Are you a fan of Marvel movies? The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has a huge storyline that includes a variety of characters. You must have heard of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider Man, etc. Exactly, in the Marvel world, almost all the superheroes have their own stories through a specific movie, and they are also part of the Avengers, the strongest team in the universe.
So far, Marvel has released a total of 27 related movies, so it's hard for someone who doesn't figure out the storyline to tell which one to watch first. Maybe that's why people search for how to watch Marvel movies in order on Google.
This post will go into details about watching Marvel movies in chronological order and the main information of all movies.
#1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving
Release date: July 22, 2011
Synopsis:
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a young man born in the United States during the Great Depression, wanted to get enlisted in the army because of the Nazi atrocities in Europe. Unfortunately, he was rejected for his physical weakness.
However, General Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) happened to know Steve Rogers and decided to include him in the “Project Rebirth.” After several weeks of testing, Steve Rogers was injected with the Super Soldier serum and possessed the most perfect body. He then underwent strict and comprehensive training to be an unstoppable soldier.
Three months later, Steve Rogers got his first assignment as “Captain America.” He led the struggle against the HYDRA organization, which belonged to the Nazis, and then Steve Rogers became the leader of the superhero group “Avengers.”
#2. Captain Marvel (1995)
Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Cast: Brie Larson
Release date: February 27, 2019 (London); March 8, 2019 (United States)
Synopsis:
Captain Marvel is the first Marvel superhero movie to feature a female protagonist.
Carol Danvers was an excellent air force intelligence personnel who once went missing while on a flying mission. All her colleagues thought that Carol had died of an unknown accident. In fact, she became a member of the elite Croatian force because she was struck by an energy beam, thus gaining amazing superpowers. However, her memory had been erased, which made Carol think that she had been born a Croatian.
By accident, Carol returned to the Earth and became Captain Marvel. As one of the universe’s most powerful heroes, she started an all-new adventure.
Carol accidentally returned to Earth and assumed the title of Captain Marvel. She embarked on a brand-new adventure as one of the universe’s most powerful heroes.
#3. Iron Man (2010)
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow
Release date: May 2, 2008
Synopsis:
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), the son of an inventor and weapons contractor Howard Stark (Gerard Sanders), was a man of genius, a billionaire, a playboy, and a philanthropist. Once, Tony Stark was assigned to give a weapons presentation to an Iraqi unit. Unfortunately, he was attacked by enemy combatants and was imprisoned in a cave.
In this cave, Dr. Yinsen (Shaun Toub) assisted Tony in inventing iron armor, which helped Tony escape successfully. Upon returning home, Tony continued to work on perfecting his iron suit and used it to protect all mankind. Thus, here comes Iron Man.
#4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Release date: May 7, 2010
Synopsis:
Pressure from all sides was coming to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) because he had announced to the whole world that he was the Iron Man. The military, congress, government, arms dealers, and criminals from all countries wanted to keep the stark technology for their benefit. With the help of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Tony established new alliances and confronted powerful new enemies.
#5. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
Release date: June 13, 2008
Synopsis:
Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) was genetically mutated by the effects of the gamma radiation. He loses his temper easily and turns into the Hulk. To avoid the U.S. military, Bruce had to hide and completely cut off his previous life, including his true love, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).
However, a supremely powerful enemy, The Abomination (Tim Roth), was created by copying the same genes. Bruce must choose between being an ordinary scientist again or living forever as the Hulk to fight the threat.
#6. Thor (2011)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston
Release date: May 6, 2011
Synopsis:
Thor, the son of Odin, the Norse gods' king, will shortly succeed to his father's throne in Asgard. However, he happened to set off an ancient war and was therefore relegated to Earth as punishment and forced to live with humans. Without any superpowers, Thor must learn how to become a true hero and fight the powerful dark forces from the world of God.
#7. The Avengers (2012)
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner
Release date: May 4, 2012
Synopsis:
A sudden and powerful force of evil poses a deadly threat to Earth, and no single superhero can resist it alone. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the head of the meta-human regulation organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D., assembled six superheroes to form the Avengers, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). The Avengers are the most powerful alliance on Earth and can prevent almost all threats.
#8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
Directed by: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Release date: May 3, 2013
Synopsis:
After the cataclysmic events in New York, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) indulged himself in upgrading the Iron Man suit. Meanwhile, a terrorist “Mandarin” launched a series of bombings, and Stark’s home was also attacked. Tony's girlfriend, Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), barely survived this bombing. Therefore, Tony started his counterattacks on the Mandarin.
