MCU Phases and Release Timeline
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise produced by Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The MCU began in 2008 with Iron Man and is organized into numbered phases that group films and series by story arc. Phase One started with Iron Man and ended with The Avengers in 2012. Phase Two ran from 2013 to 2015 with films like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Phase Three started with Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 and concluded with Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, according to Marvel Studios' official timeline. Phase Four expanded the MCU with Disney+ series and films starting in 2021, including WandaVision, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Phase Five launched in 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and continued with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, and Deadpool & Wolverine. Phase Six is scheduled to begin in 2025 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps and includes upcoming titles such as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The MCU currently includes more than 30 feature films and multiple television series across Disney+.
Box office data from The Numbers shows that Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing MCU film worldwide, earning more than 2.7 billion dollars. Other top earners include Avatar, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, all crossing the billion-dollar mark globally. Disney reported that the MCU franchise generated over 30 billion dollars in global box office revenue as of the latest public earnings release. The Walt Disney Company's fiscal reports consistently list the MCU as a major contributor to its studio entertainment segment. For the latest financial breakdown, see Disney's official investor relations page and The Numbers for detailed film-by-film grosses.
Recommended Viewing Order
Chronological Release Order
Release order is the most common MCU movie order to watch for new viewers. Start with Iron Man (2008), followed by The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). This order preserves the original theatrical experience and lets audiences follow the evolving storylines exactly as they were released. Release order is recommended by Marvel Studios for first-time viewers because it matches the marketing and narrative pacing used by the studio.
MCU Production Order
Production order groups films by the year principal photography wrapped, which can differ from release dates. For example, some Phase Three films were shot back-to-back or in overlapping schedules. Production order is useful for understanding how Marvel Studios planned long-term arcs, especially the Infinity Saga