The Ultimate Complete MCU Timeline: Every Movie, Series & One-Shot in Chronological Order

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is no longer just a collection of superhero movies; it is a sprawling, multimedia epic. Since its inception in 2008, the universe has expanded to include not only blockbuster films but also critically acclaimed Disney+ series, special presentations, and short films known as Marvel One-Shots.

As we navigate through 2026, with the Multiverse Saga in full swing and Phase 6 unfolding, keeping track of what happens when can be a daunting task. Watching the MCU in release order is fun, but to truly understand the emotional arcs, the political shifts, and the intricate lore, you need to watch it in chronological order.

Here is the absolute, ultimate, and complete timeline of the MCU, detailing every single canon project from the dawn of the universe to the present day.

1. The Dawn of Heroes (1940s – 1990s)

Before billionaires in iron suits and gods from space, the world was protected by soldiers, spies, and cosmic accidents.

• Captain America: The First Avenger (1943 – 1945) – The chronological beginning. Steve Rogers, a frail man with a heart of gold, receives the Super-Soldier Serum. He becomes Captain America, battles the Nazi splinter group HYDRA, and stops the Red Skull from using the Tesseract (Space Stone). Steve crashes a bomber into the ice, sacrificing himself and freezing for nearly 70 years.
• Agent Carter (One-Shot, 1946) – Set one year after Steve’s disappearance, this short film follows SSR Agent Peggy Carter. Undervalued by her male colleagues, she independently undertakes a dangerous mission to retrieve the mysterious Zodiac serum, proving her worth and laying the groundwork for the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Alternate 1960s) – Taking place in a vibrant, retro-futuristic 1960s, this film follows Marvel’s First Family in a universe separate from the main MCU timeline. Though set in the past of a parallel reality, the events and the looming threat of Galactus are destined to eventually collide with the Sacred Timeline as the Multiverse Saga reaches its climax.
• Captain Marvel (1995) – U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers absorbs the power of the Tesseract, losing her memory and becoming a Kree warrior. Crashing back to Earth in the ’90s, she teams up with a young Nick Fury. She rediscovers her humanity, protects the refugee Skrulls, and inspires Fury to create the “Avengers Initiative.”

2. The Assembly of the Avengers (2010 – 2012)

The modern era of heroes begins. The world realizes it is part of a much larger, more dangerous universe.

• Iron Man (2010) – Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark is kidnapped by the Ten Rings. He builds a mechanized suit to escape, fundamentally changing his worldview. He shuts down his weapons division, refines his armor, defeats Obadiah Stane, and publicly announces, “I am Iron Man.”
• Iron Man 2 (2011) – Six months later, Tony is slowly dying from his arc reactor core. He faces the vengeful Ivan Vanko (Whiplash) and rival Justin Hammer. This film introduces Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and sees James Rhodes officially become War Machine.
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (One-Shot, 2011) – A brief, highly entertaining short showing S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson effortlessly stopping a gas station robbery while driving to New Mexico to investigate Thor’s crashed hammer.
• Thor (2011) – The arrogant God of Thunder is stripped of his powers by his father, Odin, and banished to New Mexico. While learning humility alongside scientist Jane Foster, his brother Loki discovers his true Frost Giant lineage and attempts to seize the Asgardian throne.
• The Consultant (One-Shot, 2011) – S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Coulson and Sitwell need to stop the World Security Council from releasing the Abomination. They send Tony Stark as “The Consultant” to intentionally annoy General Ross so much that he refuses to hand the prisoner over.
• The Incredible Hulk (2011) – Bruce Banner is on the run, trying to cure his gamma-irradiated blood. He is hunted by General Ross and Emil Blonsky, who injects himself with a flawed super-soldier serum to become the monstrous Abomination. The Hulk defeats him in Harlem and goes into hiding.
• The Avengers (2012) – Loki returns, allied with Thanos, to conquer Earth using the Tesseract. Nick Fury activates the Avengers Initiative. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye must overcome their massive egos to win the Battle of New York against the Chitauri army.
• Item 47 (One-Shot, 2012) – After the Battle of New York, a down-on-their-luck couple finds a discarded Chitauri gun (Item 47) and uses it to rob banks. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sitwell intercepts them, ultimately recruiting them into the agency instead of arresting them.

3. The Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Age of Miracles (2012 – 2015)

The trauma of the alien invasion lingers. Our heroes face deeply personal demons and hidden conspiracies that shatter the status quo.