#9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba
Release date: November 8, 2013
Synopsis:
Jane (Natalie Portman) discovered a time-warping force field in England and was by the Aether when she entered the adventure. Aether is the ultimate weapon of the Dark Elves, who tried to bring the universe back to the dark again. Thor brought Jane
to Asgard to destroy the Aether. However, his mother and brother all lost their lives when fighting with the Dark Elves, and Thor finally succeeded in preventing the Dark Elves.
#10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie
Release date: April 4, 2014
Synopsis:
After the cataclysmic events in New York, Captain America (Chris Evans) strived to integrate into modern society. After participating in an attack to rescue colleagues of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America was involved in a conspiracy. Captain America, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and even the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), were all hunted. He was on the defensive while tracking and finally disclosed “Hydra’s” decades-long wicked conspiracy.
#11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Directed by: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Bradly Cooper
Release date: August 1, 2014
Synopsis:
After stealing an orb coveted by Ronan, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) became the number one target of bounty hunters. To escape Ronan's pursuit, Quill allied with four other characters, including the machine gun-wielding Rocket Raccoon (Bradly Cooper), tree Grunt (Vin Diesel), ferocious and mysterious Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and the vengeful destroyer Drax (Dave Bautista).
#12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2014)
Directed by: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradly Cooper, Michael Rooker
Release date: May 5, 2017
Synopsis:
The Sovereign recruited the Guardians of the Galaxy to protect precious batteries. However, Rocket (Bradly Cooper) stole these batteries, which annoyed the Sovereign, and the guardians were all on the Sovereign’s list to be killed.
Ego (Kurt Russell) saved the Guardians once by accident, and Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) happened to know that Ego was his father. After spending some time together, Quill realized that Ego wasn’t his ideal father, and then the Guardians of the Galaxy started their plan for defending the galaxy.
#13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, James Spader
Release date: May 1, 2015
Synopsis:
To protect the Earth from invasion, the Avengers invented Ultron (James Spader), an AI robot with self-awareness and learning ability. However, Ultron believed that human beings were the most severe threat to this planet and invented an AI military to kill all humans.
The Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeyes) reassembled to stop Ultron from implementing his terrible plans.
#14. Ant-Man (2015)
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll
Release date: July 17, 2015
Synopsis:
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) had always earned his living as a thief. Once, he happened to steal the Ant-Man suit, which was invented by a biochemist, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). People can control the size of their bodies when putting on the Ant-Man suit.
However, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) always sought to keep the technology for himself and thus make profit from it. He also invented a similar suit by stealing Pym's technology. A fight between Lang and Cross is about to take place.
#15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, James Spader, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle
Release date: May 6, 2016
Synopsis:
The Avengers are much more mature and unstoppable. The government passed laws to get the Avengers under control. Although Iron Man followed this rule, Captain America insisted that superheroes should protect all humankind without intervention from the government. As a result, superheroes were divided into two different camps, one supporting Iron Man and the other supporting Captain American.
#16. Spider Man: Homecoming (2016)
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Michael Keaton, Tony Revolori, Jon Favreau
Release date: July 7, 2017
Synopsis:
After his experience with the Avengers, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) still lived with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). With the help of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter became more accustomed to his new identity: Spider Man. However, when the evil Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges, Peter must stand up to protect everything that he cares about.
#17. Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Tilda Swinton
Release date: November 4, 2016
Synopsis:
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was a wealthy, acclaimed, and arrogant neurosurgeon. His hand was injured in a car crash and could not continue to operate anymore. To cure himself, Stephen found Mordor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in Nepal, who introduced him to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). The Ancient One taught Stephen about metaphysics and multidimensional space. Stephen learned so hard that he had successfully become Doctor Strange and was protecting the world with his superpowers.
#18. Black Widow (2016)
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz
Release date: July 9, 2021
Synopsis:
Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) released Captain America and the Winter Soldier at an airport in Germany, and she was therefore wanted by the U.S. government. While in exile, she also discovered a series of unknown conspiracies about herself. Natasha must face her past as a spy and repair the damaged relationships she left behind before becoming a member of the Avengers.
#19. Black Panther (2017)
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Release date: February 16, 2018
Synopsis:
Wakanda was a secret nation in Africa to protect a meteorite containing the metal vibranium. T’Chaka (John Kani) is the Black Panther and the king of Wakanda, who is responsible for protecting the metal vibranium. After T’Chaka died, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) succeeded to the throne and became the new Black Panther.
