D.—which is why it made better sense at number five instead of four on our viewing order.
6) Thor (2011)
Giving audiences an introduction to Asgard, Thor focuses on events in the alternate realm while still developing S.H.E.I.L.D.’s storyline. Coulson and Hawkeye both play important roles in this one.
7) The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers naturally continues the themes and character arcs seen in Thor (2011). Loki returns as an antagonist with a powerful sceptre housing another Infinity Stone, eventually leading the Chitauri invasion in New York that makes the existence of dangerous aliens public knowledge. Though the gem is not identified in the film (we’re not even told that the sceptre’s powers are actually due to an Infinity Stone), its powers have led many to believe that this was the first time we saw the Mind Stone. The storyline instead focuses on the Tesseract, brought to Earth by Loki and eventually taken back to Asgard by Thor. This is also the first time S.H.E.I.L.D. is seen as more than just the ‘good guys’—the World Council orders a nuclear attack on American soil in a disturbing turn of events.
8) Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Now that the previous two movies have given you a better understanding of Thor and Loki’s relationship, Thor: The Dark World is perfect to further explore why these two brothers have always been at loggerheads. This film also further explains the existence of the Infinity Stones, and you find out that the Aether (Reality Stone) was made by Malekith (Thor’s enemy and King of the Dark Elves) and is kept in the intergalactic museum of The Collector (one of the Elders of the Universe).
9) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy unveils yet another Infinity Stone, the Power Stone. Cased inside The Orb, this one was found on an abandoned colony planet called Morag, and used to both plan and prevent a genocide on Xander (yet another planet)—giving viewers a strong sense of the massive impact this powerful gem can have. It then ended up with the intergalactic police order known as Nova Corps.
10) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Considering that the events shown in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 chronologically occur only a few months after the first film, this one is perfect for your next watch.
11) Iron Man 3 (2013)
After taking you all over the universe, we bring you back to Earth with Iron Man 3, where Tony Stark is dealing with the aftermath of the Avengers falling out. You’re taken on a wild ride into Stark’s character in this film, giving you a better account of his PTSD and showing you how he deals with it by building more armours.
12) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Some dedicated fans say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was happening around the same time as Iron Man 3, which is why Cap wasn’t there to help Stark deal with the Mandarin, and Stark wasn’t there to help Rogers with Hydra. This feature is more like a catch-up of what’s going on in Captain America’s life, but also shows the Chitauri sceptre (as seen in The Avengers) being used at the Hydra base for experiments—some of which result in Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch getting their powers. Just like Avengers, this film doesn’t identify the gem as the Mind Stone either.
13) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Continuing the Hydra arc, Avengers: Age of Ultron sees the group of protagonists take down a major base in Sokovia in the first few sequences itself. The film also begins to tie the Earth-bound adventures into the cosmic stories, finally revealing the sceptre’s gem as the Mind Stone, and featuring the birth of Vision, an android who has the stone embedded in his forehead. We also see Thor deciding to leave Earth to research the powerful gems, and Thanos taking matters into his own hand by retrieving the Infinity Gauntlet before beginning his search for the stones.
14) Ant-Man (2015)
Set immediately after Age of Ultron, Ant-Man carries subtle references to the devastation in Sokovia, while also giving the Falcon (Sam Wilson) more screen time to let the audiences get to know him better.
15) Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The Sokovia arc finds its climax in Captain America: Civil War, almost tearing the Avengers apart. The film also serves as the launchpad for the next batch of Earth-bound stories, including the introduction of Black Panther, and follows on perfectly from Ant-Man’s end credits. We also see Tony Stark recruiting Peter Parker (Spider-Man) to the Avengers here.
16) Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther is set only a week after the Avengers’ divide in Civil War, making it the ideal next watch. It also sets up Wakanda’s storyline, raising awareness about the different superheroes present in the MCU.
17) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming is chronologically placed around two months after Civil War, giving Tony Stark a little time to heal before getting heavily involved with Spider-Man’s evolution to becoming an important part of the Avengers, and possibly Marvel’s Phase Four.
18) Doctor Strange (2016)
Watching Doctor Strange at this point in the viewing order gives it thematic importance, as the film ties MCU’s Earth-bound and cosmic stories once again. The film brings another Infinity Stone (Time Stone) into play, and also explains the Quantum Realm, which Strange glimpses when hurtling through different dimensions.
19) Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Logically following on from Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok even features a cameo by Benedict Cumberbatch’s character. The end credits lead directly to the build-up to Infinity War, with the Asgardian refugees intercepted in space by Thanos. The Tesseract is spotted on Asgard in the film as well, housed on the planet since Thor brought it back (as seen in The Avengers).
20) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp brings you back to MCU’s Earth-bound adventures, with most of its storyline being based before Infinity War. This is can noted by the post-credits scenes, which has Scott Lang entering the Quantum Realm while being in contact with the rest of his team. He’s left stranded in the middle of a countdown by one of his team members, who randomly disappear in specks of dust—giving us the first view at the disastrous events in Infinity War.
21) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The Infinity Stones finally come together in Avengers: Infinity War, and as expected, lead to a catastrophic climax that is sure to have you crying out in dismay. Thanos decimates Xander to acquire the Power Stone; attacks the Asgardian ship, Statesman, a week later, killing half the population aboard; kills Loki for the Tesseract (though Loki had already given it to him to stop the assault); retrieves the Reality Stone from The Collector and used it to trick and capture his daughter, Gamora; and later throws her over a cliff to get his hands on the Soul Stone. He forces Doctor Strange to relinquish the Time Stone after a lengthy battle, and then teleports to Wakanda for his final prize—the Mind Stone on Vision’s forehead. He gets his hands on all the stones, pulls on the Infinity Gauntlet—and a snap later, half of the population of the entire universe is disintegrated. Keep your tissues handy when watching this one.
22) Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Though Avengers: Endgame (2019) begins three weeks after Thanos has wiped out half the universe, most of the film is set five years in the aftermath. Scott Lang’s (Ant-Man) return from the Quantum Realm gives the remaining Avengers new hope to go back and change time. Innumerable twists, successful time travel, important character deaths (RIP Black Widow), and an epic battle later, the effects of Thanos’ plan are reversed for good—but with one terrible result: Iron Man’s demise.
23) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home is directly follows Endgame, focusing on Peter Parker’s grief over Tony Stark’s death and how the world changed after Iron Man. The film is said to bring The Infinity Saga to a neat conclusion, while also setting the tone for what you can expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe next.
Want to watch in the original order of release anyway? Here’s the list you want to follow.
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- 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)
- 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)
Also read:
New to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? This is the only movie guide you need
Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson wore Infinity stones to Endgame premiere
