Avengers, Eternals, Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Loki, Captain America … If you aren’t either a day-one or hardcore Marvel fan, you probably feel like most people – the flood of Marvel content is nearly impossible to keep up with. Which Marvel movies are essential to the plot of the next one? Which ones should I watch to understand the overall story? We’ve taken a deep dive into the Marvel universe to help you watch all Marvel movies in the right order including yet unreleased blockbusters.
All Marvel movies belong to the MCU
First things first! MCU stands for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now includes 31 (!) Marvel movies officially divided by Marvel into six phases (so far). The fictional Marvel universe is produced by Marvel Studios based on their earlier comic-book content. In it, superheroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor have to save the world or sometimes even the whole universe from villains such as Thanos and Galactus. But okay, you probably already knew that. So enough background, let’s move on to the fun part – how to watch all Marvel movies in the right order.
The streaming home of (almost) all Marvel movies: Disney+
Disney+ markets itself as the streaming home of Marvel – for € 8.99 a month (in Germany), you can binge watch Marvel movies and series as much as you want! Particularly for Marvel newcomers, and would-be Marvel nerds, it sounds like a pretty fair deal.
Below, we’ve listed all currently released Marvel movies in the right order, sorted chronologically by release date. Debate rages online about which order is truly “correct,” though. By release date, or chronology? Marvel Studios themselves even waded in, releasing their so-called “official” order.
So then why have we decided to order them by theatrical release? We believe that is the best way to enjoy them – no spoiler risk, but still plenty of plot twists and turns, just as the creators intended.
Spoiler: if you’d still prefer to watch the MCU chronologically, you can find that list at the end of this article.
As audiophile connoisseurs, we of course are also focused on the sound experience. For that reason, we also went through and checked the optimal audio format for streaming every Marvel movie. In a previous article, we already reviewed availability of movies and series on popular streaming platforms in “true” Dolby Atmos audio, or the “mere” lossy Dolby Digital Plus (DD+). The status quo (as of June 2022) is sobering for all audio purists in Germany, because almost zero Marvel spin-offs are available for streaming in Dolby Atmos in German dubbing. Luckily for you though, dear reader, things are much rosier for Marvel’s anglophone fan base.
MCU Phase 1
| Film | Year | Audio track | Trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | 2008 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| The Incredible Hulk* | 2008 | N/A | Link |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Thor | 2011 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 | Atmos (THD) | Link |
| Marvel’s The Avengers | 2012 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
After five films, the makers of Marvel released part one of the Avengers series and pitted their superheroes against the alien Chitauri in a massive movie event. Phase 2 then followed, introducing us to the Guardians of the Galaxy series directed by James Gunn, which added a healthy dose of humor to the superhero action epics.
MCU Phase 2
| Film | Year | Audio | Trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man 3 | 2013 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Thor: The Dark Kingdom | 2013 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| The Return of the First Avenger | 2014 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Ant-Man | 2015 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
The Best Audio in the Multiverse: Teufel’s Home Cinema Sets
Welcome to the Marvel universe, Peter Parker! After an agreement between Disney and Sony, Spider-Man was finally able to get into the mix! Black Panther also came in to add to the story of T’Challa, AKA Black Panther after an initial appearance in The First Avenger: Civil War.
MCU Phase 3
| Film | Year | Audio | Trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Avenger: Civil War | 2016 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Doctor Strange | 2016 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2017 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming* | 2017 | N/A | Link |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Black Panther | 2018 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2018 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Captain Marvel | 2019 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | 2019 | N/A | Link |
After the mighty Kree warior Vers, aka Captain Marvel, was introduced in her titular film and the Avengers era came to a bombastic conclusion with Avengers: Endgame, phase 4 commenced with more feature films and exclusive Marvel series on Disney+. Phase 4 then officially ended with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which has been available for streaming on Disney+ since November 25, 2022.