• Iron Man 3 (2012) – Tony Stark suffers from severe PTSD post-New York. He is challenged by a terrorist known as the Mandarin (a front created by Aldrich Killian). Tony loses his suits and must rely on his raw intellect to save the President and Pepper Potts, ultimately destroying his armory for a fresh start.
• All Hail the King (One-Shot, 2014) – Trevor Slattery, the actor who played the fake Mandarin, is living luxuriously in prison. He is interviewed by a documentary filmmaker who turns out to be a member of the real Ten Rings, sent to kidnap Trevor to meet the real Mandarin (Xu Wenwu).
• Thor: The Dark World (2013) – The Aether (the Reality Stone) awakens and infects Jane Foster. Thor must bring her to Asgard and reluctantly ally with the imprisoned Loki to defeat Malekith and the Dark Elves, who seek to plunge the universe into eternal darkness.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – Steve Rogers discovers a horrifying truth: HYDRA has secretly infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. since World War II. Alongside Black Widow and Sam Wilson (Falcon), Steve must dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely while facing HYDRA’s deadliest brainwashed assassin—his childhood friend, Bucky Barnes.
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – In deep space, Earthling Peter Quill steals an orb containing the Power Stone. He forms a makeshift, deeply dysfunctional family with Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot to stop the Kree zealot Ronan from destroying the planet Xandar.
• I Am Groot (Shorts, Season 1 & 2) – A series of incredibly cute, bite-sized adventures featuring Baby Groot growing up in the galaxy, causing minor chaos, and discovering new alien flora and fauna. These take place between GotG Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014) – Set just months after the first film. Peter Quill finally meets his biological father, a Celestial named Ego. The Guardians must fight to survive when Ego’s plan to assimilate the universe is revealed, leading to the tragic, redeeming sacrifice of Yondu.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – Seeking global peace, Tony and Bruce create Ultron, an AI that quickly decides humanity is the real threat. The Avengers assemble to stop Ultron from causing an extinction-level event in Sokovia. The film introduces the Mind Stone-powered Vision, Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), and Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver).
• Ant-Man (2015) – Ex-con Scott Lang is recruited by Dr. Hank Pym to wear the Ant-Man suit, which shrinks the user while increasing their strength. Scott must execute a heist to stop Pym’s former protégé, Darren Cross, from selling the technology to HYDRA. We get our first glimpse of the Quantum Realm.

4. Civil War and the Road to Infinity (2016 – 2018)

Ideologies clash, breaking the Avengers apart right when the universe needs them the most.

• Captain America: Civil War (2016) – Following the devastation of Sokovia, the UN introduces the Sokovia Accords to govern the Avengers. Tony supports government oversight; Steve violently opposes it to protect Bucky, who is framed for a bombing. The heroes go to war. We are introduced to Spider-Man and Black Panther.
• Black Widow (2016) – Set immediately after Civil War, Natasha Romanoff is a fugitive. She reunites with her Russian “family” (including Yelena Belova and Red Guardian) to dismantle the Red Room, the abusive program that created the Black Widows, once and for all.
• Black Panther (2016) – T’Challa returns to the advanced, hidden nation of Wakanda to be crowned King after his father’s death. His reign is challenged by his cousin, Erik Killmonger, an American black-ops soldier who wants to use Wakandan weapons to arm oppressed people worldwide.
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016) – High schooler Peter Parker struggles to balance his teenage life with his superhero aspirations after fighting alongside Iron Man. He uncovers an illegal alien-weapons ring run by Adrian Toomes (The Vulture), proving to Tony that he is more than just a kid in a suit.
• Doctor Strange (2016 – 2017) – Brilliant but arrogant surgeon Stephen Strange loses his hands in a crash. He seeks healing at Kamar-Taj, inadvertently discovering magic. He becomes the protector of the New York Sanctum, using the Time Stone to outsmart the interdimensional entity Dormammu.
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – After Odin’s death, Thor’s immensely powerful sister, Hela, returns to conquer Asgard. Thor is stranded on the gladiator planet Sakaar, where he recruits the Hulk and Valkyrie. To stop Hela, Thor makes the agonizing decision to unleash Ragnarok, destroying his home to save his people.
• Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) – While under house arrest, Scott Lang aids Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne (the new Wasp) in rescuing Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. The film’s post-credits scene happens simultaneously with the climax of Infinity War.
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – The Mad Titan Thanos personally steps onto the battlefield to collect the six Infinity Stones. The fractured Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the armies of Wakanda fight a losing battle. Thanos snaps his fingers, and half of all life in the universe turns to dust.

