From Iron Man to Deadpool & Wolverine, there's (technically) only one correct way to watch every MCU film.
Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.
It’s hard to recall a time before superheroes dominated our screens. In the early 2000s, also known as BMCU (Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe), we barely knew anything about the Hulk—let alone Smart Hulk, She-Hulk, or the recently introduced Hulk Jr. Now, 15 years and 33 films into the MCU, we’re educated about all the Hulks, the Spider-Men, and even the variants of the multiverse. We know Alligator Loki, we love Baby Groot, and we’re still questioning why no one has said a thing about the giant Eternals robot sticking halfway out of the planet.
But all this MCU mumbo-jumbo isn’t easy commit to memory. It takes dedicated watching and tons of hours in front of the TV. Often, it’s more than worth it. Spider-Man: Homecoming was a beloved retelling of a well-known hero, Black Panther was a cultural phenomenon that extended past the screen, and Avengers: Infinity War once threatened to dethrone Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time. You won't find Deadpool and Deadpool 2 in here, or any of the 20th Century Fox X-Men films. But if The Marvels post-credits scene is anything to follow, I'd expect more of those characters to cross over soon.
If you have the energy to immerse yourself into the MCU, we’ve crafted a guide to aid you on your journey. Beginning with 2008’s Iron Man and ending with 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, below is the best way to watch every Marvel film in order.*
Every film is available on Disney+ unless otherwise indicated.
Iron Man (2008)
View full post on Youtube
The one that started it all, where a rich guy builds a superhero suit and spawns likely decades of blockbuster franchise filmmaking.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
View full post on Youtube
In the MCU's second outing, the Hulk gets another telling of his origin story. Sure, The Incredible Hulk is a bit of a strange watch in the 2020s, with Mark Ruffalo having long replaced Ed Norton. But we'll see the Abomination again soon, so that's worth a throwback to Norton's take.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
View full post on Youtube
Iron Man 2 got a little too superhero for its own good, but the second outing from Tony Stark is still a fun one, Elon Musk cameo be damned.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Thor (2011)
View full post on Youtube
Thor refused to let us know how funny Chris Hemsworth could actually be under that golden-blonde wig, but it did give us a brilliantly Shakespearean intro to the God of Thunder.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
View full post on Youtube
Captain America: The First Avenger gave America's ass a proper intro to the world—and a compelling look at WWI in the process.
The Avengers (2012)
View full post on Youtube
The Avengers did the unthinkable, bringing heroes from separate movies—wow!—all together for one adventure. We were so young.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Iron Man 3 (2013)
View full post on Youtube
The underrated Iron Man 3 bravely shows the effects of PTSD on Tony Stark, ending the Iron Man trilogy on a sweet note—and during the holidays, no less.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
View full post on Youtube
Thor: The Dark World, where Thor battles the Dark Elves, is the subpar MCU entry we don't really talk about.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
View full post on Youtube
In what is one of the best MCU outings, Captain America: The Winter Soldier links Cap and Black Widow up for the espionage drama of our dreams.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
View full post on Youtube
Guardians of the Galaxy somehow made a group of ragtag antiheroes into fan favorites. Guess that's the power of '80s music.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
View full post on Youtube
Avengers: Age of Ultron made good on its title, pitting the Avengers against Mr. Robot for two and a half hours. That's how long the age of the titular Ultron lasted. And we're OK with that.
Ant-Man (2015)
View full post on Youtube
In Ant-Man, Paul Rudd plays a good-bad dude who gets his hands on a shrinking suit. Frankly, the relatively small stakes (ha!) in this romp are refreshing.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
View full post on Youtube
Captain America: Civil War, gasp, turned our heroes against each other. Well, at least until they forgive each other so they can fight the bad guy.
Doctor Strange (2016)
View full post on Youtube
Doctor Strange shows the journey of surgeon Stephen Strange into one of the MCU's wisest heroes. We'll see how he fares when the multiverse explodes in the sequel.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
View full post on Youtube
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 wasn't quiet the good time romp its predecessor was, but more time with Rocket Raccoon and (teenage) Groot is never a bad thing.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
View full post on Youtube
At long last: Spider-Man: Homecoming gave us the baby-faced Peter Parker from the comics, offering a faithful and sweet tale of the Queens native's coming of age.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
View full post on Youtube
Thor: Ragnarok enlisted the wild, weird, and wonderful Taika Waititi as its director. The result? A rock n' rollin, planet-hopping Thor adventure.
Black Panther (2018)
View full post on Youtube
Black Panther, which tells the story of a young king learning how to truly become a leader, was a landmark film for diversity in Hollywood.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
View full post on Youtube
Avengers: Infinity War marked the beginning of the most epic superhero team-up in the genre's history. Even if we knew Endgame would leave our heroes on top, you have to give Avengers: Infinity War credit for the gut-punch of letting Thanos win.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
View full post on Youtube
We'll never get tired of the visual gags in the Ant-Man and the Wasp series, even if the action doesn't always have an impact on the larger MCU.