Faced with treachery and threats, T’Challa, as Black Panther and the king of Wakanda, must do his utmost to hit the enemies and protect his people.
#20. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins
Release date: November 3, 2017
Synopsis:
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was imprisoned on the other side of the universe. When he came back to Earth, he found that Loki (Chris Hemsworth) became the leader of Asgard, and Odin (Chris Hemsworth) disappeared. When Thor and Loki find Odin, he is going to die, which leads to the reappearance of Hela (Cate Blanchett).
Hela was the commander of Asgard's army, and she and Odin conquered the Nine Realms together, but Odin imprisoned her and erased her from history because she had grown too greedy and powerful. Because of Hela's appearance, Asgard now faces one of the greatest threats. Thor and Loki must spare no effort to ruin Hela’s plan.
#21. Ant-man and the Wasp (2017)
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas,
Release date: July 6, 2018
Synopsis:
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the ramifications of his actions as a superhero and a father in the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War." He meets Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who are faced with a crucial new task, and Scott must don the combat suit once more and learn to fight alongside the Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer).
#22. Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Josh Brolin
Release date: April 27, 2018
Synopsis:
To destroy the entire galaxy completely, Thanos (Josh Brolin) was searching for all six Infinity Stones in the universe, artifacts of unimaginable power. Under these circumstances, along with Spider Man, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and the people of Wakanda, the Avengers reunited to fight for saving the universe.
#23. Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson
Release date: April 26, 2019
Synopsis:
As a continuation of Avengers: Infinity War, half the people on Earth have been erased by Thanos (Josh Brolin). The Avengers were depressed by this attack and lived for five years without any solutions. Fortunately, Ant Man (Paul Rudd) escaped from the Quantum Realm successfully, and he proposed the idea that it is possible to reverse time and correct Thanos’ action. For all mankind, the Avengers and other superheroes fought again.
#24. Spider Man: Far From Home (2024)
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, with Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal
Release date: July 2, 2019
Synopsis:
After Avengers: Endgame, especially after the death of Iron Man, Spider Man must step up to face new enemies. When Peter Parker returned to his high school and tried to live as a normal student, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) found Peter and asked him to be responsible for the security of the Earth and human beings. Then Peter started his challenge of fighting with four massive elemental creatures, including Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
#25. Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2023-2024)
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng
Release date: September 3, 2021
Synopsis:
Around a thousand years ago, Shang-Chi’s father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), found ten rings by accident and granted immortality and godly powers. Suddenly, Xu Wenwu became the most powerful man in the world. He married Ying Li and had two children, Shang-Chi and Xialing. However, seven years later, Li was murdered by Wenwu’s enemies, which made Wenwu determine to train Shang-Chi extremely strictly.
Several years later, Shang-Chi ran away to San Francisco and adopted the name “Shaun.” He wanted to live as an ordinary person and away from all conflicts. Shang-Chi was still found by the ten rings, and he must take the responsibility to be a hero to guard his family and home.
#26. Eternals (2024)
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, and Kit Harrington
Release date: November 5, 2021
Synopsis:
The Eternals are a group of ancient races with various extraordinary abilities, close to immortality. They live on Earth in secrecy, protecting and guiding people and witnessing the development of human civilization without any interference. After Avenger: Endgame, an unexpected disaster on Earth forces them to reunite together to fight against the Deviants, the oldest enemy of all mankind.
#27. Spider Man: No Way Home (2024)
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Release date: December 17, 2021
Synopsis:
Spider Man’s identity has been revealed intentionally. Peter Parker’s life suddenly got disordered, which also worsened the lives of his best friend, Nerd Leeds (Jacob Batalon), and girlfriend, MJ Watson (Zendaya).
Peter Parker asked for Doctor Strange’s help, but Peter always interrupted Doctor Strange when he is casting a spell, which inadvertently opened a space-time channel and triggered a crisis that had never been seen before. Peter and his friends gathered the other two Spider Men, and they all fought together against Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and other enemies.
The Bottom Line
Marvel has created a great universe for their superheroes who are kind, justified, and powerful, and they fight against all evils to protect people. After reading this post, you won’t have any difficulty differentiating between all the heroes and will be more familiar with them.
Watching Marvel movies in chronological order helps you fully understand the storyline and the internal relations between them. Go and check them right now! Marvel won't let you down with any superhero!
