List of Marvel Movies In Order They Were Released

For the last 11 years, Marvel has kept the world hooked with its back to back spectacular movies, and surely there is no stopping to it. Marvel begun the world of American superheroes in 2008 with not-so-sure Iron Man and Hulk film then, however, to everyone’s surprise, the movies performed remarkably well (especially Iron Man), opening the doors for further movies in the Marvel universe, giving us 4 Avengers Movies (The Avengers, Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and End Game) with ensemble cast and 17 individual superhero movies featuring Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Black Widow and many more.

The assembly of Marvel Superheroes is so vast that one may find it tough to remember the sequence of the movies. To help readers, we have provided below the list of Marvel movies in the order they were released.

List of Marvel Movies in the Order They Were Released

Apart from arranging the movies according to their released date, to make it easier for the readers to understand the timeline of these spectacular movies, the movies have been categorized phase wise as well, description of which is provided below.

	MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE	BUDGET	BOX OFFICE
PHASE 1	Iron Man	May 2, 2008	$140 Million	$585.2 Million
	The Incredible Hulk	June 13, 2008	$150 Million	$263.4 Million
	Iron Man 2	May 7, 2010	$170-200 Million	$623.9 Million
	Thor	May 6, 2011	$150 Million	$449.3 Million
	Captain America: The First Avenger	July 22, 2011	$140-216.7 Million	$370.6 Million
	Marvel’s The Avengers	May 4, 2012	$220 Million	$1.519 Billion
PHASE 2	Iron Man 3	May 3, 2013	$200 Million	1.215 Billion
	Thor: The Dark World	November 8, 2013	$170-272 Million	$644.6 Million
	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	April 4, 2014	$170-177 Million	$714.3 Million
	Guardian of the Galaxy	August 1, 2014	$232.3 Million	$773.3 Million
	Avengers: Age of Ultron	May 1, 2015	$444-495.2 Million	$1.405 Billion
	Ant Man	July 17, 2015	$130-169.3 Million	$519.3 Million
PHASE 3	Captain America: Civil War	May 6, 2016	$250 Million	1.123 Billion
	Doctor Strange	November 4, 2016	$165-236.6 Million	$667.7 Million
	Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2	May 5, 2017	$200 Million	$863.8 Million
	Spider-Man: Homecoming	July 7, 2017	$175 Million	$880.2 Million
	Thor: Ragnarok	November 3, 2017	$180 Million	$854 Million
	Black Panther	February 16, 2018	$200 Million	1.347 Billion
	Avengers: Infinity War	April 27, 2018	$316-400 Million	$2.948 Billion
	Ant-Man and the Wasp	July 6, 2018	$162-195 Million	$622.7 Million
	Captain Marvel	March 8, 2019	$152-175 Million	$1.128 Billion
	Avengers: End Game	April 26, 2019	$356 Million	$2.751 Billion

Timeline of Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies

Although, there were not so actual plan for the shared universe’s timeline at the time of Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hoping to create a shared universe’s timeline in future, Marvel Studios strategically linked up stories of some of their films with reference to one another, which clicked successfully and made us witness the Marvel comic world through cinematic experience.

While Iron Man 2 was set 6 months after the events of the first Iron Man Movie, around which events of The Incredible Hulk and Thor took place within a week, the events shown in crossover film The Avengers occurred a year after.

In order to avoid complication in the timeline, Marvel set the Phase Two films in real time relating to the Avengers. And while Iron Man 3 events occur six months later, Thor: The Dark World is placed a year after, and Captain America: Winter Soldier is set two years later, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man concluded the Phase 2 in 2015.

As for the Phase 3, The Russo Brothers directors wanted to keep the continuity with real-time, therefore Captain America: Civil War was set one year after Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Infinity War placed two years after that. However, Brad Winderbaum, the producer, said that films of Phase 3 would actually occur on top of each other, making them less “interconnected” like films of Phase 1.

Thus, Black Panther was and Spider-Man: Homecoming were set respectively a week and several months after Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok occurring four years after The Dark World and Two years after Age of Ultron, which itself is set around the Civil War and Homecoming timeline, Doctor Strange taking over an entire year and completing to the date of rest of the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp also placed two years after Civil War and shortly before Infinity War and both Guardian of The Galaxy duology placed strategically in 2014 to create an almost 4 years of gap between The Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Infinity War.