MCU Phase 4
| Film | Jahr | Ton | Trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eternals | 2021 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | 2021 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Black Widow | 2021 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home* | 2021 | N/A | Link |
| Doctor Strange in the Mulitverse of Madness | 2022 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | 2022 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2022 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
| The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | 2022 | Atmos (DD+) | Link |
Streaming tip for all hardcore fans: can’t get enough? Treat yourself to even more Marvel content on Disney+. These include Marvel One-Shots (shorts about individual MCU characters), Agent Carter, The Consultant, and Team Thor.
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Upcoming Marvel movies
Already blown through all the Marvel movies in the right order? Don’t worry, there’s plenty more on the way. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania just came out, and the producers at Marvel have already officially announced phases 5 and 6. We’ll be keeping up on this and updating the article regularly to keep you in the loop.
Below, we’ve listed all upcoming Marvel movies by MCU phase:
MCU Phase 5
2023 marks the official beginning of MCU Phase 5. As Marvel boss Kevin Feige annoucned at the D23-Expo in September 2022, after the (apparent) disbanding of the Avengers (including the death of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff), the Thunderbolts must now save Earth and the entire galaxy from a new cast of villains.
The following 6 Marvel movies have already been announced:
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (15/02/23; Trailer)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (03/05/23; Trailer)
- Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels (26/07/23)
- Blade (due out 01/11/23)
- Captain America 4: New World Order (due in theaters 01/05/24)
- Thunderbolts (due in theaters 24/07/24)
MCU Phase 6
After the stunning fourth Avengers film, it’s no wonder the Marvel fan community is clamoring for more. Marvel announced US release dates for the fifth and sixth Avengers movies at Comic-Con. Phase 6 of the MCU will be ushered in by a yet unconfirmed title in the fall of 2024, which is when the Fantastic Four will come to the MCU for the first time.
- Fantastic Four (due in theaters 06/11/2024)
- Avengers 5: The Kang Dynasty (due in theaters 01/05/2025)
- Avengers 6: Secret Wars (due in theaters 06/11/2025)
On top of that, Shang-Chi 2 and Deadpool 3 are already in planning (no release date announced), but have not yet been assigned a phase. Also, neither 2024 or 2025 release dates have been comprehensively announced yet, so we’ll have to be a little patient to see which new Marvel blockbusters will be added to the lists.
Enjoy Marvel action with epic home cinema flair
We’ll need a bit of patience before Dolby Atmos is adopted by all streaming services as an audio standard. However, don’t let that stop you from updating your home cinema to 3D audio standards. The good news: you don’t necessarily need a complete system to achieve this. Our Reflekt speakers, for example, are perfectly suited for a Dolby Atmos upgrade.
▶ Reflekt: Reflekt speakers can be paired with many Teufel 5.1 home cinema sets whether as up-firing speakers or normal rear speakers. Beyond that, the speakers can also be wall mounted or simply set on your boxes.
▶ Of course, you can always find more plug-and-play Home Cinema Sets including AV receivers and Projectors on our webshop.
Reading tip: Learn the best way to set up your speakers for the optimal watching experience in our speaker placement guide.
Plug and play home cinema sets for an immersive Marvel experience
Watch all the Marvel movies and series in the MCU chronology
As a die-hard Marvel fan, you care about every cross-reference and want to know every last detail. If that sounds like you, then watch the Marvel movies according to Marvel’s official order. Happy binging!
PS: We did not list the What If…? series because it supposedly takes place in an alternate universe.
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain Marvel
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Marvel’s The Avengers
- Loki (Series available on Disney+)
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark Kingdom
- The Return of the First Avenger
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- I Am Groot
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- The First Avenger: Civil War
- Black Widow
- Black Panther
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Doctor Strange
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Avengers: Infinity War
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Series on Disney+)
- WandaVision (Series on Disney+)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Eternals
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Hawkeye (Series on Disney+)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Moon Knight (Series on Disney+)
- Ms. Marvel (Series on Disney+)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Feel free to let us know what your favorites have been so far, and which Marvel blockbusters you’re most looking forward to.
Note: The comment function is available Mon-Sat from 8 am to 9 pm.