So, you want to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the literal beginning of time to whatever multiversal chaos we're in right now? Honestly, good luck. It’s a mess. Most people just open Disney Plus, click the "Chronological" category, and call it a day. But if you actually want to see how the world-building stacks up, you've gotta realize that the official app skips the Netflix stuff, glosses over the "Street Level" history, and doesn't quite know what to do with the newer 2025 and 2026 releases like Daredevil: Born Again or the retro-future weirdness of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Watching the MCU in chronological order with shows isn't just about moving from left to right on a timeline. It’s about seeing how a scrawny kid from Brooklyn in 1942 connects to a blind lawyer in Hell's Kitchen and, eventually, a literal god of stories holding the multiverse together at the end of time.
The Genesis: Ancient History and the World Wars
Technically, the "first" things you should see are bits of Eternals or the opening of Thor, which go back thousands of years. But nobody watches like that. You start with the 1940s.
- Captain America: The First Avenger (1942–1945): This is the bedrock. If you skip this, the weight of the shield later on means nothing.
- Agent Carter (Seasons 1–2): Set right after Cap goes into the ice. It’s 1946. You see the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Peggy being a total boss while everyone else is stuck in the past.
- *The Fantastic Four: First Steps (1964)**: Okay, this is the first big "asterisk." This movie is set in the 60s, but it's an alternate-reality 60s. Chronologically, the characters exist here, but they don't jump into our main "Sacred Timeline" until much later. Still, if you're a purist, this is where the period setting lands.
Then there's the 90s. Captain Marvel happens in 1995. It’s a lot of Nine Inch Nails shirts and Blockbuster Video jokes. It feels like a prequel because it is, but it sets up why Nick Fury is so obsessed with finding "enhanced" people.
The "Golden Age" of the Avengers (2008–2015)
This is the era most of us grew up with. It starts with Iron Man in 2008. But here's a fun fact: Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and the first Thor all happen within the same week. Fans call it "Fury's Big Week."
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- Iron Man (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- The Incredible Hulk (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Iron Man 3 (2012): Takes place at Christmas, months after New York.
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2 (2014): These happen back-to-back. Baby Groot is still a baby in Vol. 2, so they both sit firmly in 2014.
- I Am Groot (Shorts): Most of these happen between the two Guardians movies.
Where do the "Defenders" fit?
People debate if the Netflix shows are "canon." Marvel basically settled this with Daredevil: Born Again—they are. Daredevil Season 1 happens in 2014, right after the "Incident" in New York from the first Avengers movie. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all follow shortly after, leading into The Defenders in 2016. If you want the full experience, you watch these before the world goes to hell in Civil War.
The Fractured Timeline (2016–2018)
Things get crowded here. Everyone is fighting. Captain America: Civil War (2016) splits the team, and everything that follows is basically the fallout of that breakup.
- Black Widow: This is tucked right after Civil War. Natasha is on the run. Don't watch the post-credits scene yet, though—it’s a massive spoiler for five years later.
- Black Panther: Happens about a week after Civil War.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: Takes place a few months after Peter gets back from Germany.
- Doctor Strange: This one is tricky. It starts in 2016 but his training takes time, ending in early 2017.
- Thor: Ragnarok: 2017. It leads directly—like, seconds later—into Infinity War.
Then comes the "Snap." Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp happen simultaneously in 2018. One ends with a purple alien winning, the other ends with Scott Lang getting stuck in the Quantum Realm because his friends turned to dust.
The Post-Blip Chaos (2023–2025)
Avengers: Endgame jumps five years into the future. That means we spent a long time watching movies set in "the future" (2023 and 2024) while we were still living in 2021.
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WandaVision is the immediate aftermath, set just three weeks after the Snap is undone. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is six months later.
The 2024-2025 Cluster
Basically every Disney Plus show happens in this window. Spider-Man: Far From Home is the summer of 2024. Spider-Man: No Way Home starts immediately after and runs through Christmas 2024. You know what else is at Christmas 2024? Hawkeye. They are happening at the exact same time in the same city.
- Shang-Chi: Late 2024.
- Eternals: Late 2024.
- Moon Knight: Early 2025.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Late 2025.
- Echo: Takes place shortly after Hawkeye in 2025.
- She-Hulk: 2025. This is where Matt Murdock finally shows up again in that yellow and red suit.
The New Frontier: 2026 and Beyond
As of right now, in early 2026, we are finally catching up to the "real time" of the MCU. The newest chapters are pushing us into 2026 and 2027 within the story.
Daredevil: Born Again (Season 1 & 2)
The first season of Matt Murdock’s return is set in late 2025/early 2026. Season 2, which just hit Disney Plus in March 2026, pushes us further. Kingpin is Mayor of New York now. It’s messy, political, and connects directly to the tone of Captain America: Brave New World.
Wonder Man (2026)
Simon Williams enters the fray right about now. It’s a Hollywood-centric story, but chronologically, it's happening alongside the rise of the new Avengers roster.
The Road to Doomsday
Everything we are watching right now—Thunderbolts*, Ironheart, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (slated for later this year)—is building toward the 2026/2027 crossover event: Avengers: Doomsday. We’ve moved past the "who survived the snap" era and into the "why is the multiverse collapsing" era.
Actionable Insights for Your Rewatch
If you’re actually going to attempt the MCU in chronological order with shows, don't get burnt out. Here is how to actually survive it:
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- Group by "Vibe": Don't just follow the clock. Watch the "Cosmic" stuff (Guardians, Thor, Captain Marvel) together, then pivot to the "Street Level" stuff (Daredevil, Echo, Hawkeye). It makes more sense than jumping from space to a courtroom in New York every two hours.
- The Post-Credit Trap: If you're watching chronologically for the first time, be careful. Many movies have post-credit scenes that jump forward years. Example: Black Widow is a 2016 movie, but its post-credit scene is a 2024 spoiler.
- Skip the "Non-Essential" Series: If you're short on time, Secret Invasion and Inhumans (if you even count that) are widely considered skippable for the main narrative. You won't miss much for Avengers: Doomsday.
- Use the 2026 Context: Keep in mind that as of the latest releases, characters like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men are technically "new" to our main timeline, even if their stories (like X-Men '97) take place in the past or different universes.
The best way to stay updated is to check the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" category on Disney+, but remember: they often leave out the Spider-Man movies (due to Sony licensing) and the older Netflix series. To get the real story, you have to look at the cracks in the timeline.
Now that you've got the map, start with Steve Rogers in 1942 and see how long it takes you to reach the multiverse. By the time you finish, Avengers: Doomsday might actually be in theaters.