5. The Blip and the Endgame (2018 – 2023)

A universe in mourning. The remaining heroes must navigate their grief and figure out how to achieve the impossible.

• Avengers: Endgame (2018 – 2023) – The film jumps five years after Thanos’s victory. The world is devastated. When Ant-Man emerges from the Quantum Realm with the concept of time travel, the remaining Avengers execute a “Time Heist” to retrieve the Stones from the past. After heartbreaking sacrifices from Black Widow and Iron Man, they defeat a past version of Thanos and restore the universe. Steve Rogers retires to the past, passing his shield to Sam Wilson.

6. The Multiverse Saga Opens (2023 – 2024)

The universe is saved, but the fabric of reality has been severely damaged.

• Loki (Season 1 & 2) – Happening outside normal time, the Loki who escaped in 2012 during the Time Heist is arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA). He discovers the truth about the “Sacred Timeline” and its creator, He Who Remains. Loki ultimately sacrifices his freedom to literally hold the newly branching multiverse together, becoming the God of Stories.
• What If…? (Season 1, 2 & 3) – Guided by the cosmic entity The Watcher, we explore alternate timelines created by the events of Loki. We see Peggy Carter take the super-soldier serum, T’Challa become Star-Lord, and the universe ravaged by zombies.
• WandaVision (2023) – Just weeks after Endgame, a deeply traumatized Wanda Maximoff uses her reality-warping chaos magic to turn a New Jersey town into a classic sitcom reality where Vision is still alive. She faces the witch Agatha Harkness and fully embraces her terrifying destiny as the Scarlet Witch.
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2024) – Shang-Chi, a masterful martial artist hiding in San Francisco, is forced to confront his past and his immortal warlord father, Wenwu. He must claim the mystical Ten Rings to stop a soul-consuming entity in the magical realm of Ta Lo.
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2024) – Sam Wilson hesitates to accept the mantle of Captain America, while Bucky Barnes seeks amends for his assassinations. They battle the Flag Smashers and deal with a government-appointed, unhinged Captain America, John Walker. Sam eventually accepts his role as the new Captain America.
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024) – Peter Parker seeks a break on a European school trip, still mourning Tony Stark. He is manipulated by Quentin Beck (Mysterio), a disgruntled former Stark employee using holographic tech. Mysterio is defeated, but not before exposing Peter’s identity to the world.
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024) – Desperate, Peter asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell to make the world forget his identity. The spell fractures reality, bringing in villains and Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) from other universes. To save the multiverse, Peter is forced to have everyone, including his loved ones, forget he ever existed.
• Eternals (2024) – Immortal alien beings sent to Earth thousands of years ago are forced out of the shadows. They discover their true purpose is to prepare Earth for the “Emergence” of a Celestial, which will destroy the planet. The Eternals rebel against their creators to save humanity.
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024) – Doctor Strange must protect America Chavez, a teenager who can traverse the multiverse, from a corrupted Scarlet Witch. Wanda is tearing through universes to find a reality where her children exist. Strange must embrace forbidden magic to stop her rampage.
• Hawkeye (2024) – Clint Barton wants to spend Christmas with his family but gets tangled up with Kate Bishop, a highly skilled archer who accidentally wears his old Ronin suit. They battle the Tracksuit Mafia and Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), while Clint officially passes the Hawkeye mantle to Kate.
• Echo (2024) – Following the events of Hawkeye, Maya Lopez flees to her Choctaw Nation hometown in Oklahoma. Pursued by Kingpin’s empire, she must confront her family’s complicated past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace a profound ancestral power.
• Moon Knight (2024) – Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, discovers he has Dissociative Identity Disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector, a ruthless mercenary who serves the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. They must navigate their fractured mind to stop a cult from resurrecting the goddess Ammit.
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2024) – Wakanda mourns the death of King T’Challa. Princess Shuri, Queen Ramonda, and Okoye must defend their nation from intervening world powers and a new, massive threat: Namor, the mutant ruler of the hidden underwater kingdom of Talokan. Shuri eventually claims the Black Panther mantle.