Well, during the making of Spider-Man Homecoming, a scroll explaining the timeline of MCU was created by Co-Producer Eric Carroll, which was shown to the director and co-writer Jon Watts. Watts commented that the scroll comprised both – continuity and non-continuity of the lineup. The purpose with this scroll was to include the continuity of Homecoming into previous films, like The Avengers.  In the film, it was labeled to state that eight years have passed between the Civil war and The Avengers, however, this was criticized as an error in the continuity as it broked the MCU timeline, where only fours should have passed.

Moreover, the dialogue in Captain America: Civil War suggests that eight years passed between Iron Man and the events occurred in the film, even though the established continuity was around five or six years. Even the Co-Director or Infinity War stated the eight years time jump of Homecoming to be “incorrect”, and the mistake was also overlooked in Infinity War where the events were occurring only after six years of The Avengers. The response of the public to the Spider-Man Homecoming made Marvel Studios to create a new timeline for the three phases in November 2018 as mentioned below.

Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years Timeline

YEAR(S)	FILMS
1943 – 1945	Captain America: The First Avenger
2010	Iron Man
2011	Iron Man 2 Thor
2012	The Avengers, Iron Man 3
2013	Thor: The Dark World
2014	Captain America: The Winter Soldier Guardians of the Galaxy Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2015	Avengers: Age of Ultron Ant-Man
2016	Captain America: Civil War
2016-2017	Doctor Strange
2017	Black Panther Thor: Ragnarok Avengers: Infinity War

 

Brief About the Marvel Movies in the Order They Were Released

1) Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man was a 2008 American superhero film which was based on the Comics character of Marvel with the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, screenplay by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, Iron Man was the first installment of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). The film follows the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant engineer and industrialist who builds a powered exoskeleton during a life-threatening incident, which ultimately makes him the technologically advanced superhero – Iron Man.

2) The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The Incredible Hulk was another American superhero film of 2008 which was based on the Comics character of Marvel universe – the Hulk. Directed by Louis Leterrier, screenplay by Zak Penn. The second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk as an involuntary pawn in a military scheme to revive the “Super-Soldier” program using gamma radiation. While to cure himself of the radiation which makes him hulk, he gets captured by General Thaddeus Ross. However, he realizes his worst fears when soldier Emil Blonsky becomes a similar and even more brutish creature.

3) Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 was a 2010 American superhero film, the sequel to 2008’s Iron Man, and the third film in the MCU. Directed by Jon Favreau again and written by Justin Theroux, in this film, Tony Stark is resisting the United States government from handing over the Iron Man technology while also fighting his declining health causing due to the arc reactor in his chest. In the meantime, a rogue Russian scientist, Ivan Vanko also develops the same technology and builds weapons of his own to rage a war against the Stark family, and in the process joining Stark’s business rival, Justin Hammer.

4) Thor (2011)

Thor was a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic character with the same name. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, written by the writing team of Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz along with Don Payne, Thor was the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) starring Chris Hemsworth in the titular role. In the film, Thor is shown banished to Earth from Asgard, after reigniting a dormant war, while his Brother Loki plotting to take the Asgardian throne.

5) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger was the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, this 2011 film starred Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America. The film depicts the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man who volunteers to be transformed into the super-soldier Captain America to stop the Red Skull, who intends to use an artifact “Tesseract” as an energy-source for ruling the world.

6) Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

Marvel’s The Avengers was the first movie in the Avengers series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team with the same name. Written and directed by Joss Whedon, it was the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which featured an ensemble cast that comprises Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner reprising their superhero role. In the film, Nick Fury, director of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Tony Stark (Iron Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Bruce Banner (The Hulk), and Thor to assemble a team that must stop Thor’s Brother Loki from conquering Earth.

7) Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 was a 2013 film starring Robert Downy Jr. It was the sequel to 2008’s Iron Man and 2010’s Iron Man 2, and the seventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Shane Black from a screenplay which he co-wrote with Drew Pearce. In the film, Tony Stark fights with the consequences of the events of The Avengers, at the time of a national terrorism movement on the United States led by a mysterious villain, Mandarin.

