How to Watch Marvel Movies and TV Shows in Order of When They Took Place in the MCU

This past year, I’ve had a bit more time at home than usual and have been catching up on movies I missed over the last decade or so (since having kids). I want to watch them in order of when the events took place, not in order of when they were filmed or released. Of course, I couldn’t find a comprehensive list like this including both movies AND TV shows, so I set about writing my own list so I know how to watch marvel movies and TV shows in order of when they took place in the MCU. 

The most accurate official timeline I could find was from this Marvel tweet which details all moments leading up to and during ‘Fury’s Big Week’ which is in MCU phase one and precedes The Avengers. I don’t go into official MCU phases in this post.

Each movie title is followed by an = sign which then has the estimated year the events took place. For TV shows, the same applies, but it is broken down by season (or in some cases by episode). I’ve linked to the One Shot videos and upcoming trailers on YouTube.

• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 7 episode 1 & 2) = 1931
• Captain America: The First Avenger = 1943–45
  
• One Shot: Agent Carter (from Iron Man 3 DVD) = 1944
• Marvel’s Agent Carter (season 1) = 1946
• Marvel’s Agent Carter (season 2) = 1947
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 7 episodes 3 & 4) = 1955
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 7 episodes 5 & 6) = 1973
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 7 episodes 7 & 8) = 1982
• Captain Marvel = 1995
• Iron Man = 2010
• Iron Man 2 = 2011 (specifically during ‘Fury’s Big Week’)
• One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (from Captain America: The First Avenger DVD) = 2011
• One Shot: The Consultant (from Thor DVD) = 2011
• The Incredible Hulk = 2011 (specifically during ‘Fury’s Big Week’)
• Thor = 2011 (specifically during ‘Fury’s Big Week’)
• The Avengers = 2012
• One Shot: Item 47 (from The Avengers DVD) = 2012 
• Iron Man 3 = December 2012 and into 2013
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 1 episodes 1–7) = 2013
• Thor: The Dark World = 2013
• One Shot: All Hail the King (from Thor: The Dark World DVD) = 2013
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 1 episodes 8–16) = 2014 (Bucky Barnes is mentioned in episode 10)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier = 2014
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 1 episodes 17-18) = 2014 (Takes place during The Winter Soldier and ties into that significantly)
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 1 episodes 19–22) = 2014
• Guardians of the Galaxy = 2014
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 = 2014
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 2 episodes 1–2) = 2014
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 2 episodes 3–4) = 2014
• Baby Groot (seasons 1 and 2) = 2014
• Daredevil (season 1) = December 2014 to January 2015
  
• Jessica Jones (season 1) = March to April 2015
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 2 episodes 5–19) = 2014
• Avengers: Age of Ultron = 2015
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 2 episodes 20–22) = 2015
• Daredevil (season 2) = 2015
  
• Luke Cage (season 1) = 2015
• Ant-Man = 2015
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 3 episodes 1–19) = 2015
• Iron Fist (season 1) = 2015
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse = alternate timeline
• Captain America: Civil War = 2016
• Black Widow = 2016
• Black Panther = 2016
• Spider-Man: Homecoming = 2016
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Slingshot = 2016
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 3 episodes 20–22) = 2016
• The Defenders (season 1) = 2016
• The Punisher (season 1) = 2016
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 4 episodes 1–8) = 2016
• Doctor Strange = 2015–2017
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Slingshot = 2016
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 4 episodes 9–22) = 2016
• Jessica Jones (season 2) = 2017
• Luke Cage (season 2) = 2017
• Iron Fist (season 2) = 2017
• Daredevil (season 3) = 2017
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 5 episodes 1–10) = 2017
• Thor: Ragnarok = 2017
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 5 episodes 11) = 2017 (concurrent with Ragnarok)
• The Punisher (season 2) = 2017
• Jessica Jones (season 3) = 2017
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 5 episodes 12-18) = 2017
• Ant-Man and the Wasp = 2018
• The Defenders = 2017
• The Inhumans = 2017
• The Runaways (seasons 1 & 2) = 2017
• Cloak and Dagger (season 1) = 2017
• The Punisher (season 2) = 2017
• Cloak and Dagger (season 2) = 2017
• The Runaways (season 3) = 2017

  *THE SNAP*

• Avengers: Infinity War = 2017–18
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 5 episodes 19–22) = 2017–18 (concurrent with Infinity War)
• Loki (season 1) = 2018
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 6) = 2019
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (season 7 finale) = 2020
• Avengers: Endgame = 2018–23

   *THE BLIP*

• Wandavision = 2023-2024 (one second to one month after the Blip)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings = 2023 (several months after Blip)
• Falcon and the Winter Soldier = 2023 (six-episode TV show) (six months after Blip)
• Eternals = 2023 (eight months after Blip)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home = 2023 (eight months after Blip)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home = 2023-2024 (picks up right as Far From Home ends)
• What If…? (season 1) = 2024
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness = 2024 (several months after No Way Home)
• Hawkeye = Christmas 2024 (one year after the Blip)
• Moon Knight = 2025
• Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever = 2025
• Echo =
• She-Hulk = 2025 (10-episode TV show)
• Ms. Marvel = 2025
• Thor: Love and Thunder = 2025
• Werewolf by Night
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special = Christmas
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania =
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3  =
• Secret Invasion = (six-episode TV show)
• Armor Wars = 2023
• The Marvels = 202?
• Loki (season 2) = (TV show)
• What If? (season 2) =
• Deadpool & Wolverine =
• Agatha All Along = (TV show)
• What If? (season 3) =
• Daredevil: Born Again (season 1) =
• Captain America: Brave New World =
• Thunderbolts =

The X-Men series is a whole different realm I did not approach in this post, but Maggie Tillman of Pocket-lint covers it all in this article.

So, how did I do in getting the order right? There are bound to be points for discussion and debate, but for the most part it is in keeping with things mentioned in each film and show as well as characters existing. Now, to go rewatch them all in this order with my knitting handy!

Who is your favorite Marvel character?