7. The New World Order and Cosmic Threats (2025 – 2026)

As the public adjusts to a world full of aliens, magic, and multiversal breaches, new alliances form and street-level heroes rise.

• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2025) – Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s cousin, accidentally absorbs his blood and becomes a Hulk. She tries to balance her life as a lawyer specializing in superhuman law with the media circus of being a 6-foot-7 green superhero, eventually breaking the fourth wall to rewrite her own finale.
• Ms. Marvel (2025) – Kamala Khan, a massive Avengers fangirl from Jersey City, discovers a magical bangle that unlocks her ability to create hard light constructs. She delves into her family’s history during the Partition of India and discovers she is a mutant.
• Thor: Love and Thunder (2025) – Thor’s quest for inner peace is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of all gods. Thor teams up with Valkyrie, Korg, and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now inexplicably wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor.
• Werewolf by Night (Special Presentation, 2025) – A stylized, black-and-white homage to classic monster movies. A secret cabal of monster hunters gathers at the Bloodstone Temple for a deadly competition, unaware that one of them, Jack Russell, is a werewolf.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Special Presentation, 2025) – To cheer Peter up after losing Gamora, Mantis and Drax travel to Earth at Christmas time to kidnap his childhood hero, actor Kevin Bacon, as a present. Mantis also reveals she is Peter’s half-sister.
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025) – Scott Lang and his family are sucked back into the Quantum Realm. They discover a vast hidden civilization and are forced to fight Kang the Conqueror, a multiversal tyrant seeking to escape his exile.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2025) – The deeply emotional finale for the original team. The Guardians scramble to save Rocket’s life, leading them to confront his deeply traumatic past and his creator, the cruel High Evolutionary. The team ultimately disbands to pursue their own paths.
• Secret Invasion (2025) – A gritty espionage thriller. Nick Fury returns to Earth to deal with a rogue faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have secretly infiltrated the highest levels of global governments, seeking to conquer the planet from within.
• The Marvels (2025) – Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Captain Monica Rambeau find their light-based powers mysteriously entangled, causing them to physically swap places whenever they use them. They must team up to stop the Kree leader Dar-Benn from destroying planets to save her dying homeworld.
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2025/2026) – The Merc with a Mouth is pulled into the TVA. Learning his universe is dying, Deadpool searches the multiverse to find a Wolverine variant to help him. After chaotic, violent, and hilarious battles across the Void, they manage to save Deadpool’s timeline, officially bringing mutant chaos to the MCU’s doorstep.
• Agatha All Along (2026) – Set a few years after WandaVision, a powerless Agatha Harkness is broken out of Wanda’s spell by a mysterious teen. She forms a new, chaotic coven of witches to walk the legendary “Witches’ Road” in a dangerous quest to regain her magical abilities.
• Daredevil: Born Again (2026) – Matt Murdock returns to full-time vigilante work in Hell’s Kitchen. However, Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) has used his influence to run for Mayor of New York City, launching a massive political and physical war against masked vigilantes.
• Captain America: Brave New World (2026) – Sam Wilson’s first massive test as Captain America. He finds himself in the middle of a global international incident involving the newly discovered adamantium. He must confront the newly elected U.S. President, Thaddeus Ross, who transforms into the Red Hulk.
• Thunderbolts (2026)* – A team of the MCU’s most complicated anti-heroes and reformed villains—including Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, US Agent, Red Guardian, and Ghost—are assembled by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine for a highly classified, incredibly dangerous black-ops mission.
• Ironheart (2026) – Following the events of Wakanda Forever, young genius Riri Williams returns to Chicago. She builds advanced Iron Man-style armors and finds herself caught in a fierce conflict between cutting-edge technology and dark street-level magic, represented by the villain The Hood.

Conclusion

To watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in chronological order is to witness the meticulous construction of modern mythology. What begins as a grounded story of a man in a cave building a suit of armor expands over decades to encompass time travel, cosmic deities, and the unravelling of the multiverse itself. By tracking the timeline from 1943 all the way into 2026, the emotional weight of character arcs—from Steve Rogers’ timeless sacrifice to Tony Stark’s redemption and Wanda Maximoff’s tragic descent—becomes infinitely more impactful. As Phase 6 continues to introduce new heroes, anti-hero teams like the Thunderbolts, and the looming threat of multiversal collapse, this timeline stands as your definitive roadmap to the greatest shared storytelling experiment in cinema history.