The MCU is an ever-expanding franchise with a ton of content both in its past and future. Something that began as a film series quickly turned into a franchise that involves storytelling across multiple types of media. Thus, many people wonder what exactly is the best way to watch this behemoth of a franchise.
Well lucky for you, Twinfinite has a guide to help you navigate and give yourself the best experience of watching the franchise, both for first-timers and for longtime fans who want to rewatch their favorite franchise from the start.
It’s important to remember that the way Marvel has been telling the MCU’s story is different now that we have left the Infinity Saga and are currently in the Multiverse Saga. The storytelling was much more scattered in phases 1, 2, and 3, where Marvel told its stories in theaters and across ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform. Now, things have been much more tightened down with the Multiverse Saga, thanks to Marvel Studios locking things down to only being theatrical releases or Disney+ titles.
Please note: The guide has been broken down into rough phases for convenience; the television entries during the Infinity Saga don’t officially belong to any of the phases.
Without further ado, here is the definitive guide on how to watch the MCU in release order.
Phase 1- Infinity Saga
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- One-Shot: The Consultant
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer
- The Avengers
- One-Shot: Item 47
Phase 2- Infinity Saga
- Iron Man 3
- One-Shot: Agent Carter
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episodes 1-7
- Thor: The Dark World
- One-Shot: All Hail the King
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episodes 8-16
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episodes 17-22
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2, Episodes 1-10
- Agent Carter Season 1
- Daredevil Season 1
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2, Episodes 11-19
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2, Episodes 20-22
- WHiH Newsfront Season 1: Ant-Man
- Ant-Man
Phase 3- Infinity Saga
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episodes 1-10
- Jessica Jones Season 1
- Agent Carter Season 2
- Daredevil Season 2
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episodes 11-19
- WHiH Newsfront Season 2: Captain America: Civil War
- Captain America: Civil War
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episodes 20-22
- Luke Cage Season 1
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episodes 1-8
- Doctor Strange
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episodes 9-15
- Iron Fist Season 1
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episodes 16-22
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- The Defenders
- Inhumans
- Thor: Ragnarok
- The Punisher Season 1
- Runaways Season 1
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5, Episodes 1-10
- Black Panther
- Jessica Jones Season 2
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5, Episodes 11-18
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5, Episodes 19-22
- Cloak and Dagger Season 1
- Luke Cage Season 2
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Iron Fist Season 2
- Daredevil Season 3
- Runaways Season 2
- The Punisher Season 2
- Captain Marvel
- Cloak and Dagger Season 2
- Avengers: Endgame
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6
- Jessica Jones Season 3
- Peter’s To-Do List
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
Phase 4- Multiverse Saga
- Runaways Season 3
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7
- Helstrom
- WandaVision
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Loki Season 1
- Black Widow
- What If…? Season 1
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Hawkeye
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Moon Knight
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Ms. Marvel
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- I Am Groot Season 1
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Aug. 18, 2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Nov. 11, 2022)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Holiday 2022)
Phase 5- Multiverse Saga
Phase 6- Multiverse Saga
That is the definitive guide to all MCU films, series, and shorts in release order. As this franchise continues expanding, look for even more entries here to help you in your future MCU endeavors.