8) Thor: The Dark World (2013)

 

Thor: The Dark World (2013) was a sequel to 2011’s Thor and the eighth film in MCU. The film was directed by Alan Taylor, screenplay by Christopher Yost and written by a team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. In Thor: The Dark World, Thor joins Loki to save the Nine Realms from the Dark Elves, led by the ruthless Malekith, who intends to force the universe into darkness.

9) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) was a sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and the ninth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, screenplay by the team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, in the film, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon teams up expose a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. while fighting a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

10) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by James Gunn, who also wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman, the film featured an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper portraying the titular Guardian. In the film, Peter Quill forms an alliance with a group of extraterrestrial criminals who are looking to steal a powerful artifact. This was the film where Thanos and the Infinity Stones came into the limelight for the first time.

11) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) was the second film in the Avengers series, the sequel to 2012’s The Avengers, and the eleventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed and written by Joss Whedon, featuring an ensemble cast which comprises Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, the Avengers battles against Ultron, artificial intelligence which obsessed with causing the extinction of the human race.

12) Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man (2015) was the twelfth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was directed by Peyton Reed, with a screenplay by the writing teams of Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, and Adam McKay and Paul Rudd. The film starred Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man. In Ant-Man film, Lang had to help defend Pym’s Ant-Man shrinking technology and conspire a heist with worldwide ramifications.

13) Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America: Civil War (2016) was the sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it was also the thirteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, screenplay by the Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely team, In the movie, disparity over international oversight of the Avengers split them into opposing factions—one led by Tony Stark and the other by Steve Rogers.

14) Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange (2016) was the fourteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Scott Derrickson, who co-wrote it with Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill. The film starred Benedict Cumberbatch playing the title character, In the film, former surgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) learns the mystic arts after a meeting a car crash which prevents him from pursuing his career as a surgeon.

15) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) was a sequel to 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the fifteenth film in MCU. Directed and penned by James Gunn, the film features Guardians traveling throughout the cosmos while helping Peter Quill learn more about his mysterious origin.

16) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) was the sixteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Jon Watts, with a screenplay from the writing teams of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Watts and Christopher Ford, and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The film starred Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker tries to manage his high school life and being a Spider-Man, while facing threats from the Vulture.

17) Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) was a sequel to 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. It was the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Taika Waititi, with a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing team of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, in the film, Thor has to escape the alien planet, Sakaar, in time to save Asgard from Hela and the coming Ragnarök.

18) Black Panther (2018)

Black Panther (2018) was the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Ryan Coogler, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. The film starred Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther, in the film, T’Challa is crowned king of Wakanda after the death of his father, however, his sovereignty is challenged by an adversary who plans to destroy the isolationist policies of the country and start a global revolution.

19) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) was a sequel to 2012’s The Avengers and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and also the nineteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The film features an ensemble cast which comprised Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy try to prevent Thanos from gathering the Infinity Stones in order to wipe out half of all life in the entire universe.

20) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) was a sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man and the twentieth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Peyton Reed and written by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari, the film depicts the titular pair work with Hank Pym to recover Janet van Dyne from the quantum realm.

21) Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel (2019) was the twenty-first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film starred Brie Larson as Danvers, and the story is set in 1995. The film depicts the events of Danvers becoming Captain Marvel after Earth gets caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations.

22) Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019) was the sequel to 2012’s The Avengers, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and the twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It featured an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. The film depicts the struggle of the surviving members of the Avengers and their attempts to reverse the damage caused by Thanos in the Infinity War film.

Although, the Avengers: Endgame showed the end of Thanos and many major superheroes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t seem to be coming to an end as Marvel Studios is already lining up more movies and new characters in future. The first film after Avengers End Game is going to be Spiderman: Far from home, followed by Black Widow. The Spiderman: Far From Home is alleged to be a conclusion to “The Infinity Saga” while also being the beginning of Phase 4 of Marvel Cinematic Universe.

List of Upcoming Marvel Films After Avengers End Game

1. Spiderman: Far From Home
2. Doctor Strange Sequel
3. Black Panther Sequel
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
5. Black Widow
6. Captain Marvel Sequel
7. Shang-Chi
8. The Eternals

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